Lawrence O'Donnell Slams Romney and Mormonism

Lawrence O'Donnell had another foaming at the mouth moment.

I still consider his "creepy liar" meltdown on MSNBC's Scarborough Country on October 22, 2004, just days before the presidential election, as one of the most bizarre, out of control performances by a political pundit ever. He was debating John O'Neill, author of Unfit for Command.

O'Donnell completely flipped out.

Read the transcript. It's amazing.

Watch O'Donnell go nuts again, this time on The McLaughlin Group, during a discussion of Mitt Romney's "religion speech."

Here's the transcript. This is a MUST-READ. O'Donnell goes berserk!

A summary of O'Donnell's fit is offered by Jason Linkins.

He writes:

A sane, if highly flawed, discussion of Mitt Romney's "Faith In America" speech on the McLaughlin Group was cold-cocked into the realm of crazy-faced anger by guest panelist Lawrence O'Donnell this morning, who started off by criticizing Romney, but soon veered headlong into a radical assault on Mormonism.

The discussion was following along it's typical bland and predictable way, with Pat Buchanan praising Romney for defending his beliefs and Eleanor Clift dryly noting that Romney wasn't as robotic as usual. That's when the ball finally came to O'Donnell, who began by remarking, "This was the worst political speech of my lifetime." But O'Donnell didn't have much to say about the speech, as it turned out.

This was the worst political speech of my lifetime. Because this man stood there and said to you "this is the faith of my fathers." And you, and none of these commentators who liked this speech realized that the faith of his fathers is a racist faith. As of 1978 it was an officially racist faith, and for political convenience in 1978 it switched. And it said "OK, black people can be in this church." He believes, if he believes the faith of his fathers, that black people are black because in heaven they turned away from God, in this demented, Scientology-like notion of what was going on in heaven before the creation of the earth.

Pat Buchanan, believe it or not, deserves credit for asking a question that was both germane to the discussion and entirely fair: "Do you believe his faith disqualifies him to be President." Well...it's clear that O'Donnell does. Forcefully, fiercely. Frankly, frighteningly!

The conversation just went right off the rails from there. Mormonism was founded by a "fraudulent criminal," O'Donnell maintained, insisting that the speech was an "opportunity to distance himself from the evils of his religion" even as Clift cautioned that "every religion has had its scandals." That got McLaughlin defending the Catholic Church, further shouting, Buchanan blaming Christians for bringing slavery to the United States, and Clift saying that "every religion has some crazy beliefs."

Hilarious. And O'Donnell would just not let up. His kick to commercial, "Romney comes from a religion that was founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and A RAPIST!"

Spitting and wagging his finger, O'Donnell said, "And [Romney's] religion is based on the work of a lying, fraudulent criminal named Joseph Smith, who was a racist, who was pro-slavery. His religion was completely pro-slavery."

I think Linkins misunderstood O'Donnell. I don't believe O'Donnell called Smith a "rapist." I understood him to say "racist."

(Note: I stand corrected. The McLaughlin transcript attributes this statement to O'Donnell: "Look, Romney comes from a religion founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and a rapist. And he comes from that lineage and says, 'I respect this religion fully.'")

McLaughlin tried to regain control, saying to O'Donnell: "All right, please relinquish.... Lawrence, please relinquish."

I think he knew O'Donnell was venturing into dangerous territory.

O'Donnell wouldn't shut up. He didn't hesitate to bash all Mormons.

"Joseph Smith was a slavery champion, the inventor of this ridiculous religion."

"Ridiculous religion"?

Wow.

When O'Donnell loses it, he REALLY loses it.

O'Donnell was so crazy that he has even embarrassed other libs.

I didn't think he could ever top his "creepy liar" performance.

In terms of content as opposed to delivery, I think he may have managed to do it.

When Eleanor Clift starts squirming at her fellow lib's ravings and feels the need to distance herself from O'Donnell's rant, you know it has to be bad.

Unbelievable.

I sincerely believe that O'Donnell is an unbalanced individual with some serious behavioral issues.