Daily Kos: Another Scarborough Political Donation

[flpoljunkie]

(And, good for The Nation's Chris Hayes for turning down the job to host Keith Olbermann tonight! I will be boycotting the 8PM time slot until Keith returns, as well.)

Another Scarborough political donation
by Jed Lewison

Fri Nov 05, 2010 at 04:30:07 PM PDT

Politico's Ken Vogel flags another donation from MSNBC host Joe Scarborough to a Republican candidate, this one made in April of this year for $5,000 to a GOP candidate in Alabama. Combined with his 2006 contribution of $4,400 to a GOP congressional candidate, Scarborough has donated at least $9,400 to Republican candidates as an MSNBC host -- more than the amount that led to Keith Olbermann's suspension.

It's not just contributions, either: Vogel points out that in August, Scarborough traveled to Alabama to headline a fundraiser for the county GOP where he made his contribution.

Given the obvious double-standard here, Griffin's decision to suspend Olbermann but not Scarborough seems to be motivated by personal or political factors. After all, Joe Scarborough not only has contributed more money than Keith Olbermann, he's headlined fundraisers.

It's implausible that the issue here is that Olbermann didn't ask permission. First, the policy in question doesn't appear to apply to MSNBC -- it's for "impartial journalists" on NBC News' staff, and nobody would claim Olbermann or Scarborough are impartial. They are opinion show hosts. Second, even if the policy did apply, and even if Scarborough did ask permission, it's clear that these types of donations are permissible at MSNBC. And given that it would be illegal for MSNBC to allow Republican donations but not Democratic donations, there's no chance that Olbermann was suspended for failing to ask permission to do something that he would have been granted permission to do.

So it's clear Griffin's decision was the wrong one and it was motivated by the wrong reasons. But the question remains, how long will it take for him -- or the network -- to back down?

Update: Props to Chris Hayes for declining the opportunity to host Countdown tonight.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2010/11/5/19354/1613/4#c4

[flpoljunkie]

1. Update: CNBC's Larry Kudlow has made political donations--to Republicans, of course.

Update: CNBC's Larry Kudlow also has made political donations -- to Republicans, of course. No suspension there.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2010/11/5/19354/1613/4#c4

[otohara]

3. More CNBC Hosts.

POLITICO reported this morning that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann made three campaign contributions to Democratic candidates. A short time later, MSNBC president Phil Griffin suspended Olbermann "indefinitely," citing "NBC News policy and standards." Some have claimed that the NBC News ethics policy doesn't actually apply to MSNBC. But assuming it does -- does it also apply to CNBC?

As I wrote earlier, CNBC primetime host Larry Kudlow donated money to a Republican congressional campaign this cycle. Hosts Gary Kaminsky and David Faber donated to Mitt Romney's PAC and a GOP candidate.

Suze Orman, financial adviser and host of CNBC's "The Suze Orman Show," outdid the other listed NBC Universal personalities (and made CNBC a bit more bipartisan) with two $28,500 donations to the DNC and one $10,000 donation to California's "No on 8" campaign for marriage equality.

Are hosts on the Consumer News and Business Channel held to the same ethical standards as NBC News employees? Are CNBC hosts and contributors not expected to be keep up the appearance of objectivity? If not, why not?http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/nbc/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/11/05/cnbc_donations

[Bozita]

4. Kudlow also sits on the board of a RW political organization

Michelle Bernard's Independent Women's Forum


http://iwf.org/

ABOUT IWF > BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman


Heather R. Higgins
President and Director, The Randolph Foundation
Vice Chairman & Board Member, Philanthropy Roundtable
Executive Committee & Board Member, Hoover Institution
Trustee, Committee for Economic Development
Board Member, (NY Board), UBS Mutual Funds
Member, Council on Foreign Relations

Directors


Mary Arnold
President, Mary Arnold Consulting, LLC
Board Member, American Council of Young Political Leaders

Yvonne S. Boice
President of The Shoppes at Village Pointe
President, Fugazy International Travel

The Honorable Carol T. Crawford
Former Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission
Board of Directors, Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Jennifer Ashworth Dinh
Principal, Bancroft Associates PLLC
Board Member, Junior League of Washington

Mary Beth Jarvis
Vice President, Government and Public Affairs of Invista

Lawrence Kudlow
CEO of Kudlow & Co., LLC
Distinguished Scholar of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Joanne T. Medero
Managing Director, BlackRock
Member, Advisory Council for the Corporate Governance Center, The Conference Board

Directors Emeritae


Lynne V. Cheney
Midge Decter
Kimberly O. Dennis
Wendy Lee Gramm
Randy P. Kendrick
Elizabeth Lurie (deceased)
Kate O'Beirne
Louise V. Oliver
Sally Pipes
Nancy M. Pfotenhauer
R. Gaull Silberman (deceased)

[otohara]

2. Only Those Who Donate to Democrats

or left leaning folks at MSNBC lose their jobs, Olberman, Kos, David Schuster, Phil Donahue

[jenmito]

5. Wouldn't it be something if RACHEL refused to do HER show until Keith came back? n/t

[ProSense]

6. It would be one thing

if KO was the only person who violated MSNBC's policy, but clearly they're being biased for some other reason.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. Is MSNBC going to fire Scarborough

[TuxedoKat]

9. Better not

then he might run for president!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. ha ha!

[jenmito]

10. The fill-in host (Thomas Roberts) just explained Keith's absence and said he knows we all await

his return "as do we."

[krawhitham]

8. Maybe Intern Joe got permission 1st

[rasputin1952]

12. I cannot fathom Scarborough asking permission for anything...

he's an arrogant idiot...one of the best scenes of all time on live TV was when Mika's father called him "shallow" to his face; Scarborough was visibly shaken, just like the kid caught with the hand in the cookie jar.

A one term Congressman from a Red District in FL...somehow that got him a stint as a "pro" on politics or anything else?

If there was a breech of contract there as well, as, according to Rachel there appears to be a clause in the contracts, then Scarborough's "offense" is far above that of KO.

[countrydad58]

15. He did

more than give donations. In 2004 He was seen on TV.actively campaining for Bush! I saw it on MSNBC with my own eyes!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. MSNBC Is Greasing The Skids To Replace Olbermann With A Conservative

I suspect Ed and Rachel will be gone soon too. IMHO, they have decided if they can't beat FOX they will join em... Look at talk radio and all the Rush clones for a precedent... Did those stations try to counterbalance Rush with someone from the left? No. They tried to find a clone and were quite successful. Hannity? , Beck ? Boortz? anyone...

The die is cast.

[denimgirly]

14. Hmm..if they didn't get permission prior then I am going with u guys -- Olbermann was a Victim

Reading a bunch of other NBC people here (besides Joe) and wow there are a ton. My guess they all got permission? Assuming the rule was in place during that time. If not then this is BIG.