By Brigitte L. Nacos
Item # 1: Long-time Clinton-Hater Chris Matthew (host of
MSNBC’s “Hardball Chris” show) said this about Senator Hillary Clinton one day
after her victory in the New Hampshire primary as guest of MSNBC's “Morning
Joe” show, "Let's not forget -- and I'll be brutal -- 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. That's how she got to be senator
from New York.
We keep forgetting it. She didn't win there on her merits. She won because
everybody felt, 'My God, this woman stood up under humiliation,' right? That's
what happened."(For more on Matthew’s Clinton bashing appearance, see account on Media
Matters for America.
Item # 2: One day after John Edwards' third place finish in New Hampshire, Glenn Beck said in
his CNN Headline News show, “I listened to him [John Edwards] last night give a
speech, and, I mean, why not just start wearing the Soviet star on your head
and the Workers World Party?" Beck added: "Good Lord in heaven. Was
it a mistake for him to go after her [Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)] for
crying and then also to join this great Soviet state?"
Item # 3: During his January 6 nationally syndicated radio
show, host Bill Cunningham referred to Senator Barack Obama repeatedly as
“Barack Mohammed Hussein Obama” although Mohammed is not part of his name.
According to Media
Matters for America, “Cunningham also falsely claimed that Obama ‘was
raised in madrassas in Indonesia’ and accused Obama's church, the Trinity
United Church of Christ in Chicago, of being ‘black separatist’ and ‘black
racist.’” Cunningham said furthermore that it would be a shock, “if Barack
Mohammed Hussein Obama can be elected the president of this country in these
difficult terrorist times."
These are but three of many, many examples. While the
swiftboating of John Kerry began after he won the presidential nomination of
his party in 2004, this time around the vicious attacks against all three of
the viable Democratic contenders began earlier and come from a multitude of
quarters. Not to mention the common bias of many media figures and outlets with
Hillary Clinton especially singled out for unfair treatment as even some
non-Clinton supporters recognize and criticize.
A cursory review of mainstream media, talk radio and TV, and
the blogosphere does not reveal such massive dirt-throwing against Republican
candidates.
The three remaining Democrats in the race are foremost in
the line of fire because it is widely believed that one of them has the best
chances to become the next president. If Clinton, Edwards, and Obama want to
bring about the most important change if all, they need to be careful not to
attack each other in ways that put lethal ammunition into the hands of the eventual
Republican nominee and his supporters against whoever wins the intra-party
race.
To be sure, the electorate deserves further substantive debates—but they should be civil and shame the preachers of hate and viciousness.
P.S. The anti-Clinton and chauvinist gender bias by swiftboater-in-chief "Hardball Chris" described and analyzed in a new article.
Ручки ножки стали стынуть, не пора ли нам дерябнудь.
Posted by: Seroimpopum | December 16, 2010 at 04:53 AM
David, I very much appreciate that you posted the link
Posted by: Brigitte | January 12, 2008 at 08:26 AM
Please read this response from the UCC:
http://www.ucc.org/news/thomas-denounces-smear-1.html
Posted by: David | January 12, 2008 at 01:05 AM