Village Voice's legendary investigator examines MSNBC's anti-Hillary bias (focus on Joe Scarborough)

[futuro]

The legendary Wayne Barret from the Village Voice has written a story focusing on explaining why Joe Scarborough hates Hillary Clinton (and her husband) so much.
Barret is the author of the #1 Giuliani biography: Rudy!: An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani (2001) and Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11.

He doesn't limit himself to Scarborough (excerpts here, and emphasis is mine):

Despite Clinton's recent wins, Scarborough's fellow MSNBCers have kept up their bruising treatment of her. Chris Matthews started things off with a roundhouse blow in January, when he said that she had become a senator and had a shot at the presidency only because of her husband's infidelities. More recently, Matthews has been beating the drum for Clinton's withdrawal as if it has become of a test of her honor. Even the network's usually most detached reporter, David Shuster, got into the Clinton-bashing when he wondered aloud whether the Clintons were "pimping out" daughter Chelsea, costing him a two-week suspension. Tucker Carlson declared that he found Hillary so "castrating" that he "involuntarily" crossed his legs whenever she came on TV, a reflex that neatly contrasted with the "thrill" that Matthews said he felt creeping up his leg whenever Obama spoke.

Meanwhile, Keith Olbermann (who, it must be pointed out, occasionally invites this writer on his show) tried for months to stay above the scrum, but lately has been taking on Hillary night after night—never trash-talking like his teammates, but eventually deriding Hillary in one of the "Special Comment" editorials he'd previously saved for acts of war and official treachery.

But the story focuses mainly on Joe Scarborough:

Once Scarborough was in Washington and began doing the talk-show circuit blasting Clinton, a White House aide bumped into him on Capitol Hill and told him that the president hated his guts—a feeling he described as "mutual" in his book. "I can't even look at the man's face on TV," Scarborough told his staff. The ever-flexible Scarborough now likes to say that he's "spent the past five or six years second-guessing myself on whether I was unfair to Bill Clinton in the 1990s, why he bothered me the way he did," and insists that he "tries to be positive" about him. He says that he voted for only two of the four impeachment counts against Clinton while in Congress, though he made regular appearances on the talk-show circuit, including Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, to condemn the then president.

Pressed about his continued contempt for Clinton, Scarborough shifts to claiming how much he likes Hillary. But confronted with one of his January quotes—when he called her "disoriented" for "saying Martin Luther King wasn't responsible for the Civil Rights Act"—he smiles, acknowledging the distortion of her words, and says: "You got me there." In fact, he often lumps Bill and Hillary together—as in "the Clintons want the issue to be race"—just like many other commentators do.

More:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0814,bruise-brother,396288,1.html

[DJ13]

1. Ah, I see this is a concerted effort by the Clinton campaign

First Randi Rhodes, next Harold Martin, now all of MSNBC.

The Freepers got nothing on you Clinton supporters when it comes to trying to silence those who dont pander to Hillary.

[bow-tie]

2. This traces back to Rove

just like the Dan Rather assassination.

[AX10]

3. MSNBC is aiming to be the left wing fox.

They are as militantly pro-Obama as Fox was for Bush.
This is disturbing. This blatant media bias in favor of one candidate over another is not healthy for democracy.

[MADem]

15. And here's the irony--Fox is gradually divesting themselves of their crazy people.

They got rid of that blond nazi, and others are sure to follow.

I believe the goal is to eventually, position Fox as genuinely "fair and balanced." They'll start hiring reasonable people, and shoving the crazies out, over the next year or so. There won't be anywhere for the righties to go, and that way, they'll be able to grow their moderate, centrist audience membership.

[AX10]

24. It could happen.

[MADem]

4. Uh-oh...this kinda destroys the assertion I've read here about how JS is nicer to Clinton.

And it illustrates what I've noticed about General Electric's flagship propaganda arms, too. They want Clinton OUT, so Popeye can cruise to victory, I think.

And bravo to Craig Crawford, MSNBC's "token gay guy" who pipes up and speaks truth to power:

Ironically, the person who has confronted Scarborough on his biases most publicly is one of his own guests, Craig Crawford. On one show with Scarborough and Mike Barnicle, another MSNBC regular, after Scarborough blasted Bill Clinton as divisive, Crawford said: "I really think the evidence-free bias against the Clintons in the media borders on mental illness. We've gotten into a situation where if we try to be fair to the Clintons, if you try to say, 'Well, where's the evidence of racism in the Clinton campaign?', you're accused of being a naïve shill for the Clintons." Crawford, who was hired as the network's first outside contributor 11 years ago, went on to call out Scarborough and Barnicle personally, saying: "You guys make Clinton stronger with this bashing."

A couple of days later, Scarborough blasted Crawford as "the only human being on the face of the earth" who didn't believe Bill Clinton's comments weren't "inappropriate," depicting Crawford as "eating glazed doughnuts" with Bubba. "You're setting up Democrats here," Crawford tellingly responded. "You're propping up Barack Obama." Crawford's MSNBC appearances then dropped from 19 in January to four each in February and March, a decline that he partially attributed in a Voice interview to ankle surgery, though he had the surgery almost two weeks before his blowout with Scarborough. "There could be other things going on," he acknowledged. Scarborough, for his part, alluded to a possible fee dispute, but Crawford said that he and the network had signed a new contract at the start of the year.

....A Baptist who eschewed the mostly black public schools of Pensacola for a mostly white Catholic education for himself and his sons, Scarborough can race-bait the Clintons today, knowing that few remember his congressional efforts, for example, to urge the IRS to strip the NAACP of its tax-exempt status.

....He is a man with a history and an agenda, and neither Hillary Clinton nor his audience may know it, or much like it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. Who is "Popeye"? I don't get the reference. nt

[MADem]

17. He's the GOP nominee. NT

[angie_love]

19. LOL, they're pushing the crazies out? Then why is Hannity and Billo still there?

Whatever dude.

[MADem]

21. Try reading what I wrote. I said, this is going to happen in the next year or so.

The inference being that it will coincide with an administration change.

You apparently don't understand Rupert Murdoch at all. I do. I've lived in countries where he's been Mister Media.

Here's the truth--he doesn't give a FUCK about ideology. He cares about POWER. He'll shape his organization to reflect the power structure of the country, and he will PANDER to them. And that will include a Democratic Congress, unless we totally fuck up these elections, and who knows what the Executive Branch will look like....

[CoffeeCat]

5. I'm being totally serious when I say...

...I truly thought that Joe was for Hillary Clinton.

I've seen him stick up for her many times. When they have a panel of people
on the show, he's the one sticking up for the Clintons.

I've heard him stick up for the Clintons a great deal.

And that Dan Abrahams...it's like he's related to the Clintons. He takes
Hillary's side every time.

I think someone is doing a hit job on MSNBC.

[MADem]

9. I NEVER have. I knew he was on the anti-Clinton Gingrich team, why should a tiger change his

stripes?

Craig Crawford isn't doing a "hit job." He's telling the truth. But you do go on and think that if it makes you feel better.

MSNBC wants Obama to be the D nominee, because GE thinks that he's easier to beat.

You think Obama has been "tested" thus far? It's been a sea cruise to this point.

You'll see, if he gets the nom. It'll be UGLY. And he won't know what hit him. It'll make the Kerry Swiftboating look like a walk in the park.

[CoffeeCat]

11. Scarborough might not like Bill Clinton...

...but he has been the Hillary guy, many a times on their panels.

He's constantly sticking up for her!

I'm at home all day, and I have MSNBC on for several hours. I see this daily!

[MADem]

20. Well, I stopped watching when it got too anti-Clinton. Clearly, he's

been told not to go too far over the top. I imagine the viewer mail has had that effect, not his true feelings.

[Cha]

10. They're just whining like the repukes saying

"it's a liberal media" to confuse the masses. I am so on to their deadly games after 8 years of this shite.

That's all I've heard on DU how joe scarbourgh sticks up for hilary at the risk of seeming stupid. He was reportedly saying the other morning that she won Texas and Rachel said no Obama got the most delegates and he said well, she won the popular vote..and that's "bruising hilary"? Don't think so.

[CoffeeCat]

16. Scarborough it the designated Hillary lap dog!

Geez, I thought that was common knowledge.

Hubby and I were watching it this morning and I mentioned that Scarborough was
in Hillary's lap again, and my husband said, "Of course he is!"

I guess this "reporter" think he can write bullshit.

Some of us are paying attention.

Scarborough is always in the tank for Hillary.

[Cha]

25. And this "reporter"

is too.

[KaptBunnyPants]

23. That's my take on it.

I don't watch MSNBC when Scarborough is on, as a rule. But every time I've seen him, he's been defending Hillary. Maybe early on he was different; maybe he just like to attack the Democrat who's most likely to win?

[MadBadger]

6. Obviously this Legendary Investigator hasnt paid attention.

Joe and the other MSNBC repukes are consistent Shills for Hillary.

[CoffeeCat]

7. I agree with the above poster, who says...

...that this is an orchestrated Hillary hit.

MSNBC doesn't pander to her. They won't allow Hillary to use them as a PR arm of
her campaign, so now she's going to call in the dogs and get some hit pieces written.

For a while, she was calling and threatening the President of NBC and MSNBC sponsors.

I guess she decided to get personal.

I'm still not getting the attack on Scarborough. He's totally in the tank for Hillary.

[Beacool]

8. MSNBC is a POS sorry excuse of a network

and deserves to be derided. What the hell happened to objectivity in the media??????????

I, and many others, have stopped watching it altogether. The only one who is semi watchable is Dan Abrams, the rest can rot as far as I'm concerned, and yes that includes pompous Olbermann.

[chascarrillo]

18. Have fun with FOX News.

[Beacool]

22. At least they are equal opportunity bashers and are not in the tank for Obama. n/t

[featherman]

12. Joe the Republican bashes Hillary and eviscerates Obama at every

turn of phrase. And this is news why?

Clinton surrogate Wayne Barrett (matter of record) seems to overlook what Joe the Republican has had to say about Obama, some of the most vicious bile outside of Fox.

[FrenchieCat]

13. While every channel was pastorbating for like three weeks.......(if they have even stopped!)

Guess that wasn't enough, hey? The people still wanted Obama....and now, there are some who are mad.

I don't even watch Joe Scarborough in the morning anymore, cause that's all he does is drool on dogging out Obama. And don't let me get started on that racist piece of shit Pat Buchanan, who appears to be on all of the shows most of the time.

Hillary doesn't deserve good press......

Why should she feel entitled to get it? She wasn't complaining last year when she was President Inevitable.

So much bullshit, so little time for Hillary left.