Fox wars (Krauthammer)

WashPost ^ | 10-23-09 | Charles Krauthammer

[STARWISE]

Rahm Emanuel once sent a dead fish to a live pollster. Now he's put a horse's head in Roger Ailes's bed. This Story

Not very subtle. And not very smart. Ailes doesn't scare easily.

The White House has declared war on Fox News. White House communications director Anita Dunn said that Fox is "opinion journalism masquerading as news." Patting rival networks on the head for their authenticity (read: docility), senior adviser David Axelrod declared Fox "not really a news station."

And Chief of Staff Emanuel told (warned?) the other networks not to "be led [by] and following Fox."

Meaning? If Fox runs a story critical of the administration -- from exposing "green jobs" czar Van Jones as a loony 9/11 "truther" to exhaustively examining the mathematical chicanery and hidden loopholes in proposed health-care legislation -- the other news organizations should think twice before following the lead.

The signal to corporations is equally clear: You might have dealings with a federal behemoth that not only disburses more than $3 trillion every year but is extending its reach ever deeper into private industry -- finance, autos, soon health care and energy. Think twice before you run an ad on Fox.

At first, there was little reaction from other media. Then on Thursday, the administration tried to make them complicit in an actual boycott of Fox. The Treasury Department made available Ken Feinberg, the executive pay czar, for interviews with the White House "pool" news organizations -- except Fox.

The other networks admirably refused, saying they would not interview Feinberg unless Fox was permitted to as well. The administration backed down.

This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake here.

[STARWISE]

White House tries to bar Fox News from intervewing pay czar"... OUTRAGEOUS ..! Kudos to the other networks for stepping up

The Grapevine - Brett Baier, Fox News Special Report

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump

[ScottinVA]

“The other networks admirably refused, saying they would not interview Feinberg unless Fox was permitted to as well. The administration backed down.”

Good that other networks stood up to the POS.

[Caribou]

[STARWISE]

"Don't think we're not keeping score, brother."

That's what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.

[livius]

Maybe some of the other networks are realizing that he could just as soon turn on them at any moment, too. IIRC, he complained about some ABC coverage a while back, and they changed their tune. But maybe, just maybe, some of them are smart enough to realize how dangerous (and provisional) it is to be “teacher’s pet” with Dear Leader.

[GOPJ]

Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimize and destroy is not Madisonian. It is Nixonian.

He's pegged the thin skinned, chip on the shoulder Obama team. They are Nixonian.

[knarf]

What?

The opinion marxist masquerading as president?

[Candor7]

I hope he is keeping score, and that he tries to act on it.Nothing would give me greater pleasure.It would clearly dedfine this closet fascist for who he really is.

An effing national socialist thug, from the gutter back streets of Chicago.

[Candor7]

This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake here. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

This is merely a bunmp in the road. Obama has a team whichdoes nothing but plan on how to isolate fox news , and work to derogate its advertising revenues.

I would hardly call it an important victory, unless the other networks abandon their uncritical approach to Obama's policy decisions and unconstitutional activity. I doubt that will be the result. People do not want to put their jobs at risk, which is exctly how the Obama line is being enforced on the MSM Obama supporters.

[lacrew]

I’m glad they stood up...but the networks still do one particular thing that bugs me. They show photos of the Messiah ‘working’ in the Oval office. These photos are ‘given’ to the press, not taken by the press. They initially showed outrage; but, now they seem to accept it. Its a small point; but, its not really O’s office. It is imperative that the white house be open to the people (through the press). Restricting access is a slap in the face to the people. I don’t think he knows he works for us.

[Salvation]

**Ailes doesn’t scare easily. **

Thank goodness. I can just imagine where he told them to go.

[PGalt]

Good that other networks stood up to the POS.

Well stated. Worth repeating.

[Don Corleone]

This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake here.

Its called the Constitution of the United States of America!

[Typical_Whitey]

Chavez did exactly the same thing in Venezuela. Gualgs are next...

[seekthetruth]

“Maybe some of the other networks are realizing that he could just as soon turn on them at any moment, too.”

You betcha! I am most likely dreaming, but maybe this is the beginning of the MSM turning on BO!

[Calm_Cool_and_Elected]

ping

[Jane Long]

I’d really love to know just what was said between A$$elrod and Ailes. Do tell, Mr. Ailes!

[STARWISE]

Related:

~~~~~~~

NYT: Obama whined about Fox News at off-the-record briefing with lefty pundits

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368921/posts

But he’s “not losing any sleep over it” .... LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LHeJM4A2Ig&feature=player_embedded

[STARWISE]

Me too!

[thouworm]

Me too; skeptical but hopeful. Dare we hope they start asking BHO some “challenging” questions?
~~~~~~~~~~
David Limbaugh:

I wonder how aware Obama and his handlers are that the only thing keeping his dangerous and unpopular policy agenda alive is the enormous disconnect between the public’s perception of him personally and the nature of his proposals. If Obama keeps showing his true colors — an unwillingness to brook any dissent and a nastiness toward any who won’t submit — the breaking of the trance will be complete, and voters will throw his congressional supporting cast out on their ears in 2010.

http://www.davidlimbaugh.com/mt/archives/2009/10/new_column_obam_28.html#more

[MamaDearest]

I don’t think he knows he works for us.

For us? Depends upon if we are part of the nation from whom he is taking or giving? No doubt he's also "working" reciprocally for some very powerful $$$$-men who got him into the White House.

[uncbob]

ad_icon This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake here.

So far but $$$ triumphs over all and if the MSM types need bailout $$$ they will go belly up fast enough

[popdonnelly]

“Rahm Emanuel once sent a dead fish to a live pollster.”

Rahm Emanuel is a ballet dancer from Sarah Lawrence College who has to go through life proving how tough he is.

[BIGLOOK]

And to think that after all those years of the MSM bandying the 1st Amendment, Freedom of the Press before courts, administrations and law enforcement agencies to protect sources, informants and whistle blowers as well as their own miscreants, to turn on a competitor in the Fourth Estate?

There's more about Obama on Fox and more about Fox on the MSM than about Obama.

[seekthetruth]

Thanks for the link! A great read as David always is!

As far as the MSM asking BO challenging questions, I won't hold my breath....but who knows, this could be a start in the right direction. FOX is #1 in ratings and maybe the MSM are beginning to realize why.

Sure is fun seeing Glenn Beck beat Bill O’ in ratings!

[bigbob]

I suspect Obama and Co. know some things about how precarious their precious MSM is, financially. GE may jettison NBC, the NYT can’t survive w/o a bailout and other magazines and newspapers are failing right and left. Fast-forward a year or two, and as more and more media joint the dinosaurs, who’s left? Fox News, which is growing and gaining share...this is why they’ve been targeted. Obama can’t afford to be heading into 2012 without the media still in his pocket.

[LeonardFMason]

FOX should go nuclear on this adminstration.

[catnipman]

Trying to get Fox kicked out of the WH press pool, which they’ve been members of since 1997 goes far beyond anything even Nixon attempted. Obama’s attempt was a for-real Fascist-style operation. Single one entity from the herd and see if the rest let you destroy it. If so, repeat process until all are destroyed.

Fortunately, it doesn’t look like kindergarten-level Fascism yet works in America. I wonder if Obama
will give up kiddy Fascism, or if he’ll try to take it to the next level.

[HighlyOpinionated]

0bama says he’s not losing sleep over FOX?

Liar. He’s probably having nightmares. And I’ll be he’s not the only one losing sleep.

Heh heh heh. The fabric is coming unraveled. Pride goeth before a fall and a haughtly spirit before destruction.

[driftless2]

Before the election someone should have said or listed what Obama would do once elected. Obviously few non-conservatives would have believed the person, but what would they say now? Obama is a civil libertarian’s worst nightmare. The supposedly open and fair candidate has revealed himself to have the character of a petty dictator... a Hugo Chavez wannabe.

[Servant of the Cross]

Loved this Krauthammer observation on Ms. Anita Dunn:

But the critics miss the surpassing stupidity of her larger point: She was invoking Mao as support and authority for her impassioned plea for individuality and trusting one's own choices. Mao as champion of individuality? Mao, the greatest imposer of mass uniformity in modern history, creator of a slave society of a near-billion worker bees wearing Mao suits and waving the Little Red Book?

The White House communications director cannot be trusted to address high schoolers without uttering inanities. She and her cohorts are now to instruct the country on truth and objectivity?

[OB1kNOb]

First they came for Rush Limbaugh and because we weren't a conservative radio talk show, we did nothing.

Then they came for Glenn Beck and because we had no conservative TV talk show hosts, we did nothing.

Then they came for Fox News Network and because we weren't a conservative TV network, we did nothing.

Then they came for us, and there was no one left to do anything to help us.

- signed ABCNBCCBSCNNMSNBC

[paulycy]

Mao, the greatest imposer of mass uniformity in modern history, creator of a slave society of a near-billion worker bees wearing Mao suits and waving the Little Red Book?

There was a thread yesterday saying that the Vatican was giving Mao the thumbs up with the same self-contradictory argument. IIRC They felt that somehow Mao/Marxism was good for people who felt they had no voice in their government or economic decisions.

The Vatican?

[SparkyBass]

[Servant of the Cross]

"saying that the Vatican was giving Mao the thumbs up ...."

*sigh* I assume the threads you saw yesterday were one of these:

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368845/posts
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368376/posts

This completely false inference of the Vatican views are refuted on these threads. The key points I'll make is that this crap is based on:

1) the personal opinion of Georg Sans, a German-born professor of the history of contemporary philosophy at the pontifical Gregorian University;

2) as reported by L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. Neither Professor Sans nor L’Osservatore Romano is "the Vatican", in fact far from it.

This is classic liberal media trickery to falsely make a headline read "the Vatican" when it is no such thing (and they know it but go forward with the lie anyway)!

[paulycy]

This completely false inference of the Vatican views are refuted on these threads.

I'll take your word on it based on your post. I had my doubts.

My point remains (Catholics not withstanding) that a number of leftists are trying to argue that Marxism is somehow the answer to "restoring" an individual's rights and power.

Lies. All they have are lies.

[Servant of the Cross]

Thanks for this reply o great member of the vaunted Viking Kitty patrol (of which I am a fan). I also agree with your point and will concede that many of these same leftist liberal Marxists have infested the Vatican itself at mid-level management roles (but the Pope and Magisterium keep them mostly under control).

[paulycy]

:0)

[Delacon]

“The other networks admirably refused, saying they would not interview Feinberg unless Fox was permitted to as well. The administration backed down”.

Ironicly Krauthammer has engaged in some inadvertant censorship. Because after reading this line, I was rendered speechless.