White House Attempt to Polarize Fox News Fails
Obama continues to reveal his Alinsky roots in his attempts to ‘Pick the Target, Freeze It, Personalize It and Polarize It’. Fortunately for the country, the targets keep moving, the personalized attacks frequently backfire and the attempts at polarization haven’t been working out very well either. Fox News is the latest target and things have not quite gone according to the Alinsky blueprint. Fox ratings are moving up, Glenn Beck relishes using props to mock the White House and even the mainstream media has refused to cooperate.
Doug Ross writes:
Today [Thursday] the White House stepped up its attack on Fox News, announcing that the network would no longer be able to conduct interviews with officials as a member of the Press Pool. The Pool is a five-member group consisting of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC organized by the White House Correspondents Association. Its membership is not subject to oversight by the government.
Before an interview with “Pay Czar” Kenneth Feinberg, the administration announced that Fox News would be banned from the press pool. This marks the first time in history that an administration had attempted to ban an entire network from the press pool.
To their credit, the other networks objected. They told the White House that if Fox were banned, none of the other networks would participate. The White House relented, but in an apparent act of petulant retaliation, it restricted each network to a two-minute interview instead of the standard five.
Mary Katherine Ham explains:
The White House can dole out access to various administration officials, to be sure, but when dealing with the actual press pool, it has to deal with the White House Press Association—the independent group of journalists charged with looking out for WH reporters’ best interests in covering the executive branch. That’s much trickier than just talking trash about Fox on TV.
Dan Riehl comments:
For the first time in my life I’m actually uncomfortable knowing that this guy has control of our military and Federal police forces. If he thinks he can simply shut down a member of the press on a whim, how long before he goes full Chavez?
That the freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.
The Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 12, 1776.
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H/T: Doug Ross@Journal, The Weekly Standard, Riehl World View, Hot Air, The National Archives.
[1]
Asselrod says fox isn’t really a news station, so I guess it’s alright to watch them, because obamba isn’t really our president.
Fair is fair.
[2]
well said, ip!
Although FoxNews (and thus AMERICA) won this particular skirmish, the enemies of a truly free press will be back…and soon.
Still, it was nice to see even the tiniest spine from the other media outlets. (must have pissed off Chris Mathews, however)
[3]
What Fox needs to do is what the MSM did to Bush and the Republicans when things were good. Go and show ALL of the HOMELESS, those evicted, those living in homeless shelters, those living in camps and underpasses. Show how the economy is not bouncing back. Show the human suffering and make the point that the Democrats and in particularly ‘zero’ have done very little to reduce their suffering.
Do this every night, have a segment focusing on the people suffering and ask what has ‘zero’ done – nothing. Show him living it up with White House dinners while others are suffering.
[4]
I was amazed to see this happen. I’d love to have overheard the conversations. I think the rest of the media realized it could happen to them as well.
Obama is all book learning on politics–he doesn’t seem to able to allow for the fact that people don’t always behave according to plan. When even Helen is against what you’re doing, you’ve really misread the situation.
He’s also too much of a narcissist to be able to grasp the fact that other people have differing perspectives that they may think are valid!
[5]
RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.
Sound familiar?
[6]
My comments regarding this from the other thread:
Venezuela has nothing on Obama and his pathetic administration. I bet the other networks had to think a bit before deciding not to put the knife in Fox’s back.
The question I have is why the administration would do this if there was a chance they would have to back down — which they did. They can’t even get their “banana republic strongman” role correct. What a bunch of f**k ups.
[7]
gnqanq, that is splendid advice. the October unemployment numbers come out November 6th. I think the number may finally hit 10%. Biden will, of course, ttumpet the AWESOMENESS!!
[8]
Ooop, regarding #5. I should have read INCs comments on this first. Duh!
[9]
mp – because it is amateur hour in the WH. Remember these clowns have never run any type of business or activity as a CEO expecting actual results.
[10]
justrand – Fox has a 24 hour news channel and business channel to hit ‘zero’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just keep pulling up facts in the news stories showing how things have gotten worse under ‘zero’. Use unemployment numbers, show those who have given up “hope” on getting a job.
Keep pounding them day after day on economic and foreign affairs.
“zero” has a thin skin and a glass jaw. If you keep hitting him time after time, he will crumble.
[11]
What is so silly is the White House forced the other news organizations from the position of observer to that of active participant. This only guarantees that this will be further discussed by the Sunday talking heads, if not leaking into other daily news coverage. The ratings for Fox are just getting higher and higher.
You only pull this kind of stunt if you are sure you can win. Even my 7 year old son is beginning to figure that out.
[12]
Mike, I had an old post titled The Keystone Cops Do Saul Alinsky. It was about some of Obama’s minions, but I thought of it when I was doing this one.
gnqanq is right. It is amateur hour. He’s a dangerous amateur, but at least he doesn’t have LBJ’s experience!
[13]
You only pull this kind of stunt if you are sure you can win. Even my 7 year old son is beginning to figure that out.
His arrogance keeps tripping him up. Obama has never lost–he’s had his way paved and it never occurs to him to evaluate whether he’ll win or lose.
His staff hasn’t had enough experience with regular people to understand them either.
[14]
Actually they didn’t back down entirely they punished them all, 5 mintues a piece became 2 mintutes a piece after the mini revolt. This is a minor rebuke, and going after fox being in the standing “pool” was absolutely insane, you had to think they knew there would be push back, but this WH figured fuggit why not try it maybe those pussies will actually fold, and if they do we pwn them. So that’s there plan, to push, push, push until the rest of the press pushes back, which with some minor exceptions I would not count on happening.
[15]
The NYT has an interesting read in Behind War Between White House and Fox.
[16]
10 – Actually for the most part Fox shouldn’t change a thing, keep trying to play it fair and accurate, but yeah when something particularly bad comes up… highlight the living crap out of it. I really don’t want fox to do what MSNBC, NBC,CBS and ABC and CNN did to Bush, but if Obama really wants a straight up war with FoxNews well then fair is fair.
What great is all Fox needs to do is report the truth, the rest will take care of itself.
[17]
KH, that might have been done to avoid losing face. They had to do something to show they didn’t totally lose in this.
I do agree that the WH will keep up with the push, push, push. We are in a war of attrition.
[18]
The press really missed an opportunity. When the WH went to the 2 min cut they should have all said — we’ll make it easy, we’ll cut it to 0. Then summarily, every last microphone, left the room.
Tho much of his agenda and staff can function without press access. The O himself I doubt would be able to function unless he got at least an hour a week of press coverage.
[19]
The other networks are not that committed to Fox, I don’t think many of them truely understand where this is headed because most of them actually agree privately with the WH’s take, though they may not agree with the actions.
The WH press corp itself though is a fairly tight bunch so I would have expected at lot more questions and push back from them this week, instead the only one showing any balls till today was Tapper, I think obama wanted that question from the interviewer so I don’t think it took any balls on her part, and of course that clip never aired on the networks TV airing of the interview, only in the online full version.
Most will fold a couple will not, Venezuela here we come.
[20]
Totally {OT} but…
—
Another ex-ClubGitmo member returns to the battlefield and gets himself dead.
[21]
Hmm probing or random attack?
‘
Meanwhile while the Pak’s may actually be finally finally finally trying to do something (we’ll see how successful it actually is…I’m doubtful) in southern Waziristan, we of course are dilly-dallying about our own commitment to the fight. Hmm wouldn’t it be nice to have more resources in theater to run some operations toward the opposite side of South Waziristan on the Afghan border to help squeeze these fugtards? Nah gotta wait to see how Nov 3rd turns out right mr. president? Come on mr. president prove me wrong, I’ll be pleased if you do.
[22]
Hi all,
Been out of pocket somewhat, job has me all over Central Texas.
On topic, I respectfully disagree – White House may well lose the the upfront war with Fox News, but they will win over all.
The Sycophantic press are now seeing the whip right as they are trying and wanting to stray, and Fox will make an attempt to come back into the fold and meet mid point.
End result, a symbolic “defeat” at the hands of the press but a yet still more compliant one than before(if that is possible).
[23]
Hey Knighthawk,
Can we come up with a way to arrange meetups with these former Gitmo detainees who want to die in shootouts? we could schedule them out, I know plenty of guys willing to play…
[24]
Gerryowen, despite today, how would we know if the press surrenders to the White House?
[25]
Not a bad idea… but we must request they turn over there club gitmo shirts to us first, collectors items.
btw again OT – Hannity was actually good for something tonight, that chick ansley airheart or what ever profile Dr. John Muney NY office were he offers a 79$ a month membership and people come as often as they like and it’s only 10$ per visit on top… they can handle 80% of all patients needs.
Sounded pretty good… so I googled this and what fugg do you know NYState is trying to shut the guy down cause it’s too much like “insurance”.
cheggit out.
http://www.vosizneias.com/28392/2009/03/04/new-york-ny-doctor-trying-to-help-uninsured-patients-with-annual-low-fee-is-being-fought-by-state-bureaucrats/
Unreal. Instead of encouraging this or thinking hey this is a great service to our citizens how can we work the law or maybe ask the legislature to tweek it so this type of thing is fully approved, nah… let’s shut the guy down.
“The whole point is, he [Muney] found a way of paying his rent, paying his workers, and getting to see patients for the price,” said Robinson. ”
OH man!!! We can’t have that!!!!
[26]
(ref above)
Hell if this is still going on … Hoffman should raise it as prime example of government getting in the way and promise to end the interference if elected.
[27]
Knighthawk, sounds like Dr. Muney is threat to a LOT of special interests. That will not be permitted.
[28]
Yup What about the uninsured!!! <— Ut oh we can't have that, we must have the public option!!! ok granted it's not like this would cover catastrophic situations but still.
[29]
ut oh I think I my post just got flagged as spam. lol
[30]
btw doing some more checking looks like he lost his case and had to start charging his patients more for one off procedures he otherwise would have provided for free.
NY State strikes again.
[31]
Imagine the MSM outrage had Bush tryied this with CNN or MSNBC. He would have been accused of trying to destroy the First Amendment.
[32]
Bush wouldn’t have done that because he wasn’t as thin skinned as our dear leader.