Jon Stewart had a brilliant segment last night showing that after coming back from maternity leave, Fox News's Megyn Kelly suddenly realizes the importance of such a system!
She used to hate entitlement programs, mandated benefits, and things like that. See if you can spot the difference between Megyn Kelly coming off of maternity leave, and some of her earlier work.
....
8/8/2011:
MIKE GALLAGHER: Well, do men get maternity leave, Megyn? I can't believe I'm asking you this 'cause you're just going to kill me.
MEGYN KELLY: Guess what, honey? They do. Yes, they do. It's called the Family Medical Leave Act.
MIKE GALLAGHER: Really? Really??
MEGYN KELLY: If men would like to take three months off to go take care of their newborn baby, they can.
MEGYN KELLY (6/12/2008): Correct me if I'm wrong, Lee, but don't they call it maternity leave for a reason? ... How is it discriminatory to give less time to the man who didn't have the baby?
(massive audience applause and cheering)
I know what happened! When you cut your hair, it sapped your conservative strength. Like a right-wing Samson. That means Rachel Maddow's just 10 scissor-less weeks from a Fox contract!
See, this... this is the problem with entitlements. They're really only entitlements when they're something other people want. When it's something you want, they're a hallmark of a civilized society, the foundation of a great people.
I just had a baby, and found out maternity leave strengthens society. But since I still have a job, unemployment benefits are clearly socialism. (wild audience applause)
Video and transcript below the fold.
As you know, I watch a lot of Fox News... because I hate my own head. But my favorite Fox News personality, and this is true, hands down, Megyn Kelly. The host of America Live, it runs in the afternoons. And Megyn went on maternity leave 3 1/2 months ago, and Fox tried to pull a fast one, replacing her with this lady for a little bit. And then in some cases, this other lady.
Come on, Fox, you think you can sneak just any pretty blonde lady into Megyn Kelly's chair and we won't notice? All right, it did take me a couple days to notice. By the way, I happen to know it is an anchor lady harvest season until October.
Well, good news my friends, Megyn Kelly, back in the studio this week, new hairdo, with the same take-no-prisoners attitude. Watch her take on this talk radio host who had the nerve to make a crack about her while she was off the air.
8/8/2011:
MEGYN KELLY: Here's what you said on your radio show. Stand by.
5/27/2011:
MIKE GALLAGHER: Megyn's on... still on maternity leave, right? Boy, that's a....
CHRIS WALLACE: Well, yeah. I mean, you complaining? She's bonding with her baby.
MIKE GALLAGHER: What a racket that is. I mean, men don't get to bond....
CHRIS WALLACE: What a racket??
MIKE GALLAGHER: Well, how much time does she get off to have to....
CHRIS WALLACE: Only three months!
MIKE GALLAGHER: (makes disgusted sound)
MEGYN KELLY: Would you care to explain those remarks, Mr. Gallagher? Maternity leave? It's a racket?
....
MIKE GALLAGHER: Well, are you gonna disagree that there is a... now, again, I'm on my knees here... (unintelligible) apology.
MEGYN KELLY: Oh, you're standing by.... Are you doubling down? No, no, no, no. Are you not taking those remarks back? Is maternity leave, according to you, a racket?
(in Joe Pesci voice) How is it a racket? Does it make you laugh? Is my special bond with my baby here to amuse you? You tell me how it's like a fucking racket! You son of a bitch! How is my maternity leave a racket? ... You fuck my wife?
Different movie.
Megyn Kelly is badass! That guy was calling maternity leave a racket. He was saying that women shouldn't get paid for, and Megyn Kelly was just like "RRRRrrrrrrr!" Never get between a Mama Grizzly and her maternity leave. She's making quite a spirited argument that workers are entitled to certain benefits, and that society has an interest in protecting these benefits. Which is great... and really weird. Wait... because that's not the Fox Megyn Kelly that I thought I knew.
MEGYN KELLY (4/15/2010): Do you think that there's any getting the tentacles that government has placed into our lives, out? ... Are we just stuck with these massive entitlement programs that we have now?
She used to hate entitlement programs, mandated benefits, and things like that. See if you can spot the difference between Megyn Kelly coming off of maternity leave, and some of her earlier work.
MEGYN KELLY (8/8/2011): What is it about getting pregnant and carrying a baby nine months, that you don't think deserves a few months off so bonding and recovery can take place? Mm?
10/13/2010:
MEGYN KELLY: The entitlement, you know, that sense of entitlement ... they've been built into the cake, you know, they're in the system. And so to try to take them away now, it's like trying to take Social Security away.
JOHN STOSSEL: Very tough.
MEGYN KELLY: Once it's in, how do you get rid of it?
MEGYN KELLY (8/8/2011): The United States is the only advanced country that doesn't require paid leave.
MEGYN KELLY (2/16/2009): The free market should dictate. The free market should guide. That's the way it works in American society.
MEGYN KELLY (8/8/2011): If anything, the United States is in the Dark Ages when it comes to maternity leave.
MEGYN KELLY (2/11/2009): All of our viewers don't see it that way. They see it as the first step towards socialism, they see it as the creation of a welfare state.
8/8/2011:
MIKE GALLAGHER: Well, do men get maternity leave, Megyn? I can't believe I'm asking you this 'cause you're just going to kill me.
MEGYN KELLY: Guess what, honey? They do. Yes, they do. It's called the Family Medical Leave Act.
MIKE GALLAGHER: Really? Really??
MEGYN KELLY: If men would like to take three months off to go take care of their newborn baby, they can.
MEGYN KELLY (6/12/2008): Correct me if I'm wrong, Lee, but don't they call it maternity leave for a reason? ... How is it discriminatory to give less time to the man who didn't have the baby?
(massive audience applause and cheering)
I know what happened! When you cut your hair, it sapped your conservative strength. Like a right-wing Samson. That means Rachel Maddow's just 10 scissor-less weeks from a Fox contract!
See, this... this is the problem with entitlements. They're really only entitlements when they're something other people want. When it's something you want, they're a hallmark of a civilized society, the foundation of a great people.
I just had a baby, and found out maternity leave strengthens society. But since I still have a job, unemployment benefits are clearly socialism. (wild audience applause)
To put it more simply:
GEORGE CARLIN: Have you noticed their stuff is "shit", and your shit is "stuff"?
Once again, George Carlin says in a sentence what took us 3 1/2 minutes. So either Megyn Kelly has inadvertantly exposed the hypocrisy at the heart of conservative demonization of unions and the working class, or.... (gasps) Oh my God, it's worse than we thought. Megyn Kelly is suffering from post-partam compassion. It'll pass. We'll be right back.
Jon also covered the Republicans at the Ames Straw Poll, where we find out Mike Huckabee is a slut, and sent all his correspondents to go see how the candidates were doing.
Unfortunately, Sarah Palin then pulled up in her bus, creating an attention-sucking vortex that swallowed them all up and may have already wiped the state of Iowa off the map. Poor unfortunate souls.
Meanwhile, Stephen covered Mitt Romney's "corporations are people" gaffe.
He then talked about his Colbert Super PAC
airing its first commercial in Iowa, but noted that WOI-DT, the ABC affiliate in Des Moines,
refused to run his ad, claiming it was "confusing" to voters. That set Stephen off.
BTW, anyone notice the title Stephen gave to his
second ad? Naughty naughty, Stephen. ;-)