MSNBC Anchor's Vile Comments About Chelsea Clinton

Posted on February 9, 2008

MSNBC anchor David Shuster made an amazingly offensive comment the other day. He was discussing the campaigns with Bill Press and started talking about the fact that Chelsea Clinton has started to campaign for her mom. Chelsea has also been calling some superdelegates, just as supporters of Senator Obama have been. Shuster told Press that it seemed like the Clintons were "pimping out Chelsea in some weird way." He then laughed.

Needless to say, women are furious at the comments and at the MSNBC male anchors' continued sexist, misogynist comments against many women in public life. The comment was degrading and vile. Let's explore some of the many ways that this is offensive. First, he calls Bill and Hillary pimps. He said they whored out their daughter, a lovely, intelligent soft-spoken 27 year-old honors graduate of Stanford and Oxford University who has been speaking to college students for her mom's campaign. Shuster implied that Chelsea is a manipulated, stupid prostitute who can't think for herself. When the Clinton campaign complained, Shuster refused to apologize. What a jerk.

Like many other women I am absolutely disgusted with the unprofessional, sexist comments by Shuster, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. Their attitude towards women is appalling and has been for some time. Matthews has already had to apologize for his sexist comments. Now Shuster has to. But what women want is for these bozos to stop the comments and get a major attitude adjustment.

Senator Obama has pictures of his darling little girls on his website. Imagine the outcry if Shuster said he's "pimping out" his daughters to get good press. Or what about Meghan McCain who blogs for her father on the campaign trail? Is she being "pimped out" on the Internet? Putting women down and treating them like objects is the name of the game at the Animal House-like MSNBC and people are finally starting to notice.

The uproar grew so loud yesterday that the head of MSNBC forced Shuster to apologize on air, then suspended him for two weeks. Senator Clinton expressed her outrage at how her daughter has been treated.