Lawrence O’Donnell’s interview with Herman Cain raises eyebrows

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell interviewed Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain on his program Thursday night, and the host's questions attracted criticism on Friday.

According to The Huffington Post, O'Donnell asked Cain about his "predilection for calling people 'brainwashed,'" Hank Williams Jr.'s recent controversial comments comparing President Barack Obama to Hitler and Cain's life and opinions during the civil rights era.

The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf wrote that he has "never been more disgusted by a broadcaster's interview with a presidential candidate." Friedersdorf accused O'Donnell of "smugness" and focusing on "idiotic gotcha moments."

"In a 20 minute interview, O'Donnell tried to bully Cain into 1) acknowledging thanks for the Civil Rights Act, 2) apologizing for his failure to volunteer for Vietnam when he wasn't drafted, and 3) confessing that he did less than white activists during the Civil Rights Movement," Friedersdorf wrote.

Mediaite's Tommy Christopher, meanwhile, who says that he likes O'Donnell and is no fan of Cain's, wrote that the interview "surpassed unfair, sped through the tollbooth at offensive, and came to rest in the parking spot marked "Reserved For Despicable.'" Christopher also argued that O'Donnell's questions will serve to fire up the conservative base.

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Over at the right-wing website Hot Air, writer Jazz Shaw accused O'Donnell of "serious condescending sniping and badgering which seems geared more towards attempting to make Cain look foolish than explore his positions."

Watch the interview, via The Huffington Post:

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