Obama's Declared War with Fox News Channel

[Anonymous]

Help me understand this. FNC has more than 2 million viewer for its 6 and 7 pm news slots - more than the combined totals of CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and HeadlineNews according to Nielsen. Why would the White House want to boycott this market? Not talking about O'Reilly or Beck - but the news folks. Are they hoping that a news boycott of FNC will force Fox to put a sock in O'Reilly and Beck?

[jsteele]

It's about time if you ask me. FNC is simply the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. There is no reason that it should be treated like a legitimate news organization. Anyone who believes that Fox's unfair and partisan attacks on Obama are limited to Beck and O'Reilly hasn't been paying attention. Arguably, Obama gets treated more fairly by O'Reilly than he does the on the supposed "fair and balanced" news shows. BTW, the administration is not boycotting Fox. Major Garrett has not had his Whitehouse credentials revoked. The administration is simply going to correctly deal with Fox as the partisan organization it is rather than as a legitimate news operation.

[Anonymous]

Really?!! You have no idea why? Have you not noticed how they treat him on that network? It's one thing to criticize the president, but you can't insult his wife, joke a bout his assassination, and generally act like asses and get cooperation.

And no, I don't think they want to put a sock in O'Reilly. Who would want to go on such a cheap shot circus? I mean he would have to be an idiot to do it.

Don't worry about Fox. Obama is the biggest ratings boost they could hope for. And as for the News arm, I suggest you look at the transcript for his first press conference as President. Everyone got to ask one question. Just look at what Major Garrett decided to ask and tell me, was he asking the most important question he could think of, or was he trying to stir up the Fox News viewers?

[Anonymous]

Here is the link to that press conference I referred to:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/obamas_first_white_house_press.html

[Anonymous]

I'd love to comment but I didn't hear of a declaration of war against Fox. Do you have articles to reference what you're talking about?

[Anonymous]

How exactly has Obama declared "war"? Is it war to simply say - gee, this is a news commentary station and we dont care to participate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to comment but I didn't hear of a declaration of war against Fox. Do you have articles to reference what you're talking about?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/zontv/2009/10/white_house_fox_news_attack_em.html
From the Baltimore Sun for one, linked through Real Clear Politics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is the link to that press conference I referred to:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/obamas_first_white_house_press.html

I thought the question was stupid, but honestly, what does that have to do with being a mouthpiece of the GOP? And is it any stupider than the next question, which asks the President of the United States about steroid use by a baseball player?

Reporters in press conferences are supposed to ask difficult questions, ones that might generate a talking point in that day's news. Biden is a gaffe a minute - seems like a fair target.

[Anonymous]

I don't recall an administration having a public enemies list since Nixon. Amazing but not surprising.

Obama is shaping up as the worst president in history.

Foreign policy - F. Sells out our European allies for what? Russia laughs in our face on Iran now.

Domestic policy - record breaking deficits as far as the eye can see.

Most partisan president in history per the polling numbers.

Just sad. I sort of equate it to taking a child to a nice store -hopefully you leave without the kid breaking anything.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I don't recall an administration having a public enemies list since Nixon. Amazing but not surprising.

As Bush press secretary Dana Perino pointed out on Fox News this morning, the Bush Administration largely froze out MSNBC. It's amazing, but not surprising, that you don't recall that.

Calling the Obama Administration's change of posture "a war" is a little dramatic. But, given the current Republican tradition of politics by hissy fit, it's really the sort of thing we have to expect.

[Anonymous]

Just because swine flu is going around, there is no need for the White House to get into the spirit of the season and roll in the mud with pigs.

I think the whole thing is quite childish and unbecomming of the President of the United States.

At the end of the day, all this is accomplishing is even better ratings and numbers pull for Fox.

[Anonymous]

The bushies and the GOP hated MSNBC (they had Olberman achoring the debate coverage. Can you imagine having a blowhard like Hannity or O'Reilly serving the supposedly non-biased anchor role?) So they gave them less interviews of course. But there was never a declared war anywhere near this level of open hostility.

Even aside Obama's performance thus far, it is bad politics to go to war with the media. Nobody wins but the media. I don't think any of the liberal media advisors (i.e., Howard Kurtz, et al) think this is a good idea. If he still aspires to be a post-partisan president, then don't alientate the network with the viewers you supposedly are trying to convert. Maybe it is distracting people away from the health-care debacle ... only thing I can think of.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Even aside Obama's performance thus far, it is bad politics to go to war with the media.

Obama is not going to war with the media. The administration has simply changed its posture toward one network. This, after all, is a network that was a major organizer of the Tea Bagger rallies and the Sept. 12 demonstrations. A Fox producer was actually filmed rallying the crowd and encouraging them to shout for the cameras. A legitimate news network does not participate in partisan demonstrations in that manner.

Again, Fox news is not being cut off from the White House Nobody is losing his credentials. Administration officials will still appear on Fox. However, Fox will not be treated the way a legitimate straight news organization is treated. It will be treated just like Bush treated MSNBC.

[Anonymous]

Someone help me. Was it Fox News that characterized Michelle and Barack's fist bump as a terrorist fist bump?

Wow, I bet Osama Bin Laden was laughing at that one. I'm sure he greets all his homeboys that way.

[Anonymous]

I don't recall an administration having a public enemies list since Nixon. Amazing but not surprising.

Obama is shaping up as the worst president in history.

Foreign policy - F. Sells out our European allies for what? Russia laughs in our face on Iran now.

Domestic policy - record breaking deficits as far as the eye can see.

Most partisan president in history per the polling numbers.

Just sad. I sort of equate it to taking a child to a nice store -hopefully you leave without the kid breaking anything.

Ha. Hahahahaha. Please, please keep talking. You and your ilk just make the Democrats and other Obama supporters look better and better by comparison. I especially love the "worst president in history" line.