MSNBC's Shuster falsely suggested Mark Penn first brought up Obama drug use issue on Hardball
SUMMARY: On MSNBC's Morning Joe, David Shuster asked Clinton campaign chief strategist Mark Penn if it was a "mistake" when he "brought up a word and reminded people of [Sen.] Barack Obama's past drug use" on Hardball in December 2007. But, Penn was not the one to bring up Obama's past drug use; it was Chris Matthews. Matthews, as well as Norah O'Donnell, have falsely asserted that Penn brought up the issue.
On the February 7 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, correspondent David Shuster said to Mark Penn, chief strategist for the Democratic presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY): "About five or six weeks ago, you were on Hardball with David Axelrod [chief strategist for Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) presidential campaign] and Joe Trippi [adviser to the John Edwards presidential campaign], and you were the one who brought up a word and reminded people of Barack Obama's past drug use." Shuster then asked Penn: "Do you now acknowledge that that tactic was a mistake?" In fact, Penn was not the one who "brought up" Obama's drug use on the December 13, 2007, edition of MSNBC's Hardball; host Chris Matthews was.
Indeed, Matthews devoted the entire December 13, 2007, Hardball segment to controversial comments about Obama's past drug use by then-Clinton campaign co-chair Billy Shaheen. Shaheen had resigned earlier that day in the ensuing controversy. Matthews explicitly asked Penn at least three distinct questions about the topic, two of which directly referenced "drugs" or "drug use," and Penn offered at least two specific responses before he said "cocaine," which he said in direct response to Matthews' question about whether "going after his [Obama's] perhaps youthful drug use" is an "appropriate shot[] at the opponent or ... below the belt." Indeed, prior to using the word "cocaine," Penn had disavowed Shaheen's comments. Further, as Penn noted on the February 7 Morning Joe, Matthews had discussed Shaheen's comments with Axelrod prior to his discussion of them with Penn.
Several media figures, including Matthews (here, here, and here) and MSNBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell, have falsely asserted that Penn "brought up" Obama's prior drug use on the December 13, 2007, Hardball.
From the February 7 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:
SHUSTER: Hey, Mark, it's David Shuster again in Little Rock. About five or six weeks ago, you were on Hardball with David Axelrod and Joe Trippi, and you were the one who brought up a word and reminded people of Barack Obama's past drug use. That didn't seem to work, and I think it caused a lot of Democrats a lot of frustration with you and the Clinton campaign. Do you now acknowledge that that tactic was a mistake?
PENN: Again, that was not something from the campaign. If you go back and listen to that, David Axelrod was talking about the same matter three or four seconds before, and we're just not going to revisit that.
keen investigative reporting? You mean how he'll post any rumor he hears (or makes up) until one of them sticks?
And here's the whole quote from Moore: "I am morally prohibited from voting for Hillary in the primaries because of her war votes, I mean that not as a personal attack against her, but I simply can't side with somebody who participated, whether willingly or unknowingly, as she claims, in something that has been so evil"
So yes, he says he is morally prohibited from voting for her, but he is not saying voting for her is immoral. There's a big difference.
Thanks, despite the sarcasm, it really was a question. I hadn't heard what he said
See what happens when you rely on a keen investigative journalist like Matt "The Hat" Drudge?
To be fair, Drudge's headline reads "Michael Moore; Morality Prohibits vote for Clinton"
A click links directly to his Larry King appearance.
A.) He's bored with the inane banter.
B.) He's shocked that you failed to credit YouTube for its role in conveying this vital news nugget.
I'm guessing it's "A".
Santorum... a truly great American. <sarcasm>
Thankfully, Santorum is back home these days making even more babies. I think he's up to either eight or nine...and counting.
However, he's a work in progress and hasn't seen much air time.
Yeah, but if he would find it is his heart to masturbate or use a condom once in a while, many would have a better shot at eldercare.
You may actually view a clip of Moore's comments on the Larry King show here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/07/moore-i-am-morally-proh_n_85481.html
Clearly, Michael Moore maintains a principled stand against the Iraq war and he should be commended for that.
I think so anyway and will be disappointed if it isn't.
...and I'd like to see McCain questioned about whether any of the notorious neocons who led George W. Bush into the war would have any place in his administration? Maybe I'm wishing for too much but this election presents the perfect opportunity to educate the American public about who and what really got us into the Iraq war. Amazingly, last weekend I had (or tried to have) a conversation with a young Bush supporter who knew absolutely nothing about the neocon gang and their theories that got us into Iraq.
I don't think even W would deny it was his decision and his decision alone since we all know how big conservatives are on personal responsibility.
Nice try.
This election is a referendum on the failed Republican policies of the last 7 years although conservatives would like to make it a referendum on the Reagan years.
Most people are concerned that he's still in favor of continuing the war, and has even said that we'll continue for another hundred years if necessary.
...and said the surge is working...
etc.
Hall monitor? You were the one who said "nice try", trying to veer away from what I was responding too.
And please, if you don't know how to use the bold type, please stop doing so. Thank you.
Except that at the outset of war Bush was telling us that he was trying to prevent war.
I think more people in Congress should have called out Bush on his BS as well, even as a vote of political expediency it's not acceptable to play games with soldiers' lives. That's a major issue I have with Hillary. But at the same time, Bush made his bed. He took a gamble on lying, because he created a political "out" where people could simply excuse their vote that way. Even if they were certain Bush was taking us into war, even if it was intellectually dishonest to claim that they believed him, he handed that excuse to them on a silver platter.
To say those two sets of actions are equivalent is absurd. He starts a war, and those in Congress take advantage of appearing to be bipartisan and "tough on defense" while having a built-in excuse to wash their hands of the entire thing whenever they like. That dynamic is Bush's doing, just like the war itself.
Shuster looks up to Matthews and gets angry when he's criticized.
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
When you have political operatives to do the important work behind the scenes, like speech writing, logistics, strategy, and they look like 'DEPUTY DOG' ON VALUIM, you should hide them from the camera, and NEVER, BUT NEVER let him do T.V. interviews!
This chuckehead has done way more damage than good by any measure looking for the outside in, or visa versa.
Paint a black nose on him, and give him some droopy ears to go with those comatose eyes.
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady
The old "Did you shoot your wife?" card is being played here by MMFHRC. Notice how they bring in something nobody is paying any attention to in order to keep the Obama drug story alive.
I predict this thread will pop up in one manner or another for oh.. say until the convention?
Kudos!
The only other people I've seen use that phrase here are the ditto heads who get their brains all full of mush, I mean Rush, then come here and regurgitate what they've heard.
You're better than that.
And by the way, there's a new sheriff in town.
What the hell is the "did you shoot your wife?" card?
"About five or six weeks ago, you were on Hardball with David Axelrod and Joe Trippi, and you were the one who brought up a word and reminded people of Barack Obama's past drug use."
That's flat-out false. The topic was Obama's past drug use. Nobody was "reminded" of it because of anything Penn said. So that's conservative misinformation, and deserves to be printed as often as it happens. Your brand-new standard of whether people have been talking about it or not is utterly ridiculous.
Indeed, Matthews devoted the entire December 13, 2007, Hardball segment to controversial comments about Obama's past drug use by then-Clinton campaign co-chair Billy Shaheen
Yeah he did, but it was news & he had every right to bring it up. Penn was the one to mention cocaine, but the disscussion was about drugs & drug use so I'm not sure it was a huge deal.
David Shuster doesn't seem to be a Hillary fan, so that should be taken into account here.
I have a comment about the Michael Moore interview. It is another example of Larry King's incompetence. Michael Moore said that his problem with Clinton was not just her initial vote, but her continuous votes to keep the war going. If King had any journalistic ability, he would have asked Moore if the same holds true for Obama since he has also voted the same as Clinton to continue funding the war.
Thank you Truthseeker, you hit the nail on the head. Obama has been given a "free pass" when it comes to the press and this is not good for your party as a whole. I'm an independent that was intent on voting for a "qualified" democrat...IMHO that was Clinton. She's been vetted and there isn't much about her that hasn't already been "drudged up" on her. On the other hand there is Obama. WHO really knows...(or to quote Kerry"Who among us" Knows what the Republicans can use against him...It's already begun...They have a candidate and the Dems are gonna bloody each other up until the convetion...not good. You had a great front=runner until "Oprah said" he's the "change" candidate. LMAO. (maybe wet behind the ears candidate). The independents that are voting for him are the Young Voters...where will they be in November? Taking final exams and partying.
The older independents will flock to McCain for Experience.I would have and still will vote for Clinton if she's on the ticket, but Obama is too new and will get ripped apart by the republican smear machine for being WAY too lberal and extremely niave on foreign policy. This man [Obama] was asked to speak at the convention in "04", propelling him into a senate seat, wrote a book, went on Oprah, and began running for POTUS...all in the span of 3 yrs.. You democrats really know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.IMHO
Obamas inexperience? I keep hearing about that, and I just don't see it. When you put him against McCain's 300 years in the senate I see it, but against Hillary it just isn't there. He has more time as an elected public official than she does, just not in the senate. I hear all the radio hacks talking about Obama's inexperience and underqualified, at the same time they worship at the alter of senile B movie actor. And I dont buy the theory that the Republican hate machine can find a skeloton in Obama's closet that the Clinton campaign couldn't. The worse they can find is that he did drugs in highschool. But who didn't?
Obamas inexperience? I keep hearing about that, and I just don't see it. When you put him against McCain's 300 years in the senate I see it, but against Hillary it just isn't there. He has more time as an elected public official than she does, just not in the senate. I hear all the radio hacks talking about Obama's inexperience and underqualified, at the same time they worship at the alter of senile B movie actor. And I dont buy the theory that the Republican hate machine can find a skeloton in Obama's closet that the Clinton campaign couldn't. The worse they can find is that he did drugs in highschool. But who didn't?
David Shuster is a breath of fresh air who Media Matters does not like because he has not drunk the Hillary Kool-Aid.
The segment was about the anti-Obama statements of Clinton surrogates and Penn kept using the word cocaine and repeating the same ridiculous point. It is the presence of people like Penn that make it very difficult for me to vote for Clinton and who make Obama seem very attractive.