MRC Loves The Lazy ‘Meathead’ Insult of Rob Reiner

We noted a couple of years back how the Media Research Center loves calling Rob Reiner “Meathead” as a cheap, lazy insult whenever he expresses an opinion it doesn’t like. Indeed, that cheap, lazy insult has only increased in frequency during the Trump years, many them coming from the lazy keyboard of MRC writer Corinne Weaver:

• “actor/director and famed Meathead Rob Reiner” — Matt Philbin, Jan. 20, 2017
• “Meathead is on the case.” — Corinne Weaver, Sept. 19, 2017 
• “we don’t trust you, Meathead, nor should we.” — Tom Blumer, Sept. 24, 2017 
• “When Meathead isn’t pushing Russian conspiracy theories on news networks, he spends his free time … complaining about Donald Trump.” — Weaver, Oct. 25, 2017
• “Rob Reiner, aka Meathead, thought he was so close to making Donald Trump ‘go away.'” — Weaver, Oct. 30, 2017 
• “Meathead has returned again (does he ever really go away?) to tell the people all about President Trump.” — Weaver, Nov. 17, 2017
• Rob Reiner decided that the Alabama vote was indicative of events to come. In true Meathead fashion, he tweeted…” — Weaver, Dec. 13, 2017
• “Leave it to Hollywood to offer some less than valuable commentary on breaking stories. Actually, leave it to Meathead.” — Weaver, Jan. 11, 2018
• “The actor and director more commonly known as “Meathead” decided that the problem with Roseanne Barr, a real-life Trump supporter, is that she and her character are too similar.” — Weaver, April 2, 2018
• “MSNBC host Joy Reid served up a double helping of ‘Meathead’ as liberal film maker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, spent a segment ranting against President Donald Trump and his “hardcore racist” supporters.” — Brad Wilmouth, June 24, 2018
• “Behold the ridiculousness from Meathead.” — Curtis Houck, June 29, 2018
• “Actor Rob “Meathead” Reiner tweeted…” — Weaver, July 9, 2018
• “Conservatives got a kick out of how Meathead’s movie flopped.” — Tim Graham, July 21, 2018
• “She pleaded with Reiner to help her figure this out, so Reiner responded as only Meathead could, which is double down[.]” — Houck, Aug. 1, 2018 

The latest lazy insult came in an April 3 post by Tim Graham headlined “‘Meathead’ Rob Reiner Still Cries Collusion: ‘The Russians Robbed the Bank,’ Trump Hid Them.” Graham also dropped the insult in his piece as well, claiming that “‘Meathead’ has dramatically changed his spin to suggesting special counsel Robert Mueller had a ‘very, very narrow charge’ to investigate.”

The fact that the MRC as a whole apparently can’t separate an actor from a role he hasn’t played in 40 years — and can’t rise above cheap, lazy insults — does not inspire a sense that anyone should take it seriously.