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?"

[F16Fighter]

-- Couric to Sragow: "Let me ask you about his, his baggage, if you will...."

How about Couric's "baggage"??

Why hasn't the media reported on Couric's secret baboon brain transplant?

[LaGrone]

In the words of some famous movie star, "HASTA LA VISTA K-K-KATIE"

[tsmith130]

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..

Please, don't confuse Katie with the facts. It annoys her.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

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

She said that twice and she was wrong twice.

If you are going to try to besmirch someone's reputation, you should be precise.

Arnold is the son of a former Nazi party member. Since I am sure beyond fear of contradiction that either his father or the Nazi party is dead.

[Republicus2001]

Are we speaking of Katy Couric the perky Tee-Vee show personality? Didn't anyone ask Jerry Springer's opinion or Psychic Dahlia?

[Uncle Miltie]

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

And Clinton is a bastard son-of-a-bitch. Truth in parentage, while interesting, is not indicting.

[Desron13]

Communist, Socialist, Fascist, Nazi...Really, what’s the difference except perhaps a matter of degree?

[expatpat]

And that Senator Byrd is HIMSELF a former member of the KuKluxKlan.

[MarkL]

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

Don't forget that Katie is the "Affable Eva Braun of daytime TV!" Thank you Ann Coulter! Anyone who might have doubted that won't any more!

Mark

[MarkL]

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..

What about a certain senator who WAS a member of the KKK? He's still a senator today... And he's a DemonRAT!!! Anyone care to guess who????

Mark

[Ruth A.]

I hate being so crude and direct. But this is true on more that one level:
Katie Couric is a public a**hole.

[DTwistedSisterS]

"Isn't that a winning platform in Cali?"

Yeah. VERY much so! haha

[OESY]

Good analysis. I would add that Katie Couric suffers from what media experts call DRS, or "Dead Raccoon Syndrome." Not unlike Paula Zahn (before returning to CNN) who had ratings were so poor Roger Ailes of FoxNews mused he might have done better if he had put a dead raccoon on, Katie needs help. Now she has created a controversy, nay publicity stunt, while at the same time she had promoted her own political agenda.

Thus, her face becomes the face of the Democrat Party since many Dem candidates lack the courage to attack Republicans directly for fear of alienating yet another constituency. So the Dem strategy is: Hide behind their skirts, let them pitch the dirt. However, as long as the elite media stars position themselves left of Dem liberals, and are perceived by the public as extreme and unfair, they will ensure Republican victories for years to come.

[Gaffer]

Little Katie once had went through a colonoscopy examination while on-the-air. During the procedure, they reportedly found her head firmly entrenched!

[norraad]

Don & Mike doing Arnold now, very funny!

[DTwistedSisterS]

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

I'd just like to know whether or not his father CHOSE to be in the Nazi party. Does anyone know that? It'd be a good tool to use if he was joined forcibly, or to save his family or what not, ya know. (And i read somewhere on the postings that his fatehr was never convicted of war crimes... Don't Americans PRIDE themselves on INNOCENT until proven guilty... or do the liberals belive in a "if it hurts us guilty, if it helps me in any way, innocent" kinda logic?

[Fred Hayek]

NBC is owned by General Electric.

[Map Kernow]

I don't know if Arnold's father was a Nazi Party member, and I don't care. In fact, no one else should care. Arnold was born in 1947, two years after Nazism was defeated. There was no functioning Nazi Party at that point. You can't choose your parents or what they did before you were born, so unless Couric can make the case that Arnold is or was a Nazi too, her mention of this supposed fact is a disgusting, un-American smear. Shut the f--- up, Couric.

[norraad]

Very hard to not be one back in the day there, if you wanted to get along.

[JLAGRAYFOX]

Katie Couric is just the worst garbage of the Democrat Party! Americans should know that the Democrats, all of them are the worst traitors, treasonous vermin, 911 causers, murderers, criminals, rapists, felons, filth and scum combined! That moron Gray Davis just about scuttled the state of California, destroyed businesses, forced hundreds of thousand of California residents to leave the state, lost thousands of good paying jobs and did nothing but kiss the butts of the teachers, lawyers and union bosses. Anyone in California with half a brain should destroy the entire Democrat Party at the polls and create a "new" loyal opposition. The current party is led by total losers and America haters!