Chelsea Clinton vs. MSNBC’s David Shuster

When I first read about David Shuster’s comment about the Clinton campaign “pimping out” daughter Chelsea as celebrity-phone-caller-in-chief, I figured Shuster would get taken to the woodshed, but I never thought things would reach this fevered pitch.

Let’s break this down, piece by piece, and you tell me if people aren’t jumping out of windows over this for nothing.

1. David Shuster’s exact comment was, “Doesn’t it seem like Chelsea’s sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?”, framed to highlight the differences between the Clinton’s prior fierce protection of Chelsea, and their current clear willingness to employ Chelsea to get the campaign message out.

2. The definition of “pimping” has changed considerably in the last 10 years.  Pimping now refers to making something cool or better in some way (i.e. Pimp My Ride), rather than exclusively referring to those promoting prostitution.

3. The people jumping out of windows over this are saying Shuster effectively called Chelsea a whore.

4. The Clinton campaign has stated they may not participate in debates hosted by MSNBC, and is using this occurance to paint the entire network as being anti-Hillary.  Clinton’s campaign communications director Howard Wolfson called Shuster’s comments “beneath contempt” and “disgusting”.  Yet they continue to cozy up to Fox for coverage and debate hosting.

5. Chelsea Clinton is no longer the twelve-year-old girl she was when Bill entered the White House.  She is a grown woman of nearly 28 years with a Stanford degree in history and a graduate degree from Oxford in international relations.  I’m quite certain she can hold her own against misogyny when she’s subjected to it, and can make that judgment herself without her parents riding to her rescue.

6. Comments made about Chelsea have not garnered this much attention in the past- feature John McCain’s terrible “joke” told at a 1998 GOP fundraiser: “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?  Because her father is Janet Reno.”  Media commentator Howard Kurtz wrote about Chelsea’s being fair game to the media after that. Despite McCain’s horrid sense of humor, and lack of apology to Chelsea,  I’m certain Clinton will share the debate stage with McCain in the event she becomes the nominee, rather than refuse to participate due to a slight by a boor against her daughter.

7. Parents have the right to take a certain amount of umbrage when their child is disrespected.  However, the extent one can take that umbrage for an adult child is limited.  Does this make Bill and Hill helicopter parents, who can’t let their progeny take flight independently?  After all, Chelsea is working for Avenue Capital, an hedge fund that is a heavy contributor to Hillary’s campaigns.

8.  Was the statement really against Chelsea at all?  Would it not be more appropriate to say Shuster was showing concern by calling out the Clinton campaign for using Chelsea so publicly, when she has been protected for so long?  Was Shuster really saying the Clinton Campaign Machine was the “pimp” in this case, while Chelsea has fallen victim to her parents’ personal ambition? This in itself does not make Chelsea a “whore”, it would make her manipulated, but only if she’s not truly choosing to be part of the campaign on her own.   It does call in to question the decision to use Chelsea in this capacity.  McCain’s daughter Meghan is 24 years old, and serves a role in her father’s campaign to engage young voters, and she is not subject to the level of criticism Chelsea is for her role in the Clinton campaign.

9. My take: Shuster said something not well-thought out.  It’s wasn’t calling Chelsea a “nappy-headed ‘ho” nor was it calling for her lynching in a back alley.  Shuster is a well respected journalist and does not deserve to be fired over this incident.  If that were the case, Joe Klien and Bill Kristol would have been unemployable years ago.  Ahh.. what a dream…

10. Everyone needs to calm the F down.  Shuster has apologized, repeatedly, and Chelsea will certainly live to phone another day.