White House more worried about Fox than Taliban
Last week, we were treated to a Jimmy Carter Redux when the White House announced that the Taliban was someone they could deal with in the war against terror. This week, they signal that Fox News is their biggest enemy. From Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz on his interview with Anita Dunn, the White House communications director;
I had thought Dunn might try to smooth things over with the country’s highest-rated cable news network, as guests often do in front of a television camera, but instead she was determined to ratchet things up: “The reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. . . . Take their talking points and put them on the air. Take their opposition research and put them on the air, and that’s fine. But let’s not pretend they’re a news network the way CNN is.”
I don’t think she was freelancing; there are meetings in every White House about what message to put out on the Sunday shows.
Dunn acknowledged that the president had intentionally stiffed Fox for this reason when he did that Sunday morning blitz a few weeks back, but added: “Obviously he’ll go on Fox because he engages with ideological opponents. . . . When he goes on Fox, he understands that he is not going on — it really is not a news network at this point. He’s going to debate the opposition.”
Engage people who throw acid in the faces of preteen girls, ignore the half of the country that oppose him ideologically. Makes sense. From Fox News;
But last week, Fox News was informed by the White House that Obama would grant no interviews to the channel until at least 2010. The edict was relayed to Fox News by a White House official after Dunn discussed the channel at a meeting with presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs and other Obama advisers.
So the millions of people who get their news from Fox won’t have to listen to the incessant whining of the Administration – that’s a plus. The REALLY funny part is that Fox wasn’t all that biased during the election;
…a study by the Pew Research Center showed that 40 percent of Fox News stories on Obama in the last six weeks of the campaign were negative. Similarly, 40 percent of Fox News’ stories on Obama’s Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, were negative.
On CNN, by contrast, there was a 22-point disparity in the percentage of negative stories on Obama (39 percent) and McCain (61 percent). The disparity was even greater at MSNBC, according to Pew, where just 14 percent of Obama stories were negative, compared to a whopping 73 percent of McCain stories — a spread of 59 points.
Since the election, Fox has peeled off from the pack that reads the news from White House press releases and covered things like the ACORN hooker scandal, the tea parties, the czars – ya know stuff that’s happening which the rest of the media won’t cover.
If I sat here all day and did the same thing 90% of bloggers are doing, how long would you read this blog? So Fox gets punished by the Administration for pursuing the news no one else will – if no one was interested, they wouldn’t watch and Fox would tank. But who is really getting punished here? Obama has voluntarily left millions out of his loop – he won’t reach millions with his message because his ignorant staff wants to throw temper tantrums instead.
Of course, this is the same path Hugo Chavez took, too.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Media, Politics
Pretty ridiculous. As a government official in a democracy (in this case the top one), you have an obligation to discuss things and be transparent with the press. It’s this whole permanent campaign-mode the Obama administration is in, where they only talk to the media if it suits their interests. Yeah, it’s starting to smell like Chavez…
Let me see if I got this right.
Taliban — Theocratic dictators who have now moved out of Afghanistan and are now blowing up things in a neighboring country (that has nuclear bombs).
Fox News — Has audacity to fact check members of Administration’s statements.
Yep, I can see it now.
All media outlets have an agenda. Your pointing out the obvious. During the Bush Administration years, Fox News sucked up to them and praised them and had one Journalist that actually reported from that outlet without bias (Shep Smith).
Seriously, why would the Obama Administration give access to a “news” outlet that consistently calls his administration socialist, compares it to communism, arranges tea parties and questions his ability to be Commander in Chief?
I’d ask the same questions about MSNBC if they were wondering why President Bush and his administration was attacking there “news” network.
About the comment of Obama more worried about Fox than Taliban. Have we been so dumbed-down that we actually don’t believe our President can do more than one thing at a time. I mean, I understand that we just went through 8 years of being treated like morons by our government, since we voted for the guy we’d drink a beer with. But seriously people, don’t you believe that a person can actually fly to another country in a super-jet, work on foreign policy issues, domestic policy issues? Do we actually believe that the administration has about 5 people that work in it? Come on, you guys are conservative republicans, your supposed to think that government is too large. Why would you believe that the administration has 5 or 6 people working in it. See the administration staff probably has about 500-600 personel, where they can do more than one thing. Wake up!!!
Oh yeah, Obama has done one thing right, He’s kept us safer for over a month longer than President Bush did.
Oooo….nice one, ASH. Yeah,,,Obama sure is keeping this country safe.
or is it the military who are fighting in two different theaters, begging for more troops to finish the deal.
wanker.
Kinda weird, isn’t it? These cowardly little slimeballs allegedly have the testicular development needed to face down the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, etc… but are too cowardly and inflectionally dishonest to face real questioning from FOX?
While that makes SOMETHING tingle, it isn’t the Matthews bone in my leg.
ASHole:
Conservative news, and this conservative as well as many others see his actions for the socialist moves that they are. Those who do not criticize this are closet socialists at best. More likely, they are just lazy and want the government to wipe their asses. Define “He’s kept us safer for over a month longer than President Bush did.”
He has apologized for America’s actions, (actions of which a great majority of Americans are very proud of.), every single time he leaves the country, and nearly every time he can grab a microphone.
how about after you get done sniffing Unicorn farts, you take a large gulp of reality? Would do you good, for sure.
“Learned all I need to know about Islam on 9/11!”
@frankly opinionated….awww, I struck a nerve, very conservative of you to start a conversation with swearing.
You want me to define “he’s kept us safer for one month longer than President Bush”. Really? you need me to define that? Seriously, you do know how to read a calendar right?
@Dutch, do I believe it’s our military that’s doing the hard work, OF COURSE. I’m just using the same rhetoric that we heard from the Bush Administration after 9/11/01.
Sounds like someone in the Obama administration is getting all wee-weed up about someone daring to actually challenge the spin put out by the White House.
Hey Amazing asshole…
You must have forgotten what an ass-kisser the The COWboy in chief is. He won the Notorious Piece Prize for it. For giving up apologies and pieces of our Country, troops and our allies to nuke proliferators…
Why didn’t they come clean if Bush was such a loser? Hint: Because they knew Bush had the cajones to take them out and The Pied Piper does not. Go back to your cave you ignorant screaming monkey.
@defendUSA. Yeah, I’m an asshole and monkey. Too funny.
Have you actually listened to the entire speech that you failed to quote about Obama “apologies”? Or are you getting your information from talk radio?
It must be really hard to hear consistency from non-idealogue.
For ‘Amazing stuff here’…you may want to check this out:
your ??[yoor, yawr, yohr; unstressed yer] -pronoun
1. (a form of the possessive case of you used as an attributive adjective): Your jacket is in that closet. I like your idea. Compare yours.
2. one’s (used to indicate that one belonging to oneself or to any person): The consulate is your best source of information. As you go down the hill, the library is on your left.
3. (used informally to indicate all members of a group, occupation, etc., or things of a particular type): Take your factory worker, for instance. Your power brakes don’t need that much servicing.
you’re??[yoor; unstressed yer]
contraction of you are: You’re certain that’s right?
…just helping you out a little. Now, about your medication…
Yeah…retoric…
seems like I remember people saying that W had failed to keep us safe in the eight months since he’d been elected…
(of course BS- anyone who thinks that AQ could have planned oand pulled off 9/11 in eight months is…a leftist f*que DUmpmonkie)
seems like those saying it were leftist f*ques too…
@Claymore, can’t find anything wrong with what I’ve said so you attack my grammer, nice.
@dutch, I never said that it was planned in 8 months. I said he kept us safe for 8 months and Obama has now beat that. There is a difference.
Well, to be fair, let’s get a definition of “safe”. My 401k isn’t safe…neither is my savings nor retirement…and based on what I’ve read in the Baucus bill (something I’d gather than the majority of its supporters haven’t bothered to do), my current healthcare plan isn’t safe and my tax burden is likely to rise, making my income decidedly unsafe.
There’s numerous “plans” on the table to control the web (net neutrality is a lie, folks) and localization for radio broadcasters (so-called fairness doctrine dressed up in a pink tutu) risking the safety of the First Amendment.
Also, while not front and center…yet…there are cases winding their way to the Supreme Court which will seek to define the 2nd and 10th Amendments, placing the safety of individual citizens and the rights of states into question.
Long term economic safety is also in the air as partner nations and adversaries alike openly conjecture over dumping the failing dollar as the world’s reserve currency. That makes us safer how?
So while your (note the correct usage of the word) smirky little backhanded reference to 9/11 notwithstanding, I’d suggest you’re full of shit on the whole “Obama has done one thing right, He’s kept us safer for over a month longer than President Bush did.” meme. Here’s a thought, how about you do us a favor and slink back to DU and tell them how brave you are and how you tore up the mean old conservatives. At least there they’ll believe your horseshit…who knows, you might even win a Nobel prize or something.
@Claymore…what is DU?
If your (notice I don’t give a shit about grammer) suggesting that I’m a Democrat/liberal troll, then you don’t know me at all.
I’m not an ideologue or a person who walks into a voting booth and selects all R’s or all D’s. I have a brain which actually has a memory. I can remember what happened the past 8 years.
If your (notice I don’t give a shit about grammer) suggesting that I’m a Democrat/liberal troll, then you don’t know me at all.
To the last point, I am eternally grateful. On the previous points, your (correct usage) printed words represent who you are quite well.
’m not an ideologue or a person who walks into a voting booth and selects all R’s or all D’s. I have a brain which actually has a memory. I can remember what happened the past 8 years.
Alzheimer’s? I’m just sayin’.
It just shows me that they are not comfortable defending their positions. It is one thing to go and preach to your own blind sycophants, but it is another to debate your positions swith someone who disagrees with you. If the arguments are based in logic and not emotion then they should not worry about what station they go on.
ASH it is spelled grammar…
@JustPlainJason, awww thanks!
see how I’ve muddy’d up the conversation, classic Fox News tactic that I’ve used.
“Amazing stuff here Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 11:57 am
@dutch, I never said that it was planned in 8 months. I said he kept us safe for 8 months and Obama has now beat that. There is a difference.”
WTF? Hell, Bush kept us safe from attack for 7 years and 4 months…
Talk to me in June 2015.
ASHole:
I began with profanity in an attempt to be able to properly converse with a liberal. As I read around the web, it is the Liberal Democrats, (a little redundancy there), who are the profane ones. It is the lib/dems who shout themselves hoarse rather than engage in productive discussion, and it is the Lib/Dem who is more likely to vote a onesided ticket.
It is Lib/Dems that trash the USA both verbally and physically, such as b. Hussein obummer does when out of the country, and such as the mess left behind by his kool-ade drinkers at the inauguration.(Didn’t see ANY mess left behind after the march by conservatives on Sept 12th, did you? (DC park police put the attendance at between 1.2 and 1.6 million, far above the 50,000 that we conservatives had hoped to get up there, even though we used our own funds to travel, and didn’t need white lab coats to identify ourselves.
“Learned all I need to know about Islam on 9/11!”
the amazing blowhard bag of wind. you say your evenhanded. ha ha ha. you were born a fool and you will die a fool. i’m just trying to make sure you don’t take my country down with you.
Oh, Amazing Asshole…
I don’t do talking points, but I do love radio. I use my head and facts to support most of what I talk about. I have heard the speeches wherein the Apologizer does just that. He apologizes for America being the exception to the rest of the world. He apologizes because we freed nations from Tyrants. He apologizes for the actions of the US all the fucking time.
See Nato Summit, G-20, among others for the apology tour of 2009 and you can even go back to 2008 and find many more.
And, now, just go back to your cave and commence screaming.
Ignorance is bliss for you people. The Pied Piper has a few years to catch up to GWB. Commit to memory that if you are not a truther that GWB had kept us safe from 9-12-2001 to 01-19-2009…mmm’kay?
Barry’s record is sure not to even come close, unfortunately for us and you idiots whose noses are so far up his ass that pretty soon your eyes will be brown.
Idle curiosity… I don’t feed trolls, but for those that do.
Did you know AG Holder has a group monitoring the web.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357430/posts
I’m not suggesting anyone moderate their comments… I HOPE ASH is one of them. Fits the criteria AND keeps me laughing. The references to Fox News are priceless.
At least he sticks with the talking points the white house puts out…
you guys are awesome. I go away for the day and come back to great stuff. I love the labels too. I need to go call my wife and tell her that I’m a liberal democrat now just because I don’t toe the radical right line.
You people have no idea who I voted for or who I support. Too funny.
To clear something up, I’m a stupid voter too, just like you people. I’m a one issue voter, I vote for the candidate that has worn our military’s uniform. That’s it. Party affiliation means nothing to me.
WOW,somebody really wants some attention,just wow!
Did you vote for John Kerry? He was in Vietnam, you know.
No, Dutch I didn’t vote in the 2004 election. Politics didn’t matter to me while I was deployed
ASH said: I’m a one issue voter, I vote for the candidate that has worn our military’s uniform. .
My one and only reply to you.
Even you should re-read what you’ve typed and go ‘DoH!’
You don’t pay any attention to ancillary details?
Matthis Chiroux for President!!!!
dutch508…A rough translation of a.s.h.’s statement is “I won’t be old enough to vote for 3 more years and my mom is calling me to go take out the trash because of my early bedtime!”
@ponsdorf, okay, let me make this clear, I only vote for candidates the honorably worn our military’s uniform. Chiroux is piece of shit and a rapist.
sorry, I only vote for candidates that honorably wore our military’s uniform.
@A heros Friend….really? 3 more years, so they changed the voting requirement from 18 to 40, that’s news to me.
Since you have problems believing people, give me your email address and I’ll send you my DD214, ERB, and DA Photo for proof.
ASH…Be careful…Daddy will smack your little behind for going through his stuff!
@heros,
Come on, that’s all you got. Give me your email address. Go ask Jonn if I served.
Where were you deployed?
I voted when I was, so I am wondering why you chose not to.
I was in Mosul, but it wasn’t that I didn’t get a chance to vote, I didn’t like either of the candidates nor was I really that concern with the election…I was kind of busy.
“sorry, I only vote for candidates that honorably wore our military’s uniform”. Would that include Okinawa John Murtha? Just askin’.
Probably wouldn’t since that would be illegal, I don’t live in his district.
“Amazing stuff here Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 11:57 am
@dutch, I never said that it was planned in 8 months. I said he kept us safe for 8 months and Obama has now beat that. There is a difference.”
Yeah, the difference is that Bush did his job securing the nation during his 8 years and Clinton did not. Hence an attack that was planned before Bush came into office was carried out 8 months after. An attack the likes of which Bush prevented from happening during Obama’s first 8 months. Obama’s term isn’t over yet, God help us.
I was slightly busy too. I still found time to vote for W rather than JK (he’d been in Vietnam) who told me I was too stupid to get out of Iraq…
…guess you were too.
Hold on…are you saying you were too busy to vote because of the battle going on in Mosul?
I was going to ask, all things being the same and you lived there, but I won’t. Hell, yes I will. He seems to fit your criteria for your vote. Regardless of what a slime ball he’s been since he got out of uniform.
Hey, ASH–by your standards, Clinton was an even greater fuckup–IIRC, the first WTC bombing occured in February of 1993, so he only managed a month. Again, in the oh-so-eloquent words of Shaq, “How’s my ass taste?”
@NHSparky, did I say I supported Clinton, think your trying to label someone a Democratic Party voter here.
@dutch, that’s exactly what I’m saying.
@UpNorth, I didn’t vote for him, cause too much of a pussy.
@usnretwife, okay, it was planned while Clinton was in office, but when the action was taken President Bush was in office…and didn’t keep us safe. Clinton failed us and so did Bush, in my book both were failed. I don’t give a shit what political party someone belongs to.
“@UpNorth, I didn’t vote for him, cause too much of a pussy.” Just askin, cuz that isn’t what you said. It’s hypothetical anyway.
The big battle of Mosul in 2004 happened in November of that year.
November being the voting month as well.
I had sent my absentee voter stuff in almost two months prior to that, as it has to be in before the voting date.
Either you are stupid, as JK says (he was in Vietnam, you know) or something isn’t kosher about your memory.