Couric on Schwarzenegger: "He's the Son of a Nazi Party Member"

MRC ^ | Thursday August 7, 2003 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

Journalists normally fret about negative campaigning and condemn attacks that dig out personal baggage in a candidate's background. Just as long as the candidate doesn't threaten a Democrat, apparently, since on this morning's Today Katie Couric didn't hesitate to beat Democratic operatives to the bunch and remind viewers that Schwarzenegger's father was a Nazi.

She began a question to a California Democratic strategist Darry Sragow: "Let me ask you about his, his baggage, if you will. He's admitted smoking marijuana, using steroids during his body- building career. He's the son of a Nazi Party member..."

Quite the morning greeting from NBC News.

Couric proceeded to prod Sragow: "Through his publicist he's denied allegations published in Premiere magazine, in March 2001, that he sexually harassed women and committed infidelity. All those things, are they gonna be front and center, Darry, if you, do you think in this campaign?"

They are now!

MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens alerted me to Couric's Nazi take and transcribed all of her questions.

Couric introduced the segment: "On Close Up this morning, Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to terminate the competition. He's boffo at the box office but how will he do at the ballot box. Darry Sragow is a Democratic strategist and Sheri Annis worked as a press secretary for Schwarzenegger on a ballot initiative in California last year. Good morning to both of you."

Couric's questions:

-- "Alright Darry and Sheri. Darry let me start with you right now. Is, is Arnold Schwarzenegger, in your view, Gray Davis' worst nightmare?"

Sragow: "No..."
-- Couric: "Yeah but what else, what other hurdles do you think does he face primarily?"
Sragow: "Credibility hurdle...."
Couric: "Is that doable though, in your view?"

-- Couric: "Well let's talk about Gray Davis and the Democrats strategy Darry, because I know you have felt strongly all along that it's very important that Democrats do field a candidate. Even though the strategy, I guess, until yesterday was not to field a candidate so people would keep Gray Davis in office. But now his Lieutenant Governor, Cruz Bustamante, announced that he was going to put his name on the ballot. So how does this change the equation?"

-- "Alright Sheri Annis I haven't forgotten about you. Apparently this announcement took everybody by surprise. What was your reaction?"

-- "And he does seem to have quite a, quite a sense of humor. On the Tonight Show last night he had several funny one-liners. Let's take a look at one of them right now."

Clip of Schwarzenegger on Wednesday's Tonight Show: "Most difficult decision that I've made in my entire life, except the one in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax."
Couric: "Alright. So, so Darry I mean maybe you didn't find that, that amusing. But does Arnold Schwarzenegger make Gray Davis look well, rather gray."

-- Couric to Sragow: "Let me ask you about his, his baggage, if you will. He's admitted smoking marijuana, using steroids during his body-building career. He's the son of a Nazi Party member. He said he was prejudiced before overcoming those feelings by working with the Simon Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles and the Dean of the Center said an investigation of Schwarzenegger's late father, conducted at the actor's request, found no evidence of war crimes. Through his publicist he's denied allegations published in Premiere magazine in March 2001, that he sexually harassed women and committed infidelity. All those things, are they gonna be front and center, Darry, if you, do you think in this campaign?"
Sragow: "I have to assume that those things are going to be brought up, not by Gray Davis, but by others and he's prepared to defend himself because he's going to have to do that..."

-- "And, and Sherri, Arnold himself said on the Tonight Show that he expected a dirty campaign. How do you think he's going to handle that?"

[.cnI redruM]

Couric should have reached adulthood 60 years ago. She could have been Joseph Goebbles' fawning acolyte and carried his love child.

[SJackson]

Couric for some reason always reminds me of a black widow spider...A very poisonous, partisan bitch!

Katie could probably learn something from Arnold.

I was as far away from being a [Nazi] sympathizer as anyone could be, ...when I came to America, I wasn't the most tolerant person in town. But I learned a lot...All kinds of hatred are really self-hate, that all wars are civil wars, wars within ourselves."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

[oceanview]

But this kind of stuff doesn't work against celebrities, this is why Hillary and Bill seek to be "celebrities", because they know that Americans value celebrity so much, they will overlook almost anything else. Some pot, some steroids, and old man Schwarzennegger's party affiliation in war torn Europe won't cut it.

[Bob]

The Colonic lady would never smear somebody by saying his/her father/mother was a member of communist party.

For her, doing that wouldn't be a smear so much as a compliment.

[discostu]

First rule of Hollywood:
there's no such thing as bad press.

There's gonna be 4 basic reactions to this Couric thing:
1 - people who already weren't going to vote for Arnold will use her talking points when annoying their friends and neighbors
2 - people who already don't like Katie Couric will seriously consider voting for Arnold to irritate her
3 - people with half a brain in their head will ignore the story completely
4 - neonazi's (who by definition don't qualify for group 3) will decide to vote for Arnold

End result: two groups unaffected, two groups more likely to vote Arnold in two months.

[mewzilla]

I think it's time to give my local NBC affiliate another call. And some of the local businesses that advertise during the Today show...

[eyespysomething]

lol

[Diogenesis]

[BlessedByLiberty]

When I first heard this soundbite I thought she was talking about Clinton!

Isn't it ironic that everything the Libs relegated to trivial matters: adultery, drug use, etc., are suddenly important to them?

[TERMINATTOR]

"Gun controls should be stiffer." --Arnold Schwarzenegger
Principles before politics

Tom McClintock for Governor of California!

Molon Labe!

[bert]

regarding Miss Katie..... She is an infobabe on NBC Today show...... Which is the worst state of being?

Hers or Arnolds?

[Cobra64]

Couric is a partisan female dog.

Correction. A "dog" is a male canine. A female canine is a "bitch." Ergo Couric is a bitch.

[Cobra64]

Isn't that a winning platform in Cali?

Almost. He'd also have to be queer.

[Between the Lines]

Oh no this can't be... the Kennedys are related to Nazis?

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[StriperSniper]

Someone from CA called into Rush today and reported that Couric's talking points are already airing on the radio.

I got the impression that that caller heard Rush's parody and took it serious. Anyone else read it that way?

[Grampa Dave]

Yes, Perky Katie is a Rat Operative. Here is a picture of how she works:

JERKY AND PERKY!

PERKY TO JERKY, "I'M GIVING YOU 5 MINUTES TO GET YOUR HAND OUT OFF THERE!"

[freeperfromnj]

I guess Katy and Maria won't be chatting at the NBC water cooler any longer.

[blackie]

She gets her talking points from the DNC ... daily!

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!