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Holy shit! :lol

The White House escalated its offensive against Fox News on Sunday by urging other news organizations to stop "following Fox" and instead join the administration's attempt to marginalize the channel.

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN 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."

"Other news organizations like yours ought not to treat them that way," Axelrod counseled ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "We're not going to treat them that way."

By urging other news outlets to side with the administration, Obama aides officials dramatically upped the ante in the war of words that began earlier this month, when White House communications director Anita Dunn branded Fox "opinion journalism masquerading as news."

On Sunday, Fox's Chris Wallace retorted: "We wanted to ask Dunn about her criticism, but, as they've done every week since August, the White House refused to make any administration officials available to 'FOX News Sunday' to talk about this or anything else."

The White House stopped providing guests to 'Fox News Sunday' after Wallace fact-checked controversial assertions made by Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in August. Dunn said fact-checking an administration official was "something I've never seen a Sunday show do."

"She criticized 'FOX News Sunday' last week for fact-checking -- fact-checking -- an administration official," Wallace said Sunday. "They didn't say that our fact-checking was wrong. They just said that we had dared to fact-check."

"Let's fact-check Anita Dunn, because last Sunday she said that Fox ignores Republican scandals, and she specifically mentioned the scandal involving Nevada senator John Ensign," Wallace added. "A number of Fox News shows have run stories about Senator Ensign. Anita Dunn's facts were just plain wrong."

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."

Observers on both sides of the political aisle questioned the White House's decision to continue waging war on a news organization, saying the move carried significant political risks.

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: "I totally agree with Donna Brazile." Gergen added 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."

Bennett expressed outrage that Dunn told an audience of high school students this year that Mao Tse-tung, the founder of communist China, was one of "my favorite political philosophers."

"Having the spokesman do this, attack Fox, who says that Mao Zedong is one of the most influential figures in her life, was not…a small thing; it's a big thing," Bennett said on CNN. "When she stands up, in a speech to high school kids, says she's deeply influenced by Mao Zedong, that -- I mean, that is crazy."

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."

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."

"Source"

Spoiler

I chose to cite Fox News as the source because of the Rove comment.

:lol

 

[NumberTwo]

But it is in the TITLE! They wouldn't lie to us! :lol

 

[Kinitari]

Fox-News is not a legitimate News organization - News at 11.

 

[RubxQub]

This will only make the TeaBaggers angrier...and I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing.

 

[UNDERSTAR]

Well its true with all the bullshit thats been going on with that channel lately.

 

[Tamanon]

Well, when you trot out Karl Rove to talk on your defense, it pretty much reveals itself.

White House: "Sky is blue"

 

[GDGF]

I get what they're saying and it's true, but to the teabagging types this is going to come off as some kind of 1984 shit.

 

[beelzebozo]

HE'S GOT A POINT THERE

 

[deadbeef]

Hooray politics!

 

[UNDERSTAR]

This will only make the TeaBaggers angrier...and I can't tell if that's a good or a bad thing.

Bring on the lulz!! Thats all I gotta say.:lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[GhaleonEB]

Seeing the Fox News version of the story is certainly interesting.

The White House stopped providing guests to 'Fox News Sunday' after Wallace fact-checked controversial assertions made by Tammy Duckworth, assistant secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in August.

:lol

Alternate source for same story, with video from today.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/18/axelrod-emanuel-criticize_n_325097.html

 

[alr1ght]

I get what they're saying and it's true, but to the teabagging types this is going to come off as some kind of 1984 shit.

those people are not sane though. fuck em.

 

[blame space]

Yeah this won't help anything. Way to make the viewers even more ignorantly angry at your administration.

 

[eznark]

creepy

 

[RubxQub]

those people are not sane though. fuck em.

Those people are eventually going to do something extremely stupid and dangerous, though.

This is all that worries me.

 

[NumberTwo]

Those people are eventually going to do something extremely stupid and dangerous, though.

This is all that worries me.

Before his first term is over, someone will try something stupid. It's pretty imminent.

 

[permutated]

Those people are eventually going to do something extremely stupid and dangerous, though.

This is all that worries me.

I would agree if it were to any other channel besides Fox. If they started attacking any reputable news outlet I'd hit the brakes immediately.

 

[Black-Wind]

Shots fired!

 

[bob_arctor]

Yawn. More shit to bitch about for Fox News. Who cares.

 

[permutated]

Yawn. More shit to bitch about for Fox News. Who cares.

Well you cared enough to come in here and comment, guess that means they're pressing the right buttons.

 

[Brinbe]

While it's true, I'm not sure if it should be coming from the WH... If anything this'll feed right into what Fox wants.

 

[RubxQub]

To be fair, just about every news organization is a really shitty representation of a reputable news organization.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Those people are eventually going to do something extremely stupid and dangerous, though.

This is all that worries me.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_10/020491.php

Secret Service is so overwhelmed dealing with death threats and security that they are considering scaling back their overall mission to free up resources to deal with them.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I don't care how biased Fox News is, the White House is being a pussy here. They can seek to inform people, etc., but to attack a specific news channel is really weak, and it won't help their case at all. Especially when they have been talking about how the WH plans to go all Hugo Chavez on talk radio and such. Also, Glenn Beck has been attacking Republicans and Democrats quite equally when it comes to criticism of both parties, but of course most of his focus is on the Obama administration. Really, Obama's administration's problem with Fox is Glenn Beck.

 

[Purkake4]

 

[BorkBork]

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."

The ironing is delicious.

 

[genjiZERO]

They're right though. Fox isn't news. It's entertainment that poses as news. Not that MSNBC isn't too though. But Fox has a much larger following, and frankly their pundits are a lot more vocal. It makes me wonder though, has American new always been this bad?

 

[Virtua Ben]

To be fair, just about every news organization is a really shitty representation of a reputable news organization.

Totally agree. Every news channel is biased and shitty in one way or another.

 

[Cloudy]

I don't care how biased Fox News is, the White House is being a pussy here. They can seek to inform people, etc., but to attack a specific news channel is really weak, and it won't help their case at all.

I don't think they have a choice here. Fox "News" has recently been setting the news agenda with idiotic (usually anti-Obama) stuff and the rest of the media are pressured into covering it because Fox makes it priority news. They had to push back at some point..

 

[JayDubya]

Well, the primetime news pundits on all three major cable news networks are almost pure editorial / opinion shows, and I don't really care for any of that fare, Fox included.

I found it more concerning when Fox's Shep Smith or CNN's Rick Sanchez, ostensibly news readers, went on pro-socialized medicine rants last month in the middle of their programs.

 

[eznark]

I don't care what way you lean, the government leading an overt campaign to discredit a news outlet is fucked up.

It's so tired and cliched, but if President Bush led an aggressive public charge to discredit MSNBC or CNN many of the same cheerleaders here would be raging about misuse of power.

Some things should transcend party affiliation.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Yeah this won't help anything. Way to make the viewers even more ignorantly angry at your administration.

Nothing will ever stop the ignorant anger at Obama.

 

[water_wendi]

The government should just do a takeover of Fox News and talk radio and dismantle them. This pussyfooting around is ridiculous.

 

[beelzebozo]

yes. i don't even watch news. i catch world occurrences in the periphery of my day, and i survive, and i'm all the happier for it.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Sort of like showing a red rag to a stupid bull.

Throwing a hissy fit with people who play loose with the facts just hands them more ammo they can spin. Bit of an own-goal, and makes the administration look like it's more concerned with the media than running the country. Which is never a good image.

 

[EzLink]

I don't care how biased Fox News is, the White House is being a pussy here. They can seek to inform people, etc., but to attack a specific news channel is really weak, and it won't help their case at all. Especially when they have been talking about how the WH plans to go all Hugo Chavez on talk radio and such. Also, Glenn Beck has been attacking Republicans and Democrats quite equally when it comes to criticism of both parties, but of course most of his focus is on the Obama administration. Really, Obama's administration's problem with Fox is Glenn Beck.

I pretty much agree. I'm not sure how this will help Obama at all considering everybody except those who like fox know how shitty it is, but I sure as hell know that most fox news viewers will take this the wrong way and it will end up in even more anger from them towards the new administration. Seems very counter productive

 

[blame space]

Nothing will ever stop the ignorant anger at Obama.

Stop it? Probably not, but this "draw a line in the sand" approach certainly isn't going to help people agree that Fox News isn't reputable.

 

[JayDubya]

The government should just do a takeover of Fox News and talk radio and dismantle them. This pussyfooting around is ridiculous.

Yes, because that would go well for them. :lol

 

[Tamanon]

I don't care what way you lean, the government leading an overt campaign to discredit a news outlet is fucked up.

It's so tired and cliched, but if President Bush led an aggressive public charge to discredit MSNBC or CNN many of the same cheerleaders here would be raging about misuse of power.

Some things should transcend party affiliation.

You mean like the campaign against NBC last year?

 

[water_wendi]

Yes, because that would go well for them. :lol

i just want to speed up the inevitable.

 

[deadbeef]

The government should just do a takeover of Fox News and talk radio and dismantle them. This pussyfooting around is ridiculous.

lol wat

that's fucking stupid

 

[Door2Dawn]

I found it more concerning when Fox's Shep Smith or CNN's Rick Sanchez, ostensibly news readers, went on pro-socialized medicine rants last month in the middle of their programs.

SOCIALISM!1!1!1

 

[SundaySounds]

oh man. this is interesting.

 

[eznark]

You mean like the campaign against NBC last year?

You'll have to refresh my memory.

 

[Cloudy]

I don't care what way you lean, the government leading an overt campaign to discredit a news outlet is fucked up.

It's so tired and cliched, but if President Bush led an aggressive public charge to discredit MSNBC or CNN many of the same cheerleaders here would be raging about misuse of power.

Some things should transcend party affiliation.

They are only responding to Fox News leading an overt campaign to discredit the current government...

 

[BSsBrolly]

I don't care what way you lean, the government leading an overt campaign to discredit a news outlet is fucked up.

It's so tired and cliched, but if President Bush led an aggressive public charge to discredit MSNBC or CNN many of the same cheerleaders here would be raging about misuse of power.

Some things should transcend party affiliation.

MSNBC and CNN do not flat out lie. Fox News does. Big difference.

 

[timetokill]

Surely statements such as these will unify our great nation

 

[Tamanon]

You'll have to refresh my memory.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/19/georgebush.uselections2008

 

[JayDubya]

SOCIALISM!1!1!1

While the concept itself certainly warrants an enthusiasticly negative response, you'll note that my complaint is that this content came from newsreaders, not pundits. These shows are supposed to be more objective.


It's to be expected that, say, Rachel Maddow would do the same thing.

 

[captive]

doesn't matter anyway, the type of people that make Fox's programming number 1 already dont like Obama.

I don't care what way you lean, the government leading an overt campaign to discredit a news outlet is fucked up.

It's so tired and cliched, but if President Bush led an aggressive public charge to discredit MSNBC or CNN many of the same cheerleaders here would be raging about misuse of power.

Some things should transcend party affiliation.

great post.