Howard Wolfson, communications director for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, called it “disgusting” and “beneath contempt.”
He characterized it as something that “should never be said on a national news network.”
He also brought up the Chris Matthews apology, the one in which the “Hardball” host said he was sorry for suggesting that Hillary’s political success was due to her spouse having had an affair with an intern.
“At some point,” Wolfson said, “you have to question whether there is a pattern at this particular network.”
What’s the “it” that has Wolfson so exercised?
Well, Wolfson’s remarks were about David Shuster and the comments the fill-in host made about Chelsea Clinton’s campaign role. Shuster used the words “pimped out” in reference to the campaign’s use of Chelsea to recruit Democratic Party super delegates in support of her mother.
Most would agree that the remarks were regrettable, but what about the “pattern” to which Wolfson referred?
The subject network here is none other than MSNBC. But the unnamed perpetrator of the “pattern” is one of its most outspoken and opinionated hosts, Keith Olbermann.
Olbermann is billed on NBC and MSNBC as a journalist. He has called one of his favorite targets, Fox News’ “Factor” host Bill O’Reilly, a “passive-aggressive racist.”
This is the same Olbermann who in narrating an NFL play described a punt return by Roscoe Parrish, a wide receiver who happens to be African-American, as “Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles at its finest.”
Olbermann also described a supposed conversation between Bill Clinton and Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor of Hispanic descent, in which Clinton was “asking Richardson for an endorsement and then, ‘would you please pass the guacamole?’”
The “Countdown” host also said that the Bush administration was an example of facism, claiming that it was similar to The Third Reich, and compared Fox News to the Nazis as well.
Meanwhile Shuster profusely apologized to the Clintons and in return was given a suspension.
The suspension was apparently not enough for Hillary. The senator and presidential candidate wrote a letter to president of NBC Steve Capus, which stated that “no temporary suspension or half-hearted apology is sufficient” for the language that Shuster used.
Hillary also asked Capus to “look at the pattern of behavior on your network that seems to repeatedly lead to this sort of degrading language.”
As long as Capus is looking, maybe he ought to take a glance in Olbermann’s direction.
James Hirsen is a media analyst, Trinity Law School professor and teacher of mass media law at Biola University.
I think it is more important to look at what is really at play here. It is not Matthews’ comments (which were inexcusable), or Shuster’s comments (which were more in bad taste than bias, he was using a modern vernacular, i.e., “Pimp My Ride”). Nor are Olbermann’s commentaries the focus. And, by the way, given that guacamole is a staple in the Southwest for football games, it is not in the least a racist comment.
Since we are talking football and sports, it brings to mind the best analogy. In football, in basketball, in baseball, the coach or manager often vehemently protests a call. The protest is rarely effective in overturning the call, and in fact, at least in baseball and basketball, sometimes results in the manager or coach being ejected from the game. So, what is the point? It is always strategic, and results in unifying the team, and works to insure the next call will be delivered to the benefit of the protesting team. It is also intimidating to the officials, making them scared to make a controversial or close call.
That’s the Clinton strategy in a nutshell. Trying to intimidate for the purpose of either getting stories broadcast with a Pro-Clinton slant, or intimidate for the purpose of not reporting at all.
So much for the independent, “Fourth Estate”! That should be the real message of this blog entry.
By the way, here is an excerpt from an email sent from the Clinton campaign, under Chelsea’s signature:
“I’ve been campaigning with [my mom] across the country — and I’m definitely planning on being at the next debate. Would you like to join me?
The campaign is picking an online supporter to watch the January 31 debate in Los Angeles with me and to meet my mom. I know she’ll be thrilled to meet you — she is so grateful for how much every supporter has done for her campaign,”
So the Clinton campaign is playing off Chelsea’s youth and the fact that she is single. That’s real close, real close, to pimping in the original sense of the word. Ultimately, it’s the glass house/throwing stones maxim. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t put your children in the public arena, and in the contact sport of politics, and then complain when they get a little bruised.
Maybe Shuster was spot on.
David, your comment is simply brilliant!
There is bad news about Clinton.
It is opined that Bill Clinton committed racist hate crimes, and I am not free to say anything further about it.
Respectfully Submitted by Andrew Y. Wang, J.D. Candidate
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are probably thousands of copies on the Internet indicating the content of this post. Moreover, there are innumerable copies in very many countries around the world.)
_________________
“If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Off the top of my head—it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
MSNBC President, Phil Griffin, is merely playacting importance over Keith Olbermann. Olbermann should say, “Step off me, man!” :
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5977532/keith_olbermann_suspended_from_msnbc.html?cat=2
Keith Oberman is one of the most honest and on the spot commentators on television. I am very upset about his suspension.
He should be commended not suspended. Reinstate him immediatly.