TEXT JOIN TO 77022

Julie Kelly and Chris Buskirk on Hollywood Hypocrites

Writer Julie Kelly joined American Greatness Publisher Chris Buskirk to talk about the worsening allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, along with some of the surprising implications of it all. Listen to the interview and read the transcript below.

Chris Buskirk: I’m Chris Buskirk. He is Seth Leibsohn. This, of course, is the Seth and Chris Show. Welcome back, everybody. It is Tuesday, October 10, 2017.

We’re going to jump right into it today because we’ve got a lot to cover, and more importantly, because we are joined by the one, the only, the inimitable Julie Kelly. She is a regular contributor to American Greatness, and, Julie, every time you write something, you seem to strike a chord. You had something really good to say about all the goings on in Hollywood surrounding the Harvey Weinstein debacle that seems to get weirder and worse every time I click on to a new link on Drudge or Breitbart or any place. It just keeps spiraling out of control.

You wrote something called “Hey, Lefties, where are your blank hats now?” Blank being . . . This is a family show, after all. But the pink hats that the young ladies wore when they were out protesting the . . . What do we call it? The misogyny of Donald Trump and of conservatives and Republicans more generally?

So, where are they, Julie? Where are their hats?

Kelly: Well, they’re still MIA, most of them that I’ve seen. Hillary Clinton did finally emerge today and sort of spoke first and delivered a 38-word statement.

Buskirk: Through a spokesperson.

Kelly: Pardon me?

Buskirk: Through a spokesperson.

Kelly: Yes.

Buskirk: Yeah.

Kelly: Yes. She gave a lengthy interview. I believe it was last night. Hour and a half interview at UC Davis and never mentioned it, and then she released this statement today. One sentence about Harvey Weinstein, saying she was shocked and appalled.

Here’s their tactic, and I bring this up in my piece posted on the website. They immediately pivot to the women. They’ll make one little comment about Weinstein, and then they go right to the women and how brave they are, and the women are to be believed, which is fine. But it really gets them off the hook for saying anything harsh or critical about this craven, disgusting pig of a man that they’ve covered up for for the last at least decade.

Buskirk: Yeah. I mean, not just covered up for, right, Julie? As if that’s not bad enough, but actively enabled. The more we read into this story, it’s not just turning a blind eye. Though that would be damning in and of itself. We see it over and over again that some of these people around . . . A number of these people around Weinstein acted more or less like pimps, trying to basically bring fresh meat to the table for Weinstein.

Kelly: They did, and, look, there’s a lot of blame to go around. Obviously what he did and the men who were privy to it, but also the women actresses, and I assume other people who worked for him and other women who are in the industry. Their silence is complicity so they could pursue their movie careers, and then to turn around and lecture the rest of us about how we should live our lives with integrity, or lecture us on anything. That’s really, to me, the most outrageous part.

So, yeah, it’s not revealing. The reason I think it hits a nerve with so many people is because it exposes not just the entertainment industry. It is so symbolic of the entire left, the whole liberal establishment. They are so intellectually dishonest. They are such hypocrites. They spend so much time emoting, lecturing all of us, and yet they are people with no real morals or values. I think that this goes across the board, and I think that’s why people . . . He is now going to be symbolic, I think, of real disintegration, and I think there are some other things that happened today, too, pointing in that direction. A real disintegration of the liberal establishment. They are going to end up—and this is the beauty of the Trump presidency—they are going to end up completely discredited for hopefully forever. We will never have to listen to another celebrity lecture us about anything.

Buskirk: Oh, boy. Wouldn’t that be nice? But somehow I’ve come to the conclusion that self-knowledge and shame are not things that are in wide currency on the political left.

This is just . . . You put your finger on the main point, right? Which is these are the people who are constantly hectoring us on the right. They are the ones trying to take the moral high ground, but look at the way they really live their lives. It’s disgusting.

Kelly: They do, and, look, aside from this, these are the same people who lecture us about gun control but have armed security detail with them all the time. They are the same people who lecture us about manmade climate change and travel around the world in their private jets. They’re the same people who say that we should welcome immigrants and they live in gated communities where you can’t even get close to where they live. The only immigrants that they are ever close to are the people who raise their children or clean their homes.

But you could go down the line to every major political issue that they have been on the side of, and they have lived their lives completely inimical to that. But somehow, we’re the bad guys, right? The conservatives. The people who voted for Trump. We’re supposed to sit here, especially the woman Trump voter, and be excoriated by people like Michelle Obama who has yet to say a word about this.

Buskirk: Oh, the silence is deafening. How about the late night shows? Where’s Kimmel? Where’s Colbert? Where’s Jimmy Fallon? Boy, they have a lot to say about Donald Trump, who didn’t do a tenth of what Harvey Weinstein is accused of.

Kelly: They didn’t, and I think that, to your point, the silence is deafening, but especially for these women. Jimmy Kimmel is just mean. Who could take him seriously? But Michelle Obama, I think, really is somewhat respected in all quarters, and to hear what she said the last few weeks, to tell women like me that I voted against “my own voice” when I voted for Donald Trump, and now, guess who lost her voice? Michelle Obama. Hillary Clinton. All of these women. Alyssa Milano, Chelsea Handler, all these women who have blasted us have said nothing about this.

Buskirk: Yeah. They’re real brave when they have to talk about some paper tiger that they’ve whipped up in their imagination, but when it comes to dealing with real-life issues with real people, particularly people with whom they share a certain political affinity, the bravery goes out the window.

Kelly: Well, look. I suspect that there’s something even more sinister at play, and it could be that a lot of these people are not speaking off . . . Hillary Clinton included, given her really vague statement today . . . Harvey Weinstein is a very wealthy, very apparently evil, vindictive man. He is going to pick himself up, brush himself off, and he’s going to go after everyone else who he knows has played some part in this. I think that that could be contributing to the silence that we’re hearing. He’s got everyone’s number, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s got files or videos or audio recordings himself of other politicians, other celebrities, other producers who kind of do what he does. So, that could be part of it, too.

Buskirk: Yeah. Look at Bill Clinton, of course. If there’s a sex scandal, Bill Clinton often is very close to the scene of the crime. But there are these allegations floating out there about Bill Clinton’s pal, that he was jetting off to this private sex island with one of his billionaire friends. I guess my point there is, what . . . It’s this. It’s that these things don’t go on in a vacuum, right? Who was he doing these things with? He was after all kinds of women doing disgusting things on his own, but you think maybe he didn’t have friends who participated with him?

Kelly: Oh, there cannot be any doubt that if you were going to Hollywood . . . Or in New York, too. I mean, that’s where some of the allegations took place  . . . And you wanted to get your hands on some little starlet or whoever it was, that was the guy to go to. I’m sure he’s got a very long memory, and I think that’s why these people are really nervous and running for cover.

But if we can talk for a minute, too . . . And I saw a lot of this, especially on Twitter. People who are just so confused that this is not even as bad as what Trump did, and how can we criticize the Left, or celebrities, or politicians for being silent about Harvey Weinstein when we supported Trump? The two are not comparable in my view. We could go through a list of what the difference is, especially the reaction to what happened to the “Access Hollywood” tape by Republicans. I mean, it was immediate. It was harsh. It was swift. People rescinded their endorsements of him. People wanted him to drop out. That’s only one difference.

But, look, this is a man who preyed on young women, and many of them . . . And, to your point, there are other people just like him who are doing that as well. That’s just one difference of what the Trump allegations are and what now we have proven evidence about what Mr. Weinstein is doing.

Buskirk: Yeah. I say it all the time, Julie. I say, “If you want to know what the Left is actually doing. . . What they’re doing in real life . . . Just look at what they’re accusing people on the Right of doing.” They don’t seem to be able to come up with the evidence of people on the right doing it, but as soon as you scratch a little bit, it turns out that they are engaging the supreme act of projection. It’s what they are themselves engaged in.

Julie, we are going to go to a break here. Can you stay one more segment?

Kelly: Oh, yeah. For sure.

Buskirk: Great. Julie Kelly is with us. She’s our guest. She’s written a great piece explaining why people are so exercised about Harvey Weinstein. Not just because of the disgusting, evil nature of his actions, but because of the rank hypocrisy on the left surrounding him and people like him. We’ll be right back with more of the Seth and Chris . . . .

I am Chris Buskirk. He is Seth Liebsohn. This is the Seth and Chris Show. Welcome back. We’re joined by Julie Kelly. She is a contributor to American Greatness. She has written an excellent piece of the Weinstein debacle called, “Hey, Lefties, Where are Your P-hats Now?”

I don’t know if you noticed this or not, Julie. Your piece has been shared over 3,000 times on Facebook. Do you think you struck a chord?

Kelly: Oh, that’s great to know. Oh, good. I hope so.

Buskirk: Yeah, you did. You did is the short answer. Yeah, very much so. It’s amazing because people see it. If people in Hollywood don’t understand what they look like to people in the rest of the country, they should now. Maybe a little bit, just start to get the clue how they appear in other people’s eyes.

Let me ask you this question: Ted Kennedy; Eliot Spitzer; Anthony Weiner, also known as Carlos Danger; Bill Clinton; Bob Menendez, a Democrat senator from New Jersey. Can you think of a couple things these guys have in common?

Kelly: Yeah, they’re creeps.

Buskirk: Yeah. There’s one other thing they have in common, too. They’re all Democrats.

Kelly: They’re Democrats.

Buskirk: Yeah, they’re all Democrats. These are all guys who are … I don’t know, what do you think would be the right term? Sexual predators? Creeps? These are …

Kelly: I mean, I think it varies. Yeah. Anthony Wiener is, yeah … That’s a sick individual. Now, what other connections do most of them have? He’s married to Hillary Clinton’s top aide for over a decade.

Buskirk: That’s right.

Kelly: And so she was an enabler as well. So, yeah. But aside from the Anthony Weiner stuff, as alarming and disgusting as it was, kind of became a joke in the media. You’re not really reading much about Menendez at all. Eliot Spitzer, I think, got a show on CNN after he got in trouble, I believe.

Buskirk: He did.

Kelly: Yeah. So, what can you see? You can just put yourself in the ground repeating over and over what hypocrites these people are, but I don’t know that it even has to be center point about that much anymore. I mean, we do, of course, but they’re just doing so much damage to themselves. It’s pretty gratifying to watch, I have to say.

Buskirk: Julie, what is it . . . I don’t know if you know, but you maybe have an insight. Just maybe a woman’s perspective. What is it about these radical feminists? They’re willing to give these guys who are sexual predators a pass if they just espouse the right opinions in public. They don’t care what they do.

Kelly: They don’t. And I think it’s because they hate us so much that they’re willing to get in bed, so to speak, figuratively, with whoever-

Buskirk: Nice choice of words.

Kelly: Exactly. Sorry. With whoever their brothers in arms are, and they’re willing to overlook any of their transgressions because they are so opposed to conservative ideology, to Republicans, to traditional family values, to the things that we care about. They find that so offensive that they will overlook anyone else’s transgressions to help go after us. I think that that’s part of it.

And, look, let’s talk about these women, too.

Buskirk: You used the wrong pronoun. Go to jail. Actually, rape someone? Eh. If you’re a Democrat, no biggie. You get a pass on that.

Kelly: Yeah, exactly. And you can’t say something on a secretly recorded tape, where I don’t think any victim ever came forward with what President Trump was talking about in 2005. Not to my knowledge—

Buskirk: Nope.

Kelly: And I don’t think that there was. We have dozens now. And, I mean, they’re coming out by the hour, people who have been abused, harassed, bullied, and now allegations of rape coming out today about Harvey Weinstein.

But, look, these women are paper tigers, okay? I bring up my point, and of course, I can say this more easily than you guys can. Ashley Judd, who had this despicable tirade at the women’s march today after the inauguration, saying that Donald Trump fantasizes about his own daughter, just ranting about women not being paid enough, talking about sanitary products and how they shouldn’t be . . . She went on. It was embarrassing. Now, that was January. So here we are nine months later, she didn’t say a word. She didn’t say a word for 20 years? She didn’t say a word at the women’s march with all these women there, and now she comes forward? I mean, I’m sorry. I don’t have sympathy for her as a victim. I really don’t. I think, to me, she is trying to capitalize on anything to put herself out in the public and get publicity for herself.

And there are other women, actresses, who we know who are coming out now and saying, “Yeah, he did this.” Now, look, there’s different degrees of what happened, but they all knew about it, and these women are lecturing us about women empowerment and using your voices and standing up to this patriarchy, et cetera. But when they have the chance to actually do it, and choose between standing up for yourself . . . Not all women, just stand up for yourself … You don’t have to stand up for me. Stand up for yourself. Make a decision. Maybe it will cost you, but at least you’re doing the right thing. Almost all of them chose their own self-interest and pursuing their career over what they did lip service to the rest of us about.

Buskirk: Yeah, and it’s transparent to everybody. Right? And Harvey Weinstein knew it. He knew he had that position of power and authority, and he could do what he wanted. And there would be, tacitly or explicitly, a trade made, which was to say “I’ll keep quiet,” or “I’ll do this,” or “I’ll do that, and I’ll get ahead. I’ll get in one of his movies, or at least he won’t be my enemy.”

Kelly: Exactly. And, I mean, that was their raw ambition and continues to be. But it’s fine to have raw ambition. Just don’t lecture me about how I should behave and how I should act and who I should vote for or support when you don’t even have the guts to look at a slob like that and tell him where to go, and walk out of his office.

But you had coverups. Then you have, it looks like, what happened with the Manhattan DA’s office with Cyrus Vance, Jr. What did he do? And now he’s blaming the NYPD on it. So, it’s not just . . . You have much higher-ups who were complicit in this as well.

Buskirk: You have them. You have his board, as well.

Kelly: Yes.

Buskirk: It would be very difficult for someone to convince me that his board and a lot of people around the board didn’t know exactly what was going on, too.

Kelly: Well, how many lawsuits did he settle?

Buskirk: We know about eight.

Kelly: Right.

Buskirk: We know about eight.

Kelly: Right. Right.

Buskirk: I say it that way because … Well, you know why. Because that means who knows what we don’t know about. If there’s eight, would you be surprised if there was ten, or 12, or more?

Kelly: Oh, my gosh. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get, yeah, into the dozens at this point, and what’s going to happen afterward now that this is out, and who else they’re going to go after.

So, you know, I just think it’s one thing for these male actors not to speak out, but I think as a woman, as a mother of two daughters, who is trying to teach your daughters, too, when they get older if certain circumstances arise how to conduct yourself … To find out these women are really so weak and hypocritical …

Buskirk: I just look at this, Julie. I’ve got four kids. I wonder, there are parents out there who encourage their kids. “I want to be a star. I want to go to Hollywood.” Why? Why would you ever want to put one of your kids in a position like this? Because he’s not the only one. Right? I think he’s just representative of a larger culture that is the culture in Hollywood and in the entertainment business. I would want to stay far, far away from that.

Kelly: Absolutely.

Buskirk: Julie Kelly, thanks so much. You’re great as always. Great piece.

Kelly: Thanks.

Buskirk: Again, you can find Julie Kelly at American Greatness, www.amgreatness.com. Julie, I know you’ve got a dinner to get to. Have fun. We’ll talk to you soon.

Kelly: All right. Thanks, Chris. Take care. Thanks.

element_content=””]

Get the news corporate media won't tell you.

Get caught up on today's must read stores!

By submitting your information, you agree to receive exclusive AG+ content, including special promotions, and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms. By providing your phone number and checking the box to opt in, you are consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from my short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.