MSNBC Pulls "Inappropriate" Michelle Obama "Hardball" Ad Depicting Silhouetted Female Dancers (VIDEO)

MSNBC ran an ad for "Hardball" Thursday morning teasing a segment on Michelle Obama's image makeover. The ad featured background artwork of female silhouetted dancers while the phrase, "HER NEW OUTLOOK?" was displayed on the screen. When contacted, an MSNBC representative said the ad was pulled after only running "once or twice" because it was deemed "inappropriate." The full statement:

The artwork should not have been used, it was inappropriate. We pulled the spot this morning and it was re-done without those images.

Watch the "inappropriate" ad below ("inappropriate" artwork slo-mo'ed at end if you miss it):

From MSNBC, 6/19

Comments

[killmenow]

I like the ad. People need to calm down, perhaps get a life. Those silhouettes look like strutty young consumers who shop, cell phone and look for rich men, but it's only a split second and who cares? Only angry, uptight obnoxious people, that's who. Get over it. They should have answered the criticism by saying it's only an ad that's a couple of seconds. Beside, Michelle Obama looks about as hot as those silhouetted girl models.

[PennP]

You may be cool with seeing our future First Lady mocked in a sendup of the opening credits of a Pam Grier movie, but a lot of us are not. No offense to the magnifient Ms. Grier, but the ad's obnoxious and MSNBC should do more than yank it. An apology is warranted for this sexist, racist bit of sleaze, especially since it'll be regurgitated ad nauseum here, there & everywhere.

Michelle Obama is a vibrant beauty who deserves finer accolades than "looks about as hot as those silhouetted girl models." You may call that being uptight, but I think it's demonstrating decorum and respect for the woman.

[egal]

Actually, most of the people who care get their information only from the mainstream news and are uninformed people easily swayed to hate what is different and believe the subtle cues of bigotry and racism that make them mistrust the Obama's without knowing anything about them.

[nonofyabusiness]

MSNBC, Did it again! But they screw up all the time. Tonight trying to defend Michelle Obama on Verdict, Dan Abrams again puts on a racist moron named lars. If you don't know what kind of a lieing hypocritical racist bigot scumbag lars is (the litteral definition of scumbag ), think of it this way. He makes Pat Buchanan look like a civil rights pioneer...­..You see what I mean about MSNBC.

[mcole]

i watched it right, and when sekoff talked about cindy mccain next thing the lars heediyot starts moaning about how thats unfair and i'm like..wat?­?? and dan abrams says nothing!! he just continued yakking about michelle this and misquoting michelle again and again, he totally ignored what sekoff said

needless to say from now on i only watch countdown.

[bellenoir55]

I'vve been ignoring everything on MSNBC BUT Countdown since the end of the primaries.
Now that they don't have the Clintons to kick around any more,the poltical programming has been painful to watch and listen to. And don't even get me started on Dan Abrams....

[nonofyabusiness]

Kieth Needs to take over Verdict. Abrams Sucks. He's to weak. KO can Do Countdown and then "Justice of the Keith" or something. He can totally cut off idiots like lars, drop them off the air, and insult them for 5 minutes. I see a hit!

[idileru21]

you are so right , i dont know what is wrong with msnbc nowadays .

[mshazen]

Hillary is gone its your turn.

[Yohomegirl]

Fox ain't got nothing to say..so they have to make it up. Obama just makes sense, but they sho' ain't gonna say that! OBAMA )*!

[Anastasia]

What's so shocking about this promo, is that it comes on the day of Tim Russerts memorial service. On the one hand, MSNBC is praising his journalistic standards and personal character to the nth degree and on the other, they are producing this spot.

If this is the shape of things to come now that Russert is gone, the network and all associated with it, will suffer the consequences.

[pupbayer]

Is someone getting a little sensitive?

[Thron]

7.49 pm. pt. I guess so. People react where there is nothing to jump around for....The politically correct, react incorrectly.

[XME]

I didn't see anything inappropriate about it. After reading about it, I expected to silhouettes of "erotic" type dancers. It's was just women standing there...an­d clearly in normal clothing.

Much ado about nothing.

[justwaitandsee]

Michell Obama is not HIP HOP. How would they have protrayed Cindy McCain

[SaulGood]

silhouettes of robots?

[jackieblu23]

Stoned?

[idileru21]

She is a pathetic old woman , cindy looks like a barbie girl.

[MsLiz]

It was inappropriate when used to describe the next First Lady of the US. Maybe the First Lady of France would appreciate it, but not the First Lady of the USA.

[nunzia]

Now that is stupid.

[AbbieXHoffman]

Exactly, it looks like fashion models = make over.

[Independent007]

The tease was over the line. They should not have even used the term makeover, because Michelle is Mikchelle.
Sexist and inappropriate.
The ladies in silhouette were cute though.

[robjh1]

The campaign is about the men not the wives.

[ChiGuy]

It never ceases to amaze me how many clueless people there still are when it comes to this kind of thing.
The people that thought this promo up, and the people that created it for them but didn't say anything, should all be, at the very least, demoted.

[pupbayer]

Suck it up. It'll be OK. Honest, this isn't a big thing.

[watchingthings]

There must have been many people calling them and threatening to stop watching their channel and this alarmed them into caveing...­....this time.

[jadez]

simple evidence how the MSM is subtly racist .

do you think for a single second that they would ever use such visuals to portray cindy mccain?

or how about laura bush.

see the point??

[MsLiz]

I see the point.

[nunzia]

Exactly.

[mshazen]

Its more than just race, she is smart too. HRC was trashed by the press back in the day with ole Bill. when he was running. They don't like women who can think, or do more than just stand there and smile. The fact that Michele is AA too well just more to mess with.

[debwarot]

Not that bad, really. But not exactly good either. I am beginning to tire of Chris Matthews.

I do not think that anyone from the Obama camp has labeled Michelle's recent appearances a 'makeover'. Unless there is something I have missed, sounds like nothing more than just another media creation. I think Michelle is just fine as is - no 'makeover' necessary!

[pacats]

Take a few minutes and send an e-mail to Hardball with your thoughts on this ad. Michelle is a wife, mother of two and may become the next first lady. The three silhouettes are in bad taste.

[MissingAmerica]

It may have been a bit odd, but it's not nearly as offensive as what the Republicans have been saying about her!

[TroubleNYC]

Maybe it's the laid back persona in me but I can't see why that was so "inappropriate".

[nanoscare]

Michelle is a nice tall glass of chilled currant juice and a slice of cheese. Cindy is a high-ball of cheap liquor and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. You know it's true.

[nonofyabusiness]

you forgot and discarded prescription med bottles...

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Hysterical and true. LOVED IT!!!

[pupbayer]

So I take it you are jealous of how rich she is.

[nanoscare]

Michelle is nearly as rich as Cindy, so no. Hillary is pretty rich too, not jealous of her. I am jealous of the amount of financial privacy she has received in comparison to Hillary and Michelle, though. Well, disgusted might be a better word. She does fly Senator McCain around an awful lot on her private jet, I guess I am jealous that she has a jet that she can fly her husband around on while he campaigns to keep her taxes low.

[THEhillbilly]

Actually, Cindy McCain is just Cindy McCain and always will be. Mrs. Obama is not yet what she will be after magnloquent, done-nothing trainee senator Obama's controllers finish repackaging her in accordance with data collected from focus groups and surveys. They probably won't be able to make her respect Americaon a permanent basis or stop saying it's a mean country, but they'll be working hard to create a new Michelle up until the day of the election.

[nanoscare]

This is a mean country. My first post proves that. Who do you suppose is mean to their wife? Which one would take it?