It Appears That The Fox IS In The Hen House
They always say that to get attention you should be controversial, and I guess I’ve accomplished that today if you can believe the comments from visitors like weinerdog43 on my post about Nevada’s presidential debate set to be broadcast on Fox News in August 2007 (weinerdog43? Seriously? You should watch who you’re calling a dimwit with a name like that). Let’s just say that the statement by the Nevada Democratic Party in support of the debate (and my mother hen instinct and lord knows that doesn’t appear very often) was not well received by the liberal blogosphere.
While my first response to the statement was sympathetic to the state party and an attempt at a sort of defense because I could see what they were going to be up against (the boycott emails were already flying), my more thoughtful response is that that state party is in for a heap of trouble and embarrassment thanks to the deal making of Harry Reid (although I hear that his “people” deny his involvement in the deal with Fox News). According to MediaBistro (thanks Marcus), Fox News was determined to hold the first presidential debate and since CNN booked New Hampshire on April 4rth and 5th, and MSNBC booked theirs in South Carolina on April 26th, it was only natural for Fox News to approach someone in Nevada (rumor is that Iowa may have turned them down first) for the earliest scheduled debate.
Chris Bowers of MyDD.com, Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of DailyKos.com, and Adam Green of Moveon.org are going to use the Fox News debate as a way to pressure politicians, pundits, and journalists to stop treating Fox News as if it were a legitimate news outlet using their websites and Robert Greenwald’s new short film to be released on YouTube tomorrow called “Fox Attacks Obama.” Short of Obama’s refusal to be interviewed by the outlet, Democrats have never had such a good chance to send such a powerful statement to Fox News about its coverage.
Some folks in Nevada thought they could get away with it, but its not clear who (Reid? Collins? Other Democratic operatives outside the state?). One thing we know for sure, its hard to say no to Reid in Nevada. For those of us inside the state, its sometimes hard to understand Reid’s status as netroots darling because of his disappointing strategy on Iraq, Alito, and of course his gentleman’s agreement with golfing Senator John Ensign. Perhaps its because Democrats have been in the minority for so long, and because Reid was able to rub Frist’s face in the dirt now and again, that some are willing to forgive him for his often misplaced priorities? Nevada certainly benefits from his stature in the Senate, but still…
So I don’t know who is responsible for scheduling the debate with Fox News, but if nothing else, Reid and the party have the power to change the situation. I’m also thinking that the state party should have held out for Court TV or Bravo or another cable station more respected than Fox News. I mean Bravo is responsible for bringing us Top Chef and Project Runway. Imagine what they could do with a presidential debate. Time to start the politicking.
(P.S. I hope Tom Collins forgives me for the joke about his name in the imaginary scenario I published earlier based on nothing but my own speculation–I love a gin and tonic with a dash of Tom Collins mix).
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Fox is an outlet. Everybody here is under some assumption that only Republicans will tune in to watch. If anything, they won’t care. It will be Democrats who will watch, unless their sense of self-satisfaction precludes them from clicking on the network.
You guys need to get a grip. It’s a live event being broadcast, that’s all. Murdoch and his evil GOP minions aren’t writing the questions or lighting the stage so Hillary looks fat and Obama blacker. Sure they may have post-debate comments that, heaven-forbid, aren’t glowing, but most people turn that off anyway.
“Murdoch and his evil GOP minions aren’t writing the questions or lighting the stage so Hillary looks fat and Obama blacker.”
Yikes!
The Man, allow me to remove your rose-colored glasses:
In other words, you are wrong. They will do everything they think they can get away with to make Dems look bad during the event, not just afterward.
And the idea is to stop viewing Fox as a legitimate news organization given their history of being a propaganda organ for the GOP. It’s like thinking of Matt Drudge as a legitimate news website. The coverage is manipulated, false stories are spread and our willingness to appear on Fox just gives them cover.
Boycott them until they prove they are willing to not distort. Murdoch loves money more than he loves the GOP, he’ll fold.
Again, no one knows who made the decision - isn’t that convenient?
Like no one knows who ordered the microphones to be turned off at the NSDP Convention? It was Clark County 1st Vice-Chair Justin Gilbert doing the dirty work of disenfranchizing Democrats and denying their civil liberty and freedom of speech!
Like no one knows how all of the progressives that supported Marcia deBraga’s State Chairmanship Candidacy got “purged into political purgatory” and removed from the Central Committee List - it was Clark County Chairwoman Liz Foley “playing petty pay-back politics” to “disenfranchize the dissenters and discontents” and intimidate Democrats into supporting Tom Collins!
Like no one knows who it was that went into the GLBT Caucus meeting and insulted everyone present by saying gays should not have equal rights - that, was NSDP Chairman Tom Collins!
Then, he had the audacity to explain his bigotry by saying “I follow the teachings of my church”…and when asked about separation of church and state - he refused to answer the question!
To make matters worse he went on to say “The Democratic Women divided and destroyed the party with their ERA movement!”
Since then Tom Collins has attempted to undermine and disenfranchize the caucus structure within the party!
The NSDP elections are coming up and “some one” has already decided that everyone will have to prove they are a Democrat and properly “credentialled” to vote - it’s more than a shame - it’s a sham!
I hope the NSDP Progressives UNITE state-wide and vote Tom Collins out of office - he’s a bully and a D.I.N.O.!
And the Progressives in Clark County need to vote out Liz Foley too!
Until we get real leaders, that understand basic Democratic values and don’t abuse their positions - the NSDP will make little progress IF any!
This is why the average American voter, Democrat or Republican, could care less about the nut cases that populate blogs.
You guys are so filled with blind hate for anything not in complete and utter lockstep with your rigid ideology that you invent conspiracies and present them as fact.
Take the “evidence” of the Baltimore debate that the rabidly partisan keeping tossing out as proof. You decry the “summary” of the debate, yet that is what they would do after any debate,even those they didn’t televise.
Even better is the point about protesters interrupting the event. You mean like at some of Bush’s speeches. But, oh wait, those protesters are righteous warriors of Democracy, while the Baltimore ones were obviously hired by Murdoch. I bet he even personally posted their bail.
And, of course, a question about gun ownership to a Democrat is completely irrelevant and a sleazy right-wing tactic. I mean, after all, how many Americans actually own guns? Oh, but wait, in your black-tinted glasses every single one of those people are just evil NRA nazis who watch Fox (sorry, Faux) news.
Maybe Fox should just drop it. Let the debate run on public access or the Outdoor Channel, where viewership is measured in the hundreds, and Fox can spend a couple hours dissecting it and making fun of the “powerful” netroots that have embarrassed their candidates to America.
Hugh Jackson has just posted on his site, The Las Vegas Gleaner, that NSDP State Chairman, Tom Collins has announced he will NOT be running for re-election!
Well…I wonder what prompted that change in his dictatorship?
“…the nut cases that populate blogs.”
John Ralston? Is that you?
Ralston is the man. Just not, The Man.