ABC Features James Carville for Weiner Lecture, NBC Frets Over 'Damage' to Hillary
ABC and NBC on Thursday continued to fret over the implications the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal will have on Hillary Clinton. Today's Matt Lauer worried, "By association, does this do damage to Hillary Clinton?" Over on Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton campaign operative, pointed out that Weiner refused to leave the race "even as another supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton come forward, urging him to drop out."
Who was the "supporter" that Stephanopoulos mentioned? The host's friend and fellow Clinton aide, James Carville. In a clip, Carville lectured, "If I were working [the Weiner] campaign, would I probably say, 'look, I just can't take this anymore and resign?' Yes." [MP3 audio here.] The fact that Stephanopoulos and Carville defended Clinton through multiple sex scandals went unmentioned.
Reporter Linsey Davis marveled that "reporters [are] even asking for the President's reaction."
In contrast, Today's Donny Deutsch surprisingly replied yes to the question of whether Weiner negatively impacts Hillary Clinton: "It does give damage because every time Hillary comes forward now, it allows them to go back to Monica Lewinsky, which they're come a long way from."
He added, "It bring the story that they left far behind, and Hillary's history is goodbye."
Fellow liberal Nancy Snyderman leapt to Mrs. Clinton's defense, lobbying, "Hillary's history is history. Here's a phenomenal woman who will be running for president.
On Tuesday, GMA highlighted Clinton "pressure" and that the power couple's "patience has run out" with Weiner. Clearly, liberal journalists are doing their best to help.
A transcript of the August 1 GMA segment is below:
7:13
AMY ROBACH: Well, now, to the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal. He was back on the campaign trail last night, refusing to back down to critics, even as another supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton come forward, urging him to drop out of the New York mayor's race. ABC's Linsey Davis is here with the latest. Good morning, Linsey.
ABC GRAPHIC: Weiner Refuses to back Down: How Long Can He Stay in Race?
LINSEY DAVIS: Good morning, Amy. Problems persist for Anthony Weiner. Even as he campaigned overnight in the district he represented in Congress, once again, he was heckled. And while Weiner is adamant his not abandon his communication's director, a number of people are lining up to abandoning him. Anthony Weiner, who is trying so desperately to move forward–
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: How can I trust you with my family and my community, when you can't be trusted in your own family?
DAVIS: – realized once again overnight that he just can't seem to escape his sexting scandal.
ANTHONY WEINER: You probably know more about me than any candidate running and – for better or worse, much worse for me.
DAVIS: At times, Wednesday, it seemed the never-say-quit candidate couldn't catch a break. Hours before his only campaign event, he was once again forced off message. This time, by the person in charge of getting his message out. The embattled candidate telling reporters, he's standing by his communications director Barbara Morgan after Talking Points Memo published a curse-filled rant she went on to a reporter. Morgan's tweet of a swear jar stuffed with hundreds of dollars made more headlines than her candidate. The photo, captioned, "Should have known better, been better. Got to pay up." And with that, Morgan was back on the job, just in time to dispel yet another rumor that Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin, was being forced to take a leave of absence from her job with Hillary Clinton: "Huma always planned to take some time off this summer," Morgan wrote reporters. Meantime, Weiner continues to be rebuffed by politicians and political pundits, including to those closest to the Clintons.
JAMES CARVILLE: If I were working this campaign, would I probably say, 'look, I just can't take this anymore and resign?' Yes.
DAVIS: Weiner's decision not to resign is now sending ripples through the political universe, with reporters even asking for the President's reaction.
JAY CARNEY: There's plenty of coverage, plenty of stuff to cover without us commenting
DAVIS: Late-night comedians, however, had no trouble commenting.
JIMMY KIMMEL: He says he's staying in the race because he cares deeply about the people in New York. Except for the one he's married to.
DAVIS: In an e-mail overnight to his supporters, Weiner reiterated that some of his opponents, pundits and editorial boards want him quit, but that's not the way he rolls. We'll see how voters roll in the primary on September 10.
-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
