Oprah Winfrey recently said that during President Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House “there is a level of disrespect for the office that occurs. And that occurs in some cases and maybe even many cases because he is African-American.”
She gave the example of GOP Congressman Joe Wilson shouting “You lie!” at the president during a Congressional address.
This remark didn’t sit well with one of the president’s (and her) harshest critics — conservative shock jock Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh blasted Oprah on his talk show for her reference to Wilson.
“Then how the hell did you become who you were?” Limbaugh said. “Why hasn’t anyone in your audience ever said ‘You lie!’? Because you have.”
“My God, Oprah, Obama was lying,” Limbaugh added.
He also claimed that Oprah’s success is proof that racial prejudice isn’t a major factor in American life.
“But Oprah, if black people in this country are so mistreated and so disrespected, how in the name of Sam Hill did you happen?… If there is a level of disrespect simply because he’s black then how, Oprah, have you managed to become the at-one-time most popular and certainly wealthiest television personality?”
This is the second time this year Limbaugh has launched an attack on the OWN media mogul. In August he mocked Oprah’s “shopping while black” allegations against a luxury item store in Europe. He claimed she was profiled because she was “fat” not because she’s black.