MSNBC's Shuster, Carlson discuss purported "cackle," laugh over "Hillary laughing pen"

Summary: On MSNBC Live, David Shuster presented to Tucker Carlson "a Hillary laughing pen" -- a pen shaped in the likeness of Hillary Clinton's head with a mouth that moves as the pen makes a laughing noise. In response, Carlson stated: "I can't tell you, David, how much I appreciate this, how much I appreciate your going through Chris' mail while he's gone and how much I'm really going to miss that cackle. I hope it goes on forever. It's brought light to my life."

During the April 22 edition of MSNBC Live, guest host David Shuster said to senior campaign correspondent Tucker Carlson: "Before we get to predictions, Tucker, I want to present you something that actually was delivered to Chris Matthews today. But he's not here, and I stole it, and I'm giving it to you. ... It's a pen. It's 'Jabber Jaw Pens.' And when you listen to it here." At this point, Shuster pressed the top of the pen -- a likeness of Sen. Hillary Clinton's head -- and the mouth began to move as the pen began audibly laughing. After the pen stopped, Shuster continued: "[I]n honor of being on the air with you for the first time in a little while, I present to you with a Hillary laughing pen." In response, Carlson stated: "I can't tell you, David, how much I appreciate this, how much I appreciate your going through Chris' mail while he's gone and how much I'm really going to miss that cackle. I hope it goes on forever. It's brought light to my life." Carlson also pressed the pen.

Shuster then said: "As we -- to the refrain of Hillary cackling, let's start with predictions tonight. What's going to happen?"

According to a press release on hillarypen.com, "[T]he new Hillary look-alike/laugh-alike pen plays a medley of the New York senator's actual chortles, snorts, and guffaws digitally recorded from her recent appearances on Sunday morning TV interview programs." In the release, Jay Kamhi, "the pen's creator," stated: "Some have said that Senator Clinton's laugh is infectious, but they didn't say whether it's infectious in the good sense, or infectious in the CDC sense. ... Our recommendation is to listen to the pen a few times, check for any redness or swelling, then make up your own mind accordingly."

As Media Matters for America documented, after Clinton's appearance on all five Sunday political talk shows on September 23, 2007, political reporters and other media personalities -- including Shuster -- seized on Clinton's laugh as a new subject of attention, with several media figures calling Clinton's laugh a cackle. Additionally, Media Matters has documented Carlson saying of Clinton: "Could you actually live in this country for eight years having to listen to her voice?"

From the 4 p.m. ET hour of the April 22 edition of MSNBC Live:

SHUSTER: And we're back. Just over three hours until the polls close in Pennsylvania. Tucker Carlson is a friend of mine, an MSNBC senior campaign correspondent. And joining us from Washington is Reuters Washington correspondent John Decker. Before we get to predictions, Tucker, I want to present you something that actually was delivered to Chris Matthews today, but he's not here, and I stole it and I'm giving it to you.

CARLSON: Good.

SHUSTER: It's a pen. It's "Jabber Jaw Pens." And when you listen to it here --

[laughter from pen]

So in honor of being on the air with you for the first time in a little while, I present to you with a Hillary laughing pen.

CARLSON: You know, I can't tell you, David, how much I appreciate this, how much I appreciate your going through Chris' mail while he's gone and how much I'm really going to miss that cackle. I hope it goes on forever. It's brought light to my life.

SHUSTER: As we -- to the refrain of Hillary cackling, let's start with predictions tonight. What's going to happen?

CARLSON: I think she could do better than expected. I mean, it's impossible to overstate the degree to which this is about impressing the media, basically. She could win, you know, no votes at all, and she wouldn't have to get out. She could win every vote in the entire state, and she wouldn't win the nomination. And so this is about crossing the threshold that we set. And I think she's going to have to do pretty well in order to do that. And I think she -- I think she might.

—E.H.H.