Carville's Slur

Carville's Slur

Steve Malzberg
Monday, Nov. 15, 2004

Imagine a Fox News Channel host who also served as a top advisor to the just completed Bush-Cheney campaign. I know, it's hard to believe that such a thing could possibly have happened and then manage to survive what would have been the outrage of the mainstream media.

Now try really hard to imagine what would have happened if that same host-advisor had made a post-election appearance on Meet The Press, and was asked by host Tim Russert if he felt that President Bush had won a mandate on November 2nd?

No big deal you say? What if the answer to Russert's question was, "The only politician in America I know with a mandate is (New Jersey Governor) Jim McGreevey, Tim." Get it? Man-date. Remember, McGreevey, who steps down from his post today, is an admitted homosexual.

Can you imagine the outrage? I can see GLAAD and The Human Rights Campaign protesting outside of Fox News headquarters. I can hear the outraged voices of those on the left calling for his resignation. No, demanding it. "How can Fox let this man continue on its air after such a homophobic remark?" they would demand to know.

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And they would ask, "Where's the Bush administration representative to denounce this disgusting example of red-state-bigotry? After all this guy was one of Bush's top campaign advisors."

Well folks, the plain truth is that the above scenario did take place, at least part of it.

James Carville, who hosts CNN's Cross Fire, also worked for the Kerry campaign at the same time (as did his fellow CNN-Cross Fire Host Paul Begala). Carville was a guest on Meet The Press on Sunday, along with his wife, Republican Strategist Mary Matalin. Carville was asked the mandate question, and he made the man-date joke about McGreevey.

Carville then proceeded to crack up while his wife buried her head in her hands in disgrace. An uncomfortable Russert asked her, "Who writes his material?" And that was that. They moved on. Of course what's missing from the picture as presented with a Fox News Host and a Bush advisor is the outrage, the protests, the calls for Carville's head. In fact I dare say that if you didn't see it for yourself on Sunday, you probably wouldn't have heard a word about it, if it was not for this column.

Welcome to the world of the double standard. It's the world that republicans and conservatives must constantly live in. Just ask Trent Lott, or Rick Santorum, or even Bob Packwood. Let's hope that one day it will change.

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