I don’t think the atheist who called into The Mark Levin Show on Monday expected to be insulted by the host. The conservative radio host got into a verbal battle that backfired because, in short, the atheist was right. The caller took issue with Levin’s comment that the next Republican presidential nominee had to have “faith” (among other things) leading to this conversation:

Caller: Hey, Mark. I enjoy your show. I agree with you the vast majority of the time. But it drives me crazy when you do what you just did a little while ago, which was perpetuate the myth that, somehow, religious faith is either good or a prerequisite for being a good leader… Levin: [Mocking] Oh, it drives you crazy! Oh, I forgot, I’m not supposed to mention faith or God. Oh, I’m sorry, did I offend?… … Levin: So, you’re an atheist, right? Caller: Yes I am. Levin: Okay, great. Well, can I help you out, pal? This world wasn’t created by atheists. Meaning, this country was not created by atheists… The great thing about our Constitution and the great thing about the Judeo-Christian belief system is its tolerance. You see, you have almost no tolerance for my viewpoint. This is the thing that really angers you! On the other hand, if you’re an atheist, I could care less… Caller: First, Mark, it’s ‘couldn’t care less,’ not ‘could care less’… Levin: Okay, fine. Actually, it is ‘could care less.’ Caller: No, it isn’t. It doesn’t make sense. Levin: You know, you’re an ass. I’ve had about enough of you. You’re a real punk. You know that? You have contributed nothing to this program in ten minutes. Zero. And you’re not that smart… The problem that some of you atheists have is you’re intolerant. You’re intolerant. And you’re a punk. So, get lost. Get out of here.

Actually, the caller was right. It’s “couldn’t care less.”

Levin has said in the past that he wants to rewrite the Constitution. Given his grammatical ignorance, Esquire‘s Charles P. Pierce jokes, “If he’s going to rewrite James Madison, it’d be nice if he knew that.”

Furthermore, Levin’s problem isn’t that atheists are intolerant. It’s that we’re patriotic and we believe the President should be the leader for all the American people regardless of his or her beliefs, not just the religious ones. That’s why faith doesn’t have to be a requirement for office, nor should it be considered a valuable trait to have.

I don’t know why the caller, Jim, was expecting to have a rational conversation with Levin in the first place. Like his right-wing colleagues, Levin isn’t interested in having a real debate. He’s only interested in spouting off his talking points.

(via Raw Story)



