Epic Double Standard: Lefties Once Outraged by Possible Kudlow Senate Run Mum on Schultz

Given the well documented “revolving door” between the media and the Democratic (particularly the Obama administration [1]), it’s hardly surprising that MSNBC “The Ed Schultz” host Ed Schultz has been approached about a run for the Senate from North Dakota. But it’s still hard to swallow the left’s hypocrisy concerning who can make the jump from journalism to politics.

On his Jan. 6 broadcast, he elaborated on the news that he had been approached to run for the North Dakota U.S. Senate seat, which will be vacated by Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan at the end of his term [2]. Schultz admitted he wasn’t “considering it right now,” choosing his words carefully.

“After talking over how he arrived at this decision to retire, he did ask me one question,” Schultz said. “That was, how old am I. I thought, uh oh, here we go. Then, this morning, I got a phone call from a good friend, Merle Boucher. Merle is the House Democratic leader in North Dakota. He officially asked me to consider to run for the U.S. Senate seat in North Dakota. All right. I’m flattered and I’m honored and I can’t say I’m even considering it right now. I’ve worked, as many people know, very hard to get where I am in my career. To go from Fargo to 30 Rock is a dream come true for any broadcaster. I’ve invested a lot of years, a lot of time and effort, as an opportunity to use the microphone to advocate for the middle class in this country.” [Emphasis added]

According to Schultz, the timing isn’t right for “any kind of decision” one way or another.

“I’m in a different place than politics right now,” Schultz said. “I think I serve things as good as I can right here, right now. So, we’re a long way from any consideration. I plan on living a long time. We’re a long way from any kind of decision.”

Fair enough. But back in March 2009, a prominent lefty issued a statement on Larry Kudlow’s rumored political ambitions [3], which were based on the mere speculation the CNBC host would run for the U.S. Senate in the state of Connecticut:

“He is either a journalist or a candidate; he cannot be both. ... As a private citizen, Kudlow has a right to explore a run for public office, but using his platform as a CNBC host to further his political ambitions jeopardizes the integrity of your network.”

And to placate the faux outrage generated, Kudlow came out on his broadcast shortly thereafter and told his audience he was definitely not running.

“So this evening, I'm letting the world know that I am not running for the U.S. Senate,” Kudlow said on his program on March 24. "And here's why - in my heart, I know that I belong right here at CNBC. This is my love. I just signed a new long-term deal here and I can't think of anything else I would rather do. I've invested and worked very hard at this job and I am so blessed to have it.”

So where are the left-wing bomb-throwers upset about Schultz’s coy refusal to rule out a run.?

“I’m definitely honored by the phone call,” Schultz said. “But right now, no one from either party actually has officially announced that they’re running for this seat. That’s how distant this thing is now. The race is going to be an intriguing one. No doubt about that. At this point, I’m not even considering. We’re a long way from that. I just thought you wonderful viewers and listeners of my radio show deserved to hear it straight from me, your friend, Big Eddy.”

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