The Obama Administration made a bizarre move over the weekend by sending out their top two lieutenants- David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel to try and neutralize FOX News Station.
Obama and his staff have refused to appear on FOX News to give interviews and have talked to Iran quicker than they have FOX news. It was the White House’s latest move in trying to marginalize the conservative slanting news station, who hasn’t received favorable coverage from FOX in the past. Both Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Axelrod followed in the same footsteps of WH News Director, Anita Dunn, whom just last week stated,
“The reality of it is that Fox News often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party. And it is not ideological... what I think is fair to say about Fox, and the way we view it, is that it is more of a wing of the Republican Party. Obviously [the President] will go on Fox because he engages with ideological opponents. He has done that before and he will do it again... when he goes on Fox he understands he is not going on it as a news network at this point. He is going on it to debate the opposition. [Fox is] widely viewed as a part of the Republican Party: take their talking points and put them on the air, take their opposition research and put it on the air. And that's fine. But let's not pretend they're a news organization like CNN is."
Both Axelrod and Emanuel basically echoed those same sentiments in agreeing FOX news wasn’t really a news station, but one with “perspective”. (Like CNN, MSNBC, ABC, don’t have their own “perspective”?)
These comments coming from such high ranking official’s in the WH indicates how thin- skinned and petty this president and his cronies may be during President Obama’s first term in the WH. The president needs to punch-up not down, he holds an office that signifies the man representing the most powerful nation in the world, which makes him the most powerful man in the world. His fights need to be focused on North Korea, Iran, or Afghanistan, not an American news outlet, especially one that is currently up 20% from this time last year and whose primetime lineup in ranked #1 in every demographic. Voters think this is petty and silly and frankly that the president should be worried about other issues.
This is also troubling because of the overwhelming support and lack of vetting Obama received from the media during his campaign. The notion that one channel, FOX News, dares to question an elected official, about his past connections- or for not blindly supporting his agenda is ludicrous.
The point of journalists is to dig up dirt in order to get the “scoop” on a good story-Whether it be having an illicit affair with an intern or receiving bribes from lobbyists to pass influential laws- journalists have time and time again, constantly been looking for the next big political mishap. They also are responsible for informing the viewer with information that may be detrimental to their own future, such as passing a $787 stimulus when we currently have a record $1.4 trillion deficit.
President Obama also still carries a grudge against FOX for exposing the Rev. Wright controversy, his past Bill Ayers connections, the ACORN scandal, and many other “news” worthy stories that other major news outlets have been slow picking up on. These stories being constantly looped on FOX news, along with FOX news commentators questioning the
“Obama Agenda” has caused Obama and the WH to stop appearing on FOX as well as, beginning this war with FOX News, it all seems so high school doesn’t it?
Its time that the Administration begins to move on from this petty war of words with other Americans and begin to focus on our real wars on two fronts- plus all the other pressing issues that our country is currently facing.
The president promised to move us past “the petty issues that divided us in the past”- right now he seems to be creating them.
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