RedStateVT has watched in bewilderment as the Obama administration has picked a public fight with Fox News. On the surface, it is so counter-intuitive a strategy that it has us wondering just what the motivation can be. The Obama-ites have to know that they cannot silence Fox News, nor can they turn the network into the fawning MSNBC.
So by attacking Fox is the hope that they will at least get the network to tone it down?
Alternatively, do they hope to besmirch Fox’s reputation and, therefore, undermine its effectiveness?
Or, are they so arrogant and self-righteous that they are simply engaging in the Chicago-style politics that we often hear about?
We are hard-pressed to guess at the motivation, but we are pretty certain that it is not working. Fox is not backing down and the actions of the White House are now even turning off members of their own party:
A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill — and not just from Republicans. “It’s a mistake,” said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania. “I think it’s beneath the White House to get into a tit for tat with news organizations.” (from POLITICO.com 10/23/2009)
I think the attack on Fox News was designed to isolate it from the rest of the mainstream media and, in turn, from moderate and independent viewers. Obama would like to present Fox News as beyond the pale - a mouthpiece for the GOP - and therefore in need of a little "Fairness Doctrine" therapy.
ReplyDeleteThe White House has to be livid about the Van Jones and ACORN incidents where Fox drove the news cycle. Fox broke the stories, the mainstream media followed (except for the NY Times), and government responded. Van Jones was cashiered, and ACORN was cut off by Congress, the Census Bureau the IRS.
This was not supposed to have happened, and to my knowledge it never has before. The NYT, WaPo and a few other reliably liberal news organs, have heretofore served as the filters that determined what the great unwashed masses needed to know.
Now Fox News has taken on the role and the White House is concerned. Given their Chicago roots that are lashing back in a thuggish attempt to restore the status quo ante.