Fox's Eric Bolling's Race Problem

Fox Business host Eric Bolling's remarks accusing President Obama of inviting “hoodlum[s]” to what he called the “hizzouse” is just the latest amid a growing list of unacceptable and bizarre racially charged comments Bolling has made.

Bolling Claims Obama Is Hosting “Hoodlum[s] In The Hizzouse”

Bolling: “What's With All The Hoods In The Hizzy?” During the June 10 edition of his Fox Business show, Follow the Money, Bolling teased a segment about Obama hosting Ali Bongo Ondimba, president of Gabon, by saying: “Guess who's coming to dinner? A dictator. Mr. Obama shares a laugh with one of Africa's kleptocrats. It's not the first time he's had a hoodlum in the hizzouse.” In a subsequent tease, Bolling said, “Smile for the birdie,” while footage of a smiling Bongo with a flashing tooth, apparently made to resemble a gold-plated tooth, was shown on-air. Bolling continued: “Our president's sitting with one of Africa's most wanted. It's not the first time he's had a hood in the big crib.” Footage of rapper Common appeared on air as Bolling spoke. Bolling began the actual segment by saying: “So what's with all the hoods in the hizzy?” [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 6/10/11, via Media Matters]

Fox Graphics Show Gabon President With A Flashing Tooth, And Mention “Hoods In The House.” During Bolling's show, Fox aired on-screen text saying “Hoods in the House” and depicted Bongo with a flashing tooth:

Bolling Has Repeatedly Made Racially Charged Remarks To Attack Obama

Bolling: Obama Is “Chugging 40's”

Bolling Tweet: Obama Is “Chugging 40's” In Ireland “While Tornadoes Ravage MO.” Promoting the May 23 edition of his Fox Business show, Bolling wrote on his Twitter feed: “Obama chugging 40's in IRE while tornadoes ravage MO. Very intense show tonight. Beck and Mike Gallager, Rep...”

[Eric Bolling, Twitter, 5/23/11]

Bolling On Fox: Obama Was “Chugging A Few 40's” Instead Of Responding To Joplin Disaster. Bolling commented on his Fox Business show:

BOLLING: [N]ow, tornadoes devastating the heartland, killing scores, and leveling just about every building in Joplin, Missouri -- Mr. Obama, you've decided that chugging a few 40's and rediscovering you're Irish is more important than a presidential visit to a community trying to figure out what just hit them. Leadership, Mr. Obama, leadership; it's about choices and you seem to be fresh out of the right ones. [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 5/23/11, via Media Matters]

Bolling Subsequently Tried To Dial Back “Chugging 40's” Comment. The night following his “chugging 40's” comment, Bolling pretended he hadn't engaged in racially charged rhetoric, asserting that he “took some heat for saying Obama should have delayed his European bar crawl.” From his show:

BOLLING: I took some heat for saying Obama should have delayed his European bar crawl or whatever he's doing over there, head to Missouri, check out the devastation, let the people in Missouri know that he's there for them, or, at least, if you're still going to go through with that European trip, maybe swing by Israel on the way back and say, 'Hey, tip of the hat, guys, I've got your back.'" [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 5/24/11, via Media Matters]

Bolling: Obama's Budget Proposal May Make Sense In Kenya, “But Certainly Not Here”

Bolling On Obama's Budget Proposal: “Maybe” It Makes Sense “In Kenya, But Certainly Not Here.” Discussing Obama's budget proposal, Bolling stated: “How does increasing taxes count as spending cuts in your world, Mr. Obama? Maybe in Kenya, but certainly not here. This plan will amount to deficit increases, not reductions. It's a load of crap, and I'm offended that you think we're dumb enough to accept your math or your plan.” From the April 13 edition of Fox Business' Follow the Money:

BOLLING: After about 25 minutes of trashing the GOP plan to tackle $6 trillion in deficit, Obama finally got to his gimmick -- I mean, his plan. His plan is a 12-year, four-part scenario that breaks down like this. Number one, use the $38.5 billion in savings from last week's budget deal, but the president's math is a bit more than fuzzy: 38.5 times 12 is not $750 billion like he proposes, it's $462 billion. So, maybe he should keep the funding for education -- his own.

Number two, cut defense, $400 billion. Let's see, three wars; Al-Qaeda and Taliban want to kill us. Cutting defense spending now is just plain stupid.

Number three, use the blurry numbers they use to jam Obamacare down our throats, and save -- get this -- save a trillion dollars. Meanwhile, premiums keep going up, and, by the way, how does Obamacare save the government money again?

And number four, get this, reduce spending in the tax code. How does increasing taxes count as spending cuts in your world, Mr. Obama? Maybe in Kenya, but certainly not here. This plan will amount to deficit increases, not reductions. It's a load of crap, and I'm offended that you think we're dumb enough to accept your math or your plan. [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 4/13/11, via Media Matters]

Bolling Pushes Birther Conspiracies About Obama

Bolling: Border Around Long-Form Birth Certificate “Had To Be Photoshopped In.” Following the release of Obama's long-form birth certificate, Bolling claimed that the birth certificate's “green border” “had to be Photoshopped in.” Bolling also suggested Obama's birth certificate wasn't authentic because the doctor “who signed it” didn't tell his family he had helped deliver baby Obama. From Fox Business' Follow the Money:

BOLLING: You need to know this. You see this fold? This has clearly been photocopied from a book. You see that? It kind of folds back to, like, almost like the binding of a book. And then for some reason, there's green -- there's a green border around it that had to be Photoshopped in, and I'm trying to figure out why they would do that.

PAMELA GELLER (conservative pundit): Well, this whole border is suspect. I mean, if you're taking a scan of something, it would, to your point, it would be white. Why is this the color of the same --

BOLLING: Note this. Note this, you guys, April 25, 2011 -- two days ago -- is when this was requested from the state registrar -- registrar Alvin Onaka. So we'll keep our eye on it. We'll keep digging. Hey, listen. It may or may not be, but certainly opens up the can of worms that there are at least questions for it.

[...]

BOLLING: Very quickly, Pamela, this doctor right here, the guy who signed it four days after the birth. He passed away, but his wife today, TMZ had his wife saying I had no idea.

She didn't know about it. His son said I had no idea. It came as a complete shock to him as well. If you gave birth to the president of the United States, don't you think your family would know about it?

GELLER: Yeah, well, maybe he doesn't know about it, either. I mean, I think it's very telling that for three years, he didn't release it. There's a big question there. We have to say why. Why didn't he release it after three years? [Fox Business, Follow the Money, 4/27/11, via Media Matters]

Bolling Smears Arabs And Muslims

Bolling: Downtown NYC Islamic Center “May Be A Meeting Place For Some Of The Scariest ... Some Of The Biggest Terrorist Minds.” On the August 19, 2010, edition of Fox & Friends, Bolling claimed that a proposed New York City Islamic center “may be a meeting place for some of the scariest minds -- some of the biggest terrorist minds.” Bolling also smeared Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Sufi leader spearheading the project. From the August 19, 2010, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BOLLING: Unfortunately, with this guy, Imam Rauf, he's not a great -- he's not a good guy. He's being portrayed as, you know, a moderate Muslim. This guy has questionable ties. I mean, there's questions whether he has ties to Perdana, which was the group that sent that flotilla towards Israel. Remember that whole conflict on the water? He may have ties. Perdana and Muslim Brotherhood are a handshake apart.

BRIAN KILMEADE (co-host): Precursor to Al Qaeda.

BOLLING: Muslim Brotherhood is -- what they want is they want Sharia law throughout the land, and sometimes they're willing to use jihad to get Sharia law. They're very, very aggressive, not very reformist Muslim activities -- Hamas, maybe. And here's the one that we should all really worry about. Where's Iran in this? Perdana, Iran have been loosely tied to Imam Rauf also. So do I want -- 560 feet away from where a lot of my friends died and I lived and I worked -- do I want a mosque that may be, that may be a meeting place for some of the scariest minds, some of the biggest terrorist minds?

KILMEADE: Yeah, the next Hamburg cell could be right downtown.

BOLLING: Who knows? Who knows? [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 8/19/10, via Media Matters]

Bolling Pushed To Start “Aggressive Profiling,” Including “Cultural Profiling,” At TSA. From the November 27, 2010, edition of Fox News' Bulls & Bears:

BOLLING: Here is what we should do: privatize [TSA]. Fire them all. Let independent companies come in, take it over, and then do this: aggressive profiling, not just behavioral profiling, cultural profiling as well. Get the airways safe again. [Fox News, Bulls & Bears, 11/27/10, via Media Matters]

Bolling Asked If Muslim Americans Are “Starting To Live By Sharia Law Within Our Own U.S. Law.” During the July 28, 2010, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Bolling asked Pamela Geller if Muslim Americans are “starting to live by Sharia law within our own U.S. law.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/28/10, via Media Matters]