Keith Olbermann’s (hopeful) understudy suspended from MSNBC

The MSNBC gasbag who occassionally fills in for Keith Olbermann has been suspended following controversial remarks he made about Chelsea and Hillary Clinton (h/t: ST reader sanity):

SEATTLE (AP) – A distasteful comment about Chelsea Clinton by an MSNBC anchor Thursday 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 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.

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 her husband’s philandering.

MSNBC has apologized on-air for Shuster’s remark, but Wolfson said neither Chelsea nor Sen. Clinton had received a phone call offering a personal apology.

Here’s what Shuster asserted:

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.

Here’s video of the remarks:

The outraged HuffPo notes that Shuster has apologized twice today for what he said.

This isn’t the first time, BTW, that Shuster has had to apologize for something he’s said on MSNBC.

I wonder when MSNBC will get around to scolding Shuster’s idol Keith Olbermann about the tawdry insinuations he made about the Bush twins back in November 2006:

But first Jenna and Barbara Bush. They have regained their party girl crowns thanks to reports from their 25th birthday celebrations in Argentina this weekend. After reports of lack security, a media frenzy and at least one lurid tale in the Argentine papers about the girls running naked down a hallway of their hotel, denied fervently by that hotel, by the way, ABC News reported the situation was so bad that the U.S. embassy asked the girls to leave, which the embassy fervently denies, by the way.

But even though the twins were meant to stay in Buenos Aires until Thursday, according to ABC News at least one, Barbara, is already back in the U.S. and that report, very flimsily backed up by the website Galkers Tip Line For Celebrity Spotting, GalkerStalker, which reports that Ms. Bush was seen with an unnamed man eating Oysters in the west village of New York City last night. No word on whether Jenna Bush is likewise cutting her holiday short or having oysters.

Double standards, anyone? Nah.

Flashback:

13 Responses to "Keith Olbermann’s (hopeful) understudy suspended from MSNBC"

K E Blairr says:

February 8, 2008 at 7:11 pm

I believe if you will check, David Shuster might have been fired from FOX News for running after Gary Condit about the Chandra Levy thing just a few days before 9/11. He was like the mad dogs that chased Britany and Princess Di.
Proof says:

February 8, 2008 at 7:35 pm

Using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is a surefire way for a journalist to get into trouble.

Just ask Madame Hillary!
DavidL says:

February 8, 2008 at 8:40 pm

Double standard abound.

MSNBC suspends David Shuster for distasteful comments, while retaining Keith Olbermann who makes slanderous statements.

Mrs. Clinton who has made a career or making prositution allegaations about her husbands bimbos and victims. all of sudden object to misogynic remarks. Pot, kettle, black.
Great White Rat says:

February 8, 2008 at 10:43 pm

But David, it’s not how you slander people that’s important, it’s who you slander. Olbermann wisely restricts his verbal sewage to conservatives and Republicans, and you may have noticed MSNBC has no problems with that.

This is nothing new for Shuster, though. Previously he’s ranted about how evangelicals like to torture Muslims just for fun (here), praised a juvenile obscene college newspaper editorial while bemoaning the fact that not enough students are in the street protesting the Iraq war (here), and used Truther loons as his source for wildly inaccurate stories (here). Almost makes his pitiful gotcha game with Representative Blackburn look trivial.

But now he’s crossed the line…he’s said something the Clinton campaign (all hail and bow down) dislikes. So he’s off the air until he learns to slant his reports properly. Sort of “sensitivity training” for leftist teleprompter-readers.
Mwalimu Daudi says:

February 9, 2008 at 12:59 am

Hillary the Victim! This ought to boost her stock in the eyes of Democrat voters……………….
NC Cop says:

February 9, 2008 at 11:09 am

Well, as we all know, it’s only slanderous and distasteful when it’s against a democrat. Olberman is a lowlife of epic proportions and MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves.

Olberman has actually attained a comedic status as far as I’m concerned. I always tune in to watch his rants, as his version of the “truth” is always entertaining.
G-Monster says:

February 9, 2008 at 3:25 pm

NC, GWR and David L. all hit the nail on the head. MSNBC looks the other way when Olbermann goes after a republican. His assistant says 1 thing distasteful about a dem and he’s gone.

I think MSNBC did the right thing, as newscaters should be professionals. An accidental gaffe on a rare occassion is one thing, but KO is unprofessional every single night.

Who could possibly take MSNBC seriously if it continues to employ unprofessional people?
Terri in NYC says:

February 9, 2008 at 6:32 pm

msnbc has shown a particular pattern of misogyny to the point that hillary may pull out of their debate. (which i hope she does) cnn has their own bias but they’re a little more slick, they just ignore anything good coming out of hillarys campaign, and re-spin it in terms of what it means for obama.

if we’re really at a place where women don’t need to consider their vote for a woman with their own womanhood in mind…the way the media is acting is certainly making us realize that if it’s okay to demean our first female candidate for president based on her gender, the rest of us (women) dont have a shot in hell.

and those women who don’t think this matters at all….it won’t matter until we elect a female president in spite of what these misogynistic boneheads do.

but right now, women, voting for another women, IS important. right now as women, we can be divided and conquered. and that’s always been our weak point, hasn’t it? that we can’t put aside petty shit and get the team agenda forward?

men have always been able to rally around something that may not be their explicit desire, but they can see the forest through the trees, and are able to coalesce to get toward a certain end goal.

women, need to be more vocal in condemning misogynistic speech and bias, especially right now, i’ve never quite experienced this like this, in my lifetime, where talking heads everywhere think it’s a-ok to insult and undermine a woman like this.

it reminds me of the clip i saw of barbera walters first appearence as a network news anchor, and the horrific way she was treated on air.

right now it seems as though nothing has changed…
Uma, mpls, MN says:

February 9, 2008 at 6:53 pm

These network journalists behavior is worse than mad dog; looks like their mind is not working.May be we need to admit them in mental hospital.

Hillary boycott these taste less media; no reason to stand for this kind of journalism.
Steve Skubinna says:

February 9, 2008 at 10:08 pm

Slime a Republican, be a hero to the left. Slime a Dem, lose your job. Looks unbiased to me.
Leslie says:

February 10, 2008 at 11:17 am

MSNBC may be unique in the not all that extensive history of cable news. Fox, of course, began as the conservative alternative to the liberal slant of the rest of the MSM, and has performed that function professionally for, I believe, 12 years now–although it’s showing signs now of fraying at the edges (O’Reilly, Hannity and Colmes, and the constant appearances of Ann Coulter are beginning to be, well, frankly, a bore).

MSNBC, on the other hand, floundered for years, experimenting with different formats and attracting little in the way of respect or attention . . .

UNTIL! Somebody at NBC got the idea of putting on Keith Olbermann not merely to compete with O’Reilly but actually to pick a fight with him. What must have seemed, even to the NBC suits, as a hail mary pass at the time worked beautifully, and MSNBC has become the liberal alternative to the Vulpines (although they can claim Tucker and Morning Joe when the conservatives complain) and, in fact, seems to have become the unofficial hdqs. for the Obamamanians (hence Mr. Schuster’s failed attempt at hipper than thouness). So, it seems that MSNBC is the go-to place not for what most of Americans would consider the liberal point of view, but actually for the point of view of one faction of liberalism (something Fox never has attempted). To complain of differential treatment by the “liberal media” for Jenna and Barbara Bush compared with Chelsea Clinton totally misses the point. Bush-twin bashing, despicable enough, was widely indulged in by those suffering from “Bush Derangement Syndrome.” Chelsea-bashing is being indulged in by one segment of the liberal media. That, to my knowledge, has never happened before.

And while all this has been going on . . .

CAZART! CNN, apparently under orders to simply report the news, has been doing just that, relatively free of bias and with the always on the job Wolf Blitzer, and that cool exploding map–and great reporting by John King, Dana Bash, Candy Crowly, Jessica Yellin (victim of the Wrath of Bill Clinton), et al.
Don L says:

February 10, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Steve S

“Slime a Republican, be a hero to the left.”

Gee for a moment there I thought you were talking about John McCain.
Nightly Ramble: Who else said “Pimped”? Where’d HillBilly get the Money? More | BitsBlog says:

February 11, 2008 at 4:26 pm

[…] John Hawkins points out MSNBC’s David Shuster isn’t alone. We all know by now about the controversy surrounding MSNBC’s David Shuster and his allegation that Chelsea Clinton was being “pimped” by her family in order to drum up support for her mother. He’s apologized twice, been suspended, and along with that rec’d a strong rebuke from Senator Clinton herself. […]

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