The trial of George Zimmerman has been one of the most polarizing cases in recent memory and not for exactly the reasons you would immediately think. The case has almost turned into a political bloodbath between conservatives vs. progressives as they dissect the case.
On the right-side of the political aisle we have seen a trend of notable analysts defending Mr. Zimmerman citing self-defense in his killing of Martin. Sean Hannity, host of the Hannity program on Fox News, has been so knee-deep into his defense of Zimmerman that it got to the point where he had to deny internet rumors that he paid for Zimmerman’s defense fund.
So it should come as no surprise to those who have been following the case that Mr. Zimmerman granted his first interview since being freed on bail to Fox News and Sean Hannity. In fact, one would have to expect that this was one of the least surprising developments of the case.
But the interview itself was certainly a revealing one and it gave the viewers plenty to think about and more to get outraged over.
When asked about if Trayvon Martin was indeed running from him like Zimmerman claimed when he told a police dispatcher so, Zimmerman seemed to contradict his earlier words. In fact he said:
At the time, Zimmerman told the police dispatcher that Martin was running away from him. But in Wednesday night’s interview, he said that Zimmerman was “skipping, going away quickly. He wasn’t running out of fear.”
Zimmerman said that Martin then approached him out of the blue and delivered a single punch to his nose, breaking it and asking, allegedly, what Zimmerman’s problem was.
Zimmerman said he replied, “I don’t have a problem.
For the most part this is relatively similar to the story Zimmerman has tweaked as the case has developed before the nation. The only alteration is in fact that Martin (I’m assuming MSNBC made a typo when they wrote Zimmerman) was skipping away.
As Zimmerman recanted the scuffle that he got into with Martin, he reached the point of the story where he would fire the shots that killed the teenager.
“At that point, I realized that it wasn’t my gun, it wasn’t his gun. It was the gun,” Zimmerman said. “He said, ‘You’re gonna die, mother-f——.”
He said he felt Martin’s hand go down his chest, toward his holster.
“It just happened so quickly,” Zimmerman said. But, he said, “I didn’t think I hit him.”
When Hannity asked if Zimmerman had any regrets, he replied, “No, sir.”
“I feel like it was all God’s plan for me,” Zimmerman said in response to Hannity’s question about the aftermath of the killing.
This is where our analysis begins. This disgusting, yes that adjective is suitable for this story, quote of “it was all God’s plan for me”. After Hannity asked if he would do anything differently, he said “No, sir”.
Yes, God planned for you to kill a 17-year old…for what reason was that, Mr. Zimmerman?
Of course Zimmerman didn’t believe what he said, when has he said anything that made it sound like he was this deep, religious man that believed that he was lucky enough to be placed on this Earth to shoot and kill teenagers?
This was a plea to the audience that was watching Fox News.
After Zimmerman was arrested in connection to the shooting of Trayvon Martin, news came out that he set up a website to solicit donations from citizens to help pay off his defense fund and it seemed like he received a decent amount of money from it.
Zimmerman knows that a lot of people who are on his side in this case is because he had a gun. The National Rifle Association (NRA) all but showcased their support for Zimmerman in April when the Executive Vice President of the club, Wayne LaPierre, complained about the “sensational reporting from Florida”. This case went from an investigation over a possible homicide to one that had political implications for some people.
So Zimmerman has the NRA crowd in his backpocket for support but what else does he need to essentially corner the conservative crowd?
You bring in religion. Fox News has long been associated with the conservative right and that includes the evangelical/religious faction that watches Huckabee. This is the target market, so to speak, of Zimmerman’s interview with Hannity. It had nothing to do with re-telling his side of the story (with minor alterations and tweaks mixed in with blatant hypocrisy) or trying to proclaim his innocence.
Why else would he say a quote like this?
Noting that he and his wife don’t have children, he tells of having nephews “I love more than life, I love them more than myself.”
“And I love my children even though they’re not born yet.
“Even though they’re not born yet”.
Please, that was an appeal to the pro-life community even! He is showing off how he is pro-family and showcasing his love for his unborn children! Why else would he just whip an inane quote out like that? Surely, this had to be one of the most rehearsed lines of an interview that reeked of spin.
To solicit money. To solicit sympathy. To make this even more politically charged than it has been. He might as well state how Obamacare is a tax and demand a birth certificate.
This is all part of George Zimmerman, and his defense lawyer Mark O’Mara’s, wicked game to earn money for themselves and create doubt in people’s minds.
Let’s see if it works.