TPMDC
CNN Keeps Castellanos, Dems Hit Back
Brian Beutler | November 24, 2009, 1:53PM
RNC Communications Director Alex Castellanos
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CNN will retain the services of Alex Castellanos, despite his new role as unpaid flack for the RNC (his official title will be Senior Communications Adviser).
"CNN has political strategists that provide unpaid advice to both sides of the aisle, and Alex will remain as a CNN contributor," a CNN spokesperson emails. "CNN will continue to be vigilant in disclosing contributor affiliations and their profiles."
Castellanos' consulting firms have produced ads for the Chamber of Commerce and America's Health Insurance Plans as part of the groups' ongoing efforts to defeat key Obama agenda items like climate change legislation and health care reform.
And now, Democrats have latched on to the development both to criticize CNN for allowing such a partisan figure to appear on the network as a news analyst, and to attack the Republican party for its closeness to industry.
"By bringing on a senior strategist for the Chamber and AHIP, the Republican Party can no longer pretend that they aren't in the pocket of big business and the insurance industry lobby and it made it crystal clear who Republicans are fighting for -- and it's not our families and small businesses," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan emails. "When Castellanos is on CNN as a top strategist for the GOP, the insurance industry, and the Chamber of Commerce, he certainly won't be offering any 'independent analysis.'"
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CT Voter
November 24, 2009 1:59 PM
I'm genuinely surprpised. I shouldn't be, I suppose, but I would have thought the conflict of interest would have been too obvious for even CNN.
Is Howie Kurtz now running CNN? I typically associate this level of cluelessness with Kurtz. . .
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Michael A
November 24, 2009 2:05 PM in reply to CT Voter
Nah, CNN has been a repuke mouthpiece since faux news ratings went through the roof. CNN totally sucks wind now. I can't even watch it. This is not surprising at all. They had buchannan on forever on wolfie's show and she was a walking and spewing talking point for the Repukes. I hope cnn goes under based on what they are doing. They are irrelevant now.
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CT Voter
November 24, 2009 2:08 PM in reply to Michael A
I sort of hope Hari (can't remember his last name) from the DNC gets hired as a counterpart.
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Schmed- ley
November 24, 2009 2:23 PM in reply to Michael A
They are irrelevant now.
They've been irrelevant for quite some time. I noticed that when MSNBC was placed into Comcast's premium tier, CNN remained in the lowly basic (free) tier. That pretty much said it all to me.
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Overreach THIS!
November 24, 2009 8:22 PM in reply to CT Voter
I thought that Mr. Nitwit Kurtz was in line to steer the Mad Lady, i.e., his old adored friends at the Moonies' Washington Times. He's certainly fellated them frequently enough.
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Walter Mitty
November 24, 2009 2:08 PM
But..but...they indicate his bias under his name.
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GTFOOH
November 24, 2009 2:15 PM
Talk about conflict of interest! CNN is obviously more interested in right / left spin, than they are in informed debate. This is exactly what is wrong with MSM today!
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commie atheist
November 24, 2009 2:18 PM
CNN's idea of "fair and balanced:" on one side, a Republican flack spewing Party-approved talking points; on the other, a centrist journalist spewing conventional-wisdom talking points.
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kash79
November 24, 2009 2:22 PM in reply to commie atheist
Very Very Good Point.
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Overreach THIS!
November 24, 2009 8:23 PM in reply to kash79
Ditto.
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traitorjoe
November 24, 2009 2:26 PM
CNN has managed to become irrelevant and boring.
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bibimimi
November 24, 2009 2:33 PM
In HuffPo last night I see this headline:
" *Alex Castellanos To Continue CNN Gig While Advising RNC".
My first thot; OF COURSE HE IS! It's like the revolving door for pols to lobbyists, pundits and advisers, both paid and unchecked. Any shameless full-bore dash toward the status-effing-quo. No information, just message control.
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KenInTenn
November 24, 2009 3:03 PM
I don't have a problem with this as long as CNN fully discloses. Whenever he mentions anything about health care, there should be a chyron below him stating he works for the insurance industry. Whenever he mentions taxes, cap-and-trade or other business-related issues, including health care, the chyron should warn he is paid by the Chamber. Whenever he talks politics, they should caution that he is a communications adviser for Michael Steele (could any title be more humiliating than that?). If he mentions Obama, the crawl should read he has a hostory of producing racially-charged political advertising that preys on white fear and resentment.
As long as they can keep up with his many warning labels, this seems like a great move for CNN.
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JNagarya
November 24, 2009 3:16 PM in reply to KenInTenn
"As long as they can keep up with his many warning labels, this seems like a great move for CNN."
Coffee-sprayed-out-nostrils line.
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lapdogs
November 24, 2009 3:09 PM
Yet more proof that CNN is trying to become FAUX JR.
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Scarce
November 24, 2009 3:16 PM
Ok, I asked this in the earlier Castellanos story if CNN would do this, half tongue-in-cheek thinking CNN couldn't be this stupid could they? Why not then go all the way and hire Michael Steele as well?
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Xantar
November 24, 2009 3:41 PM in reply to Scarce
It's not so much that CNN is stupid as that they think their audience is stupid.
These days, I sort of wonder if they might be right...
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xargaw
November 24, 2009 6:27 PM
Does anyone watch CNN anymore? With Wolfe, Borger, King, Bash, et al? It is right wing talking points aggenda television. Their faux outrage with Mrs. San Senor (Campbell Brown) is a joke and intellectually offensive.
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dougom
November 24, 2009 7:33 PM
And CNN wonders why their numbers are dropping like a stone. Doesn't take a lot of brainpower to see some of the reasons. "So, Alex, are you saying this because you really believe it, or simply because you're another mouthpiece for the Republican party?"
I have to say that I'm appalled that Richard Wolffe is still providing "expert commentary" on MSNBC. The guy is a professional public relations flack now, guys; ditch him.
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Donald from Hawaii
November 24, 2009 9:57 PM
To paraphrase Alex Castellanos' own race-baiting ad which he produced on behalf of Sen. Jesse Helms in his 1990 race against Harvey Gannt, "You needed that job. You were the most qualified. But they gave it to the GOP hack."
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planetsean
November 24, 2009 11:15 PM
Except for the next poorly sourced but none the less crazed live pack stalking of the next lost UFO balloon, cable nooz is unwatchable stuck as it is in the Action News stylings of yesteryear...
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Nancy Irving
November 25, 2009 11:25 AM
CNN says they have people from both sides, but do they have anyone from the Dem. side with these kinds of partisan and interest-group ties?
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