David Shuster Gets Pimp Slapped by Clinton Tag Team

MSNBC reporter David Shuster is a classic case of what happens when keeping it real goes wrong.

On Thursday, Shuster said Chelsea Clinton was sort of being "pimped out," making calls to superdelegates on behalf of her mother Senator Hillary Clinton. Mother and daughter Clinton quickly responded, slapping the company with a blistering letter.

"Nothing justifies the kind of debasing language that David Shuster used and no temporary suspension or half-hearted apology is sufficient," she wrote.

Shuster has since been suspended for his comments and despite his apology, the Clintons have threatened to boycott MSNBC debates.

“In describing this effort, I used a phrase that was inappropriate and I apologize to the Clinton family, the Clinton campaign and all of you who were justifiably offended,” Mr. Shuster said. “As I said this morning on MSNBC, all Americans should be proud of Chelsea Clinton and I’m particularly sorry that my language diminished the regard and respect she has earned from all of us and the respect her parents have earned in how they raised her.”

But if anything, this whole ordeal is another example of why mainstream reporters should only do what they know and know what they do. Whenever mainstream press is trying to report on youth or young adults or hip hop or other cultures, they consistently try to prove they're "down" by using some played-out slang such as "bling bling" or "ride." It's not that they use it in the wrong context, but the swagger is missing, the confidence lacking. Play back Shuster's video and you'll see that there's no conviction behind his question. He seasons it with kind-of, sort-of uncertainty and even though you can hear a laugh in the background, the hestitation made the comment all the more blatant and there was no doubt that he would get called out on it.

To his credit, Shuster was right. It shouldn't even be a question that Chelsea is being pimped out, but not literally in the way that her mom took it. She's being pimped out in the sense that she has no choice in the matter of helping out with the campaign on behalf of her mother. She's going out to make Mama Clinton some money or to get her some support. I doubt she has much of a say. I mean, she's 27 years old living in New York so can you really think she wants to travel to states like Iowa and Nebraska and Utah to talk to random people? And she has a reputation of being extremely shy.

But even though they both apparently took Shuster's comments literally, I still blame Shuster. He should have known better. This political race is way too tense and tight for someone like him to be tossing out slang like that and expecting it not to come back in a full-on barrage. So to Shuster and all your big media cronies: Unless you've had official anchor training from SportsCenter slang king Stuart Scott, stick to the teleprompter.