CNN Panelist Defends Use Of 'Bitch' As Pejorative

Paging Geraldine Ferraro! When it comes to sexism, there exists a more fertile ground to critique than obscure hip-hop gestures. And, there are more fitting chauvinist villains than the Obama campaign. Take GOP consultant Alex Castellanos - the man best known for creating "Hands," an overtly race-baiting advertisement that Jesse Helms deployed to great effect in defeating his African-American opponent, Harvey Gantt.

Tonight, as a part of CNN's primary night panel, Castellanos took issue with Jeffery Toobin, who decried a recent newspaper column that referred to Clinton as a "white bitch." The thoroughly refined and scintillatingly relevant counterpoint that Castellanos interrupted Toobin to make - attached to an assertion that Toobin was "dead wrong" by the way - was that, "Some women, by the way, are named that, and it's accurate." Clinton was apparently one such woman, because she is "abrasive, aggressive [and] irritating."

Right about then, I really started noticing how abrasive, aggressive and irritating Castellanos was! See for yourself.

Comments

[WashingtonOutsider]

This comments on this site are amazing. Is there ANY rational thought here?

1. I don't use the "B" word. Ever. I find it offensive and degrading.

2. However, it is obvious that "B" has become a more accepted part of our lexicon.

3. Tina Fey, an avid Hillary supporter, called her a "B" months ago and it became a rallying point for Clinton campaign. It was a term of empowerment.

4. There's an excellent youtube video that presents a series of sexist comments from the media and concludes with a montage of Hillary over the lyrics "I'm a b..... , I'm a mother, I'm a child, I'm a lover..." (Meredith Brooks). Again, using that word to SUPPORT Hillary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnllNZg2iM&feature=related)

4. The "White B." reference came from a column in the New York Times written, by a women, Maureen Dowd - about sexism in the campaign. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13dowd.html?_r=1&oref=sloginn)

5. Now, Mr. Castellanos never called Hillary a "B." He only said that he thought that it was OK to use that word to describe her. I disagree but the irrational venom directed at him in these comments seem knee-jerk and uninformed. He didn't bring it up.

6. Also, if you use the word "B" in private conversations - you are hypocrite to call someone an "ass...." for just talking about that word in a public forum. That mentality stifles honest discourse.

[DietrichMoody]

This Cuban should be called on his backward way of thinking, just like people want to call the Whites of West Virginia and Kentuckians on allegedly theirs. Alex Castellano STILL THINKS Cuba has missles pointed at the United States, and a MAJOR threat to US security, too.

[Levittown]

Those Dittos were for WindyIndie 41 comment, not Presto.

[presto]

Aw shucks...I never get any dittos around here.

[Mdazes]

Sen Clinton did not have a problem with Saturday Nite Live calling her a BITCH. When she appeared on the show, a skit was done where the lady playing Hillary said "BITCH IS THE NEW BLACK' meaning instead of a black president we will have a Bitch (Hillary) for a President. Sen Clinton was all smiles because she was trying to get votes. She cant have it both ways.

[panickedkernel]

Sorry, but youve got that [dangerously] wrong.

When someone says, "X is the new black", what they mean is that "X" is the new fashionable thing that goes with everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_new_black

[presto]

Take a look at Olbermann here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnlNZg2iM&feature=related

[presto]

Castellanos is just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke64670GkZ8&e

[GingerB]

Tell CNN what you think of GOP consultant Alex Castellano­s...

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv/

[ewj1]

I have heard similar quotes by people who call themselves Clinton supporters. Frankly, I cringe every time. I do not know if it started with SNL but it did pick up steam after that and began to get worse. My hope is that it stops. It is very undignified and not needed.

[windyindie41]

This is why MSNBC is the only half-way watchable major cable news channel. Between Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Eugene Robinson, these three jounalists make up the majority of any integerity that remains in the MSM. Jack Cafferty remains the only voice of reason at CNN, yet they still haven't figured out that they should give him his own show, perferably at Glen Beck's job. I have a feeling though that his collegues at CNN aren't to eager to see him become more popular then themselves, especially Wolf Blitzer. Keith, on the other hand, has been quite vocally in his support of a Rachel Maddow program on MSNBC, so much so that he gave a shout out to her by noting how awesome her ratings were when she guest hosted. I can think of few other people who have the class and sercurity to do something like this, especially in the "cut throat buiness world" that is the MSM. For the life of me, I can't imagine Chris Matthews having this much class.

[presto]

I cannot conceive of anyone using the name Keith Olbermann and the word integrity in the same sentence. Not to mention the word "journalist". He is the most biased, most abrasive, and most consistently dishonest entertainer on cable news. Even the ridiculous Sean Hannity does not engage in vicious ad hominem attacks. Eugene Robinson is a commentator, not a newsman, and a self-avowed Obama supporter - but is a decent and honorable man. Rachel Maddow is brilliant. Hopefully she will not be tainted by the Olbermann trash bin. He keeps trying to push her into her own show so she will not be a threat to him. His ratings are better when he's not there and she is.

[Levittown]

Ditto, Ditto and Ditto.

[mikey683]

I've heard the exact same thing from to many supposedly "liberal" pundits in this election to count. I've heard it over and over on Huffpost, from liberals! Now Appilachia doesn't matter, Florida doesn't matter, Michigan doesn't matter. Exactly who are you expecting to vote for you in the fall?

[presto]

The arugula masses.

[ICUP]

Michigan doesn't matter because only one of the top three candidates was on the ballot. Ergo, only one person could win the election. It's not rocket science to see that the Michigan election was more akin to Stalin's and Saddam's than to any other in the Republic.

[STVoyager]

OMFG I cannot believe this guy!

[DDike88]

Sickening. He should be removed from CNN immediately. Immediately.

[presto]

But what about Matthews, Olbermann, Schuster, Abrams, Blitzer and the rest of the gang? Can we remove them all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnlNZg2iM&feature=related

[CommittedDem]

How can Obama supporters to expect Hillary supporters to support Obama, if the majority of you are sticking up for Alex Castellanos disgusting sexism against Hillary?!!!

[BOb4BO]

I do not believe you should judge a candidate by the actions of a very few of their supporters. No right minded individual is judging Senator Clinton through the clearly racist views of the supporters who have allowed her to win both WV and Kentucky.

The guy on CNN is a pig. His comments are hateful. And they are bringing out hateful comments from others. Those comments have no place in public political discussions.

[UpstateNY]

I think what this guy said was disgusting - having nothing to do with who I support. This is an unacceptable way to refer to any woman - I cringed at the SNL skit that used this word and I would have cringed at this (I didn't see it). He should be fired!

Also, I am an Obama supporter and welcome all Hillary's supporters to join us to win back the White House!

[Bill3rdterm]

Allowed her to win? She won one by 40 and another by 35, even if you take into account the pct of racists, she still wins.

[auntiecairo]

That guy is an idiot and it's indefensible to write or say that about a candidate; however need to recall that Tina Fey called bitch the new black on SNL and Hillary even praised SNL because she thought it supported her theory she was getting picked on. I think if she's really going to call people down on sexism then she needs to be sure her own camp is clean (remember Carville saying OBama could use one of Hillary's cajones?)

[BOb4BO]

There is a huge difference between a joke on SNL and commentary on CNN.

Or at least there used to be.....

[Spazzers]

What makes you think Tina was joking?

[Jeff1958]

When there is better real news coverage on The Daily Show than on Fox News...

[myskylark]

No there's no huge difference. If SNL had made a comparable joke about Obama's race there would have been Hell to pay.

Why can't;you understand that these sexist attacks aren't funny, and when SNL uses them as comedy it gives every mysoginist out there encouragement and approval to use them too.

[lotuslike]

This guy is pure scum...loo­k at his race and gender baiting legacy. Why on earth does CNN continue to use him as an analyst? Just as offensive as MSNBC continuing to employ the likes of Pat Buchanan for 'color commentary­.'

Cable news channels are for reviled & retired political jerks as South America was for retired nazis.