Cain (who appeared on the show earlier in October) drew fire over the weekend for saying that he wanted to build an electrified fence along the Mexican border with a sign warning that the fence would kill anyone who touched it. Cain later said he was joking.

Barbara Walters did not see the humor. “He’s talking about killing illegal immigrants,” she said. “This is not funny.”

“Don’t get mad because we’re not laughing at a joke you’re making about killing a certain race of people,” Sherri Shepherd added. “If a white candidate had made this joke, we’d be up his behind like white on rice,” Whoopi Goldberg chimed in.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck had apparently not heard the detail about the sign, because she said that she hoped there would be such a sign on the fence. This caused Shepherd to wonder why people were even having a conversation about an electrified fence.

“We have it around prisons,” Hasselbeck said. Shepherd took offense to this. “Are you comparing immigrants to prisoners?” she asked. “It’s not my idea!” Hasselbeck protested. Shepherd said that most immigrants just wanted a better life for their family.

“It’s illegal,” Hasselbeck said. “To say you’re going to electrocute kids and mothers…” Shepherd replied. “I don’t support that idea, I’m just saying put a warning on the fence,” Hasselbeck said.

Walters then went further, calling Cain an “extremist” for his views on abortion and gay rights and saying that most voters have not examined the full range of his views.