As NewsBusters reported, MSNBCer's Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, and Robert Gibbs within hours of each other Thursday came down strongly against NBC's planned miniseries about Hillary Clinton.
Why do you think that would be?
The Hollywood Reporter gave us a clue Wednesday (emphasis added):
With NBC planning to create a Hillary Clinton miniseries and CNN poised to weigh in with a documentary, Hollywood might have brought about that rarest of phenomena: bipartisan agreement.
Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus, fearful that the projects could favor the prospective 2016 presidential candidate, warned both networks Aug. 5 that they could be excluded from hosting presidential debates if the programs aren't scrapped by Aug. 14. Meanwhile, some Clinton associates are just as wary and also would be happy if both projects fell by the wayside. [...]
Longtime Clinton friend and producer Harry Thomason (Designing Women), cautioning that he never has discussed the matter with Bill or Hillary Clinton, says he believes the couple never would publicly oppose the projects but will decline to cooperate with either. He thinks the documentary is cause for greater concern to Clinton allies...(Thomason produced 1992's The Man From Hope, a centerpiece of that year's Democratic convention.)
So, on Wednesday, THR claimed sources told them "some Clinton associates are just as wary and also would be happy if both projects fell by the wayside" and "the documentary is cause for greater concern to Clinton allies."
24 hours later, Clinton-lovers Gibbs, Mitchell, and Todd went on the most liberal news channel in the country saying NBC producing this miniseries would be a mistake.
Do you smell a rat?
Consider, too, a far-left website created by Hillary Clinton specifically to flood the country with pro-Clinton propaganda issued a statement Tuesday calling on CNN and NBC to cancel their respective programs.
So, on Tuesday, a website that Clinton created to assist her rise in politics came down on these shows. On Wednesday, THR aided by longtime Clinton friend Harry Thomason came down on these shows. And on Thursday, three Clinton-loving MSNBCers' came down on NBC's show.
That rat smell getting stronger? What are all these Clinton-lovers afraid of?
The answer is likely twofold.
First, folks on the left think Hillary's already won the election. All she has to do is run out the clock until November 7, 2016, without a miscue.
To them, these "entertainment" shows represent a possible fumble or interception.
After all, the folks in the news media believe they've got better control of the ball - meaning the message.
They can for the next roughly 3 1/3 years feed the public exactly what they want about Hillary, conveniently avoiding all the negative stuff.
But a documentary and a miniseries will certainly include stuff the "news media" wants ignored.
Let's be clear: the Clinton-loving news media don't want to talk about Monica Lewinsky. This is especially true given the Anthony Weiner/Huma Abedin scandal and connection.
Look at what the media have done in recent weeks to try to distance the Clintons from the Weiners:
NBC Touts Hillary Keeping 'Safe Distance' From Weiner at Obama Lunch
ABC Touts the Official Word on Weiner: Bill and Hillary Clinton's 'Patience Has Run Out'
'Disgusted' Deutsch Hits Huma As 'Opportunist'
NBC: Weiner Scandal 'Terribly Painful'... for Hillary Clinton
Bob Schieffer: 'Huma Doing Hillary No Favors'
Yet NBC's planned miniseries begins in 1998 just as the Lewinsky scandal starts.
That's not what Clinton-lovers in the media want to talk about.
They also don't want to talk about her vote for the Iraq War, her losing the Democratic nomination, or her questionable tenure as Secretary of State. They most definitely don't want to talk about Benghazi or the myriad of failed foreign policies under this administration.
If any of these issues were brought up in a miniseries - and how could you do a four-hour miniseries that ignored every single one of her negatives? - that could change the discussion.
That would be a fumble or an interception, and the news media - as well as apparently the Clintons! - don't want that.
That's not saying these shows aren't going to be on-balance gushing and fawning. Of course they will be.
But there's also going to have to be things in these shows the news media - and apparently the Clintons - don't want interfering with the message.
As such, the Clinton news media have spoken, and they want exclusive control of said message in order to minimize the likelihood of a fumble or an interception.
With this in mind, you should expect to see more pressure coming down on CNN and NBC to cancel these shows - and from seemingly unlikely sources.
Unless you correctly smell a rat.
