UPDATE: CBS Evening News also promoted Silverman's video and the Great Schlep project at the end of Monday night's broadcast -- and also skipped over the profanity and anti-conservative remarks.
On the Great Schlep website, the Silverman video starts with the warning "Viewer Discretion Advised, Contains Expletives." CBS showed Silverman saying, "If you knew that visiting your grandparents could change the world, would you do it? Of course, you would." Then they cut out the very next sentence: "You’d have to be a douche-nozzle not to."
Here’s some more of Silverman’s script:
If Barack Obama doesn’t become the next president of the United States, I’m going to blame the Jews. And I know you’re saying ‘Oh my God, Sarah, I can’t believe you’re saying this. Jews are the most liberal, scrappy, civil-rightsy people there are. Yes, that’s true, but you’re forgettiing a whole large group of Jews who are not that way.
That would be the grandparents.
These are the people who vote in Florida, and the Florida vote can make or break an election. If you don’t think that’s true, why don’t you think back to two elections ago, when a little man named Al Gore got f---ed by Florida.
Silverman then jokes about all the things old Jews and young blacks have in common, like their love of "bling." When she says they have in common "All their friends are dying," the black man leaves. She says to the grandma "that is true in general."
Then she claims that Grandma and Grandpa probably aren’t smart enough to oppose Obama for anything other than his name:
You know why your grandparents don’t like Barack Obama? Because his name sounds scary, his name sounds Muslim, which he’s obviously not. Yes, Barack Hussein Obama: it’s a super-f---ing-sh---y name. But you’d think that somebody named – Manischewitz Guberman might understand that. The name Barack is a Hebrew word. It means lightning, and I would much rather have a president whose name means lightning, than a president named John, whose name means toilet, or a guy who f---s hookers.
She also has a "Fun Facts section where she claims "Barack Obama’s foreign policy is much more stabilizing than John McCain’s and much better for Israel. He wants to protect Social Security. His brisket is beyond. It's beyond. He’s circum-super-cised." (Sized?)
Then there’s the suggestion to not use just facts, but threats. Threaten to not visit the grandparents and hope they last another year. She concludes:
Barack Obama is the goodest person we’ve ever had as a presidential choice. He’s honest and he’s kind. And quite frankly, he's probably our last hope of ending our country’s reputation as the a--holes of the universe. So please go this website, and get your fat Jewish asses on a plane to Florida.
It seems to end, but then she adds:
Go to Obama, gonna visit Grandmama. Vote for McCain, to me you’re a shit stain. I just made that up off the top of my head! Yeah, I’m proud of myself!
The Schlep effort is a project of the Jewish Center for Education and Research, a liberal federal PAC that's worried:
According to recent polls, 60% of Jewish voters support Obama. This 2:1 margin over McCain shows considerably lower levels of support than the 3:1 or even 4:1 Democratic to Republican margins of recent elections. This difference amounts to at least 500,000 votes nationally; tens of thousands in a swing state like Florida. The campaign to discredit Obama in the Jewish community is working.
CBS wasn't the only liberal media outlet to ignore the profanity in the Silverman video.
-- The New York Times article seemed to suggest the video wasn't so vulgar: "With its mix of sarcasm and sincerity, 'The Great Schlep' may come as a surprise to Ms. Silverman’s fans. After all, she is a comedian known for her vulgar music videos."
The Times also noted Silverman proclaimed "I have no religion. But culturally I can’t escape it, I’m very Jewish." Her appeal to older viewers, she said, is "because of my Jewy-ness."
-- The same goes for the Philadelphia Inquirer: "While Silverman is alternately sweet -- giggling at the woman playing her Nana -- and distasteful -- pointing out that African Americans and older Jews are the same because "all their friends are dying" -- the concept is a serious one, Moore said.
-- NPR’s program Day by Day (produced with the liberal website Slate.com) mentioned the Silverman video in passing, with no reference to the dirty stuff.
-- Washingtonpost.com at least calls Silverman (not the video) "infamously potty-mouthed." It also posted the video, with a "video contains foul language" warning under the screen. They do not quote any of the profane lines.
MRC's Kyle Drennen noted there were four plugs on Monday morning previewing this segment from Dave Price, the show's weatherman:
DAVE PRICE: We're going to follow up on how we spent our weekend. We spent it in Florida, where we've learned that every vote counts and every vote is often, or could be, recounted in a presidential election. We met a new generation of Jewish voter that converged on Florida over the weekend to try and convince an older generation to swing the election, but in a very unique way. What can bring a Jewish grandchild even closer to his grandparents? Well, there's the simka, there's the nosh, and now, there's the great schlep.
SARAH SILVERMAN: I'm making this video to urge you, all of you, to schlep over to Florida and convince your grandparents to vote Obama. It can make the difference.
ARI WALLUCH: The Jewish grandparents here in Florida are a vital constituency and they need to come out strong for Obama so there's no one that the grandparents love any more than their grandchildren.
PRICE: For the last month, that's the message comedian Sarah Silverman has been pitching in this widely watched online video.
SILVERMAN: If you knew that visiting your grandparents could change the world, would you do it? Of course, you would.
PRICE: Taylor Maginheim, one of many schleppers, came all the way from Los Angeles to Florida to talk Obama with his bubbie and zadi, also known as grandparents Sandy and Sid.
SID: I'm not quite sure yet about all the things that have been said by Mr. Obama.
PRICE: But can talking with grandparents be an effective political strategy?
CASEY KLOFSTAD: If you're going to persuade somebody. It's not going to be direct mail, it's not going to be television commercials. It's going to be people interacting with one another face-to-face.
PRICE: Schlepper Ari Kushner from Brooklyn, New York, tried just that with his 80-year-old grandmother Mary.
ARI KUSHNER: We thought about his plan versus McCain's plan. We talked about taxes and I mentioned how great he was actually for Israel.
PRICE: But when that wasn't working, he pulled out all the stops.
KUSHNER: What did seem to be working was the fact that she really wants me to get married, so I realized that if we are in a dead heat and she voted for Obama and Obama wins, I said we would get engaged the next day.
PRICE: Why wouldn't you have just agreed to vote for Obama without forcing him to get married?
MARY: Because something is for something.
PRICE: Where is your girlfriend on all of this?
MARY: She's a beautiful girl.
PRICE: Oh, yes I -- no doubt that she's a beautiful girl.
KUSHNER: She's a beautiful girl.
PRICE: Oh, yes. I know --
MARY: Intelligent.
PRICE: Intelligent.
MARY: He is not easy.
PRICE: So forget the stump speeches and the big crowds. This election may all come down to a one-on-one conversation with a grandson.
SILVERMAN: If they vote for Barack Obama they're going to get another visit this year. If not, let's just hope they stay healthy until next year.
[LOUD LAUGHTER FROM SMITH AND CHEN]
CHEN: That is hilarious. Well, something for something.
PRICE: What's remarkable, guys, is that depending on who you speak to amongst the older Jewish Americans in south Florida, and Palm Beach County as well, some say it's going to be a nail-biter, others say they think it's going to be a landslide in one direction or the other. So it is up for grabs right now. It's a real coin toss.
SMITH: Now aren't your parents down in Florida?
PRICE: They are. They actually head to Florida and spend the winter down there and I do my own campaigning several times a winter, Harry.
SMITH: Several times a winter, indeed.
CBS is quite used to promoting Comedy Central stars from Jon Stewart to Dave Chappelle (although there is no mention of Silverman's show here). Both used to be owned by Viacom, but Viacom and CBS Corporation split, although there is still a looser corporate tie. Silverman also made a splash at the Democratic convention in Denver a few weeks ago at the MoveOn.org party.
