As the torrent of Hillary Clinton campaign e-mails continued to pour out of WikiLeaks Tuesday, a peculiar e-mail surfaced sent from Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta. The e-mail discussed Clinton’s possible vice presidential choices with different blocks of candidates distinguished mainly by their race and gender, or as Podesta dubbed them, “food groups.” As offensive as such classifications would seem be, the liberal “Big Three” networks didn’t bat an eye at Clinton’s minority “food groups,” a stark contrast to their outrage at Governor Mitt Romney’s “binders of women” comment in 2012.
Instead of expressing a disapproval for dividing her choices based on race, the networks almost seemed to praise it. “39 names divided into what he dubbed "Food groups," Latino leaders, female lawmakers, male lawmakers, black leaders, military leaders,” reported ABC’s Cecilia Vega on World News Tonight. She even flaunted how Clinton dipped into to business would for candidates, “The list included nine business titans including Bill and Melinda Gates, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.”
On CBS Evening News, reporter Nancy Cordes described the e-mail as if it was a special window into Clinton world, “Today's batch shed light on Clinton's secretive search for a running mate.” Along with showing no displeasure with the categories for candidates she described the leaks as simply a series of embossments for the Clinton campaign.
All of the networks mocked Clinton’s opponent Senator Bernie Sanders for being at the bottom of the list by himself. But NBC’s resident Clinton fangirl Andrea Mitchell went out of her way during NBC Nightly News to quote a Podesta e-mail where he attacked Sanders as a “doofus” for speaking out against an international climate change deal.
Their passiveness on Podesta’s e-mail exposes their bias against Republicans for all to see. Back in 2012 during a presidential debate Governor Mitt Romney stated that his staff compiled “binders full of women” when he was staffing his administration in Massachusetts. The networks helped to hype the comment into one of largest manufactured GOP gaffs ever.
ABC’s David Muir declared it the “binder blunder” on Good Morning America, as Clinton lackey George Stephanopoulos claimed it would stifle his gains with women in the polls. On CBS This Morning Gayle King, who was and still is a huge democratic donor, slammed it as “the joke that keeps on giving.” NBC did their part by having Mika Brzezinski go out on Today and chide, “Romney just completely doesn't have any leg to stand on when it comes to women and the economy.”
The debate occurred on a Tuesday and by the end of the week the networks mentioned it 22 times. With Clinton using such classifications based on race it was clear that played a huge role in her decision process. But she is likely not to get anywhere near the rebuke that Mitt Romney received when he was being inclusive and diverse.
Transcripts below:
ABC
World News Tonight
October 18, 2016
6:35:01 PM Eastern...
CECILIA VEGA: In the past three months, Trump holding more than twice as many campaign events, 81 to her 32. But Clinton's team not apologizing, insisting those debate prep days pay off, and the polls prove it. On that stage tomorrow, aides say she is prepared to address the slow drip of hacked WikiLeaks e-mails, another batch from campaign chairman, John Podesta, out today. None independently verified by ABC news.
One apparently sent by Podesta to Clinton. A list of 39 possible running mates, their names organized, he writes, "In rough food groups" like Latinos, women, white men, African-Americans, military leaders. Also included, business titans like Bill and Melinda Gates, Apple's Tim Cook and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. And right there at the bottom of the list, all alone, Bernie Sanders.
...
CBS
Evening News
October 18, 2016
6:33:25 PM Eastern...
NANCY CORDES: One wild card-- the endless stream of hacked campaign e-mails. Today's batch shed light on Clinton's secretive search for a running mate. In March, Campaign Chair John Podesta e-mailed her with a “first cut of people to consider for VP.” 39 names divided into what he dubbed "Food groups," Latino leaders, female lawmakers, male lawmakers, black leaders, military leaders, and down at the bottom, in his own food group, Bernie Sanders.
The list included nine business titans including Bill and Melinda Gates, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
[Cuts back to live]
The e-mails have been embarrassing, but Clinton aides say they still hope they come up at tomorrow night's debate here because they say it will give Clinton a chance, Scott, to argue that Russia has been playing a disturbing role in this election.
SCOTT PELLEY: Watch the debate on CBS. Nancy Cordes, thanks very much.
...
NBC
Nightly News
October 18, 2016
7:04:11 PM Eastern
..
MITCHELL: But also key, dealing with fallout from the torrent of stolen e-mails released by WikiLeaks. Tonight, new messages, one where Campaign Chairman John Podesta calling Bernie Sanders a “doofus” for criticizing an international climate change deal. Another, three months before Clinton nailed the nomination, Podesta listing potential running mates in what he calls “food groups,” dividing them by race and gender. On the list, Apple's Tim Cook, Bill and Melinda Gates, Sanders down at the bottom of the e-mail in a category all by himself. Despite those e-mails, tonight team Clinton sending Sanders to Arizona, going for a win in red states. Michelle Obama going there Thursday.
...
