PrintJanuary 22, 2008
Hillary Clinton's 'Guidance' for the Media
"...the reason she's a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around."
-MSNBC Hardball Host, Chris Matthews
-MSNBC Hardball Host, Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews is in trouble. His typically clumsy and ill-informed news analysis cut left for once. The socialist progressives are now accusing him of being part of the dreaded vast right wing conspiracy, a terrible insult in their world, and the far left is calling him all sorts of nasty names. The retribution they demand ranges from an apology, which he has already given, to firing, to drawing and quartering. Leftist feminist has-been Gloria Steinem even wrote a letter. Nasty stuff from the left-o-sphere usually reserved for the opium dens of the Bush derangement crowd fill the comments sections of the Daily Kos, the HuffPo and FireDogLake. Like a gang of schoolyard bullies, the left turns on one of its own.
The phone calls to and from the Democrat leadership must have started within minutes of Matthews uttering his blasphemy. The management of MSNBC fell all over itself begging forgiveness. Matthews, threatened with an Imus moment, probably wrote his muddled meandering apology within hours of his faux pas.
Matthews is too much a man of the left to stand his ground, and his accurate description of one facet of Hillary's populism was merely a careless and peevish misstep from a fellow traveler. It was not exactly "speaking truth to power" and it certainly was not insightful analysis.
Anyone who has been following the Hillary Clinton Campaign could easily list the newsworthy manipulations which are that campaign's standard practice: planted questions, rigged audiences, fake protests to engender sympathy for the candidate, surrogate attacks on competitors, behind-the-scenes intimidation of the press, fund raising fraud, and of course, the normal sleight of hand with the truth. Hillary's legislative and policy contradictions, general hypocrisy and shameless pandering are legend; so much so, she concerns even some stalwarts on the left.
The Clinton political machine is nothing if not formidable. When annoying tidbits inadvertently surface in the mainstream press, the political hammer comes down. MSNBC is simply not allowed to criticize Democrats and especially not Hillary.
The preferential treatment the left receives from our mainstream press has become undeniably obvious. Conservatives have pointed to it for many years, but the greater public is just now awakening to the truth, as reflected in the consistently low numbers the media receives in opinion polls. CNN's staging of questioners during a recent Republican debate is a case in point. While silly puff pieces about Hillary abound, we have yet to hear any substantive or aggressive questioning of the Senator. Her agenda will likely remain a mystery, as most of the press is in her pants suit pocket. Annoying cackles aside, the special contempt FOX receives from the socialist left is precisely because they are not part of the "progressive" team and not as easily controlled or intimidated as the rest of the media. The Democrats take their influence for granted, and despise press they cannot control.
Hillary is a contrived political animal, one who would be nowhere if she were bereft of the very accommodating coattails of her estranged yet conveniently Presidential hubby. His libido was a national embarrassment, yet he always receives a rock star reception; teenage girls faint, women fantasize, men cheer, and the star quality rubs off on Hillary. It is a marriage of political convenience, a partnership of mutual ambition. Hillary has even tried to profit from Bill tomcatting around the oval office; barely but bravely holding back tears while sympathetic anchors gently touch on the issue, she tries to appeal to every woman who has ever been scorned by her man in another cynical campaign tool at the end of its usefulness. Hillary's every public appearance is a choreographed performance, every emotional display planned and every interview scripted and rehearsed.
One often gets a more focused perspective of the present when looking at the past. A memo recently released by the Clinton Presidential Library under the Freedom of Information Act and obtained by Judicial Watch gives us some insight into the mutually supportive Democrat-press relationship. The Memo from Jay Rockefeller to Hillary Rodham Clinton dated May 26, 1993 addresses Democrat strategy for Health Care Reform. On page 18, section 6, titled MEDIA, the second paragraph reveals:
Sounds cozy, though "anxious and willing to receive guidance on how to time and shape their coverage" is not the kind of relationship that bodes well for unbiased and objective news coverage. The relationship has just grown closer over the years. MSNBC is happily on the leftist leash. Chris Matthews "received guidance" and has made his mea culpa in the best traditions of obsequious political correctness. They even shoehorned the word "victim" into the apology:"- Guidance and cooperation in news planning is essential. Right now, every news organization (MTV to JAMA) is planning expanded coverage of health care. News directors, planners and editors, and features producers and editors are anxious and willing to receive guidance on how to time and shape their coverage. White House communications staff should be meeting with every major news organization to gain as much insight and offer as much guidance about coverage as possible."
"Some people I respect, politically concerned people like you who watch this show so faithfully every night, people who care about this country think I've been disrespectful of Hillary Clinton, not as a candidate, but as a woman... . Was it fair to imply that Hillary's whole career depended on being a victim of an unfaithful husband? No. And that's what it sounded like I was saying, and it hurt people who I'd like to think normally like what I say; in fact, like me."
No, Chris, it was not fair. Hillary's whole career does not depend on being the victim of an unfaithful husband. Her whole career depends on being the wife of an ex-President and using the ethics-challenged political machine she helped him put together. That's how she got elected in New York, a state she never previously lived in, and that's how she hopes to win the presidency.
Yet most Americans understand at gut level that a principled woman, a woman of vision and dignity would have dumped Bill long ago and taken pride in her independence. Not Hillary. Funny how the whole apology thing worked out like it was dreamed up in a strategy session, the bad man putting the ever-suffering woman down, a classic "iron my shirt" event. We now have the "Hillary Standard." The candidate gets special treatment because she is a woman, all while she is talking about breaking the glass ceiling. Hillary will use whatever chance brings her, assuming most Americans will probably miss the irony anyway.
Once the Clinton machine gets hold of a useful publicity event, sacrificing a loyal leftist spin master like Matthews does not give them a moment's pause. He is an easy target, one that will not push back, just as MSNBC will not push back. So let's not kid ourselves that this involves an objective news source. Freedom of the press should be always protected and fought for.
But what should we think when it's given away?
