No one could have predicted that a former Republican congressman would have partisan political beliefs and engage in political activity:
MSNBC said Friday that it is suspending “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough for two days after he acknowledged giving eight previously unknown $500 contributions to friends and family members running for state and local offices during his tenure at the network, a violation of parent NBC’s ban on political contributions by employees without specific permission from the network president.
“I recognize that I have a responsibility to honor the guidelines and conditions of my employment, and I regret that I failed to do so in this matter,” Scarborough said in a statement. “I apologize to MSNBC and to anyone who has been negatively affected by my actions,” he said, adding that after he was made aware of some of the contributions, he called MSNBC President Phil Griffin “and agreed with Phil’s immediate demand of a two-day suspension without pay.”
I know there is a lot of competition out there, but Phil Griffin is really working for the title of “Worst Executive 2010.” Just clueless.
Sentient Puddle
Sort of a personal preference I know, but I’d go with Bobby Kotick as worst executive of 2010. Or hell, of all time.
Kyle
Scar wasn’t aware that he had made political donations until an executive pointed it out to him? What, he got drunk late one night and forgot what he’d done the next day, like with Lori Klausutis? I guess the Repigs couldn’t bring in a crooked coroner to clean up his mess this time.
BTD
Great title John.
BTD
As for worst execs, Jeff Zucker destroyed the NBC television network. He’s got to be in the running.
Bob L
@Kyle: That would make a funny scene in a movie “I woke up the next day, I could remember drinking, drinking a lot. Then it got all hazy. As I tried to recall I looked down on the floor and it all came back to me in a rush as cold fear shot threw me; I had been donating to Republicans!”
Odie Hugh Manatee
Phil is just showing that when it comes to punishing his employees, he is one fair and balanced dude!
Scarfburro is fifty pounds of shit in a half-pint container.
geg6
@Kyle:
And apparently, some of those donations were to his brother or something. Jeebus. He lied about getting permission for all his donations and let Olbermann be suspended without defending him at all.
I think this whole thing is bullshit, both Scar and Olbermann are commentators, not journalists. But what Scar did was worse, IMHO. Not only did he violate the policy, but he lied and let a colleague hang out to dry.
Roger Moore
This was obviously a make-up call after suspending Olbermann. They suspended an obviously partisan liberal and got chewed to hell over it, especially because they ignored political donations by conservatives. Now they’re giving a conservative an identical slap on the wrist as a way of showing they’re even handed. Nothing much to see here.
BGinCHI
At this rate Griffin is going to get his own Trumpesque TV show:
The Suspender!
Calouste
@geg6:
Jeez, he’s a Republican, what else do you expect. I wouldn’t be surprised if it came out that it was him that tipped off Politico about Olbermann’s donations. Projection and such.
Tom Q
I don’t know if most here were around when Douglas Ginsburg was nominated for Supreme Court, and it emerged that he’d smoked dope in college. I know — appalling — but at the time it raised the traditional media frenzy. Within days, a bunch of folk on left and right — Gingrich and Gore, for two — raced out to announce they had, too, rightly figuring there was going to be a massive focus on the issue. They were thus innoculated.
I can’t believe Scarborough didn’t make a similar judgment here. Olbermann’s contributions were made a huge issue, Scarborough KNEW he was guilty of same, and he didn’t bother to mention? That’s stupidity of a sort I don’t expect from a successful politician.
An Uncivil (but decent) Duck
I’m supprised he didn’t try to pin the donations on his desk.
Linda Featheringill
In spite of my love and/or lack of it for all parties involved, i really think that every person in the country has the right to make political donations with their own money, WITHOUT ASKING FOR PERMISSION.
General Stuck
Far as I’m concerned, the entire cable news world can go the way of the dodo, all of them. It is a cancer on the republic first spawned by Fox News, that at once, introduced partisan news and the profiteering monster into the 4th estate. By concentrating the wingnuttery as a paying audience for the right kind of news, the kind without facts. And now all the little duckies follow behind, hat in hand for a piece of the action.
Our sides demagogues on the booby toob are only marginally more acceptable, and then only as a counterweight.
I would suspend them all, if I could./ Short of that, I kilt my teevee.
morzer
How should we suspend Griffin and where? I vote for suspending him by the balls from the Golden Gate Bridge. It seems like a fair and balanced plan, although finding said balls may require an expedition.
MattR
Can we organize an effort to give Morning Joe a ratings spike for the two days that Scarborough is gone?
An Uncivil (but decent) Duck
MattR: You ask too much.
Bullsmith
Unless his mission is to damage the MSNBC brand with everyone. Then he would have to be considered something of a great success.
MattR
@An Uncivil (but decent) Duck: I’m just a boy with a dream.
Roger Moore
@morzer:
I say we suspend him by a noose on one end of a beam, and Roger Ailes on the other. That would be a fair and balanced scheme I could definitely get behind!
An Uncivil (but decent) Duck
MattR: Well put your
neckdream back in your pants and go home.me
So, in addition to being an asshole, he’s also a kiss ass?
Corner Stone
Call me a fanboi if you must, but I wake up every day thanking God we have Alan Simpson to guide us during these perilous times.
May He continue to bless us with His wisdom.
Allan
@me: All Republicans are authoritarians. He never loved Phil Griffin more than when he was being disciplined.
Elizabelle
@Linda Featheringill:
Agreed.
And I think that network talent, employees, executives, management and board members should disclose their contributions, in real time, on the program’s or network’s website.
Contribute, but disclose.
jl
@MattR: I will watch. Except Mika will be there, I guess, who is almost as bad. So, maybe I will watch.
On bigger topics, the problem with our Galtian overlords is that beneath the veneer of brutal real world efficiency mixed with very tough love grandmotherly kindness towards us lesser people, and vast wisdom and expertise, they are worthless stupid stumblebums.
I mean, this Griffith guy is just a sad case.
It’s like the Matrix, except the computers are all running on a certain new operating system I will not name, that is full of mistakes and stupidity.
I mean, fercrisakes, at least in the Matrix the lesser humans’ overloards could run a good system.
I for one, do not welcome our old crony capitalist overlords, for they are fools, If they could keep the system up and running, I may be coward enough to sign on. But they can’t and I won’t. Their repeated displays of incompetence strengthens my steely resolve to remain a DFH, attitudewise, at least.
batgirl
@MattR: Will Mika still be there? Then, no.
ETA: By the way, I was at Book Expo America this year and Mika was signing her book. Scarborough was sitting right next to her. Can’t she do anything alone?
danimal
I suppose the next domino to fall is that the liberal morning host on Fox News will get suspended. oh wait…
Tom W.
Yeah he’s clueless – mainly because he employs Olbermann and Scarborough and more of that ilk.
Allan
I’m setting the DVR right now for Monday so I don’t miss it when Mika throws herself into the grave after Joe’s coffin.
BGinCHI
They should get Luke Russert to sit in for Joe, then he and Mika could talk about how they got their jobs as on-air personalities.
Morning Nepotism with Luke & Mika.
Has a nice ring to it.
Ana Gama
Meanwhile, NBC is free to give political contributions with impunity AND secrecy.
gypsy howell
Two days? What, Saturday and Sunday? Yeah, that’s really gonna put a big hurt on Morning Joe.
The whole thing was stupid to begin with, and now it just got stupider.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
I don’t get this. When they suspended Olberman, they specifically said Morning Blow’s contributions were okay because he ran an opinion show, were as Keith ran a news show.
So what’s the new deal. exactly when did Morning Blow become a “news” show or when did the contribution ban become applicable to “opinion” personal.
JWL
I’m at a loss to understand the dust up. There is no such thing as ethics or standards in broadcasting. No rules. Corporations own the airwaves. It’s their property, to do with as they damn well please.
morzer
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
I suspect Phil Griffin intuited from the massive mockery he has received that it was time to be more fair and balanced.
SiubhanDuinne
@BGinCHI:
With Special Correspondent Jenna Bush Hager!
Also too, you’re forgetting about the (admittedly extremely forgettable) Willie Geist, son of the (only somewhat forgettable) Bill Geist of CBS Sunday Morning.
BGinCHI
@SiubhanDuinne: Is there any reason Jenna’s segment couldn’t be called “Hager the Horrible”?
She could wear fur.
(I didn’t forget that guy, I just refuse to acknowledge a grown man named “Willie.” Are you a pro athlete? No? Then your name is not Willie.)
SiubhanDuinne
@BGinCHI:
No reason in the world why not. And the fur would be a nice touch. We could mention it to PETA.
JGabriel
John Cole:
I think it’s okay to cut Griffin some slack this time. Yeah, it’s stupid, but Griffin’s just trying to even out the score so it doesn’t look like he let Joey Scar get away with the same thing he punished Olbermann for.
I think we should read it as one of the few gestures in recent history to say “It’s NOT okay to do it if you’re a Republican, any more than if you’re a Democrat.” Doesn’t mean I like or trust Griffin — just that I recognize his attempt, even if misguided, at token fairness.
.
Mike Kay (Hippie Hunter)
@morzer: on second thought, this has to related fear of law suit.
someone set him straight. If olbermann sued he would have a great case because the “policy” was only selectively employed.
no jury would view Countdown structurally different from Morning Blow.
kevina
What Stuck said, all of it.
piratedan
@JGabriel:
Griffin is not evening out the score, he had to act because Joe Scar was outed by someone else in the company. One of the “donations” that Joey S had was to HIS BROTHER that he convienently forgot about. Scarborough had to admit it when confronted but he didn’t volunteer it.
Like in most cases, there is no equivalency, Olbermann got it wrong and stepped up. Scarborough got it wrong and issued nary a peep to stand up with his colleague and admitted to breaking the rules. After confrontation with the proof, he admitted it.
Starting to wonder if the last ethical Republican would turn out the lights when they leave the building.
JenJen
I find the entire policy to be dumb, dumb, dumb, but that being said, there really are some stark differences between Olbermann’s suspension and Scarborough’s. The one that really stands out is how Olbermann heard about his suspension through the media, where Scarborough was clearly informed before the fact, or how else would his own personal statement be included as part of the official MSNBC press release?
I’d list them all, but, believe it or not, Mediaite (of all venues) beat me to it.
Granted, I’m a media-watcher from the get-go, so I may be more keenly interested than others, but I don’t find these issues to be as trivial as they seem on the surface.