Working The Pimp
February 10, 2008 at 9:45 am
It’s hard to read about MSNBC’s relationship to the mothership Clinton campaign these days without being reminded of Vichy France.
Regarding David Shuster and Chelsea Clinton, the Washington Post characterizes the affair this way today:
Clinton’s campaign has launched a coordinated effort to discredit Chris Matthews, the host of “Hardball,” and has also criticized “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert for his aggressive questioning of the candidate during a Democratic debate earlier this year.
The word “coordinated” is quite telling. And dead-on. It’s probably one of the more successful campaign efforts the Clinton folks have put together in recent days.
We further learn from Jake Tapper, via Instapundit, that:
Clinton’s goal is not for NBC to fire Shuster, he and his fans will be happy to hear. Until Thursday, the Clinton campaign had no issues with Shuster, I’m told.
The campaign says it has more to do with what it sees as a sexist, locker room, on-air atmosphere at MSNBC.
Clinton supporters ask: what other network has had, within the space of one year, because of comments widely seen as boorish and inappropriate, a firing (Imus), an on-air apology (Chris Matthews) and a suspension (Shuster)?
Love that the Clinton campaign has set goals for Vichy, er, MSNBC. By the way, “Sexist, locker room, on-air atmosphere” — anyone wondering whether that includes saying that Jeri Thompson “works the pole”? Would love to see Hillary Clinton add that Scarborough special to the list of apology demands, since they’re setting goals, and all.
(Also worth noting: Olbermann Watch puts the whole pimp flap to bouncy music.)
edh said,
February 10, 2008 @ 10:23 am
The Republican candidates weren’t treated any better, but didn’t complain.
Hillary’s campaign must have seen the “locker room, on-air atmosphere” treatment given Republicans and thought to act pre-emptvely before PMSNBC hosts could try to throw the thing to Obama.
Video below:
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/television/chris_keith_continue_to_laugh_at_gop_speeches_75384.asp
David Thomson said,
February 10, 2008 @ 11:06 am
“…anyone wondering whether that includes saying that Jeri Thompson “works the pole”?
Joe Scarborough was taken out of context. He had an earlier guest on his program who exercised with a pole. This is what he was referring to.
david still said,
February 10, 2008 @ 12:15 pm
perhaps it is time to grow up.To call the station Vichy is probably worse than anything you are attempting to demonstrates offensive or unoffensive…can you simply make a case without the vituperation?
Grow up? sure. All politics are dirty…recall swift boating, a new term in our language…and on and on throughout every campaigning.
What we now have is a shift away from rdio and print media to TV and net stuff so now you pick and choose what is annoying to you.
If you can’t stand the heat etc etc
Insufficiently Sensitive said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
All politics are dirty…recall swift boating, a new term in our language
Insufficiently Sensitive said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
To continue: the dirtiest politics of 2004 was committed by the MSM, which asserted with no investigation nor evidence that John Kerry’s behavior was contrary to the documented claims of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. So successful at this mendacious ‘reporting’ was the MSM that the term ’swift boating’ has been reversed in an Orwellian triumph to mean an attack of falsehoods. But Kerry was the MSM candidate, and they stooged for him one and all, and maliciously smeared the Swift Boat Veterans instead of checking their reports.
TallDave said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
“All politics are dirty…recall swift boating”
Yes, because it’s “dirty” for 255 military veterans to express their opinion of a presidential candidate they served with, or point out that he said awful things about them after getting himself sent home early on a technicality.
Vichy is an accurate analogy for what’s going on here. MSNBC has said much, much nastier things about Republicans — and about our military people — with no consequence. The “pimping” slur itself was used by Olbermann in relation to General David Petraeus with nary a peep from MSNBC brass.
TallDave said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:43 pm
Of course, the real “dirty politics” of 2004 were the National Guard memos that Democrats forged and Dan Rather put on TV despite the absence of a credible source and the obviousness of the crude forgeries.
It’s very strange that “swift boating” became the malediction instead of, say, “Rathering.”
Jason said,
February 10, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
There is a difference between saying that you’re pimping out your general and saying that you’re pimping out your daughter. It’s an uglier thing to say about your daughter. It’s like the difference between saying “you’re brother’s ugly” and saying “you’re mother’s ugly”. Basically the same insult but one feels worse.
And look, I agree that the Clinton’s are scheming and that NBC bends too much to them. CNN bends too much to Obama - they got rid of Carville and Begala. The “Vichy” thing is pretty over the top. In calling NBC “Vichy” you are analogizing the Clintons to the Nazi regime. I’m not going to vote for her, but come on.
Exurban Jon said,
February 10, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Chelsea is in her late 20s and actively campaigning in a presidential election. Exactly how long is she to be considered untouchable by the press as the poor child of an ex-President?
If that’s the standard, then MSNBC must immediately stop attacking Dubya. After all, he’s just George H.W. Bush’s little kid.
william said,
February 10, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
It would be salacious for Bush to pimp out his daughters. It is obscene for the Clintons to pimp out their daughter…….can the term swift-boating fairly be applied to the Democrats publicizing the testimony of a man who thought that Bush elder had panicked and bailed out of his plane too early. The incident happened forty years earlier and the man, who was travelling in another plain could not possibly make a fair assessment of the damage to Bush’s plane.
Jack Denver said,
February 10, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
I think the Vichy analogy is apt - the ideal of the Clinton camp would be to preserve MSNBC as a nominally independent organization on paper (so its statements would retain some credibility with the public in the way that a campaign commercial doesn’t) while at the same time so emasculating the network with fear that they didn’t dare say anything derogatory. This fits the Vichy situation quite well.
You could argue that ANY campaign would like to do the same, but Hillary is just better at this sort of thing than anyone else.
I have to say, you ain’t seen nothing yet - once Hillary has her hands on the actual levers of power, what happened to Schuster will seem like a cake walk.
M. Simon said,
February 10, 2008 @ 10:06 pm
Swiftboating - Proving Christmas in Cambodia was a fabrication.
As in: John Kerry was swiftboated when he said he spent Christmas in Cambodia.
John Kinstle said,
February 11, 2008 @ 12:02 am
Swift boating has become the new Tet.
Frank Lobo said,
February 11, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
First- Chelsea is a TWENTY-SEVEN year old “child”. Hardly a doe-eyed innocent.
Second- A few weeks ago, at a Clinton fundraiser, you could WIN A DINNER WITH CELSEA.
If one could PAY MONEY to enjoy SPENDING TIME with the senator’s daughter, I’d call that pimping.