Fox News hosts find humor in Pelosi's 'burn in hell' heckler
October 30, 2009
Speaking about Nancy Pelosi's announcement of the House of Representative's health reform bill, hosts Steve Doocy and Alisyn Camerota focused on a heckler who was jeering into a megaphone that Pelosi will "burn in hell."
In the clip of Pelosi's announcement, the heckler is barely discernible. Not only is it difficult to hear what he's saying, the sound of his megaphone is almost unnoticeable.
However, Pelosi half-way recognized the man by holding up a hand and saying, "Thank you insurance companies of America." The remark drew a wave of nervous laughter and the speaker continued her presentation.
On Fox & Friends Friday morning, it all turned into a joke.
"Oh, here, you do it!" said Camerota. "I'll be Nancy Pelosi."
"Okay, go ahead," began Doocy.
"No, you," she replied. "You do it."
"Well," Doocy resumed, pointing at his co-host. "He was doing it while she was talking."
Camerota restarted, holding a hand up to her mouth as if she had a microphone.
"We're here to day to announce ..." Doocy cut her off.
"NANCY PELOSI!" he belted in an elevated tone. "YOU'LL BURN IN HELL!"
"Thank you," Camerota responded. "Thank you insurance companies!"
"That's not nice," their co-host said.
"But that's what she said!" insisted Doocy.
"Thank you insurance companies of America!" quipped Camerota. "I guess she missed the burn in hell message."
"Oh my God, that's terrible," their co-host added. "Oh my God."
All three laughed.
The heckler and his cause were not identified. However, earlier this week, right-wing activist group Operation Rescue called on its members to "burn in effigy" both Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In a video promoted by the group, a man shouts that the two lawmakers will "burn in hell" and encourages pro-life activists to create their own effigies of the two lawmakers, then set them on fire. The group's press release was distributed via Christianwire.
In the video, a large, apparently angry man damns the health reform legislation as providing public funds for abortion. "If you support child killing, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will be waiting for you in hell!" he said. The video then cuts away to life-size effigies of Reid and Pelosi, surrounded by flames.
However, his anger over the health reform bill would seem misplaced, considering that no part of the legislation would overturn the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal dollars from being spent on abortion.
"In fact, we found an amendment in a key version of the House plan that specifically seeks to ensure that federal funds are not used to subsidize abortion coverage," PolitiFact added.
There is also a group of 40 Democrats who have threatened to block the legislation unless their provision strengthening the ban on federal dollars for abortions is voted on by the full House. The text carries language similar to the Hyde Amendment and would create yet another roadblock for public funds going to cover the medical procedure.
"We're working very closely with Bart Stupak (D-MI) and that coalition of Democrats to write a the bill in a way that makes it absolutely clear that no public dollars can go to funding abortions as part of the health reform bill," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on Fox News recently, as noted by The Hill. Hollen is assistant to the House speaker.
This video is from Fox & Friends, broadcast Oct. 30, 2009, as snagged by ThinkProgress.
This video was published to YouTube by Randall Terry, founder of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, on Oct. 24, 2009.
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