CNN's Sanchez Erupts Over McCain Not Rebuking Supporter Who Called Hillary a 'Bitch'

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By Brent Baker | November 14, 2007 - 04:06 ET

Trying to create a scandal over Republican presidential candidate John McCain's failure to rebuke a woman supporter who called Hillary Clinton a “bitch,” CNN's Rick Sanchez led Tuesday night's Out in the Open with what he insisted was the “relevant and newsworthy” topic as he seriously asked: “Is John McCain done as a result of this?” He later speculated: “Is his campaign dead in the water?” Betraying the skew of those at CNN, Sanchez told guest Amy Holmes: “He could be in trouble for this from women, especially the ones that've been talking to me today in our newsroom who heard this and were offended.” Sanchez's spin matched that of left-wing bloggers, a story in Wednesday's New York Times revealed: “The clip began showing on Web sites like Salon.com, the liberal site TPM.com and others, with bloggers asking why Mr. McCain had not taken the questioner to task.”

Setting up the video, Sanchez haughtily intoned: “You're going to hear a McCain supporter. She refers to Hillary Clinton using really what is a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women. Well, at the time, it was a supporter who said that. It wasn't until later on, when we watched the whole tape, which is what you're about to see, that you see McCain's reaction, or lack thereof, that we decided that this is both relevant and newsworthy, and important information to this campaign.” An older woman at an event in South Carolina had asked: “How do we beat the bitch?” An appalled Sanchez complained: “He says 'that's an excellent question,' after somebody refers to Hillary Clinton as a B-word which rhymes with witch.”

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The short November 14 New York Times article, “Question on Her Puts McCain in a Tight Spot,” recounted how at the Monday event in Hilton Head “Mr. McCain was obviously uncomfortable, trying to deflect the vitriol with humor and offering to give a translation. But he did not condemn the questioner, instead calling it an 'excellent question.'”

On screen throughout the CNN segment:
“AN EXCELLENT QUESTION”?
JOHN MCCAIN & THE B-WORD

A transcript of most of the segment which led the November 13 Out in the Open, CNN's 8pm EST show:

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: You know, this could be real bad for John McCain. I want you to watch this that we're about to show you. You will probably see its first pass here, and then I have a feeling you will be seeing it a lot. Producer comes in early in the morning today to my office and shows me this video. You're going to hear a McCain supporter. She refers to Hillary Clinton using really what is a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women. Well, at the time, it was a supporter who said that. It wasn't until later on, when we watched the whole tape, which is what you're about to see, that you see McCain's reaction, or lack thereof, that we decided that this is both relevant and newsworthy, and important information to this campaign.

All right. Let me set it up for you. He's campaigning in South Carolina yesterday when suddenly this happened. Obviously, the word that's used here is very offensive. We'll let you listen to the entire thing so you can decide for yourself. Here it is.

BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CREDITED TO “FROM FOX NEWS MONDAY”

WOMAN: How do we beat the bitch?
(LAUGHTER)
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Can I give the translation?
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: The way that-.
MALE VOICE: Yes. I thought she was talking about my ex- wife.
(LAUGHTER)
MCCAIN: But that's an excellent question. [EDIT JUMP] I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: "That's an excellent question," he says. This is a fellow Senator that he's talking about. No matter what you think of Hillary Clinton, is John McCain done as a result of this? Is this going to become a viral video? This is the kind of questions that we've got to examine at this point. We're going to be looking at a lot of these issues. With me tonight, conservative strategy Amy Holmes, who's also a CNN political analyst.

He says, "That's an excellent question," after somebody refers to Hillary Clinton as a B-word which rhymes with witch. How big a mistake is this?

AMY HOLMES, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think it is a mistake. I don't know it's as big a mistake as that you're making it out to be. He did recover and he did say that he has respect for Senator Clinton-

SANCHEZ: Hold on. No, no, no. He said he has respect for Senator Clinton. And then he went on to say that he has respect for anyone who wins the Democratic ticket. Translation: If Mr. Magoo wins the Democratic ticket, he'd have respect for him, too.

HOLMES: No, I think that he's using politico speak, Washington speak. You hear it up on the Hill every day. I worked in the Senate for three years. And the Senate actually has very strict rules of etiquette of how senators can address each other. I would have hoped that he would have shown more leadership in defending Senator Clinton's honor, not just as a colleague, but as a woman, and that sort of juvenile joke from the audience about, I thought you were talking about my ex-wife, I mean, come on. This is beneath all of us....

SANCHEZ: And, you know, you got to like John McCain. He stuck in there. He's a good American, but I think he could be in trouble for this from women, especially the ones that've been talking to me today in our newsroom who heard this and were offended. Listen to the last part of what he says.

MCCAIN: I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat Party.

SANCHEZ: He respects her, but he only respects her if she gets the nomination of the Democratic Party. He respects -- I mean, as a fellow Senator, Amy, let's be serious.

HOLMES: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Should he not have said to this woman, you know what, that's the wrong kind of language to use in my campaign; I encourage your enthusiasm, but let's not go there?

HOLMES: I think that's what we would have liked for him to have said. I think, looking at the video, you can see he covers his face with his hands. He's clearly uncomfortable, embarrassed by the use of the language, like, oh, boy. And there he is in a room full of supporters. I would have liked for him to have said that, Rick. And I repeat, I worked in the Senate for three years. Senators have very strict rules about how they address each other on the Senate floor. He's been in the Senate long enough to know that. But I do think that he recovered by saying that he did respect Senator Clinton.

SANCHEZ: Well, I got to tell you, most people who've seen it are looking at it as a real mistake on his part in terms of the way he handled it. Let me ask you this question, though. You're a woman. That's a very offensive word that's used to demean women.

HOLMES: It is.

SANCHEZ: Are you offended by the use of that word?

HOLMES: Indeed I am. And I don't think it has any place in the public discourse. I mean, you know, having a sailor mouth in private, that's for every individual to decide. But he is supposed to be leading by example. And that's what we expect as the American people. But again, you know, Rick, politics ain't beanbag. I don't think that Hillary should be raising this issue. I think she should not dignify it with a response. And I think that, from her perspective, it's moving forward and being strong.

SANCHEZ: All right. Hey, listen, Amy, thanks so much. I've just gotten information that we're going to have a statement from John McCain's camp in just a little bit. And, as soon as we get it, we will have it for you. Meanwhile, I also want you to know that we're going to be replaying this and that we want our audience to go to CNN.com/Rick and finish this sentence. All right. You ready? “McCain's handling of the B-question about Hillary tells me?” And then fill in the blank, all right? Go to our Web site right now and you will see it. We're going to read your answers and continue the discussion on this, as we go through in this newscast.

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center

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So how often does Sanchez

So how often does Sanchez and Holmes complain about rappers using the word?

That's the usual old-news media double-standard...

Is nobody else outraged that he's dissin' Mr. Magoo??
JMR

Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.

Mr. Magoo

MYOPICS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

Don't let this guy get away with denigrating our leader. Let's get out there and picket the station. Demand that he be fired. Call Al Sharpton. Call Jesse Jackson, they'll support us, won't they?

 

Chai

In explaining any puzzling Washington phenomenon, always choose stupidity over conspiracy, incompetence over cunning. Anything else gives them too much credit. Charles Krauthammer

Exactly! And... 1. The

Exactly! And...

1. The woman has the right to say it as she pleases. So go ahead, sue her...

2. Given Hilarry's background and her demeanor, again, the woman knows what she's talking about. So go ahead, shut her up and sue her...

3. I doubt Sharpton and Jackson will be on this woman's case. You know why? Because she's a woman. These two m*r*ns have no ba**s to go after a woman. So I'll go ahead and tell Jackson and Sharpton to shut up.

I'll bet that they complain.

I'll bet that they complain. There are a lot of liberals who scold blacks for using crass words against each other.

I find it irritating that both conservatives and liberals take it upon themselves to lecture groups of people on how to refer to each other. Quite simply, it's non of their damned business.

When I'm with a group of black people who razz each other with the "n" word, and with a group of females who evoke the "b" word, I think it's hilarious. Being a white male, I know to keep my mouth shut.

It's a fact that words of a certain type can either be bonding or alienating, depending on who utters it to who, and in what circumstance.

I just get a kick out of the

I just get a kick out of the double standard. Those two were having hissy fits because a person who isn’t a celeb or public figure made the remark. I love righteous indignation from those two hypocrites.

Bitch Radar

Most women, I have learned, have pretty good Bitch Radar. So if another woman called her a bitch, it's probably true!!

BTW-most of us men have Bitch Radar. : )

We all know that Hillary IS

We all know that Hillary IS a b*tch.  And she's proud of it. 

"Nobody calls my wife a b*tch but me!"  --  Bill Clinton

Forget 911, I dial 10MM.

"Nobody calls my wife a

"Nobody calls my wife a b*tch but me!"  --  Bill Clinton

fossten, did Billy bob really said this? Then Sanchez and CNN forgot to do their homework. Sanchez, you don't have the balls to rebuke Mr. President, huh! And...the woman, she's justified.

I guess RICK"Ahab" SANCHEZ

I guess RICK"Ahab" SANCHEZ has found his White Whale and it's John McCain...just like KO has O'Reilly as his...I wonder how long he's going to run with this?

 

 

 

"If we implement HillaryCare, Canadians will have no place to come for their health care." Rudy Guiliani

I wouldn't use Bitch.  I

I wouldn't use Bitch.  I would have used the "C" word instead.  That one always gets attention :)

Excellent question

Although I don't agree with McCain very often, I agree completely with his repsonse.....It IS an excellent question!

No RINOs in '08 - Mike Huckabee is the best choice 

The woman was correct

What's the controversy? Hillary is a bitch, not to mention a liar, an enabler and a marxist. Is it now illegal to tell the truth? I didn't realize Hillary was president yet and we were a full marxist republic. Maybe John McCain should have planted a few questions and then lied about doing it. That seems to work for the Clintons. By the way, does anyone know how the Rose Law Firm records that had been subpoened by Ken Starr, ended up in the private  living quarters of the Clinton White House, or who hired Craig Livingstone? How did those 400 FBI files on republicans get into the Clinton White House? John Gotti, the teflon Don,  could have taken lessons from the Clintons. The hysterical part is she has the gall to call George Bush dishonest and secretive, what a laugh. She could teach him a thing or two.

edhenry   I noticed

edhenry

 

I noticed that CCCN took McCain to task, but did not argue that the description was incorrect.

This is just typical

This is just typical Liberal B as is B, S as in S.

They are hoping against hope that they can water this weed into a beanstalk, and they will try. Get ready for a week of "Sen. McCain continues to feel fallout from the 'B-word' remark." (later they will mention that he wasn't the one who said it.) And "the controversy is not going away (that's a promise!)"

Why is it that Mrs Clinton is allowed to distance herself from things that her own staff does, and McCain is supposed to be responsible for the comments of everyone within earshot?

I'm surprised they didn't take him to task for not telling her "don't bother to donate, I don't want your money." After all, the Clinton campaign said Barak Obama should return money from a rich donor who criticized HRC.

It will be interesting to see if the Clinton campaign latches on to this and plays it up.

 

Hey MB, I agree totally.

I was thinking similar thoughts when I read this.

The left LOVES to judge other people by standards they themselves refuse to employ.  It goes beyond hypocrisy.

Is there a word for trying to hold someone to a standard that you yourself don't even pretend to hold?

MB, forget about things staffers say, most democrats can say almost anything they want and are allowed to distance themsevles from the comments.

If a Conservative person on the street says something offensive, all of sudden the MSM is out in full-force looking for a statement from Bush.

Mother, have you ever heard

Mother, have you ever heard of "GL"?

What liberal bias?

 "A  B-word which rhymes with witch.” ?

Oooohhhh...McCain is finished.

He could end up in H-E- double toothpicks.(snicker)

Well I guess McCain has lost the CNN newsroom employee vote.

I think Sanchez is the S-word that rhymes with Cupid and a J-word that rhymes with perk.He is obviously a Hillary S-word that rhymes with reporter and his whole segment was the d-word that rhymes with plum.

 

 

Victory in Iraq.

Very good supercon, I had

Very good supercon, I had to wipe off my monitor.

Forget 911, I dial 10MM.

And this is what passes for

And this is what passes for reporting on CNN?

You could argue whether this is newsworthy to begin with, but to report it and to so actively push the idea that people should be outraged over it - how is this objective reporting?

Sanchez is obviously trying to create another Imus/O'Reilly/Limbaugh moment. And the operative word there is "create". There's only one problem with that, Rick.

Despite the collective outrage expressed by the women in your "newsroom", I'd be willing to bet that if you went out into the real world you'd find just as many women who found that comment pretty funny as not.

While you're at it, why not report that H. Clinton has 100% of the female vote based on a poll of the women in your newsroom?

And the liberal press likes to suggest that Bush lives in a bubble.

At least the supporter

did'nt almost kill someone...

http://thecablegame....

Nortonalec

Sanchez is Shocked???

What a pompous ass; he's heard worse references to her and the other candidates right in his own newsroom. Who is he kidding? I suggest Sanchez get out more and focus on something more intriquing, something like how does Hillary's campaign plant quesntioners and questions in her meetings. Or maybe, what was Hillary's real position on licenses for illegals in NY; oh never mind, Spitzer has canned that program, it's no longer a problem for her.

I wish the republicans

I wish the republicans would use these openings to put these left wing morons in their place.

Reporter: "So Sen. McCain do you rebuke of the term of the"b-word" a supporter of yours refered to Hillary?"

 McCain: "You you guys crack me up. You preach all day that it's ok for blacks to use "the word" against other blacks. So tell me the difference of a woman using the "b-word" against other women? Back in 2000 Newt Gingrich's mother called her that, and if you ask me if I agree with Mrs. Gingrich, yes she is a bitch." 

...

Wasn't it Barbara Bush who did that? In the same "word that rhymes with..." style, IIRC. (Mama Gingrich might have, too -- it's a common observation.)

Okay

“You're going to hear a McCain supporter. She refers to Hillary Clinton using really what is a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women."

Someone needs to punch this guy. Hard.

He scolds a woman for using a term that many (most?) women across the economic/social spectrum freely evoke against each other. My wife and daughter are middle-class and educated, and they joke with each other with the word. I'm willing to bet a lot of money that the word pops up frequently in female-loved shows like "Sex in the City" and "Desperate Housewives".

Hey Ricky, here's another term that might hurt your feelings: You're a pussy.

A Clue for Rick Sanchez

Since he's the wrong gender to be offended by the use of the word...in his pc little world, he's not allowed to be offended.

Now, I, on the other hand, am not....offended.  Those of us who ride brooms professionally get called "bitch" occasionally.  We wear it proudly. So Rick can take his "Imus" scandal elsewhere.  He's as much of an idiot as he ever was.

A couple of years ago, when this moron was on a local station, I made a comment about him to one of my co-workers (last name Sanchez).  She looks at me with total cool, and says "everyone in my family is so embarassed by my cousin Rick".  As I'm trying to take my foot out of my mouth, she smiles and says, "Just kidding.....he's an idiot".  Got me good.

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

}}---> Thank you Blonde

I was afraid to ask where he is from.

Texas is still apologizing for the Dixie Chicks.

CA

Oh yeah, he was at WSVN in Miami....the local trash station.  Little Ricky was always over the top and idiotic...particularly during hurricane season, which was the gist of my conversation with my friend, Rick's "cousin".  LOL.

Gotta run....ride my broom to work and be a "B word".  Have a great day! 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Remember his hit & run DUI-scandal??

How Rick not-only lived that down but managed to go-national (like lots of mediocre Miami "talent" coughLarryKingcough!) is beyond me...But I'm still annoyed that he's anti-Magoo.
JMR

Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.

When McCain doesn't get the

When McCain doesn't get the nomination, which he won't, Sanchez will write a book claiming he single-handedly brought down McCain because of his non-respose to the B question.

Talk about much ado.

So some lady off the street

So some lady off the street calls Hillary a name and Sanchez believes it's the end of John McCains political career. Where was your outrage Mr. Sanchez when the likes of Harry Ried and a large number of other "elected" officials call President Bush some not so nice names?

Ummm, I'd say you need to start taking your medication again Sanchez, you obviously need them.

Double post. Sorry....

Double post. Sorry....

  I don't see how out in

  I don't see how out in the real world this could hurt McCain.  Even the local dems know she is one.  Among men, McCain will probably gain support, unless he wimps out and gives a complete and heartfelt apology on CNN.

  Actually if this is persued too vigorously it will hurt the hilderbeast more than McCain.  Everyone that hears this controversy will ask themselves "Is it justified or not?".   If repetition of the story is kept up the word will be tied to her.

The double standard shines brightly

So, when is the MSM going to be as 'concerned' about the Dems CONSTANT comparison of the Bush Admin. to Nazi Germany? Yeah, that's what I thought. It only bothers them that one of their own is being attacked. Bias? What bias?

Islamic Religious Services Will Be Held at the Firing Range At 0800 Daily.

 Complaining about someone

 Complaining about someone calling her a bitch?  You've got to be kidding!  This coming from people who use the F word like a comma.

Wasn't it the Libs,  when talking about four contractors killed in Iraq that said "screw 'em"?  By God,  she's lucky that's all they called her!

She's not fit to be head of a local PTA!  And if she or her supporters are that sensitive I say unload on her with everything they've got. Let's see how she handles it.

Last I heard she was complaining about some not so tough questions.   How did those knuckleheads in New York put her in office?  I'll never understand that.  Idiots.

Glad they know what we should consider important.

that you see McCain's reaction, or lack thereof, that we decided that
this is both relevant and newsworthy, and important information to this
campaign.

 

Who is this arrogant ass?

The libs can slander one our top military men in the NYT and that isn't important. Let somone in the audience slander they hero and it's a national disaster.

How did these people get such a high opinion of their out opinion??

 

Sanchez reaffirms Gender Bias

IMHO, Sanchez has his panties in a bunch because McCain didn't get rude with one woman to defend another.  Let's all think back to how JFKII's political career ended when he called the mother of a secret sevice agent a bitch.  [Ok, he called his secret service agent an SOB and he was speaking to a man, albeit after the agent had skied away and was out of earshot.  Look at all the CNN coverage on that event.]  This boils down to the MSM trying to scuttle a possible contender to Her Majesty.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."  - Sir Winston Churchill

Is CNN working under the

Is CNN working under the delusion that John McCain's inevitable coronation as the republican nomination could be scuppered by conservative outrage at someone calling the "C" word a bitch.

Sure that's rings so true.

But at least the woman didn't call the "C" a "Jew bastard."

Check out my latest YouTube...but only if you support the troops and their mission: Better Men Than Me/The Battle For Fallujah

Anti-Defector Effort

Jack,

  This is a first stab to keep the moderate Democrat in the fold.  Most of the guilt-laden MSM types, who can afford the "buy the poor peoples' votes with middle-class tax monies to stay in power" policies, realize that McCain is very appealing to people with some liberal tendencies who don't quite see eye-to-eye with Pelosi and Reid saying one thing in public, but lining their own pockets behind closed doors. 

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."  - Sir Winston Churchill

hunter -- yes, you would

hunter -- yes, you would think it might dawn on CNN that calling the C word a B word would increase his stock!

And that the reason he's in trouble is that he's running 4th behind R, F and M.

And did you hear about the crim in Florida running from the cops? Jumps into the glades and gets eaten by an aligator! Harsh!

Check out my latest YouTube...but only if you support the troops and their mission: Better Men Than Me/The Battle For Fallujah

I realize there is only

I realize there is only one woman in the campaign, but if there were twenty, I would still bet everyone would know to whom the questioner was referring.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."  - Sir Winston Churchill

So someone called Hi##ary a Bi##h.

So someone called Hi##ary a Bi##h.  Where is the news in that?

from Wikipedia: Bitch is a term for the female of a canine species in general. It is also frequently used as an offensive term for a woman, taken to mean that she is malicious, spiteful, domineering, intrusive, or unpleasant.

O.K. we can agree she is not a female dog.  But who would diagree that she is not malicious, spiteful, domineering, intrusive, or unpleasant?

v

..or is the matter one of what the meaning of "is" is?

If I was McCain, I'd answer

If I was McCain, I'd answer this with, "I'm sorry that the lady didn't call her more."

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." -Matthew 7:20

Obviously, CNNs thinly

Obviously, CNNs thinly veiled attempt to deflect attention away from Hillary's recent meltdown and her campaigns shot across the bow of Wolfie Blitzer and CNN to not focus on her during the upcoming debate.  How amateurish!

Sanchez

Hey Sanchez:

Which is worse , calling Hillary a bitch or calling our president a murderer, a liar, a Nazi, a dictator, a moron, etc.? Never heard you protest these slurs, you hypocritical jackass.

NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"

new idea for Hillary

That could be a great campaign slogan for Hillary next year:

I'm not just a witch, I'm THE witch, and that's Miss Witch to you. 

 

card holding member of the vast right-wing conspiracy

Ms. Witch to be

Ms. Witch to be exact...

v

charter member of the vast right-wing conspiracy

I don't get what all the

I don't get what all the fuss is about... Hillary is a b*tch. She's probably referred to herself as such on occasion. (many occasions?).

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

From a t-shirt I gave my

From a t-shirt I gave my wife: "I am not A bitch- I am The bitch  and that is Miss Bitch to You.

It was an excellent

It was an excellent question, whether the "b" word was used or not. McCain and the other Republican candidates better come up with the right answer, or we're screwed. And I don't mean in a sexual way.

Setting up the video,

Setting up the video, Sanchez haughtily intoned: “You're going to hear a McCain supporter. She refers to Hillary Clinton using really what is a horrible word that is used to do nothing but demean women.

Housewife...mother?