Politically Incorrect Transcript

Politically Incorrect
May 1999

Bill: Okay. All right. He plays Xander Harris on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Tuesdays at 8:00, Nicholas Brendon. Nicholas. There you are. [Applause]

[The other guests (author Ann Coulter, Reverend Al Sharpton and actor Billy Zane) are introduced]

Bill: Okay. All right. Well, Reverend Al, one of our first guests, I think, on our very first show -- always good to see you. Although, I know you are not here on frivolous business.You are here because of the Tyisha Miller case. If you are not familiar with this, it is one of three big police cases that have been in the news this year. If you don't know the story, Tyisha Miller is a young black woman -- 19 years old, was she?

Rev. Sharpton: Right.

Bill: Okay - was passed out, okay, definitely passed out in her car in Riverside, and the police could not wake her. They tried. They smashed in the window, she had a gun in her lap. At that point, they say, she reached for the gun. And, at that point, the police did what they apparently do too often, which is unload all their bullets into her, shooting her a billion times and killing her. Now you're here because the decision was made by the D.A. not to prosecute police for this.

[Some discussion is held about this, then they begin talking about a serial rapist.]

Bill: He looks like a serial rapist?

[All talking at once]

Nicholas: So do I, and I really wanna clean now. [Editor's Note: Apparently he's referring to the look of the serial rapist]

Ann: ... The story is the cousin calls because this woman is in a locked car, she's unconcious, there's a gun on her lap. Would it be racist for the cops to have just walked away and said, "Okay, screw her," you know "Let her die in the car"?

Nicholas: Was she sleeping?

Ann: No, he was like shaking the car -

[More discussion is held]

Ann: ... I don't know who's saying that. I mean, you've said a lot of things about --

Bill: Okay, it's all here.

[All talking at once]

Nicholas: 'Cause (the report) was written. So we weren't there. You know we're taking someone's word for it. She's dead, and it was wrong. And they shot 25 times at her --

Rev. Sharpton: That's correct.

Nicholas: And hit only 12. Which, I mean, if you think about it, it's just horrible. I mean, not only stupid, but they can't -- they have no aim.

[More discussion]

Nicholas: Why can't we kill with two things -- let's kill with kindness --

Bill: Sorry, you're not supposed to say that.

Nicholas: -- Or let's kill with chocolate, 'cause I am a chocolate lover. I do love the chocolates. I think it's because it's horrible, Bill. [Laughter] It's horrible.

Billy: What exactly is the issue here -- excessive violence, racism, chocolates? I mean, you know --

Nicholas: The issue is --

Rev. Sharpton: I hope you're not mixing race and chocolates.

Ann: The issue is --

Bill: To me, it's why the police, to me --

Nicholas: White chocolate. How's that? Is that better?

[All talk at once]

Bill: Why can't they never just say, "We screwed up and we're sorry?" Why can't they just do --

Ann: But, they are saying that. They're being accused of doing this with bad intent -- doing it because she was black as opposed to making a mistake under an extremely high-stress job that no one wants to take. And you can understand why -- how this mistake could be made.

Nicholas: But they take it though.

[More discussion then a commercial break, thus ending the topic]

Bill: All right. The other thing I've learned about guns, that no minds are ever changed about it. Let's move. Now the big story in this week in politics is, George W. Bush, apparently has the nomination wrapped up, and it's like 18 months away. I don't know why they're tripping over a guy whose charisma comes from being the son of George Bush. But, okay. [Laughter]

And, of course, what the press is trying to do is find out what's dirty about him. And does he admit that he had a drinking problem. He always says he stopped drinking at 40. And that he refers to his drinking as what he did as a child. [Laughter]

Ann: That's good.

Bill: So, yeah, I wonder what are the acceptable skeletons?

[Discussion is held about politician's indiscretions, including President Clinton's. Ann brings up the allegations of rape against the President.]

Ann: Paula Jones -- that turned out to be true.

Rev. Sharpton: Well, just asking somebody doesn't mean the President is guilty of rape.

Bill: Again, not proved.

Rev. Sharpton: Wasn't even indicted.

Ann: What do you need for proof?

Bill: What do I need for proof?
Ann: $850,000 --

Bill: Legal evidence that would be acceptable in a court, a thing like that.

Nicholas: That would work. [Laughter, cheers and applause]

Bill: I don't know, weird.

[Ann continues to claim there's evidence against Clinton, saying the polls back her opinions]

Ann: No, but, there was a lot of evidence. And, I think, most people believe it's true. That's certainly what the polls show, and you love those polls. Oh, the Hollywood "Politically Incorrect" audience, perhaps the majority here don't believe that. But, the majority of polls -- [Audience boos] You always don't like to jump in and attack the audience.

Nicholas: Allegation's not an issue -- isn't even on the table.

[Commercial break, Bill steers conversation back to George W. Bush and his past as an alcoholic. Billy advocates a "little indiscretion" for politicians]

Billy: I prefer -- well, I don't know, I think, personally, we're breeding these unrealistic kind of automaton clones into office who don't have any outlet whatsoever. And we're putting, you know, major weapons at their fingertips. That's a dangerous combination, personally. I think, you know, I prefer a little humanity in the mix. And it takes the pressure off a little.

Nicholas: And sometimes booze gives you humanity. Don't you think? I mean, it relaxes you -- a nice hit of a spliff, at times, I think also -- I mean, what's so wrong with it, really? I mean, why have we kind of come and said -- again, we've talked about what Clinton's done, but we've talked about it. [ Laughter ] I don't understand why it's such a huge thing, unless he was raping people -- that was proven. That was proven -- we're talking about Bush now.

Rev. Sharpton: Bush raped somebody too?

Nicholas: It's true.

Ann: Did you miss the last segment? I think drugs really were accepted. Because, remember Clarence Thomas said that he smoked pot. I think drugs and alcohol were okay. The only one that couldn't do it was Judge Ginsberg for the Supreme Court. But I think drugs and alcohol are fine and really what people -- what they out to look at are things that indicate the person is a liar, whether that's adultery or cheating on an exam.

Nicholas: Well, everyone has a skeleton. I think it's who has a bigger skeleton?

Bill: Right.

Rev. Sharpton: I think that the Republicans and the conservatives try to have it both ways. They make a big thing out of Clinton, now it becomes acceptable. If it's Bush -- I mean, come on, I think that if it doesn't interfere with somebody's job, we need to not try and major in trying to dig up people's personal lives. If it doesn't interfere with their jobs, it's fine. [Cheers and applause]

Bill: And that is the opinion registered by the American public, not the Hollywood elite. I mean, these people are not the Hollywood elite. And that is what the public has said over and over.

Ann: Okay, since you're trying to stay away from Clinton this segment, I agree with that to the extent that I think lying, or anything that's indicative of someone being dishonest, does have something to do with the job performance of a public official, which is why I would care more about someone -- [Applause]

Bill: But it's what you're about.

Billy: But it's what you're lying about. Are you lying about, you know, selling arms in exchange for drugs or are you lying about --

Ann: Well, I would be more concerned -- we're talking about past indirections and not Clinton now. I would be more concerned about someone cheating on a college exam than shooting heroin in college. Because, one, it seems to me, you can overcome. The other one, if a person is just generally dishonest, you don't know --

Nicholas: Wait one second. Overcome the heroin or the cheating -- or the cheating to get heroin?

Ann: I'd be more accepting

[Talking at once]

Ann: It's possible, but you have to look very closely.

Rev. Sharpton: So someone shooting heroin has a high moral character to you?

Ann: No. I'm saying you can overcome that. [ Laughter, applause ] I don't think you're following the argument here. We're talking about a past indiscretion.

Nicholas: Well, no, I think we're taking your examples. It's not -- we're not missing the argument. I think you're using ridiculous examples from heroin to cheating. [Cheers] Now, I've cheated on a test, but I have not shot heroin. So, in your eyes I can't be --

Rev. Sharpton: Well, suppose, if somebody lies while shooting heroin, what category is does that fit?

Nicholas: No, I'm not doing it. I swear.

Ann: Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding of the question is something you did in your youth, in the past.

Bill: You're right.

Rev. Sharpton: 40 years old is not youthful indiscretion. I think that's what Bush said. Henry Hyde was almost 50 when he had his youthful fling. I mean, you're really raising the bar here on where youth starts and stops, don't you think?

Bill: No, I'm just saying that's what the argument is, that heroin has stopped. That's why him saying --

Nicholas: I say two weeks. If you're done within two weeks, I think you're cool.

[There was more discussion, then the show ended.]