Martin Eisenstadt’s Blog

The whole Olbermann flap over political contributions misses the point of the unholy alliance of money, the media and the punditocracy.  The question isn’t who are news correspondents giving their money to - which is all in the public record if, like me, you look hard enough at FEC reports.  But rather, who’s GIVING money to these journalistically self-styled soothsayers.  If I’m worried about the undo influence of a bribe, I look for who’s getting, not who’s giving.

To that end, a good place to start would be full disclosure of extracurricular speech making income for all TV journalists and pundits.  Newsweek, in its inaugural “Power 50” list of the highest paid pundits just last week made the point that Keith Olbermann doesn’t give many paid speeches.  But as for his colleagues, that’s another story.

For example, at the allegedly prestigious Washington Speaker’s Bureau (motto: “Connecting You with the World’s Greatest Minds”), here is a quick list of MSNBC and NBC regulars who are eligible to receive legal, but undisclosed, sums of money from the highest bidders:  Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Norah O’Donnell, Lawrence O’Donnell, Mike Barnicle, Michelle Bernard, Tom Brokaw, Pat Buchanan, Jim Cramer, Bob Dotson, Willie Geist, David Gregory, Mark Halperin, Phil Lempert, Eugene Robinson, Luke Russert, Joe Scarborough and Richard Wolffe.

Of course, NBC’s not alone.  CNN’s paid pundits and anchors who can be booked for a fee include:  Paul Begala, Gloria Borger, Donna Brazile, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Anderson Cooper, David Gergen and Howard Kurtz

And to round out the WSB’s roster of pundits with their hands out, here’s a few from other news organizations:

CBS: Katie Couric, Greg Gumbel, Bob Schieffer

ABC: Christiane Amanpou, Ann Compton, George Stephanopoulos

PBS: Gwen Ifill, Jim Lehrer

Bloomberg: Charlie Rose, Margaret Carlson

FOX: Bret Baier, Fred Barnes, Morton Kondracke, William Kristol, Sarah Palin

Huffington Post: Arianna Huffington

And that’s just from one speaker’s bureau.  Premiere Speakers Bureau in Franklin, Tennessee, also can book you Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, Dick Morris and more!

If the Juan Williams debacle taught us anything it’s that it matters who’s paying our pundits. When networks describe their pundits as “political analysts” and “contributors” it’s unclear if they’re being paid by the networks for their unbiased opinions, or if they’re shilling for the trade association who flew them to Pebble Beach the week before.  The FEC discloses individual political contributions just fine.  But now when are the networks and speakers bureaus going to follow suit?

My loyal fans know that I’ve long had issues with MSNBC, specifically related to GE’s and Lorne Michaels‘ campaign contributions, but I’ve also had a soft spot for Keith Olbermann who once referred to me on air.  So like my fellow neocon pundit (and sometime squash-partner) Bill Kristol, I’d like to weigh in on Keith’s defense:

Perhaps one reason MSNBC’s Phil Griffin suspended Keith Olbermann last week has to do with their new boss being a big contributor to the National Republican Campaign Committee - the very committee that was helping to defeat the candidates that Olbermann was supporting. Steve Burke, the Comcast exec who will be taking the CEO reigns at NBC/Universal has personally contributed $19,500 to the National Republican Campaign Committee over the last four years, including $5,000 this year alone, according to FEC filings, plus $2,000 to incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. According to Public Citizen, Burke, who was appointed to George W. Bush’s President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology was also a major fundraiser for George W. Bush’s reelection campaign - an official “Ranger”! - raising at least $200,000.

And just for good measure, Griffin’s current boss, GE’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt personally gave $10,000 to the NRCC this year, too. So the real question is whose job was Griffin really worried about: Olbermann’s, or his own?

So maybe Griffin reinstated Olbermann today because he also realized that the political action committees of both General Electric and Comcast are frequent supporters of two of the same candidates to whom Olbermann contributed money. If Olbermann was looking at who else besides him gave money to the campaigns of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Rep. Raul Grijalva - both Democrats running for reelection in Arizona - he might have thought he was in good company.

According to FEC filings, General Electric Company Political Action Committee (GEPAC) has given $7,750 to Gabrielle Giffords‘ campaigns over the years (including $4,500 for this campaign cycle). GEPAC has also contributed $5,000 to Raul Grijalva over the years, though those contributions ended in 2007. GEPAC did not contribute to either Giffords’ or Grijalva’s opponents this year. Nor did it contribute to either Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Jack Conway (whom Olbermann did) or his opponent, Rand Paul.

NBC/Universal’s soon-to-be new owner is Comcast, which also has an active PAC. Comcast’s PAC has given $8,000 to Giffords’ campaigns (including $2,000 for her 2010 reelection effort), and it’s donated $5,000 to Grijalva’s campaigns (including $2,500 for this campaign).

Griffin might have also checked in with Steve Burke’s wife, Gretchen Burke. Identified by FEC filings as a “non-employed/homemaker,” she contributed $17,600 to Democratic candidates this campaign season, plus $2,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. If Gretchen’s ultimately the one controlling the remote (and the checkbook) at the Burke house, Olbermann’s and Griffin’s jobs seem secure.

In conclusion, probably the one guy who should start to worry is the NBC employee who really does have the power to influence an election: my good friend Lorne Michaels (who in this election cycle alone, gave $1000 to Al Franken’s Midwest Values PAC, and $4800 to losing Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Tommy Sowers).

As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been a little quiet this election season - choosing to forgo very many punditing offers (yes, even subbing for Shepard Smith!) in lieu of working on a campaign.  You loyal fans who’ve read my book know the best way to climb the rungs of the punditocracy is to occasionally work on the most losing campaigns (see Joe Trippi).  So what better way to elevate my status than working on the highest-profile, 17-point loss of the election?

The only person who will come out of the election doing better than me is Christine herself:  She’s gone from a fringe candidate in a glorified city-state, to a national celebrity on the verge of book deals, reality shows and fist-pumping rallies.  If she hadn’t spent so much attention on abstinence at an early age, even her kids would today be invited to Dance with the Stars.  With Sarah Palin’s hand-picked Senate candidate losing in Alaska to a write-in candidate, Christine is the new Sarah.

Remember Christine O’Donnell’s “I’m Not a Witch Ad”?  I’m very proud to say that was my handiwork. Did I know it would be mocked on Saturday Night Live?  Of course I did.  Who do you think leaked an early cut to his old friend Lorne Michaels? (Again, for those of you who’ve read my book, you know that I have a special relationship with Lorne.)  Why?  Because I knew from the ‘08 election that being parodied on SNL was Sarah Palin’s ticket to national stardom - earning her $14 million a year as the #6 most powerful pundit in America (according to Newsweek).

And why a witch? Because I also knew that on Halloween - just three nights before the election - the country would be crawling with 2 million little girls in “Christine O’Donnell” costumes knocking door-to-door ostensibly asking for candy - yes - but in reality spreading “brand awareness” for Christine. How many Sarah Palin costumes did you see on Halloween, and how many witches?  Case closed.

I was proud to work for Christine O’Donnell this election.  I succeeded in transforming her into a national figure and for that, I expect to be justly rewarded in the upcoming punditing season (hear that, Newsweek!).

My only regret was turning on CanadianTV right before the election (for some reason my Best Western in Dover only got Canadian cable - I told you Delaware was barely a state). Who did I see punditing about the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally, but none other than Dan Mirvish - one of those patsy opportunist charlatans who once claimed to be me! And just to rub salt in the wounds, he intentionally appeared with a stack of MY books not so subtly arranged right behind him. Canadians can be so gullible: Putting on a fake pundit who claims to have created a real pundit, and then punditing about the fake pundits holding a real rally.  All I can say is God bless America!