FRC’s Perkins Thanks MSNBC For Hosting His Anti-Gay Hate Group

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), continues to be taken seriously by every major cables news network despite the fact that his organization has been classified as an anti-gay hate group.

No network takes him more seriously than MSNBC, which has hosted the hate monger twenty-four times since November of 2010. Despite condemnation from groups like Faithful America – whose ad exposing Perkin's history of anti-gay extremism MSNBC refused to air last week – the network continues to treat Perkins as a legitimate political commentator.

Understandably, Perkins has nothing but positive things to say about MSNBC. During the March 8 edition of the American Family Association’s (AFA) Today’s Issues radio show, Perkins commended the network for “not buckling” under the pressure of “a loudmouth, Soros-funded group”:

AFA PRESIDENT TIM WILDMON: here’s something about, I didn’t read the whole story, something about you appearing on some news show the other night and now the homosexual activist groups want you banned for life or something, I don’t know.

PERKINS: Well what’s new about that? They are afraid of the truth and they are probably listening because I know they like to monitor this program and that’s what it is, they are afraid of the truth. They do not want to have open debates, they know the facts simply do not line up, and so instead of publicly showing up and debating or putting their ideas out there on the table they simply want to silence Christians, that’s what it’s about.

[...]

PERKINS: You might remember the Episcopal Bishop Eugene Robinson who split the Episcopal Church because he’s openly gay and wanted to marry his lover or whatever you call it, and he gathered 20,000 signatures and presented them to MSNBC demanding that they keep me off of MSNBC because you know I’m on there you know talking about politics or whatever and usually it’s nothing to do with homosexuality, they just don’t want anybody who does have views that are counter to theirs.

WILDMON: I’ll tell you what, you’re in good company, the other day Kirk Cameron went on Piers Morgan on CNN, and man, Piers Morgan asked him a question about homosexuality, he said it was ‘unnatural,’ he just got torched.

PERKINS: I talked to Kirk, I talked to him yesterday actually I was actually interestingly enough I was coming out of MSNBC where I was on yesterday with Martin Bashir, and I would actually encourage folks to go watch that interview that I did with him—they have it on their homepage; at least they did this morning on MSNBC—and thank them for allowing a balanced discussion. Obviously Martin did not agree with me but we had a very civil discussion on the issues and I tell you what I have to respect MSNBC for allowing debate and not buckling under the pressure of a loudmouth, Soros-funded group that is simply trying to silence the public debate over important public policy issues, so I will have to come to the defense of MSNBC for not buckling under that pressure. [emphasis added]

This isn’t the first time Perkins and FRC have shown their appreciation for MSNBC’s free publicity. The group regularly thanks the network for inviting Perkins on the air and encourages its supporters to do the same. The frequency with which Perkins appears with MSNBC host Chris Matthews became so obvious last year that FRC wrote a blog post titled “hold the phone... are we getting through to Chris Matthews?” in which FRC stated: “But our character, our views, and our thinking are shaped over time by the company we keep and the people we trust. Here’s hoping Tony continues to rub off on thought leaders (left and right) in the mainstream media.”

It’s been said there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but when a notorious anti-gay hate monger is openly thanking MSNBC for having his back, it might be time for the network to reconsider the company it’s keeping.

Previously:

MSNBC Hosts Hate Group Leader While Condemning Limbaugh's ‘Uncivil' Fluke Comments

MSNBC's Matthews Hosts Hate Monger To Discuss How He Wouldn't Host A Hate Monger

MSNBC Hosts Anti-Gay Hate Group Leader For Eighth Time In Two Weeks