Conservatives think Susan Sarandon blamed Reagan for homelessness -- now they're sputtering in rage

Pundits at several conservative media outlets expressed disapproval this week toward a statement by Susan Sarandon about the lasting effects of President Ronald Reagan's economic policies, particularly as they pertain to homelessness in the United States.

On the Tavis Smiley show in May, Sarandon charged that disinvestments in public services that have accelerated since the civil rights era have the policy impact of leaving countless Americans without a safe space to call home. Thus have conservative commentators launched a media campaign to denounce the Hollywood actress and known sympathizer to liberal causes.

"Looks like Sarandon’s heart is in the right place," Tammy Bruce remarked Tuesday. "It’s her mind that’s scrambled." Bruce is a syndicated talk radio host -- of the conservative, political variety -- and a contributor at Fox News.

Warning her readers about the nature of its content, Bruce began her tweet about the Sarandon story with the words: "Crazy Alert."

Western Journalism, a self-described "blogging platform built for conservative, libertarian, free market and pro-family writers and broadcasters," noted on Monday that not all commenters on social media platforms had flattering things to say about Sarandon's remarks regarding Ronald Reagan.

According to this week's Western Journalism column, "the social media reaction to [Saradon's] comments was largely critical, with many users questioning why her opinion matters at all." As evidence, the writer points to two comments from unknown internet sources. The first: "I wish media would stop giving these Hollywood idiots & hypocrites a voice." As for the second one, Western Journalism describes it as follows: "Another [comment] accused Sarandon and other dyed-in-the-wool leftists of holding on to their 'scapegoats' even when 'what they’ve been blamed with turns out to be a lie!'"

Over the course of the last several days, Breitbart, Fox News, and various other right-wing news sources have also covered Sarandon's comments about Ronald Reagan during a May airing of a PBS television show.

What exactly did Susan Sarandon say to have offended so many conservative pundits this time? An excerpt from her Tavis Smiley appearance, courtesy of Newsbusters:

"I think that the conversation [about homelessness] changed around the Reagan era, where everything was your fault... You were blamed for not trying hard enough... Just like in the AIDS epidemic the focus went on your lifestyle as opposed to what was actually happening... There are so many people in this country that are one paycheck away of being on the street, and if they can’t couch surf long enough, they are homeless... So when you have so many people working so hard. Two jobs per family, three jobs per family... Everyone is fighting so hard. And I think - so it’s been a number of things that have happened, that have made us not want to deal with this issue [of homelessness]."

Watch Susan Sarandon connect Reagan's economic policies to the rate of homelessness America faces today: