MSNBC's anchor's Chelsea Clinton comment angers Hillary Clinton

celeb_2006 · February 8th, 2008, 02:22 PM

MSNBC's Chelsea comment angers Clinton - Yahoo! News

A distasteful comment about Chelsea Clinton by an MSNBC anchor could imperil Hillary Rodham Clinton's participation in future presidential debates on the network, a Clinton spokesman said.
In a conference call with reporters, Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on Friday excoriated MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" 27-year old Chelsea by having her place phone calls to Democratic Party superdelegates on her mother's behalf. Wolfson called the comment "beneath contempt" and disgusting.
"I, at this point, can't envision a scenario where we would continue to engage in debates on that network," he added.
MSNBC said Shuster, who apologized on the air for his comment, has been temporarily suspended from appearing on all NBC news broadcasts except to offer his apology.
"NBC News takes these matters seriously, and offers our sincere regrets to the Clintons for the remarks," MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said, adding the network was hopeful the debate would take place as planned.
Clinton and Barack Obama are scheduled to participate in an MSNBC debate Feb. 26 from Ohio, which holds its primary March 4. The Clinton campaign has pushed hard for as many debates as possible with Obama, but Wolfson said the Feb. 26 debate could be jeopardized.
Wolfson pointed to what he called a pattern of tasteless comments by MSNBC anchors about the Clinton campaign. Weeks ago, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews apologized to the former first lady after suggesting her political career had been made possible by her husband's philandering.
Shuster told The Associated Press he has tried to reach Clinton to apologize.

crumpet · February 8th, 2008, 02:54 PM

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on Friday excoriated MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" 27-year old Chelsea by having her place phone calls to Democratic Party superdelegates on her mother's behalf. That was tasteless, not to mention ghetto as hell and not becoming a 'professional' jounalist. Let's leave the rap slang to 2-Live Crew and at least pretend to be better than the National Enquirer, shall we?

nycgirly101 · February 8th, 2008, 03:23 PM

The media obviously loves their golden boy Barack and hates the Clintons, they don't even try to hide it. Even CNN is clearly biased these days.

crumpet · February 8th, 2008, 04:00 PM

Yeah, I know. It embarrasses me what they try to pass for journalism these days. It seems it's become one big editorial and people should not defend that even if it is their candidate that is getting the preferential treatment. Some guy on the news was reading a first hand 'journalistic' account of the primaries and was praising Obama ad nauseum saying his speeches made him cry and all this other bs. The commentator said, "That's not journalism, that's a man crush!" You know, he's right.

purewine · February 8th, 2008, 04:33 PM

What a dumb thing to say.

kingcap72 · February 8th, 2008, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpet

Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on Friday excoriated MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" 27-year old Chelsea by having her place phone calls to Democratic Party superdelegates on her mother's behalf. That was tasteless, not to mention ghetto as hell and not becoming a 'professional' jounalist. Let's leave the rap slang to 2-Live Crew and at least pretend to be better than the National Enquirer, shall we?

I'm sorry, but how was that comment considered 'ghetto?' True, it was tasteless and wrong, but calling it 'ghetto' is a stretch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nycgirly101

The media obviously loves their golden boy Barack and hates the Clintons, they don't even try to hide it. Even CNN is clearly biased these days.

Or,maybe, the media understands that Obama, unlike Hillary, would actually be a genuine change from the Bush/Clinton dynasties that we've had in the White House for the last 20 years. And Bill Clinton, for all his flaws, is still a popular president, with both the media and the public.

nycgirly101 · February 8th, 2008, 06:34 PM

^^so you admit that they're biased?

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpet

Yeah, I know. It embarrasses me what they try to pass for journalism these days. It seems it's become one big editorial and people should not defend that even if it is their candidate that is getting the preferential treatment. Some guy on the news was reading a first hand 'journalistic' account of the primaries and was praising Obama ad nauseum saying his speeches made him cry and all this other bs. The commentator said, "That's not journalism, that's a man crush!" You know, he's right.

sounds like great and professional journalism to me

kingcap72 · February 8th, 2008, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nycgirly101

^^so you admit that they're biased?

sounds like great and professional journalism to me

Oh, yeah. I admit that there is some bias toward the Clintons. But it's directed more at Hillary than Bill. Because it's almost like watching history repeat itself. George W. rode into the White House, in large part, due to his last name, and Hillary's on that same course. Although I will admit that some of the media bias toward Hillary is probably related to her gender.

But any politician who is considered part of the establishment is going to get some bias from the media after a while. Bush has that same bias toward him. And if Obama were to get elected, and be in office for 8 years, you would see some media bias toward him, too.

tee-ha-ha · February 9th, 2008, 10:35 AM

The comment was tasteless but I think the Clintons are overreacting.

crumpet · February 11th, 2008, 08:46 AM

I fail to see any bias towards the Clintons in this campaign.

I called the comments 'ghetto' because 'pimpin' is a term that is associated with rap/thug culture as in "Pimp My Ride" and every other rapper calling themselves a pimp and sounding proud of it, so, yeah, I think it was appropriate. The news was trying to sound hip and cool and they failed and came off unneccesarily insulting to this girl.

suede · February 11th, 2008, 08:49 AM

Does anyone else find irony in this?

Or is it just me?

kingcap72 · February 11th, 2008, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpet

I fail to see any bias towards the Clintons in this campaign.

I called the comments 'ghetto' because 'pimpin' is a term that is associated with rap/thug culture as in "Pimp My Ride" and every other rapper calling themselves a pimp and sounding proud of it, so, yeah, I think it was appropriate. The news was trying to sound hip and cool and they failed and came off unneccesarily insulting to this girl.

Based on that theory, you'd think rappers are the ones who invented the term 'pimp.' Pimps and pimping have been around LONG before hip/hop, and there are pimps in almost every corner of the world, not just in the ghetto. So, that rationale doesn't even make sense. But, hey, whatever.

nycgirly101 · February 11th, 2008, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingcap72

Oh, yeah. I admit that there is some bias toward the Clintons. But it's directed more at Hillary than Bill. Because it's almost like watching history repeat itself. George W. rode into the White House, in large part, due to his last name, and Hillary's on that same course. Although I will admit that some of the media bias toward Hillary is probably related to her gender.

But any politician who is considered part of the establishment is going to get some bias from the media after a while. Bush has that same bias toward him. And if Obama were to get elected, and be in office for 8 years, you would see some media bias toward him, too.

that is true, ITA with your whole post

crumpet · February 11th, 2008, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingcap72

Based on that theory, you'd think rappers are the ones who invented the term 'pimp.' Pimps and pimping have been around LONG before hip/hop, and there are pimps in almost every corner of the world, not just in the ghetto. So, that rationale doesn't even make sense. But, hey, whatever.

King: I do know that rappers didn't invent the term 'pimp'. However, in the lexicon of modern American culture, the whole pimps/hos/gangsta thing is strongly associated with rap and with the thug culture. A lot of slang is derived from that culture as well. I never said or thought that the ghetto is/was the only place where there are pimps.

I'm not anti-rap, I think that some of it is good. I also do not think that the rap culture is synonymous with black culture.

Anyway, all I was trying to say was that when I read that comment the newsman made he sounded like one of those nerdy guys trying to sound hip or cool by using slang that was rude. There are a lot of other things he could have said to get his point across and pimp is associated with prostitution everywhere as far as I know.

kingcap72 · February 12th, 2008, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crumpet

King: I do know that rappers didn't invent the term 'pimp'. However, in the lexicon of modern American culture, the whole pimps/hos/gangsta thing is strongly associated with rap and with the thug culture. A lot of slang is derived from that culture as well. I never said or thought that the ghetto is/was the only place where there are pimps.

I'm not anti-rap, I think that some of it is good. I also do not think that the rap culture is synonymous with black culture.

Anyway, all I was trying to say was that when I read that comment the newsman made he sounded like one of those nerdy guys trying to sound hip or cool by using slang that was rude. There are a lot of other things he could have said to get his point across and pimp is associated with prostitution everywhere as far as I know.

I see your point, Crumpet.