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?"

[RoseofTexas]

After all is said and done, I wonder if Marie Schwarzenegger will still feel the same way of the RAT media liberal whores?! Their out to gun down Arnold's reputation and along the lines his family too!! Hopeful she'll see the light and come out of the darkness. I know, wishing thinking, but the WHORES will stop at nothing to destroy the TERMINATOR!! The kennedy liberal media whores are already labeling him a Nazi spawn! That makes Marie's children shine in the same light as his grandfather the nazi! What a slap by Couric (I think marie and her are good friends)! WAKE MARIE AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!

[Biblebelter]

There is no use being subtle. But the Dems may use up all their low blows too early in the match. I bet Arnold can rope-a-dope with the best of them. One thing is for sure the liberal elite is running scared.

[Waco]

But he's not a commiecrat! Extra points for that.

[Humbug]

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

Yes, that's exactly what happened. Rush went along with the caller (keeping a straight face, so to speak) and then right afterwards played the parody again. When the parody was over Rush quipped with something like "okay we just had a brief commercial interruption there".

[RoseofTexas]

oops..their should read they're.

[RoseofTexas]

Double OOOOOPS, I was in a hurry to type this post and left out WAKE UP.. sorry :)

[StriperSniper]

Thanks, I heard the caller, but walked away when he replayed the parody, so I missed Rush's comment.

[Theophilus]

Jah, she seem to know amazing amount about the Nazi party.

[KellyAdmirer]

Hey Katie, how about your boy Clinton appointing as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Shalikashvili, whose father fought in the Waffen SS for Hitler?

Does that make Clinton a closet Hitler sympathizer by your (lack of) logic?

[MD_Willington_1976]

He's the son of a Nazi Party member...

Come on..I was wondering how long it would take for that comment to come up..I wonder how many politicians are the son or grandson of a clan member, dope-smoker, rum runner etc..Does anyone really give a crap?...his father isn't running for the position..

[JFC]

I sware Katie has a grundge and doesn not give a rip about showing her political left side right side frontal.
She makes me sick, I never watch NBC!

[JFC]

I sware Katie has a grundge and doesn not give a rip about showing her political left side right side frontal.
She makes me sick, I never watch NBC!

[Common Tator]

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

Sure Kennedys supportes NAZIs. That is if you consider Adolf Hitler a NAZI. The Joe Kennedy Sr. was FDR's ambassador to England. He was removed from that job by FDR at the start of World War II, becuase Joe did not favor going to war against Hitler. Joe Kennedy Sr. like Lindberg was a fan of Hitlers. Because FDR was pro England at teh start of WWII Joe Kennedy did not support FDR for a 3rd term. To get back in the Democratic parties good graces, Joe was a major donor to Harry Trumans campaign in 1948.

When there was a lot of talk about a Catholic being presidnet in 1960, Harry Truman said he was not worried about the POPE's influence on JFK, Harry said he was a lot more worried about the POP.

To say that the patriarch of the Kennedy political familly supported Hitler is to say the truth.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Well Katie,what about your father?If i had a daughter like you i would be so ashamed i would deny your existance.

[.cnI redruM]

No, Joe Kennedy just spoke up for them at FDR's cabinet meetings prior to our entry in WWII.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Couric is a communist, the Nazis were far left. So what is Katies problem? You'd think if her comments were true she'd had offered Ahnold a hummer on the set!

[VadeRetro]

"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..."

Are you asking me or push-polling me, Katie?

[fml]

Worth saying twice.

[fight_truth_decay]

Did you know...

How many cigars he usually smokes a day?

"One or two most days. I usually start after lunch unless"--he holds up a half-smoked, unlit Hoyo de Monterrey--"unless I have a good one left over from the night before, like today."

"Cohiba, Punch Punch. Punch Punch is actually my favorite size. It's a good size for an after-dinner smoke or during the day. I used to love Davidoff, and there are still sometimes good ones around. Sometimes you get good Romeo y Julietas. And Hoyo de Monterrey is a great cigar. Milton Berle came over to my house one time--I think it was when I had my 40th birthday--and he brought over a box [of Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas] and gave me one. It was a spectacular smoke."

Exposure to the Kennedys has even led him to moderate some of his "extreme" conservative views, Schwarzenegger says. He's now willing to acknowledge that "government has a responsibility...to provide things for the underdog."

But the only "underdogs" he cites as worthy of government assistance are people in wheelchairs--no mention of the government's obligation to help those who are poor, homeless, jobless and/or the victims of discrimination--and he's quick to say that he's still "a very strong Republican."

Schwarzenegger has his own jet--a $12.5 million Gulfstream III and 4 "ballsy" HumVees?

Flying several times to the South Bend, Indiana, headquarters of AM General, the HumVee manufacturer, to try to persuade company officials that there would be a civilian market for the car and that they should seek Pentagon approval to sell to that market. They resisted at first, he says, but he was able to lease one, modify it at his own expense and show them how appealing it could be to non-military users.

When the Hummer finally went into civilian production, Schwarzenegger was invited back to Indiana to accept the first one off the line. Now there are now more than 3,000 Hummers on the road, at prices ranging up to $80,000 apiece. He has four of them.

Excerpt from Cigar Aficionado

[Sloth]

Will Ms. Colon *ever* stop harping on the fact that Robert Byrd was in the KKK?

Oh, yeah, she'd have to start first...