The White House is Right about Fox News

The White House is right about Fox News.  It is a wing of the Republican Party, masquerading as a news organization.  In the past week or so, the Obama White House has lashed-out at Fox News for being, not a news organization, but a Republican research and propoganda organization.  Members of the President’s staff have taken some heat over commenting, directly, about a news organization.  Pundits from the right and the left have questioned the strategy that may or may not influence Fox News to do actual news, and will most certainly increase their (Fox News) ratings.  The majority of political observers believes that this is a bad move by the Obama Administration, but I strongly disagree.  Not only is it right, but it is already working.

Fox News has been in attack mode since Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination for President.  While other news organizations were focusing, for the most part, on the real issues facing the next President of the United States, Fox News focused on the character of Barack Obama and any person with which he was vaguely associated.  Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers were daily foils for Fox News and, frankly, they still are, according to Sean Hannity.  During the election, Fox News could muster little criticism toward Obama’s opponent, John McCain, unless of course, you count loving your country just too damn much as criticism.  

Barack Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.  That day marked, not only the inauguration of America’s first minority president, but it marked the day that Fox News became the opposition to the President of the United States.  You want proof?  Here is a quote from Fox News Vice President for Programming, Bill Shine:

 “There were a couple of people who basically wrote about our demise come last November (and) December and were, I guess, rooting for us to go away…With this particular group of people in power right now, and the honeymoon they’ve had from other members of the media, does it make it a little bit easier for us to be the voice of the opposition on some issues?” (March 23, 2009)

That sounds exactly like a Fox News executive telling whoever will listen that they are not interested in reporting the news, but instead being the “voice of the opposition.”  That is Fox News’ V.P. of Programming pushing a point-of-view.

Bill Shine not a big enough player for you?  Here’s a quote by Fox News President, Roger Ailes, via right-wing lunatic, Glenn Beck:

“I see this as the Alamo…If I just had somebody who was willing to sit on the other side of the camera until the last shot is fired, we’d be fine.” (March 6, 2009)

With all of the recent headlines blaring that the White House has started a war with Fox News, you have to wonder if anyone in the media can do their jobs.  Fox News started this “war” a long time ago.

Roger Ailes not big enough, still?  Well, here is the most telling quote of all, from the biggest of big dogs at News Corp., Rupert Murdock.  This is his reaction to a question about the “war” with the White House:

“There were some strong remarks coming out of the White House about one or two of the commentators on Fox News…And all I can tell you is that it’s tremendously increased their ratings.” (October 16, 2009)

There you have it.  News Corp. Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, just told you and me that he is interested in the bottom line–ratings.  Facts?  Integrity?  Who gives a damn about all of that, right.  This is clear-cut evidence that Fox News’ opposition to the President comes from the top.

What everyone needs to understand is that the Obama Administration is not really complaining about the prime-time commentators like O’Reilly, Beck, and Hannity.  We all know what they are about.  They are about destroying the Obama Administration, and the individuals serving in that administration.  They are for the personal destruction of President Obama and those who work for him.  They are now on daily witch-hunts for Obama Administration officials, using fear, misrepresentation, and lies to take them down.

The problems lies with the research and points-of-view of these hate-mongers are the subject of Fox News’ “news” coverage.  Rather than reporting the news, they are pushing the opinions of their pundits.  It’s almost as though Fox News anchors refuse to leave the building.  The news production gets its news from the shows of Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity.  And these clowns get their news from right-wing radio and the Drudge Report.

The decision made by the White House was a good one.  The Obama Administration cannot continue to allow Fox News to attack, without response.   They have just placed Fox News beneath the media’s microscope and, even though the ratings at Fox News might rise in the short term, more people are going to know what they are about.  They are about destruction, not news.  And in its haste, Fox News will prove the White House right, again and again.