Incredible as it may seem MSNBC host Rachael Maddow managed to get though an entire two hour Democratic forum where she questioned Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley without once mentioning the email scandal or the FBI investigation of Clinton. Not even one mention!
Did Hillary demand that Maddow avoid the topic as a condition for her participation? Did MSNBC go along because they need the ad revenue the forum’s high ratings would bring?
Maddow didn’t stop there in her attempt to curry favor with Clinton.
She talked about the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Keystone Pipeline, noted Hillary’s opposition to both, but made no mention of the flip-flop that led to her opposing these initiatives. She did not even say that Hillary had virtually approved Keystone while she served at the State Department or that she had been key in negotiating the TPP and even endorsed it in her memoirs.
Hillary looked old. Very, very old. And haggard. How did her handlers let her out looking like that? Did she give them the night off?
A young opponent, like Rubio or Cruz, would have made such a vivid contrast to the old lady who appeared with Maddow.
Rachael obligingly did not follow up on any of the accusations that Hillary traded money for speeches for State Department favors. She asked Hillary about Wall Street contributions without asking why she opposed reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, which her husband repealed, opening the door to the eruptions of 2008.
When Maddow mentioned the tax breaks hedge funds get, she didn’t ask Hillary, who was sitting right there, why she backed retention of the carried interest provision of the tax code that lets them get away with paying half the tax the rest of us do on their earnings.
By contrast, Sanders was terrific. He faced issues squarely and spoke with verve and passion. You can disagree with everything Bernie says but still admire his force and candor. He’s like a modern day Eugene Victor Debs or Norman Thomas.
For his part, O’Malley showed charisma and charm as well as a fluency with issues. Too bad he’s out of it.
Maddow seemed to be seeking Hillary’s nod to be her vice president. Either that or she was brain dead that night.
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