If you missed it, MSNBC’s David Shuster has drawn the Clinton campaign’s ire over a very dumb comment he made on the air last night. This video, from TPM, shows the remark and Shuster’s efforts to explain/apologize for it this morning.
For those of you who can’t watch videos online, the clip shows Shuster discussing Chelsea Clinton calling superdelegates on her mother’s behalf, urging them to support the Clinton campaign. Shuster initially asked Clinton supporter Bill Press if the efforts were “unseemly.” When Press pushed back, Shuster asked, “Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?”
This morning, Shuster backpedaled. “Yesterday we ran this clip of women from ‘The View,” Chelsea Clinton had called them. Well, last night on Tucker’s show, we ran the same clip and out that, I said a lot of wonderful things about Chelsea. I praised her; I said Americans should be proud of her; I talked about how Mike Huckabee has praised the Clintons for how they’ve raised her; and the fact of the matter is, as I said last night, everybody, all of us, love Chelsea Clinton. But we also talked about the fact that Chelsea Clinton, as the campaign has acknowledged, she’s making calls to these superdelegates, to try to help her mom get the nomination, which can be, as I said, can be the unseemly side of politics. Well, last night, I used a phrase, some slang, about her efforts. I didn’t think people would take it literally, but some people have, and to the extent that people feel I was being pejorative, about the actions of Chelsea Clinton making these phone calls, to the extent people feel I was being pejorative, I apologize for that. I should have seen that people might view it that way, and for that, then, I’m sorry.”
The Clinton campaign is not only understandably livid, it’s practically going to war with MSNBC.
Clinton aide Howard Wolfson hosted a conference call this afternoon, and didn’t hold back.
This is really something. The Hillary campaign is going to war with MSNBC, dispatching a top Hillary adviser to launch a lacerating attack on the network on a conference call with reporters.
On the call moments ago, top Hillary adviser Howard Wolfson suggested that there’s a “pattern” of reprehensible comments by MSNBC personalities, and said outright that the Hillary campaign could no longer “envision a scenario where we would debate on that network given the comments that were made and have been made.” […]
Asked about Shuster’s “pimp” comment, Wolfson denounced the comment as “disgusting” and “beneath contempt,” adding: “It’s the kind of thing that should never be said on a national news network.”
Then Wolsfon added: “You have to question whether or not there is a pattern here on the part of the network.” He added: “Is this part of a pattern? I don’t know, but [it’s] beneath contempt.”
One really gets the sense MSNBC producers need to send a memo to the on-air talent: stop making misogynistic jokes about the Clintons while talking to a national television audience. Chris Matthews’ bizarre remarks about Hillary were troubling enough, but comparing Chelsea Clinton’s legitimate campaign efforts to prostitution is just ridiculous. What are these guys thinking? (It’s not just misogyny towards Dems, either — remember Scarborough talking on the air about Fred Thompson’s wife “working the pole”?)
As for the debates, the Clinton campaign is prepared to reject debates on MSNBC, and the Obama campaign won’t debate on Fox News. CNN must be thrilled.