January 6, 2012

Ludicrous excuse for Chelsea Clinton's failure as a journalist.

"Some sources believe Chelsea was 'set up for a fall'..."
Our source said NBC “created unrealistic expectations....”
If you accept a job that you're not capable of doing, you're setting yourself up. If the expectations were unrealistic, you should have said no. Don't compound your failure as a journalist with a display of character failure. You're a Clinton, and that brings some advantages, but there's also the disadvantage that whatever you do may resonate with the wrong Clinton characteristics.

Speaking of bullshit. Here's the NBC response to the rumors that Chelsea's on the outs:
“100 percent false. You will see more pieces from Chelsea. She has been warmly welcomed into this news division, and we can’t be more pleased with her work. We hope she will be with us for a long time. There was no over-hyping of her role.”
So... they're not even trying to look credible. Great branding, NBC News!

63 comments:

GMay said...

Her media credentials are just as legit as George Stephaloughagus.

Move along, nothing to see here folks.

Daniel Fielding said...

Next she will be given a safe seat to the Senate.

Scott M said...

“100 percent false. You will see more pieces from Chelsea. She has been warmly welcomed into this news division, and we can’t be more pleased with her work. We hope she will be with us for a long time. There was no over-hyping of her role.”

Read that with Martin Short's SNL sweaty lawyer character in mind. Hysterical.

"It's him, right?"

The Crack Emcee said...

They're not even trying to look credible.

YOU VOTED FOR OBAMA.

So that makes two of you,...

Anonymous said...

Rush was right. It wasn't about NBC getting a reporter. It was about the powers that be grooming Chelsea Clinton.

William said...

I, for one, would welcome her in a recurring role on 30 Rock. With the right material by Tina Fey, Chelsea could become a bigger star than Alec Baldwin. I'm thinking ahead to a spin off series with her and the chubby McCain kid.

Tom Spaulding said...

We won't see her again, she's been assigned by NBC to cover Fast and Furious... (which are not her nicknames for Mom and Dad, btw)

Scott M said...

“100 percent false. You will see more pieces from Chelsea. She has been warmly welcomed into this news division, and we can’t be more pleased with her work. We hope she will be with us for a long time. There was no over-hyping of her role.”

That's really got a Baghdad Bob feel, doesn't it?

Christopher in MA said...

"I'm thinking ahead to a spin off series with her and the chubby McCain kid."

What would you call it? 'Dumb and Dumber' is already taken.

Anonymous said...

Well, I read that another Kennedy is about to assume his rightful throne.

Troubled Voter said...

i mean the piece wasn't that bad. it was cheesy and bland, but i don't see why people are holding her to such a high standard. have you seen luke russert's tweets? or any other "inspiring" scott pelley piece on 60 minutes? nothing remarkable on either front.

she's been capable when moderating things at the clinton global initiative events.

she's fine, althouse is just being critical because it's the popular way to feel about chelsea clinton right now. i like her, and will continue to like her, until she does something truly worth being critical.

Tim said...

Affirmative action isn't always about race...

Anonymous said...

I have it on very good authority that Chelsea is completely hairless.

Peter

Scott M said...

i mean the piece wasn't that bad. it was cheesy and bland, but i don't see why people are holding her to such a high standard.

She is what amounts to broadcasting's major leagues. There is very few higher standards to be held to in her current line of work.

GMay said...

"She is what amounts to broadcasting's major leagues. There is very few higher standards to be held to in her current line of work."

The epitome of a backhanded compliment if ever there was one.

Well played sir.

Anonymous said...

"Set up for a fall"

In the same way the Tiki Barber was "set up".

Anonymous said...

If NBC found a place for the racial arsonist Al Sharpton calling him a "statesman", then surely they have a place for Webb Hubbells daughter Chelsea.

Known Unknown said...

I'm thinking ahead to a spin off series with her and the chubby McCain kid.

Two Not-Broke Girls?


WV: Bradical!
(if you know someone named Brad, please use this term to describe him.)

KCFleming said...

Move her into NBC management.

She has to be at least as bright as the morons who picked her sorry unprepared-but-politically-linked ass to be on TV.

Shit, how hard can that job be?

NBC VP Operations Chelsea: "So-o-o-o, you're [insert Democrat name]'s daughter? Well, sure, there's a place for you here."

madAsHell said...

If you accept a job that you're not capable of doing, you're setting yourself up. If the expectations were unrealistic, you should have said no. Don't compound your failure as a journalist with a display of character failure.

Could we swap out journalist, and insert President??

Joe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe said...

The conspiracy theories are utter nonsense. Every now and then a celebrity does astonishing well as a journalist or talking head. NBC took a gamble that didn't pay off.

(When it comes to TV, hiring any journalist is a gamble. Watch any small market news and the difference between truly talented TV journalists and not is very apparent.)

Scott M said...

(When it comes to TV, hiring any journalist is a gamble. Watch any small market news and the difference between truly talented TV journalists and not is very apparent.)

This almost helps make the argument that her folks were involved. Usually, getting to a major market or network gig requires years of slogging it out in the small and medium markets. If she, on her own, traded on her name alone, that would have cut that down significantly, but in the real, non-Clinton-influenced world, that might have gotten her a gig at a major market, but still probably not in the top 3. The fact that she catapulted directly to network raises eyebrows. At least two.

The Drill SGT said...

GMay said...
Her media credentials are just as legit as George Stephaloughagus.


Though George wasn't an unbiased Journalist (yeah, I repeat myself)

at least he had interacted with a lot of them and knew how to behave, and think on his feet.

Chelsea's problem was that she had been shielded from all press contact by the Clinton's and the MSM until the instant she became the MSM.

The irony was not lost and further focused the spotlight on her shortcomings.

She should have started as the weather girl in a Upstate station :)

Or better yet, as a assistant producer, the way that all the other bright Ivy League Legacy children break into TV. Behind the scenese proofing copy and bringing copy to the Faces.

she gambled and lost. so sad...

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

You all are H8ters…Chelsea is AWESOME! She TOTALLY deserved this “gig.” Just like she totally deserved her gig at the British QUANGO and the hedge fund (??) she worked at….LEAVE CHELSEA ALONE!

Hoosier Daddy said...

The hedge fund job Dad got her not work out?

Wince said...

How about a reality series about Chelsea's return to hedge fund world.

The former first daughter takes a job at a New York hedge fund, but no one seems to want to say what she'll be doing. [CNBC] "On the Money's" Margaret Brennan reports.

DADvocate said...

Poor Chelsea has a face for radio. I suspect she'd be best in the written media.

Scott M said...

Poor Chelsea has a face for radio. I suspect she'd be best in the written media.

So...you're suggesting to disrobe in front of a dining room table, spread newspapers and magazines all over it, ease her back...

Anonymous said...

Chelsea was chosen for name recognition and to drum up business...probably above all else.

The high priests at the altar of public opinion are still trying to cash in on that Clinton brand...and they have to stay competitive with all those cat and baby videos online, too.

Tough business.

fivewheels said...

This is what entitled looks like. She doesn't know if she'll like her cushy new gift job she's woefully underqualified for, so she'll just let them know if the princess will deign to keep it or not? In this economy, when experienced journalists have been let go by the thousands?

Granted, some of those journalists were the ones who were falling over themselves to talk about what a good job the Clintons did raising Chelsea, even though we never knew if they did or not. It seems they did not.

Patrick said...

Ms. Clinton would make things easier on herself if she'd be willing to start in a low level job, and prove herself, and work her way up. She's an adult, and she can refuse these job offers she gets because of who her parents are. If she doesn't, she will always invite this sort of scrutiny. We wouldn't have these comments if she'd taken an entry level job as a claims adjuster for some insurance company.

Carol said...

Don't the media realize these goody-two-shoe stories are a fucking bore? I don't like that guy who does the human interest stories at the end of CBS News either.

I guess kids like that stuff.

cliff claven said...

They simply miscast the young woman. They should have created a venue that would help her succeed. A reality show about ugly, phoney vegans w/ daddy issues trying to find love would have been a good formula.

SteveR said...

We won't see her again, she's been assigned by NBC to cover Fast and Furious... (which are not her nicknames for Mom and Dad, btw)

Nice!

edutcher said...

The idea she was set up suggests that the Peacock, in bed with the current Administration, was trying to show the Ozark Mafia who's boss.

Can't wait for the shooting to start in earnest.

Michael Haz said...

The Chelsea Clinton hiring has "favor" written all over it.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
So...you're suggesting to disrobe in front of a dining room table, spread newspapers and magazines all over it, ease her back
Doesn’t news print run and smudge? I’m just saying that’s gonna leave a mark…or two.

I never felt like attacking Chelsea, I mean a person can’t choose her parents. But once she turned 18, she was fair game…she CHOSE the job in England, she CHOSE the hedge fund job, she CHOSE to campaign with Hillary, she CHOSE to work at NBC…so she’s chosen to be an over-promoted Princess, too bad for her…

That’s not to say that after 15-20 years of hard work she couldn’t have been a success in NGO work, or the financial world, or in Journalism…but that’s not what she’s chosen to do, so it seems to me. She seems to have decided she’s going to ride the Clinton name and connections to high-paying jobs, for which she really isn’t qualified…branding herself as a Princess/Climber…I think after Hillary is out of office and a few years pass, that’s going to catch up to her. I mean when what you REALLY have going for you is a name, rather than a solid CV, it’s likely to get tough. Luckily she’s married ‘well.”

MadisonMan said...

Sources say.

Who is this Sources person?

Levi Starks said...

This whole episode show's just how little respect the media has for itself. Being successful in the media (print, radio, TV) is supposed to be a result of: talent/ability, education/training, and experience.
Imagine if a large donor at a medical center showed up one day with daughter in tow and said "hey there, this is my daughter who's been working at a hedge fund doing something for the last few years, and she was thinking she'd like to take a whack at brain surgery"
oop's, did I just compare TV reporting to brains surgery?

Scott M said...

Who is this Sources person?

Bob Sources. Excellent bowler and part-time haberdasher. Full-time decoupager. A bit of recluse, though.

Levi Starks said...

It seems like we now live in a world where from who occupies the White House to who reports on the White House, the only resume requirement is celebrity.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Full-time decoupager
A man can make a living as a full-time decoupager? Man I chose the law, when what I really always wanted to be was a Professional Decoupager…Well that or a …..LUMBERJACK!

Sydney said...

Who is this Sources person?

I'm guessing either Bill or Hillary.

Scott M said...

Well that or a …..LUMBERJACK!

I was going to be a lumberjack, but then I took an arrow in the knee.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
I was going to be a lumberjack, but then I took an arrow in the knee
It’s a man’s life..working all day, sleeping all night, cutting down trees and eating lunch….

MadisonMan said...

So is the source at Fox? ABC? CBS?

Is the source the backstabbing co-worker in the next cubicle?

I don't think Clinton, Chelsea, was hired for her abilities, but I don't quite buy blind source reporting either.

Anonymous said...

Is the source the backstabbing co-worker in the next cubicle?

You really think Chelsea works in a cubicle?

traditionalguy said...

I hop[e Chelsea has temporary career and is not harmed along the way.

The women at NBC have to put out to keep their jobs. And those demands upon the women often come from other powerful women.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
The women at NBC have to put out to keep their jobs. And those demands upon the women often come from other powerful women
Uh what Are those “demands” and do you think might be some…uh video of them being made and ESPECIALLY granted? Just wonder’n…

Kirk Parker said...

Tom S.,

"... Fast and Furious... (which are not her nicknames for Mom and Dad, btw)"

Duh; no of course not, they're her nicknames for Dad and Mom.

DADvocate said...

you're suggesting to disrobe in front of a dining room table, spread newspapers and magazines all over it,

The magazines would have to be Playboys and such so I could do the deed.

Jason said...

I loved it. It was much better than Cats. I'm going to see it again and again.

Dan said...

Can I assume that NBC's

"She has been warmly welcomed into this news division, and we can’t be more pleased with her work."

is the news business' version of the sports phrase

"I'd like to express my full confidence in the work of our coach and expect him to be with us for a long time"?

Kiss of Death.

Anonymous said...

"Ms. Clinton would make things easier on herself if she'd be willing to start in a low level job, and prove herself, and work her way up."

Exactly. When Robert Todd Lincoln could no longer avoid military service in the Civil War, Abe saw to it that he got a minor staff position with Gen. Grant. Later worked his way up to Secretary of War for President Garfield.

Blue@9 said...

Wait, Chelsea Clinton's a journalist?


Is she any good?

Crunchy Frog said...

you're suggesting to disrobe in front of a dining room table, spread newspapers and magazines all over it,

The magazines would have to be Playboys and such so I could do the deed.


Spread your legs and think of England.

wv: biperin - for those heavy days.

ElPresidenteCastro said...

Clinton and McCain girls? The only way I would watch them is if they had one cup.

Mead,
Oh go ahead and delete this one. It is tacky as hell and even I find it offensive.

Chip S. said...

What would you call it? 'Dumb and Dumber' is already taken.

"Mean-Reversion Girls"?

mamawolf said...

When you start at the top, the only place to go is down. Everyone knew that she was selected for this position because of who her parents are. This is just a fluff job to give her exposure in the media. The media that she shunned for years. This is part of the hypocrisy. Real news people work crummy hours at low level stations and work their way to the top doing every kind of story possible to improve their performance. She deserves all the criticism she gets.

Phil 314 said...

Some sources believe Chelsea was “set up for a fall”

The sources were Bill and Hillary.

Anonymous said...

I have some sympathy for Chelsea, and for anyone in a similar position, having such well known parents and all that attention (good and bad) heaped upon them.

But, I surely hope she didn't believe she was best qualified for the position, the b.s the network execs likely fed her, nor that there weren't a lot of downside risks...

Cast a colder eye on life, Chelsea, so that you may earn any respect and opportunities you get.

walter said...

Damn one percenter cut in line. So many juniorlisters must be pissed.