“Only the Godfather came remotely close,” Fox News host Neil Cavuto said yesterday, about the news that Hillary Clinton aides kept a list of political endorsers and non-endorsers in 2008. Even though there is no evidence of retribution by the Clintons against anyone on the list. And then, insisting he was just having fun – at Clinton’s expense – Cavuto trotted out actor Gianni Russo, from The Godfather, “who knows a thing or two about lists.”
Russo quickly established his Fox News bona fides by saying, “I think I’m on her list.” Later, he said, “It’s like (Godfather consigliere) Tom Hagen had a list (for Godfather) Vito Corleone of who’s gonna get whacked. They’re crazy!”
Russo seems to have no inside knowledge about Clinton or politics – other than having some possible mob connections. But he nevertheless announced, “Maybe Hillary don’t know about this list, but for all I know about Hillary, I think she knows about the list.” For extra mobster smear, he added, “Like Vito Corleone said to Michael, ‘Michael, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, so you know who they are.’”
Russo agreed with Cavuto that all politicians keep lists of those either “with us or against us.” But, he continued, “The only guy I think is going to slide is Teddy Kennedy because he’s done.” Russo broke up in laughter as he spoke.
Cavuto still acted as though Russo had some real political cred, asking, “If you had to advise her or Chris Christie right now, Godfather star Gianni Russo would say what?”
Russo answered, “Don’t write anything down, don’t talk to me on the phone.”
Near the end of the segment, Cavuto told his viewers, “Listen to what he says. …It’s a cheap shot to bring a Godfather character here? It would be a cheap shot not to.”
So Fox’s anti-Hillary campaign now includes an actor from a 40+ year-old movie to make jokes about a trumped-up hit list? What a waste of 4.5 minutes.
Video from yesterday’s Your World, via Media Matters.