CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

CNN regularly includes Donna Brazile, a superdelegate, on its "Election Center" panel.  They officially refer to Brazile as a "CNN Contributor." Paul Begala, James Carville and others, in contrast, are referred to by CNN as "CNN Contributor, Clinton Supporter."

Why does CNN continue to pay Donna Brazile to sit on that panel, day after day, and pretend to be neutral when it's apparent to a 10-year old that Brazile supports Barack Obama?

It's unethical, unprofessional, and infuriating.

I stopped watching CNN's election coverage due to its anti-Hillary bias months ago but when I read about this segment, I had to take a look.  Pay attention to the titles CNN puts up for Begala and for Brazile.  And listen to Brazile explain, in response to Cambell Brown's suggestion that Brazile is in-the-tank for Obama, how she is "not undecided" but "undeclared." Does that mean, Donna, that you have decided who you prefer for President but you have not yet "declared" as a Superdelegate because you don't want to lose your CNN paycheck?

Donna sounds angry at anyone's suggestion that Barack Obama may have flaws.

Take a look at Brazile's website.  Sure sounds like she should declare, doesn't it?

To Obama's opponents and those carrying the dirty water, it's all about winning, not governing or leading a diverse, multiethnic and multicultural society. Our strength has always come from our ability to unite as one people, one indivisible nation...

With a wink and a nod, Obama's detractors and political opponents use code words such as electability to drive home the most divisive of messages: Obama's 20-year association with what some in the media world label as a radical pastor is now new fodder to make him a drag on the Democratic ticket or an easy target for the Republicans. Pick your weapons carefully

And here's an email reply from Brazile to a Hillary supporter who wrote her suggesting that she might vote for McCain if Obama is the nominee. I saw this posted on another website and I've edited it for privacy.  

From: Donna Brazile
Subject: RE: Switching to Republican Party - I'm a Hillary supporter
Date: May 7, 2008 7:48 PM

Yes, please join Rush and McCain asap. The train has left. Catch it.

Please don't send these emails to working people like myself. Notice you sent it to my campus address. I am a working class person. Can you find someone who drinks latte?

Message to the base: stay home.

Message to the base:  stay home? Way to unify, Donna.

CNN: Your credibility and integrity is going down the sewer.  You should immediately fire Donna, or re-classify her "Obama Supporter." You should have done it months ago. She's no more "neutral" than I am.

Tags: Brazile, CNN, Media Bias, obama, superdelegates (all tags)

Comments

65 Comments

Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

While you are at it, throw in Cafferty too. He is worse.

by devil 2008-05-08 12:51PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Cafferty is just going along with his kids

by gunner 2008-05-08 12:56PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Brazile is on record way before now as wanting NOT to overturn the pledged delegates, and threatened to turn in your party duties to back up how strongly she felt. Obama will win the pledged delegates, ergo, she is now an Obama supporter.

by Falsehood 2008-05-08 12:57PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Please!

Go somewhere else to peddle this.  You will be laughed out of a grade 2 class with this rationalization.

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 01:01PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

But everyone remembers it.

by Mostly 2008-05-08 01:18PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I was giving a rational basis for her support, and how others can show that. I'm not sure what was so dumb about it.

by Falsehood 2008-05-08 01:51PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

She always was an Obama supporter IMHO. The other say she said she was "undeclared" not undecided. It's perfectly clear and has been for some time who this undeclared support was for.

by Mayor McCheese 2008-05-08 01:27PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I wouldn't say that, but all supers are really undeclared. Undecided supers are like sports fans without a favorite team, to quote Mr. Super.

by Falsehood 2008-05-08 01:50PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Don't forget:

Donna is undeclared because CNN lets her, a courtesy NOT extended to Carville and Begala.  A person can be neutral, unaffiliated.  But the reason pundits and analysts MUST declare (repeat: declare) their preference, is not for their own convenience, IT IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE VIEWERS AND AN OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF THE NETWORK.  

Being neutral is a state of mind.  Being undeclared is a convenient posture.  

Donna has abused the trust of CNN and the viewers of CNN by not declaring that she has a preference in this race.  She has fooled the viewers who thought they are hearing analysis from an unaffiliated, NEUTRAL source.  

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 01:00PM | 0 recs
how dumb are these viewers?

if you can see through her, why can't they?

by RisingTide 2008-05-08 01:10PM | 0 recs
Re: how dumb are these viewers?

Because they don't follow all the minutia of the politics the way you and I do.  That's why.  

Most people get a bit of news and analysis and don't read blogs.  

This is how propaganda works.  This is how making (manufacturing) public opinion works.  This is why television is STILL the most powerful medium out there.

Even more important and more dangerous is that there is a whole huge mass of people who are leaders and opinion makers among their friends and family, and they also don't read blogs.  I am thinking of a few businessmen I know.  They are older, they follow political shows on television and read Newsweek, nytimes, and TIME magazine.  And no, they don't have time to spend on the blogs and separte every little detail.  

That's why declaring a preference for the viewers matter so much.  Trust me, if it was just a quaint notion, the network would have gotten rid of it very fast.  

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 01:20PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Agreed - talk about a double standard.  Begala and Carville, Clinton supporters are treated differently.  And I think the movement for that started in the blogoshpere.  I can remember reading many comments on DailyKos to that effect.  Funny thing, they never made a peep about Brazile.

by badu 2008-05-08 02:34PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

True he's awful but she's a party official

by TexasDarlin 2008-05-08 01:55PM | 0 recs
New worst diary

Donna Brazille has served this party for forever. She's a really nice person too.

When people email her and threaten to vote for McCain, they deserve to be told to go to Hell.

by Democratic Unity 2008-05-08 12:51PM | 0 recs
Re: New worst diary

I have no doubt that George Bush is a really fun and nice person amidst his family and friends.

It doesn't matter a bit if she is nasty or nice up close.  She is NOT neutral.  She has betrayed the trust of her network and taken the viewers for FOOLS (which after all are COMPLETELY ENTITLED to know what kind of analysis (and analyst) they are getting).  

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 01:03PM | 0 recs
George bush, has anger issues

when his wife told him that she thought he could have given a speech better, he backed his car through the garage wall.

by RisingTide 2008-05-08 01:11PM | 0 recs
By neutral you mean

willing to bend all rules in Hillary's favor.  

Brazille is both black and a woman...and as she says she likes both candidates and is undecided.

by GFORD 2008-05-08 04:30PM | 0 recs
Re: By neutral you mean

Brazille is both black and a woman...and as she says she likes both candidates and is undecided.

Gee, that clinches it! (slapping forehead)

Really? She is the one one who came with the absurd notion that Bill Clinton was talking about Obama's campaign and his blackness by saying by saying 'fairly tale'.  For the record, Bill Clinton was saying (absolutely true) that the whole thing about Obama's consistent opposition to the War is the biggest fairly tale he has ever heard.

Her whole, I will quit the party (Gee, I wish she did) if the superdelegates decide this thing, and putting pledged delegates there as a measure of democracy (funny? why not popular vote?), etc. etc. .. was not only repeating the Obama campaign talking points, BUT IN MANY CASES, the starting of those talking points.  

Yeah, Donna has a horse in this race, and she is doing she can to get him to win. Her whole unaffiliated schtick is having a platform to peddle shit.

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 08:49PM | 0 recs
Re: By neutral you mean

BTW, since AA are voting 92-8 for Obama.  So, even if the whole 8-10% Hillary vote came from AA woman, it would still mean 80-85% AA women for Obama.

Just keeping the record straight here.  

by ghost 2 2008-05-08 08:52PM | 0 recs
Maybe she's cheaper than other ones

they can get.  I heard her "contributing" on NPR yesterday and I think she also pops up on other networks.

I don't know what the "experts" get paid for those slots but she isn't worth much.

by NewHampster 2008-05-08 12:51PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Someone's credibility and integrity has gone down the sewer..for sure...

FS

by FlashStash 2008-05-08 12:52PM | 0 recs
They can't do that

They can't justify calling her an "Obama supporter" because she's an uncommitted superdelegate; for whatever reason her endorsement is still up for grabs, even to Clinton if she were to somehow earn it.

I don't like Donna all that much, to be sure.  As far as I'm concerned, she can stay uncommitted until the convention.

by Dracomicron 2008-05-08 12:53PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Thats a pretty funny email.  She's been great the last couple of days on CNN.

by KevinT 2008-05-08 12:53PM | 0 recs
What I really want to know...

... is what the email she's replying to said.

What are the odds it called her a "brillo head" as the folks at Hillaryis44 love to call her?

by kraant 2008-05-08 01:28PM | 0 recs
Re: What I really want to know...

I've never heard that said or read it, but that is really a stupid and offensive thing to call anyone. The racial implications are pretty clear.  

by Jeter 2008-05-08 02:06PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I know I am in some kind of Bizarro world, when I see supposed Democrats praise Sean Hannity and O'Reilly, as I have here, and dis Donna Brazille.

by WashStateBlue 2008-05-08 12:54PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I dont' know what's praisworhty about Brazille, quite frankly. She has the reverse midas touch. Eveerything she touches turns to crap. She was fired by the Dukakis campaign for trying to spread rumours about 41's personal life. It took some doing to get fired by the Dukakis campaign. Then she was involved in teh Gore fiasco. Why do we listend to the person and take her seriously?

by Mayor McCheese 2008-05-08 01:30PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

did you think that when the left attacked Begala and Carville?  Or is it just the continued double standard, if it effects Obama and his supporters...

by badu 2008-05-08 02:38PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Brazile has hit absolute bottom.  She's a disgrace.

And she doesn't have the integrity or backbone to be honest.

I covered Ms Brazil and her sealing Obama's fate with her remarks earlier in a diary too.

by LindaSFNM 2008-05-08 12:56PM | 0 recs
Fire her from the DNC too!

She is not neutral so she should stop saying she is!

And she should stop taking the bait by responding to all these emails - they rile her up and she loses her cool and writes teenage-like responses.

Talk about dividing the party! She is dividing the party and needs a time out!

by catfish1 2008-05-08 12:56PM | 0 recs
she does a good job

at the dnc i'm sure.

but you're right, she needs a time out. if you're a superdelegate, act ... super!

by RisingTide 2008-05-08 01:12PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Isn't this suppose to be Clinton News Network? How can CNN do this! CNN is suppose to be on Clintons side. BTW you should have gone further! Lets fire Donna Brazile as a super delegate!

by Hillarywillwin 2008-05-08 12:57PM | 0 recs
CNN's ANTI-Hillary bias? ANTI-Hillary bias?

What do you watch now? Aside from maybe Fox News, there is no more pro-Hillary network than CNN. This is the funniest thing I've heard all day.

As for Donna B., I do believe she's pro-Obama, but she wasn't in the beginning, and she's trying desperately to couch her comments in neutrality because of her position within the party, but she's obviously pissed off by the Clinton campaign's recent efforts to slice and dice the electorate and divide people by race.

I have no overt objection to CNN's reclassifying Brazille one way or another, but CNN's anti-Hillary bias. I just can't stop laughing at that one.

by Travis Stark 2008-05-08 01:01PM | 0 recs
I did hear her say the other day that

although she is undeclared, she is not uncommitted. Then she said, " Words do mean something." In my book, they both mean the same thing.

by Rumarhazzit 2008-05-08 01:03PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

holy sh**balls!  is that email really from her?  if so - she is playing with fire.

by canadian gal 2008-05-08 01:03PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Holy faux outrage Batman!

by cherrygarcia 2008-05-08 01:20PM | 0 recs
Could you be anymore disrespectful?

First of all, WHERE ARE YOUR LINKS?!?

One for Donna Brazille's supposed words on her website, and two for the alleged email.  You edited it for privacy?  You're going to have to pdf that shit and black out the questionable privacy issues.  I'm not buying your crap for one minute.

Please post a tip jar so I can show you what I think of your blatant character assassination.

by The Distillery 2008-05-08 01:03PM | 0 recs
off topic..

i know this is off topic - but what exactly is a tip jar?  does it have to do with rec'd diaries?i see it on some comments and never know what it means.

by canadian gal 2008-05-08 01:11PM | 0 recs
A tip jar

is an import from Dkos, where it is a 'you should do this' sort of thing.

What it means is that if you like someone's diary, you recommend them to show mojo (and tr them on that, if they're being a total troll).

I hope this helps! ;-)

by RisingTide 2008-05-08 01:13PM | 0 recs
Re: off topic..

It is customary at DKos, but you'll notice many HRC supporters do it here too.  It's why Alegre almost always posts the first comment on her diaries.  It's extra mojo for you diaries or donuts if it's utter crap.  In my opinion, the alleged email with absolutely no proof makes this diary utter crap.

by The Distillery 2008-05-08 01:22PM | 0 recs
Re: off topic..

Donuts are another word not used here, but at DKos.  And no, at mydd, they are used for personal attacks only.  Read the rules.

by Scotch 2008-05-08 01:51PM | 0 recs
See my comment down thread for the

entire text of the email and where the diarist got it from.

by GFORD 2008-05-08 04:49PM | 0 recs
Re: Could you be anymore disrespectful?

Tip Jars are a DKos obsession so you have tipped people off to where you feel the most at home. Not many of them are bothered with at mydd, and in fact if you were considering a zero,  Zeros are used for attacks on other posters.  Public figures are fair game.

by Scotch 2008-05-08 01:50PM | 0 recs
I pulled this off Hillaryis44.

The commenter claimed it came from TaylorMarsh and was a reply to someone named Alice.

From: Donna Brazile
Subject: RE: Switching to Republican Party - I'm a Hillary supporter
Date: May 7, 2008 7:48 PM

Honestly, this is the 9th email today, so I believe you're ready to not only
destroy Roe versus Wade, voting rights, civil liberties and civil rights.
Perhaps adding trillions more to the deficits through non stop tax cuts to
the wealthy and 100 more years in Iraq.

Yes, please join Rush and McCain asap. The train has left. Catch it.

Please don't send these emails to working people like myself. Notice you
sent it to my campus address. I am a working class person. Can you find
someone who drinks latte?

by GFORD 2008-05-08 04:43PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I've never been a big fan of Donna, to be honest, not even based on her lie about being undeclared, but based on her statements re: giving affirmative action to GLBT people in the Democratic National Convention's delegate selection process. She stated that doing something like that would be an "affront" to the civil rights movement, and it really bugged me.

But yes, CNN should declare Donna as an Obama supporter. I'd rather just have her off of CNN altogether...she's just never done much for me.

by zcflint05 2008-05-08 01:07PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

So CNN gets to declare not Brazile?

That's pretty choice.

by pinche tejano 2008-05-08 01:24PM | 0 recs
Typical reaction for those who think like her

Only blacks have been disadvantaged enough to merit special considerations and giving those to any other group is an insult.  I wonder if she believes this exclusive preferred victim status should exist in perpetuity.

by lombard 2008-05-08 01:43PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I didn't see anybody complaining when it was Stephonopolous (did I get it right?) moderating the ABC debate without a disclaimer.

by cherrygarcia 2008-05-08 01:11PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Well, to be honest, you should have seen what they said about George over at KOS....

by WashStateBlue 2008-05-08 01:13PM | 0 recs
Well, since the nominee will be Obama

I hope CNN doesn't fire her --- she will be a voice for the Democratic nominee.

by Slim Tyranny 2008-05-08 01:12PM | 0 recs
Re: Well, since the nominee will be Obama

There are other, better, and less divisive voices for the nominee out there. Donna has offended about half the base with her comments, and I can vouch for that email because I've gotten similar ones from her.

by zcflint05 2008-05-08 01:21PM | 0 recs
Fair point

There probably are better advocates out there.

by Slim Tyranny 2008-05-08 01:22PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Are there laws that prevent people from posting personal emails
on the internet?

This diary is a disgrace.

by cherrygarcia 2008-05-08 01:13PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

She might as well jump on the black bandwagon of support for Obama. Has anyone ever considered the possibility that 85-90% of the Black support for Obama, may have something to do with his color, or is it possible that Blacks unlike Whites are not racists? Until we can be honest with one another on that question, then all the arguments in the world are not going to change any of the dynamics.

BTW: I came to that same conclusion about her after listening to her so called unbiased commentary on CNN. I haven't listened to any news coverage the last couple of days, since all the media wants to do is bash Hillary and treat her like dirt. I hope the media understands what this is doing to the Democratic process, and that their piling on Hillary is only going to infuriate supporters even more.

by steve468 2008-05-08 01:15PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

No, because they supported Clinton, Gore, and Kerry in similar numbers.

by Mostly 2008-05-08 01:23PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

"Has anyone ever considered the possibility that 85-90% of the Black support for Obama may have something to do with his color"

Wow, no, I haven't

Why don't you wright the 37'th or so diary in the last two days talking about that issue?

by WashStateBlue 2008-05-08 01:25PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

I don't have any doubt that many AAs are voting for Obama due to his race, probably a whole lot of them.  But I don't hold that against them, everyone has their own reasons, and people unrepresented for so long tend to go for the chance to be.  Nevertheless, they should not deny it or pretend there is  unanimous support and none of it is based on race.  That is just too transparent.

by Scotch 2008-05-08 01:44PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Texasdarlin, can you ask your friends to stop harassing Donna Brazile?  How many angry letters have you guys written to her personally?  It's ugly.

by Mostly 2008-05-08 01:26PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Donna is a big girl.  She wants to be in the public eye and this is what she trades for it.  If she puts the bullshit  out like she has been doing this whole time, she better be able to take it.  If not go into solitude and stop selling herself as an expert and a bigwig in the Democratic Pary.  She doesn't represent over half of the party, yet she just can't let go of the attention she gets because she once was a big deal about 10 years ago.

by Scotch 2008-05-08 01:41PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Subject: RE: Switching to Republican Party - I'm a Hillary supporter

Talk about hypocrisy...

by hootie4170 2008-05-08 01:32PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

She's a PUNDIT not a newscaster, she can have as many opinoins as she likes. It's her job

by feliks 2008-05-08 01:53PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)
I'm not switching to Republican.  As for the Black community (which is a pretty large diverse group that does not think: Gee, I'm Black, what should I think) they have every right to vote for whomever they want. In previous elections, it was not uncommon to see the same margins of support for Democrats as seen for Obama during these primaries. Given the similarities in the candidates, why not vote for Obama? Hispanics and Whites and Asians are voting overwhelmingly for Clinton. Is it because she is a woman or white? Or is it because they support Hillary the candidate and her positions?

The point is that people are voting. Some people may be voting for the first time or involved this time because Obama is a candidate or because Hillary is a candidate.  I don't have any Black friends who say they would not vote for Hillary (some already have) nor do I have any friends of other races who say they will not vote for Obama. They do, however, all seem to be incredibly pissed off at both Dean and Brazile.

by Jeter 2008-05-08 01:58PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

Who are we kidding?  This entire party is divided.  If you are in one camp your old and irrelevant and called racist because you prefer an experienced person who speaks for you.

If you are on the other side, you are misguided, elitist and unable to understand why the opposition is not as in the thrall of your preferred candidate as you are.

Then you hear that a spokesman for the DNC, which should be a neutral bystander, is telling folks that they may as well take a walk and are no longer a viable resource to get the proposed nominee over the finish line.  

Add into the mix a sexist MSM who have taken ridiculous shots at a viable female candidate thus separating any chance of unification, and lo and behold, a divisive party.

Let's not kid ourselves.  Before Sen Obama attempts to establish unity with the GOP he had better begin with his own party for a start.  

by Pat J 2008-05-08 02:06PM | 0 recs
the message to the base to stay home

is basically kinda real in one way.  The only way they know they can beat McCain IS if the base stays home!  She tried to "not throw the baby out with the bathwater", but that's exactly what she just did!

I say keep her on there, let her continue to insult people pretending she's uncommitted! Let's see how that helps Barack Obama with the millions of millions of viewers of CNN!

by 4justice 2008-05-08 02:07PM | 0 recs
Re: CNN: Fire Brazile (or re-classify her)

there is a 92% chance she is for Obama.  CNN should relabel her as an Obama supporter and move on.

by Scope441 2008-05-09 01:45AM | 0 recs

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