CNN's Rick Sanchez: Jon Stewart is a 'Bigot,' News Networks are Run by Jews

CNN's Rick Sanchez is sick and tired of being treated as a second-rate newsman. So yesterday, he went off on those who he feels have relegated him to the "second tier" of broadcasters -- Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and his own network, CNN -- and turned a 15 minute interview into an over 20 minute poor-me discussion on race.

Appearing on Pete Dominick’s satellite radio show, Sanchez railed against "elite, Northeast establishment liberals" who "deep down, when they look at a guy like me, they see a guy automatically who belongs in the second tier, and not the top tier." He then lumped the Comedy Central hosts into that group, and especially went after Stewart:

(H/T: Steve Krakauer, Mediaite)

(Listen to Sanchez rail on Fox News too.)

"I think to some extent Jon Stewart and [Stephen] Colbert are the same way. I think Jon Stewart's a bigot," he said. "I think he looks at the world through, his mom, who was a school teacher, and his dad, who was a physicist or something like that. Great, I'm so happy that he grew up in a suburban middle class New Jersey home with everything you could ever imagine."

When Dominick brought up that Stewart is Jewish and demanded a specific example of bigotry, Sanchez failed to mention one and instead defended why he was making the statement: "That's what happens when you watch yourself on his show everyday and all they ever do is call you 'stupid.'"

Sanchez would eventually back down from the "bigot" claim, describing Stewart and his show as "prejudicial" and "uninformed," but later went on to attack CNN and poked fun at that idea that Jews are an oppressed minority:

Very powerless people... [snickers] He's such a minority, I mean, you know [sarcastically]... Please, what are you kidding? ... I'm telling you that everybody who runs CNN is a lot like Stewart, and a lot of people who run all the other networks are a lot like Stewart, and to imply that somehow they -- the people in this country who are Jewish -- are an oppressed minority? Yeah. [sarcastically]

But what might be most surprising is that Sanchez turns the conversation into a discussion on race, oppression, and takes a no-one-wants-to-give-me-a-chance-poor-me, conspiratorial tone.

Sanchez is right in that Stewart is known to poke fun at him, especially in Stewart's "moment of zen" segments:

And this:

But Dominck tried to massage Sanchez's feelings and reassure him that it's not personal. After that failed, the poor-me act seemed to get on Dominick's nerves and he offered his thoughts as to why Sanchez might be making his bold claims: "I think you're holding a grudge because [Stewart] picked on you." He then predicted "Rick Sanchez calling John Stewart a bigot is going viral."

He may have been right on both accounts.