I suppose that mocking Republican candidates is an essential element of a Washington Post editorial writer's job description. Even so, it was jarring to hear the snide comments of WaPo editorialist Jonathan Capehart [seen right in file photo] about Sarah Palin read on the air today. Not merely did he mock her shopping habits, Capehart came very close to accusing Palin of . . . "child abuse."
Mika Brzezinski, at the Morning Joe helm with Joe Scarborough off on assignment today, led the show with the Politico report that the Republican National Committee has spent more than $150 thousand on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin and family. Also aired was a clip of Palin describing the duties of the vice-president to a third-grader, the accuracy of which has been questioned.
View video here.
Brzezinski defended Palin on the clothing costs, saying "I'm actually going to take Sarah Palin's side in this," and suggesting that people "give her a pass" on the matter, noting to the males on the panel that "you men have no clue what we go through" and "if she looked like a schlub" they would be criticizing her.
A few minutes into the show, Mika read an email that he had sent her:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Our friend, the very well-dressed Jonathan Capehart, who always comes in here very dapper, you know he spends $150 thousand --
WILLIE GEIST: Easy.
BRZEZINSKI: -- in one day on his clothes.
MIKE BARNICLE: One of this ties --
BRZEZINSKI: One of his ties --
BARNICLE: Costs more than my entire wardrobe.
BRZEZINSKI: Here's what he says --
DYLAN RATIGAN [of CNBC]: He's a handsome fellow.
BRZEZINSKI: Capehart, of the Washington Post:
Now Mika, if someone told a third-grader that 2 + 2 = 7, wouldn't that be akin to child abuse? Besides, if Dan Quayle can catch hell for potato with an 'e,' why shouldn't 'Shop-a-Long Palin' --GEIST: Oooh, oooh --
BRZEZINSKI: Wow! From a guy who shops --
KRYSTIA FREELAND [of the Financial Times]: See, I'm with you, Mika, actually, on the clothes --
BRZEZINSKI: Talk to me.
FREELAND: I think that if Sarah Palin were not well-dressed, she would be being attacked for that.
BRZEZINSKI: Exactly!
Capehart wasn't finished. A few minutes later . . .
BRZEZINSKI: Jonathan has just emailed me again: "my give-her-a-pass question was on the misinformation on the job of vice-president." Well he called her Shop-a-Long Palin.BARNICLE: Jonathan, Jonathan, go have some breakfast. Stop emailing.
BRZEZINSKI: And have another drink.
Mika continued to read Capehart's e-missive.
BRZEZINSKI: "I'm certainly not going to playah-hate someone with that kind of a wardrobe budget." He likes it!
If Palin's description of the veep's duties is "akin to child abuse" in Capehart's book, how would he classify Obama's declaration of 57 states, or Biden's description of how at the beginning of the Depression in 1929, "President" Roosevelt addressed the American people by TV?
Palin might well wear Capehart's Shop-a-Long crack as a badge of honor. After all, it is an allusion to the movie character Hopalong Cassidy, who has been described as "reserved and well spoken, with a fine sense of fair play. He was often called upon to intercede when dishonest characters were taking advantage of honest citizens."
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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These types of comments
October 22, 2008 - 07:24 ET by MidAmericaThese types of comments are sexism pure and simple and is part of the reason Hillary is not the nominee. Down in the cesspool that is the heart of the democrat party is a deep reservoir of misogyny.
Liberals consider dragging
October 22, 2008 - 07:45 ET by motherbeltLiberals consider dragging a baby out of the womb feet first and sucking out its brains a "woman's reproductive health issue" but giving a wrong answer to a third grader is akin to "child abuse."
Welcome to Bizarro World!
If you ask me
October 22, 2008 - 07:31 ET by 10ksnookerThe fugly image of Michelle quaffing down the champagne and snacking on lobster and caviar is much more accurate. And why doesn't the media care about that?
Doesn't that just wreak elite snob.
10K....turns out that
October 22, 2008 - 07:47 ET by motherbelt10K....turns out that wasn't true.
I saw that, and I was outraged
October 22, 2008 - 07:34 ET by MrDebaterthat messnbc totally ran with the story...then, as a sidebar they barely mentioned that the clothes sre being "given to charity"...which was inaccurate...since I believe Fox said the clothes were going to be auctioned off for charity. We are now officially living in a country run by the propagandist media. The left has almost won, with the exception of Fox and talk radio. If Obama wins the left will also have talk radio(by bringing back the fairness doctrine). It's a shame such a large percentage of Americans are being duped. I now see how Germany was fooled...and how Venezuela is being fooled today. Hey, people...start doing your homework! We are losing this country to the liberal marxists...and the average American doesn't even see it...
Little Jonathan as The Tiny Chickenhwak
October 22, 2008 - 07:50 ET by SickofLibsWhen Jonathan Capehart was a young lad, his favorite cartoon superhero was Henery Hawk. He has since modeled his life on Henery. "Henery Hawk is a tiny, brown chicken hawk with a forelock of feathers. He is young and lives at home with his parents, and speaks with tough-guy bravado. Henery has a high-pitched voice and perpetually angry temperament.
In a typical Foghorn/Henery cartoon, Henery strikes out on his own for the first time, eager to capture, and presumably consume, a (conservative) chicken. Having led a sheltered life, however, he does not know what a (conservative) chicken looks like, only that chicken hawks eat them. Foghorn presumes that this diminutive, naïve troublemaker is no real threat; however, seeing the potential for annoyance, he points Henery in the direction of Barnyard Dawg. The remainder of the cartoon is usually consumed by Dawg and Leghorn alternately assuring Henery that the other is a (conservative) chicken and encouraging him to attack the "chicken" mercilessly."
Actual child abuse
October 22, 2008 - 08:02 ET by ArminiusThe Obamas forced their daughters to listen to the racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric of Jeremiah Wright. Wasn't that an actual case of child abuse?
The MSM have been searching
October 22, 2008 - 09:16 ET by oilcanThe MSM have been searching for that low hanging fruit that would feed for a thousand days and they found it. Is this a turning point? Not for me, but for them, a big fat yes. It will be squeezed and pureed into a thousand flavors for kool aid consumption.
I think the next step for the MSM is demand an honor killing of Gov Palin.
I think Capehart's just
October 22, 2008 - 09:40 ET by marpelI think Capehart's just jealous that Sarah's got a better wardrobe than him. Maybe she snatches up all the "finds"... Actually, I think Capehart may be a cross-dresser,
Still not much reporting on Joe Biden
October 22, 2008 - 10:29 ET by YahooWatcherdiverting $2,000,000 in campaign funds to his kids.
http://finance.boston.com/boston?GUID=6860444&Page=MediaViewer&ChannelID=3197
Speaking of Hopalong Cassidy
October 22, 2008 - 11:10 ET by Rush FanI'm old enough to have grown up watching Hopalong Cassidy on television. Of course, as a fan of westerns Hoppy was a favorite of mind.
Two of the popular trivia questions contained in the games of my generation were the following questions. Can you answer them without googling?
What was Hopalong Cassidy's real name?
What was the name of Hopalong Cassidy's horse?
You can find the answers here and more detailed information about Hopalong Cassidy here.
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The liberal media continues to sacrifice ethics and fairness for the greater cause: The Election of Barack Hussein Obama to the Presidency of the United States.