Posted by JM Ashby
It looks like Phil Griffin is at it again
MSNBC said Friday that "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough will be suspended for donating to four Republican candidates in local Florida races, two weeks after Keith Olbermann was suspended for making political contributions to Democrats.
..."Because the contributions involved local, non-competitive races — and were given for personal rather than political reasons — I mistakenly believed I did not need approval from MSNBC," Scarborough said. "I also apologize for that oversight."
It is no secret that I am not a member of the Morning Joe Fanclub, but I must come to his defense in this situation just as I did for Keith Olbermann. I do not believe that anyone is under the illusion that either Keith or Joe are down-the-middle objective reporters. They are both political commentators and neither make an effort to hide their personal views. I understand that Phil Griffin made this move to give an appearance of balance after suspending Olbermann for the same thing, but I view both cases as equally pointless.
If corporations can anonymously spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, why should individual persons have to ask permission from their employer? If only Joe and Keith had formed their own PACs, then we would never learn of their private contributions.