Wingnuts claiming that Magic Johnson set Sterling up.

[RandySF]

A few conservative pundits on Tuesday furthered a conspiracy theory that someone, possibly Magic Johnson, set up Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's racist rant in order to buy the team.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on his show on Tuesday had a lengthy discussion with a caller about such a theory. Limbaugh attributed the theory to the caller, but seemed convinced that it was a possibility.

"Whoever set this up is really good. They covered every base. They've got the media wrapped around their little finger," Limbaugh said.

"This is a fascinating theory. And, Neil, I'm glad that you held on through the break so I could dig deep, explore further," he continued "You know, you got it."

Patrick Howley, a reporter for the Daily Caller, also questioned whether Magic Johnson had something to do with the the leaked audio recording.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/conspiracy-theory-sterling-set-up

[avebury]

1. I would not be surprised if the ex-girlfriend set him up.

She is young enough to be his granddaughter and I wonder if she has ambitions (acting, a reality show, whatever). What better way to get noticed then be in the middle of a scandal? I don't think that Magic Johnson was involved in any way but I sure would take a better look at the girl.

[eShirl]

4. please.

[avebury]

8. Why on earth do you think that girl

taped the conversation and it was then leaked? This is LA we are talking about and people want to get noticed. We don't know what her goals in life are. Sterling thought that he was teflon and it probably never occurred to him that he could be held accountable for anything he said. We live in an era of reality TV where people become famous for actually not doing any of substance (ex. the Kardashians).

I just would not be surprised if it turned out to be a bid to gain public attention on the part of the now ex-girlfriend. Or the scorned wife who has been publicly humiliated by her cheating husband.

[eShirl]

9. HOW DID SHE MAKE THOSE WORDS COME OUT OF HIS MOUTH?

riddle me that

[avebury]

13. He is a mega wealthy man with an established

pattern of negative behavior on racial issues. She is a young thing he is banging and he isn't interested in her embarrassing him in public by hanging out with the wrong kind of people. The NBA has allowed him to get away with crap for a long time and he just assumed he was teflon. I don't think that it was that difficult for her to push the right buttons to get him to make stupid comments. It probably never dawned on him that anyone would have the nerve to tape him and then make the tape public. He apparently learned nothing from the Romney tape from the last Presidential election. In his head, she disrespected him by posting instagram pictures of herself with black men. Don't forget, this young lady is not a white lady but is of multi-racial ethnic background.

[Lex]

16. He said racist shit

and no one made him do it. Period. End of story. Blaming the woman for it is bullshit.

[eShirl]

20. not a woman, a "young thing he is banging"

[Lex]

21. ah yes

[Jesus Malverde]

24. If you listen to the tape it's obvious she is digging his grave..

between "do you want some more juice honey". Its trolling at its finest that exposed a racist.

She appears to be shaking him down now, whether she got outside advice is speculation what we do know is she's being represented by attorneys and threatening to release hours more of his blathering.

Not defending the jerk but the dynamic is clear if you listen. He is possibly a little senile too.

[Lex]

25. sounds like she's trying to calm him down

and get him distracted from his ugly rant

[Jesus Malverde]

26. It might but she keeps it on topic...

I only listed to the part where he mentions blacks are treated like dogs in israel. It's classic trolling, and all done in a calm pass the eggs sort of way.

[Lex]

27. Doesn't take much to get racists on a racist rant, believe me

I have several old crazy uncles and all it takes is to mention the most benign things and they off on their rant . . .

[Jesus Malverde]

29. Oh yeah, but the key is...you know how to set them off...nt

[Lex]

32. Sure, but they are racists through and through so it comes out.

Got not one drop of sympathy for them if they say it and it gets them into trouble.

[BainsBane]

33. Donald Trump said something very similar

Think about that.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

42. Yep! As much as I dislike Sterling for cheating, for being a racist, and for being a pig

... Vanessa is no better. She was seeing an 80 year old married man. I think the handful of people pretending that this Vanessa woman was some form of Mother Teresa need to stop the BS right now.

[maryellen99]

43. It's been reported that he asked for the phone calls to be recorded

So he could remember what was said later.

[eShirl]

2. and how did they make those words come out of his mouth?

talk about grasping at straws

[Generic Other]

15. I am with you

I have been around seniors with dementia. He acted like that if you ask me. She seemed shocked and surprised to be accused of crossing some boundary based on his feelings about race. At first she argued, but it was clear from his angry outburst that he was working himself into hysteria. Barely knew what he was saying or how offensive. While she did not give in, she tried in the end to calm and pacify him before he hurt himself. Like a nurse with a mental patient. I am surprised he didn't have a stroke.

[eShirl]

23. that I can actually believe

[Generic Other]

31. She tried to stand up for herself

but he has the money and the power over her.

I bet the argument was longer than what we heard. It must have taken a few seconds for her to push the record button on her iphone after she realized he was gonna have a conniption fit red faced over an instagram pic of her with a black celebrity. You can't set up that kind of response. You can't even predict it! All you can do is duck and cover when it happens!

Crazy old rich men. Scary.

[Jenoch]

3. I'm no fan of Limbaugh, but the theory has some plausibility.

[eShirl]

5. yeah

[nobodyspecial]

6. Exactly how?

[avebury]

10. It is called the era of Reality TV where people want to gain famous

for not actually doing anything of merit (ex. the Kardashian family). The girlfriend might be behind it all but I do not believe that Magic Johnson was involved. He is far to smart for that.

[Lex]

17. He said those words HIMSELF.

Stop trying to blame a for woman it.

[Jenoch]

18. It seems that everybody in the NBA knew that

Sterling was a racist. Johnson somehow discovers Sterling has an audio recording system at his home so he can review his conversations because he does not always remember what he said. (That's another kind of paranoia). Johnson approaches Sterlig's girlfriend with the idea of getting him to spew his racist opinions, leaks it, and you know the rest.

[Generic Other]

35. Dementia controls the man

not the other way around. This sort of irrational agitation escalating into full blown hysteria cannot be orchestrated or controlled. That's how old guys with dementia act.

I figured she turned on an iphone, but a recording system in the house makes sense. If anything, I think she did because she was afraid he'd have a stroke and drop dead on her. The recording starts in the middle of the argument. We never hear the part where he first tells her that he's mad about something. Or her reaction. We are coming in as they are further probing the revelations. She's annoyed and defensive, he's getting madder by the minute. She clicks on the tape. If it was a set-up, she would have recorded it from the start.

[Jenoch]

40. I'm not sure that Magic Johnson was not involved to buy the team.

[herding cats]

7. They don't call them "nuts" for nothing.

Geeze!

[spanone]

11. bwahahahahaaa good luck with that wingnuts....

[Elwood P Dowd]

12. A wingnut told me Obama was in on it

to deflect attention from his bad poll numbers, Obamacare, and Benghazi.

[Lex]

22. Seems legit.

[JI7]

14. i have seen comments say that he didn't use the N word so it wasn't that racist

or not that bad. these people are fucked up.

[Lex]

19. These folks think if you didn't burn a cross

on a black man's front yard, then you aren't racist. Where they draw the line as to what constitutes racism is psycho.

[JI7]

30. they also feel he is the real victim and the black girlfriend set him up

and of course it includes all the racist, sexist crap. but they think because they don't use the N word there is no racism in it.

[nomorenomore08]

36. Whereas daring to complain in any way about white racism makes you fucking Farrakhan...

[bravenak]

41. +1

Cosign.

[HipChick]

28. You don't have to use the N word to be a racist..

[FarCenter]

34. P Diddy will buy the Clippers.

[Zen Democrat]

38. Oprah should buy the Clippers.

[FarCenter]

39. Sterling will benefit from a bidding war among black moguls

http://www.businessinsider.com/diddy-wants-to-buy-the-clippers-2014-4

[bluedigger]

37. When Conservatives profit from the misfortunes of others, it's Providence.

When liberals profit from the misfortunes of others, it's a Marxist conspiracy.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

44. Those idiot confederates just cannot accept anything AT ALL at face value. Not even

simple facts are facts to them, but some sort of conspiracy.