pimpin' out chelsea

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:04pm

so, did i miss the thread on here about this?

david shuster was suspended by msnbc for saying, "but doesn't it feel like chelsea's being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"

here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIxgw04Y0Fc

now, he did apologize:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClM3sC_EzN4&feature=user

but that doesn't seem to be enough:

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/02/hillary_to_nbc_fire_david_shus.php

my question is: was suspending shuster enough of a penalty or should they fire him?

[Liverpool]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:05pm

I fail to see why he should have been suspended at all. I think it was a gross over reaction

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:08pm

he insulted a clinton on national television for one, liv. gah! are you that dense?

i'll wait for pj to chime in. he spent much of the libby case curled up in shuster's lap purring contentedly.

[Liverpool]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:10pm

Everyone should insult a clinton on national TV. it should be some sort of citizenship requirement.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:17pm

Papa isn't agreeing with Liverpool enough to show you the error of your ways?

[Mamie]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:19pm

It's incredibly unprofessional. They don't have to go far to find someone with more intelligence and manners to take that job. He deserves to be canned for his stupidity.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:19pm

liv and i agree on stuff all the time. we also vehemently disagree just about as often.

joe, should he be fired?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:22pm

Oh no, I think it's a very odd thing to say but no odder than 3/4 of the stuff they say on Hannity or O'Reilly.

Why did he say Pimpin' anyway?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:27pm

it was a question about her activities on behalf of her mother's campaign look from the outside. specifically calling celebrities and superdelegates trying to win support for her mom.

[DG]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:29pm

It will certainly be the only time Chelsea is mistaken for a hooker.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:37pm

oh i don't know about that...

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:49pm

If Schuster had sounded the least bit sincere in his first apology, and not basically lied about some of the things he said, maybe this would have blown over.

And, since there seems to be a pattern of some negative Clinton comments (especially from Matthews) on MSNBC, this may have just gone too far.

I found the comment pretty offensive.

And, for the record, they were not just insulting Clinton, but her daughter. If this had just been another hateful comment about Hillary, I doubt it would have generated this reaction. I don't recall similarly nasty comments about other candidates children working the campaign for them.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:50pm

Didn't Drunk 'n' Drunker campaign for their father the last couple times around? And I know the Romney boys were dancing at Splash with all tips going to Dad's campaign.

And why do people say Chelsea is unattractive? I'd hate to still be judged by what I looked like at 13.
Updated On: 2/9/08 at 07:50 PM

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:54pm

That is one of the points here Joe. Other candidates children have campaigned for them, but I do not recall the kind of pejorative language used against the children of the candidates by a member of the press.

It seems that for HRC, even her child cannot legitimately believe that she is qualified to be president - the press assumes that there is not an authentic emotion or response among them.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:55pm

Freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to piss people off and not suffer consequences for doing it.

If you talk like a mean-spirited jerk, and make stupid comments, you might be treated accordingly and face whatever repercussions are deemed appropriate. That's the risk that is taken for shooting off your mouth.

I think he SHOULD be fired. Not for doing anything illegal... but for taking cheap shots at a powerful candidate's daughter. He has alienated his own media company from the Clinton campaign in an election year. That's bad business. He should be fired for a "bad business move." Happens all the time.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 7:58pm

Isn't it a commentators job to stir up controversy? I agree Ms Clinton can't catch a break with the press, but this is no more heinous than half the stuff they say- and a whole lot better than Ruch Limbaugh's White House Dog crack.

If it comes to that, it's not as bad as McCain's joke about her: Why is Chelsea so ugly? Her mom is Hilary and her dad is Janet Reno.


Updated On: 2/9/08 at 07:58 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:00pm

timing is everything. this sure makes a more attractive story than talking about her losing the next five states...to some people.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:03pm

Well, that just further demonstrates McCain's wonderful sense of humor and calm temper.

And papa, you are right, the timing of this could not have been better for the Clintons.

I believe they were legitimately pissed, but this happened at a good time for them as well.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:14pm

Certainly they are in the prime position of being legitimately upset, and able to benefit politically.
I think the comment was unfortunate and shouldn't have been used, especially considering the way that other people have acted in the case.
Yet I also think there is a double standard with Chelsea Clinton, in part because of the stupid and unfair criticism she had as a child. Many people still think of her as a 12 year old girl and treat her as such, instead of a capable, adult woman who makes her own decisions. I think that sense of dismissing her as a child is what Shuster was guilty of, and is also a problem with the response.

The analogy to the Bush Twins is interesting, they have been subject to extreme criticism, both fair and unfair, here and elsewhere, yet there is no where near the same outcry. And they have been called many things, from "drunks" in this thread, to "whores, sluts and bimbos".
Now maybe they are, but isn't a lack of outrage over that indicative that this is more than the cut and dry response many, particularly at kos and mydd are making it out to be.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:21pm

Well Pengy, I'd counter that to call the Bush twins drunks is a certified truth.

You get 118,000 stories when you google "Bush Twins Drunk" including them being asked to leave South America and their arrest for drinking in an Austin bar.

I do not believe Chelsea has ever been proven a ho.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:29pm

Joe, there is no dispute of that from me

Of course, Shuster's remarks actually have no meaning of prostitution attributed to Chelsea anyway.
It was an attempted slam at "using a child for political gain" which was of course nonsense since she is an adult.



On the "should he be fired" front, I think not. One irrational comment, in any line of work, should not be cause that, he has been suspended, and should have been. But the long term firing just seems like an extreme overreaction. He hurt the company, and suffered some retribution, I feel more goes too far.
I wouldn't be surprised if he were fired though.

Updated On: 2/9/08 at 08:29 PM

[Mamie]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:49pm

Wrong.

These people get paid enormous sums of money to be professional and not make irrational comments on the air. If he can't do that he deserves to be fired.

The 'dumbing down' of this country is epidemic when we allow professional news casters to make comments like this. He not only should apologize to Chelsea, he should apologize to the public who had to listen to him. Then he should be fired.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 8:54pm

there are links. they do go somewhere.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 9:17pm

this is not shuster's first brush with controversy.

of course, prior to this it was always with republicans so it was ok.

playing gotcha with tenn. rep. marsha blackburn:

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=oid%3A33919

only as this apology shows...he was wrong.

http://newsbusters.org/static/2007/08/2007-09-26MSNBCShuster.wmv

or there's this calm and rational depiction of the bush white house:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2007/08/29/hardball-larry-craig-moral-insult-katrina-victims

davey, davey, davey. the clintons are not republicans silly.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 2/9/08 at 9:42pm

Mamie, I simply disagree. These people are in fact also paid to make statements that make "news", they are pushed to say the outlandish things.
I think Chris Mathews and others have been particularly harsh on the Clintons and said stupid things, but most of these moralistic arguments are disingenuous.