As Field Negro, Redeye and countless others have pointed out, this wasn't necessary. And the same courtesies asked of liberals by conservatives are seldom returned. Just look at what most conservatives have to say about the president's family.
Jason Easley says it best:
"Harris-Perry took responsibility for the segment, even though she never said what the right accused her of saying. Her apology was heartfelt, intelligent, and insightful. It was typical of what viewers see on her program every weekend. What it wasn’t was necessary.
MHP brought up a great point about families being off limits, but that is something that the same critics that have called for her to be fired have ignored when it comes to President Obama and his family. The fact that Harris-Perry has now apologized multiple times raises the question why do those on the left have to apologize multiple times for things that Republicans get away with daily?
Please spare me the argument that the left is somehow morally superior to the right, and thus held to a higher standard. The left, right, and center are all the same. Partisans like to think that they are morally superior, but each are still human being expressing political views that should be held to the same standard.
The problem is that there is a basic hypocrisy in the media that allows the right to not be held accountable bad behavior. Not only is the right allowed to get away with worse things than the MHP segment on a daily basis, but no one on the left is ever cut the same slack.
Harris-Perry turned her apology into a teaching moment. She demonstrated once again why she is one of the best on cable news. However, the apology was unnecessary. The left should resolve to only apologize when the right is held to the same standard of accountability for their behavior. The only way that the media will ever treat them fairly is if it is demanded. "
The bolded reminds me of how a maligned school administration deals with bullies and their victims - the bully can punch as hard as they want for as long as they want (but not in complete clear view of the admins), but if the victim so much as draws back a fist, the administration comes down on them like a ton of bricks. As long as conservatives insist that liberals follow the schoolhouse paradigm, things like this will continue.
