The first rule of covering the Clinton campaign is “Do not talk about Chelsea Clinton.” The second rule of covering the Clinton campaign is “DO NOT TALK ABOUT CHELSEA CLINTON!”
While filling in for Tucker Carlson on MSNBC, Dan Shuster commented on Chelsea’s role in her mom’s campaign – she’s been calling up celebrities and superdelegates asking for their support (and yes, she’s still off-limits to the media).
[nms:tucker carlson,1,0]
Shuster commented, “Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea is being pimped out in some weird sort of way?”
To which the Clinton campaign responded, “No, she isn’t! MSNBC never gives positive coverage of Senator Clinton and now we’re not going to participate in your debate this month!”
[nms:hillary clinton,1,0]
No word on whether the campaign stuck its tongue out and pouted in the cabinet under the sink.
Shuster, who has been suspended for his comment, has apologized on air multiple times and has attempted to reach the Clinton campaign to apologize personally.
Good luck with that, Shuster. The Clinton campaign has an iron curtain around it so airtight that even a little thing like the Geek Survey can’t weasel in through a teeny crack and we haven’t even pissed her off. You don’t call the Clinton campaign – you’re summoned.
Score
Taking Figures of Speech Literally: 1 Geeks: 0
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Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 
Bill Clinton is speaking at my local airport here in Louisiana as I speak. I’m not there, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk away unarrested. I wonder, though, whether he’ll respond to Hillary winning this state with a quip about how it doesn’t really matter since we have a majority black vote.
Think of it this way.
I think in this case, Clinton had a right to respond the way she did. It’s not being “pouty” to take a supposed news network to task for not only making a disparaging comment about a presidential candidate’s “use” of her daughter, but being really unprofessional by using a phrase like “pimped out.” What kind of journalism are we stooping to these days?
It would be great if Chelsea herself would come out and say something like “No one is exploiting anyone. I’m supporting Hillary Clinton not only because she’s my mother but because I believe in her as a candidate.” But her presence in her mother’s campaign shouldn’t have to be defended for goodness’ sake!
This was on Tucker, which isn’t really a news broadcast – it’s opinion and commentary on the news of the day and Shuster was using a figure of speech. I doubt anyone really thinks that Hillary is selling her daughter in an unseemly way. But, to put Chelsea out there and then not allow the media to talk to her or allow her to talk to the media is a bit hinky.
Was the comment in poor taste? Absolutely. However, threatening to pull out of future debates sponsored by the network over a figure of speech is overreacting.
In 1992, Rush Limabaugh made a nasty comment about Chelsea Clinton being the White House dog, which prompted a huge outpouring of anger toward Rush, and support toward Clinton. I think she’s trying to recreate that – the problem is that Chelsea is not 12 anymore. She’s an adult who made the decision to put herself out there.