Here is David Axelrod with George Stephanopoulous this moring:
I don't argue so much that Fox has a point-of-view; they do. Their slogan is "fair and balanced" and some broadcasters honor that more than others, but you can't bash Fox as "not being a news station" and let MSNBC slide by without comment either. If anyone has a point-of-view, they do. Chris Matthews and his tingling leg? C'mon!
Which is just silly. The whole thing is silly.
Most Americans can see clearly that the issue is simply that Fox doesn't like Obama's policies so Obama doesn't like Fox and is trying to punish them with this silliness. Obama doesn't handle criticism well. We've seen that over and over. It makes him testy.
Does The White House think that this name calling, which is all it is, will hurt Fox's feelings? Drop their viewership? Marginalize them? What's the goal here?
Allahpundit points out that even the NYT is over it and points to this quote:
On t
he official White House Web site, a blog called Reality Check provides a running tally of transgressions by Fox News. It ends with this: “For even more Fox lies, check out the latest ‘Truth-O-Meter’ feature from Politifact that debunks a false claim about a White House staffer that continues to be repeated by Glenn Beck and others on the network.”
People who work in political communications have pointed out that it is a principle of power dynamics to “punch up “ — that is, to take on bigger foes, not smaller ones. A blog on the White House Web site that uses a “truth-o-meter” against a particular cable news network would not seem to qualify. As it is, Reality Check sounds a bit like the blog of some unemployed guy living in his parents’ basement, not an official communiqué from Pennsylvania Avenue.
The American presidency was conceived as a corrective to the royals, but trading punches with cable shouters seems a bit too common. Perhaps it’s time to restore a little imperiousness to the relationship.Indeed. The entire brouhaha is simply a distraction from the more relevant and important issues in front of us all today. To make the important issue about Fox is just childish. Get over yourselves.
More at Memeorandum
3 comments:
Every day the WH and the left seem to resemble high school politics more than national politics. They appear to view it as one big popularity contest. It sort of makes sense in a sad way, since politicians gain power through popular votes (and MSM gain power through ratings) that being liked becomes more important than doing the right thing. Hence the euphoria over Obama's election. How could anyone so popular not succeed?
Nanny nanny boo boo! Fox News momma wears army boots!
Damn, I was looking at the picture of Axlerod and was thinking, "Who he would look like if you shaved and inch off each side of his mustache?"
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