Reprehensible Comments
You’d think the Clintons would be grateful someone else is making them for a change. I guess, given the reaction, they are. TPM:
The Hillary campaign has just gone to war with MSNBC, dispatching a top Hillary adviser to launch a lacerating attack on the network on a conference call with reporters moments ago.
On the call, 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.”
Wolfson made the comments in response to a question about a now-notorious comment by MSNBC’s David Shustser, in which he asked if Chelsea’s campaigning on her mom’s behalf meant she was being “pimped” by the Hillary campaign…
Using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is a surefire way for a journalist to get into trouble.
On MSNBC yesterday, correspondent David Shuster went there, amazingly enough, while interviewing two guests about Chelsea Clinton’s role in her mother’s campaign. “Doesn’t it seem as if Chelsea is sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?” he asked.
Hillary Clinton’s communications director, Howard Wolfson, today called the comment “disgusting,” “beneath contempt” and “the kind of thing that should never be said on a national news network.”
What parents wouldn’t leap to the defense of their daughter’s honor? But it’s bound to get a little awkward when Clintons start getting moralistic. It’s not like Shuster’s the one who made the Clinton political brand name synonymous with tawdry sex, taking advantage of vulnerable young women, etc.
On Thursday, when Clinton spokesman Phillippe Reines contacted Shuster and told him the comment was offensive, the reporter e-mailed back that he was referring to the fact that Chelsea is making calls to convention superdelegates but refusing to talk to the press.
They have been shamelessly using her, now that he mentions it.
Anyway, the Clintons … uh … put Chelsea out there to get the young vote, and now are in danger of looking hopelessly square, to use a hopelessly square term. I hate to get cute about it, but it all kind of depends what the meaning of the word “pimp” is.
Shuster appears to have been using it overly casually in the more traditional sense. But to the voters to whom Chelsea is supposed to be appealing, “pimp” doesn’t have particularly negative connotations any more. I’m too old even to say things like “dis” and “chill,” according to my kids, so I’ll have to defer to the square person’s guide to young people’s speech on this matter. Here’s The Source for Youth Ministry:
pimp
1. adj. Very admirable or desirable. Extremely good. “Check out his pimp ride!” 2. n. a male who is extremely admirable, especially with the women. “Take notes fellas, I’m the pimp!”
That sounds more like the dad.
pimpin’
1. Something very cool or ghetto fabulouse “Hey dawg, them new sneakers by Tha Game is pimpin’ I’ma get some of those next week.” 2. A guy trying to pick up on girls. “Look at him pimpin’.”
Yep, that’s dad.
According to Wiktionary’s definitions and usage, Shuster’s use of “out” in “Doesn’t it seem as if Chelsea is sort of being pimped out in a weird way,” actually makes it sound more like they’re dressing her up strange. You know, like she’s a model on that Project Runway show with the scary Teutonic ubermodel Heidi Klum. Take a look at 1 and then 2 below:
to pimp (third-person singular simple present pimps, present participle pimping, simple past pimped, past participle pimped)
- To prostitute someone.
- The smooth-talking, tall man with heavy gold bracelets claimed he could pimp anyone.
- (US, AAVE) To excessively customize something, especially a vehicle, according to ghetto standards.
- (Medical profession slang) When the attending physician asks a resident or medical student to answer an impossible question.
Everybody knows about MTV pimpin’ rides. Apparently it’s now in common, even commercial use.
Now the gutless wienies at MSNBC have suspended the poor guy.
NBC NEWS STATEMENT REGARDING CHELSEA CLINTON COMMENT:
On Thursday’s “Tucker” on MSNBC, David Shuster, who was serving as guest-host of the program, made a comment about Chelsea Clinton and the Clinton campaign that was irresponsible and inappropriate. Shuster, who apologized this morning on MSNBC and will again this evening, has been suspended from appearing on all NBC News broadcasts, other than to make his apology. He has also extended an apology to the Clinton family. NBC News takes these matters seriously, and offers our sincere regrets to the Clintons for the remarks.
I would have thought an apology, expression of sincere regret, would do the trick. Apparently not.
Both the Clinton and Obama campaigns accepted invitations from us on Thursday evening to participate in a February 26th debate. Our conversations with the Clinton campaign about their participation continue today, and we are hopeful that the event will take place as planned.
Topics: Clintons
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:40 pm on Friday, February 8, 2008
4 Responses to “Reprehensible Comments”
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February 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I suspect Billary would sell Chelsea to a Rio whorehouse if it got him/her back in the White House.
Well, there’s some hyperbole there, I know. Some. But not a lot.
February 9th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Which part of ‘not a lot’ are they having trouble understanding?
February 9th, 2008 at 9:39 am
[...] Jules Crittenden pulls a Clintonian parsing of “pimping out.” [...]
February 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I suspect Clintonian anger resulted more from the accurate description of what they’re doing with Chelsea, rather than use of the word “pimp”.