Open Mouth, Insert Foot…
U.S. News & World Report’s Bonnie Erbe blogs about something Bill Kristol said on yesterday’s Fox News Sunday…
Magazine editor, TV commentator, and New York Times columnist William Kristol made one of the most nonsensical and uselessly offensive of them all over the weekend, however, on Fox News Sunday. Call it what you will: a brain cramp, a minor stroke, an unforgivably loose-tongued moment, an inept attempt at humor. Whatever it was, it was offensive:
Kristol: Look, the only people for Hillary Clinton are the Democratic establishment and white women. The Democratic establishment—it would be crazy for the Democratic Party to follow an establishment that’s led it to defeat year after year. White women are a problem, that’s, you know—we all live with that. [laughter]
Juan Williams (National Public Radio correspondent and Fox News contributor): Not me!
Brit Hume (moderator): Bill, for the record, I like white women.
Kristol: I know, I shouldn’t have said that.
No, Bill, you shouldn’t have. First of all, neocons’ stock is remarkably low in Washington circles these days, as they are being deservedly blamed for the failed invasion of Iraq. Why go turn off for no apparently good reason a sizable chunk of the American population?
Much ado about nothing. Just another example of the gotcha game. Yawn. You’re better than that Spud.
Comment by chris — February 4, 2008 @ 11:04 pm
Wow… that’s really weak. A little over sensitive, are we?
And the reason for why it’s “offensive” is essentially just, “because he’s a Republican.” If he was another party, it would have been fine. Can you say, double standard?
Comment by ImNotBlue — February 4, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Jeez H.C., that had to be one of the funniest moments I’ve ever heard on that show. It was clearly a poorly worded statement that was inadvertently funny. Freudian, perhaps, but funny as hell. Guess I should have figured liberals would have a hissy.
Comment by laural — February 4, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
This gaffe reminds me how some reporter on each inauguration evening talks about one president having bigger balls (parties) than another. People remember the gaffe, but forget who said it.
This is nothing.
Comment by Missouri Show Me — February 4, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
Gaffe, freudian slip or whatever, it’s also just stupid: “Look, the only people for Hillary Clinton are the Democratic establishment and white women.”
Of these four groups - white men, white women, black men, black women - which group is larger? Face it, white women outnumber white men, and WAY outnumber black women and black men. And voting white women outnumber voting white men by sizable percents. So if you only have one group in your corner, that’s the one to have. Duh.
Comment by Arthur — February 5, 2008 @ 12:29 am
If he said, “black men/women are a problem” we would hear a large outrage from the media how Kristol comment was racist.
However, because what he said was sexist, the media gives it a pass. At least Spud is highlighting his insensitive comments.
Comment by PoliticalJunkie — February 5, 2008 @ 1:08 am
“as they are being deservedly blamed for the failed invasion of Iraq”
Failed you say? Neacon conspiracy? No way! Really?
Well thank you General for you input. Next time though, feel free to say what you mean.
In the meantime, I’m off to see where all our troops are if not in the “failed invasion”. I’m thinking Bush hid them in Cuba, right after ordering 9/11.
Comment by TheEJS — February 5, 2008 @ 1:28 am
All due respect Spud, this is nearly verbatim from DailyKos via MediaMatters. You are above their smear tactics.
Comment by Edward Schatz — February 5, 2008 @ 1:38 am
uh, no, it’s from US News and World Report. Is it your contention that USN&WR made up the quote? Because unless Kristol didn’t say it at all, I don’t see how you can cry ’smear’.
Comment by Arthur — February 5, 2008 @ 2:10 am
Um, my dear Arthur, the quote here may have “come” from US News and World Report, but the fact is Media Matters posted it first on the 3rd followed US News on the mid afternoon of the 4th. I firmly believe the post on US News was influenced by the early post on Media Matters in conjunction with the DailyKos post, although I have no hard evidence. I only have the times of the posts.
Comment by Edward Schatz — February 5, 2008 @ 3:44 am
Hillary is a serious candidate for president of the United States and her gender is just about a non-issue. Yet some can'’t help but scream sexist over a gentle joke. Don’t these people grasp that they have won this point? Shouldn’t they move on to health care or some other problem that needs public attention?
Comment by smike — February 5, 2008 @ 4:20 am
Look, I’m a diehard liberal and a white woman and I am not offended by that comment in the least. I’m not exactly a huge fan of the neocons by any stretch of the imagination but I think it was just one of those dumb things people say sometimes. It was awkwardly stated and I think he tried to make a weak and dumb joke out of what he’d just said but it’s not like the crime of the century or anything. This one is really reaching if you ask me.
Comment by Alison — February 5, 2008 @ 8:29 am
Alison - I’m not claiming it’s a hanging, or even a firing, offense. But often people’s gaffes are illustrative of their subsconcious beliefs, and it’s interesting, if nothing else, that Kristol’s subsconcious has a problem with white women.
Comment by Arthur — February 5, 2008 @ 11:24 am
Wait, I’m confused… I thought the “offensive” part was the joke at the end:
“White women are a problem, that’s, you know—we all live with that.”
If so… that’s clearly a joke, that’s why the other folks laughed, Juan Williams and Brit Hume made follow-up jokes.
I wonder if the same people who are all upset now, would have been upset with the old punch-line “Take my wife, please.” Get a sense of humor, people.
Comment by ImNotBlue — February 5, 2008 @ 11:47 am
..although I have no hard evidence. I only have the times of the posts.
Comment by Edward Schatz — February 5, 2008 @ 3:44 am
And there you go.
Comment by Shaun — February 5, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
Well gee Arthur if that’s your definition than I’m sure the next time Keith Olbermann takes a slam at woman on air (which is at least once a week), you’ll be psychoanalyzing him too right? Right?
Comment by Alison — February 5, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
Alison, if he ‘takes a slam’ at a woman BECAUSE she’s a woman, then sure, I’ll call him a sexist pig. Being for full equality doesn’t mean all women are wonderful, just that the female gender on average is fully as capable as the male gender.
Comment by Arthur — February 5, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
I wonder if the same people who are all upset now, would have been upset with the old punch-line “Take my wife, please.” Get a sense of humor, people.
I don’t have a dog in this fight but I’m going to say that there’s a big difference between Henny Youngman, a comic, making a dumb funny, and Bill Kristol doing a lame attempt at humor on a political Sunday talk show. And if you can’t see that difference you need to remove your idealogical reading glasses…
Comment by Spud — February 5, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
And there you go.
Comment by Shaun — February 5, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
And there I go….what? That Media Matters had it up before US News and it was posted on DailyKos? Care to refute that?
Comment by Edward Schatz — February 5, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
Well, first Spud… ideology has nothing to do with it. Bill Kristol is not one of my most favorite people, and the fact that Juan Williams joined in on the joke says something about the bipartisanship of the humor.
I don’t understand why there is this assumption that just because you report or discuss a serious topic, you have to be serious all the time. Throw in a joke once in awhile… show that you’re human! Laugh a little.
I just don’t understand the anger towards commentators who occasionally joke around. Although, there does appear to be a double standard when it comes to who can joke, and who can’t… primarily down party lines. The left-wing audience is comfortable with humor (see KO, Stewart, and Colbert), but God forbid a Republican make a joke, and it becomes a huge problem!
But I digress… this is just another attempt to smear someone with the “I’m offended” card. It was a joke… laugh or ignore it, and then move on.
Comment by ImNotBlue — February 5, 2008 @ 4:40 pm