Remember Virginia Kelley, the mother of Bill Clinton? She was the one who enjoyed gambling, was often married and whose eyebrows were painted on her forehead just below the flashy white streak in her hair. The implication that she was borderline 'trailer trash' was widespread in the corporate media.
Bill Clinton wasn't the first President who never really knew their real father. President Ford didn't meet his until he was in college. Herbert Hoover's father died when he was quite young - differing reports make it unclear whether his death was caused by Typhoid fever, or from being hit by a falling tree. The family history of American Presidents is rife with interesting folk. Abraham Lincoln's grandfather was killed by Indians. Samuel Polk was a prosperous slave owner. A fellow named John Scott Harrison had a father who was the President, as well as a son who was the President.
Still, if he were to become President, Rudi Giuliani's situation would be unique. He would be the first President to be the son of an armed robber; the first whose Dad had spent time in Sing Sing.
Is this a sufficient reason to vote against Giuliani? No. It's irrelevant. But it is a good enough reason to wonder why guys like Tim Russert have nothing but softball questions about Rudi, while the corporate media he personifies has treated the Clintons with such contempt. Paul Krugman is correct to assert that if the media continues on its current course, we're doomed.
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