On Monday night, people on social media were abuzz over a video showing an argument between the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and a Shelter Island, New York bar customer.

The man had heard Rush Limbaugh calling Cuomo “Fredo” on his radio program, so that’s what he called the CNN anchor. 

New Yorkerwriter Michael Shulman explained why this is a derogatory word.  “The implication of calling someone Fredo, like that of the alt-right insult ‘cuck,’ is of weakness, specifically a failure to live up to the masculine ideal.”

Cuomo reallydidn’t like the nickname. “Punk-ass bitches from the right call me Fredo,” Cuomo said, getting in the man’s face. “My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN. Fredo is from ‘The Godfather.’ He was the weak brother. They’re using it as an Italian aspersion. Any of you Italian? Are you Italian? It’s a fucking insult to your people. It’s an insult to your people. It’s like the N-word for us. Is that a cool fucking thing?” 

The man seems to be at a loss for words.  He even claimed to believe  Fredo was Cuomo’s actual given name.

“You call me Fredo, it’s like I call you ‘punk bitch.’ You like that?” Cuomo shot back.

Of course, President Donald Trump jumped right into this conflict. “I thought Chris was Fredo also,” he tweeted. “The truth hurts. Totally lost it! Low ratings @CNN” 

“Would Chris Cuomo be given a Red Flag for his recent rant?” Trump added approximately an hour and a half later. “Filthy language and a total loss of control. He shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon. He’s nuts!”

It’s easy to take joy in it if, like me, you think Cuomo is an arrogant, dishonest, biased leftist. It’s also easy to point out the amazing hypocrisy here.  Cuomo has previously referred to himself as “Fredo,” and, many in the media have called Eric Trump the same thing.  Plus, no matter how upset Cuomo was, the term is not analogous to the “n word.”  Let’s get real.

Though Cuomo has been raked over the social media coals over this, I actually don’t blame him outburst.  He was verbally harassed at a public event with his daughter.  His response – if not perfect – was understandable.  He simply overreacted and has since apologized.  But the person really responsible is the person who heckled him.   

Despite the temptation to jump into the mockery of Cuomo, we should not partake.  Harassing people is ugly, regardless of one’s politics.  

This is what the left does, and the right should not imitate. 

Image Credit: Wikipedia

About The Author

Mark was a co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, and served as the national coordinator. He left the organization to work more broadly on expanding the self-governance movement beyond the partisan divide. Mark appears regularly on television in outlets as diverse as MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Fox News, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox Business and the BBC. He’s highly sought after for the tea party perspective from print and electronic media outlets, from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, L.A. Times, Washington Examiner, Politico and the The Hill. Mark blogs at MarkMeckler.com, and his opinion editorials regularly run in many of the leading political newspapers both on and offline. Mark has a BA in English from San Diego State University and graduated with honors from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1988. He practiced real estate and business law for almost a decade. For the last eleven years of his legal career he specialized in Internet advertising law. When not fighting for the future of our nation, Mark is an avid horseman, and lives in rural northern California with his wife Patty and two children.

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