Posted on 05/02/2008 7:37:05 AM PDT by NCjim
The nation’s top Democrats are suddenly rushing to appear on the Fox News Channel, which they once had shunned as enemy territory as the nemesis of liberal bloggers.
The detente with Fox has provoked a backlash from progressive bloggers, who contend the party’s leaders are turning their backs on the base — and lending credibility and legitimacy to the network liberals love to hate — in a quest for a few swing votes.
In a span of eight days, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY.) and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean are all taking their seats with the network that calls itself “fair and balanced” but is widely viewed as skewing conservative.
With the party’s presidential contest reduced to hand-to-hand combat, Democrats are turning to the ratings leader among cable news channels in a clear rebuff to the liberal activists known as the Netroots.
Markos Moulitsas, founder of the leading liberal site Daily Kos, told Politico’s Michael Calderone: "Democrats are being idiotic by going on that network.”
Ari Melber, the Net movement correspondent for The Nation, told Politico by phone that progressive activists and the Netroots are “not happy about it.”
“I don’t think that it is tenable to completely neglect or ignore what your base wants,” Melber said.
The Democratic leaders’ new openness to Fox reflects the liberal left’s diminishing power, at least at this point in the political cycle. Once feared by the Democratic candidates, these activists are now viewed at least in part as an impediment to winning the broad swatch of support needed to clinch the nomination.
Goaded in part by a taunting “Obama Watch” clock displayed by Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, Obama appeared last Sunday after resisting the show’s entreaties throughout the campaign.
Clinton had a civil interview on Wednesday night with primetime host Bill O’Reilly, who has often mocked her husband.
And Dean will appear this weekend on “Fox News Sunday.”
Early in this presidential race, John Edwards led the Democratic candidates in what amounted to a Fox boycott. Edwards appeared on Fox 33 times between August 2000 and January 2007, the month after he announced his campaign, and has never been back.
Roger Ailes, the president of Fox News, took the boycott in stride, commenting that more Democrats watch Fox than watch CNN or MSNBC, the channel’s cable news competitors.
Recognizing that Obama’s appearance risked incurring blog wrath, a “senior Obama adviser” vowed to Greg Sargent of Talking Points Memo before the interview that the senator would “take Fox on” during the broadcast.
But the interview turned out to be a civil give and take, with no pushback against Fox. Afterward, Sargent wrote that the pledge had turned out to be merely “a bunch of tough talk.”
“This will likely further dismay liberal bloggers who had worked very hard to get Dems to boycott Fox as a way of delegitimizing the network and who already criticized Obama for agreeing to appear in the first place,” Sargent wrote.
Network records show that since the campaign began in January 2007, Clinton has given 13 interviews to Fox News anchors and correspondents and Obama has given 10.
The Liberal Bloggers are revolting!!!
And they smell bad too!
A lot of folks just need to get over themselves.
I’m far from liberal, and I don’t like Fox either.
Liberal bloggers - put some ice on it!
It is important to note that independent analysts rate Fox as fair and balanced. The zing about O’Reilly and Bubba is just inappropriate. Of what value was that comment?
Not to say they won't try it if they get the opportunity ...
Not really the point whether we like Fox, but because the left hates Faux news so much, this becomes a fun story.
“Not really the point whether we like Fox, but because the left hates Faux news so much, this becomes a fun story.”
Agreed.
I just can’t resist taking the shot at Fox, because I am so disappointed by them. They had so much promise, and they’ve devolved into a caricature of what they started out as.
Anytime the left goes bonkers, which is often, it is enjoyable.
“I’m far from liberal, and I don’t like Fox either.”
Fair enough but I’m betting you won’t sull up and throw a fit because the candidate you back did an interview on a cable news network.
Unlike liberals, I get the notion you can control your emotions with reason and logic.
“Unlike liberals, I get the notion you can control your emotions with reason and logic.”
I like to think so, my wife may tell you a different story!
It’s been said a million times, but it’s so true, liberals don’t think, they feel. They’re ruled by emotion, that’s why they go so crazy over stupid stuff.
So true. This is why their miserable all the time. Their so vested in ideology, that slightest disagreement to their view is a sin or criminal act. They don't realize that politicians are human and not ideas. So they wind up putting too much stock in politicians, only to be let down repeatedly. The left has never been more miserable since they won the 2006 election and there was no “viva la revelucion”. I have more faith in WWE characters or cartoon heroes to save the world, then some windbag pol. Well at least no matter what happens in elections the left will always be laughed at.
It would be like keeping your name off the ballot in Michigan or Florida to make a point. Point made. But the match will go to your opponent.
Anytime the left goes bonkers, which is often, it is enjoyable."
Even more fun is seeing the Obamists (and even some Hillary supporters) attacking Bill Clinton, when such a short time ago, he was like a god to them.
This would be such a fun election cycle if we had a real candidate.
And all these Democrats are being appeased by Mr. Ailes. Ailes trots out lots of talking head commentators claiming to be conservative, but Ailes' idea of a conservative commentator is an internationalist, open border, and amnesty offering apologist for the crisis which has been caused by millions and millions of unchecked illegal invaders. The Teddy Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party is overly represented on Fox, and allegiance to McCain-Kennedy Amnesty must be a litmus test for employment.
The Democratic leaders’ new openness to Fox reflects the liberal left’s diminishing power, at least at this point in the political cycle. Once feared by the Democratic candidates, these activists are now viewed at least in part as an impediment to winning the broad swatch of support needed to clinch the nomination.
I think this is the most telling part of this article. I remember just a few years ago when the Dim candidates couldn't even take a piss without the Nutroots telling them when and where, for fear that their campaigns would be destroyed. Seems even the Dim candidates are starting to understand that the Nutroots all mostly talk and don't have as much power as they think they do.
Markos Moulitsas, founder of the leading liberal site Daily Kos, told Politico's Michael Calderone: "Democrats are being idiotic by going on that network." Ari Melber, the Net movement correspondent for The Nation, told Politico by phone that progressive activists and the Netroots are "not happy about it." "I don't think that it is tenable to completely neglect or ignore what your base wants," Melber said... Recognizing that Obama's appearance risked incurring blog wrath, a "senior Obama adviser" vowed to Greg Sargent of Talking Points Memo before the interview that the senator would "take Fox on" during the broadcast. But the interview turned out to be a civil give and take, with no pushback against Fox. Afterward, Sargent wrote that the pledge had turned out to be merely "a bunch of tough talk." "This will likely further dismay liberal bloggers who had worked very hard to get Dems to boycott Fox as a way of delegitimizing the network and who already criticized Obama for agreeing to appear in the first place," Sargent wrote. Network records show that since the campaign began in January 2007, Clinton has given 13 interviews to Fox News anchors and correspondents and Obama has given 10.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.