Obama's declaration of war on Fox News Channel has most talking heads and political pundits scratching their heads in amazement. From across the political spectrum, the reactions have been everything from amazed to appalled. But no matter if they are on the left or right, the question has been the same from everyone, "WTH was he thinking?" Only the most servile of the kool-aid addicts are even trying to explain, defend or praise his actions.I was scratching my head along with everyone else until it finally struck me... Obama declared war on Fox News Channel because he is a prestidigitator. He knows he can't shut down Fox, but the attention it garners keeps focus off his other attacks on freedom of speech. His lefty agendas have a better chance of succeeding by using sleight of hand. Examples of the misdirection could be such things as: regulation of rumors and the Internet, bail-out of newspapers (officially making them state-run media), instituting regulations and fees that will effectively destroy talk radio, and God only knows what else might be up his sleeve.
Now I am wondering how else Obama might be using his street magic.
But, still and all, the Obama vs Fox show is quite entertaining. It will be interesting to see how it plays itself out. Click on Read More for a run-down on the reactions (some will surprise you) and links to some articles that I particularly for interesting.
OBAMA'S LITTLE TIN SOLDIERS LINED UP TO DO HIS BIDDING
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN on Sunday that President Obama does not want "the CNNs and the others in the world [to] basically be led in following Fox."
Obama senior adviser David Axelrod went further by calling on media outlets to join the administration in declaring that Fox is "not a news organization." He told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that "Other news organizations like yours ought not to treat them that way. We're not going to treat them that way."
Asked Monday about another Axelrod claim that Fox News is just trying to make money, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that while all media companies fall under that description, "I would say sometimes programming can be tilted toward accentuating those profits."
John Aravosis: Editor of AmericaBlog on the October 18 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:
Jacob WeisbergNotice how he says Fox didn't cite anyone supporting Anita Dunn then states or claims he doesn't want to come on to Fox to "discuss it." Perhaps there might be a connection here? Besides I did see several pundits and panel members on Fox that supported Anita Dunn, so Mr. Weisberg, you are the one full of garbage.
The O’Garbage Factor: Fox News isn't just bad. It's un-American
NEWSWEEK - Published Oct 17, 2009
Last week, when White House Communications Director Anita Dunn charged the Fox News Channel with right-wing bias, Fox responded the way it always does. It denied the accusation with a straight face while proceeding to confirm it with its coverage.
Consider Fox's Web story on the episode. It quotes five people. Two of them work for Fox. All of them assert that administration officials are either wrong in substance or politically foolish to criticize the network. No one is cited supporting Dunn's criticisms or saying that it could make sense for Obama to challenge the network's power. It's a textbook example of a biased journalism.
Whether the White House engages with Fox is a tactical political question. Whether we journalists continue to do so is an ethical one. By appearing on Fox, reporters validate its propaganda values and help to undermine the role of legitimate news organizations. Respectable journalists—I'm talking to you, Mara Liasson—should stop appearing on its programs. A boycott would make Ailes too happy, so let's try just ignoring Fox, shall we? And no, I don't want to come on The O'Reilly Factor to discuss it.
REACTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AND OTHER OBSERVERS
Fox News senior vice president Michael Clemente said: "Surprisingly, the White House continues to declare war on a news organization instead of focusing on the critical issues that Americans are concerned about like jobs, health care and two wars. The door remains open and we welcome a discussion about the facts behind the issues."
Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas on Monday advised the Obama administration to stand down and avoid fighting with Fox News and its correspondents
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Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said on CNN: "I don't always agree with the White House. And on this one here I would disagree." ==============================
David Gergen, who has worked for Democratic and Republican presidents, said that White House officials have "gotten themselves into a fight they don't necessarily want to be in. I don't think it's in their best interest." "The faster they can get this behind them, the more they can treat Fox like one other organization, the easier they can get back to governing, and then put some people out on Fox," Gergen said on CNN. "I mean, for goodness sakes, you know, you engage in the debate. "What Americans want is a robust competition of ideas, and they ought to be willing to go out there and mix it up with some strong conservatives on Fox, just as there are strong conservatives on CNN like Bill Bennett."
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Fox News contributor Karl Rove, who was the top political strategist to former President George W. Bush, said: "This is an administration that's getting very arrogant and slippery in its dealings with people. And if you dare to oppose them, they're going to come hard at you and they're going to cut your legs off." "This is a White House engaging in its own version of the media enemies list. And it's unhelpful for the country and undignified for the president of the United States to so do," Rove added. "That is over- the-top language. We heard that before from Richard Nixon."
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Media columnist David Carr of The New York Times warned that the White House war on Fox "may present a genuine problem for Mr. Obama, who took great pains during the campaign to depict himself as being above the fray of over-heated partisan squabbling." "While there is undoubtedly a visceral thrill in finally setting out after your antagonists, the history of administrations that have successfully taken on the media and won is shorter than this sentence," Carr wrote over the weekend. "So far, the only winner in this latest dispute seems to be Fox News. Ratings are up 20 percent this year."
He added: "The administration, by deploying official resources against a troublesome media organization, seems to have brought a knife to a gunfight."
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White House Urges Other Networks to Disregard Fox NewsFOXNews.com - Monday, October 19, 2009
Senior Obama administration officials took to the airwaves Sunday to accuse Fox News of pushing a particular point of view and not being a real news network.
The White House is calling on other news organizations to isolate and alienate Fox News as it sends out top advisers to rail against the cable channel as a Republican Party mouthpiece.
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