Obama: "If I Were Watching Fox News, I Wouldn't Vote For Me"

In Matt Bai's long profile of Barack Obama in the upcoming New York Times magazine, he squeezes a choice quote out of Obama to get the candidate's true feelings about Fox News (despite his long-delayed appearance on Bill O'Reilly's show).

"I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls," Obama told me. "If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn't vote for me, right? Because the way I'm portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?"

Comments

[netyourcatch]

Just went through the above posts and have to say this makes great reading for the rest of the world too - the US elections is quite the source of entertainment! Stumbled across a South African cartoon strip covering the US election and candidate antics - check out http://www.wonkie.com/tag/us-elections/ for a laugh :)

Too bad we don't get Fox and SNL in South Africa - would have been great to see the coverage you discuss above (thank god for youtube!)

[Spitfire67]

And if I watched only MSNBC, I wouldn't be voting for McCain.


Oh, but that's different somehow.

[scoticus]

yes, it is actually. msnbc may take a sharp left in the evenings, but in this case truth happens to be on their side. i would apply the same concept to fox, but even when they are correct, their subsequent extremism regarding whatever they were correct about completely discounts their position. ie: obama want to raise taxes on wealthy people. yes. he does. OMG He's a communist/socialist who's trying to bring down our super fantastic decreed by God himself trickle down economic theory! Booo!!! Hisss!! its one thing to be factually correct. its another to add your own stupid, void-of-any-facts rhetoric to the segment.

tell me i'm wrong. better yet, show me.

[skylarplane]

Is Fox responsible for this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066207/posts

[hypnotoad72]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/the-offshoring-of-hope-o_b_67924.html

If jobs is the #1 issue to American voters, why is anybody voting for you, Mr Obama?

You've mentioned tax breaks, but - and maybe I was using the restroom at the time - have missed out on what you've said about jobs. (Not even a token "Let's give tax incentives to companies that keep jobs here instead of giving them to companies that offshore." )

[rapriffmaster]

Isn't that the reason for Foxx's very existence.To be the bullhorn for the fascist ultra-reactionary wing of the republican party.They are "fair and balanced" all right;they give you both sides.The neo-con fascist warmonger side,and the the ultra-reactionary, neo-pharisee,evangelical hatemongers side.

[Pacojam]

Fox News has hurt this country in so many ways, not the least of which is their enormous assistance in getting Bush elected twice. And look what has happened.

They lie and confuse, which is bad for the human mind that is listening. That confused mind now has less of an ability to have good relationships and in general, to be happy (I work as a psychotherapist).

That is one thing so refreshing about listening to Obama. He has an honest clarity about him. It gives you the feeling that if we just understand our problems clearly, we can solve them. I believe this to be true.

Fox news is all about "they are the enemy and you need to fight them in order to win, and our job is to tell you how bad they are"

[AceInTheHole]

OBAMA SURE CAN TELL IT LIKE IT IS!

HOW REFRESHING, FOR A CHANGE!

DON'T YOU GET TIRED OF ALL OF THE PUNDITS AND POLITICIANS WHO HAVE TO SAY A THOUSAND WORDS TO EXPRESS TWO THOUGHTS, AND EVEN THEN , WITH VERY LITTLE IMPACT.

OBAMA IS PLAIN SPOKEN, AND GETS QUICKLY TO THE POINT , WITHOUT A LOT OF EXTRANEOUS RHETORIC OR OBFUSCATION. AND I REALLY I LIKE THAT ABOUT HIM!

[onecorgilover]

It's marketing ingenuity at its best......... One stop shopping for hatemongers: FOXNEWS!

[nvr2late]

I'm glad to see Obama retaliating against Fox, as mild as it was. I can't even turn Fox on anymore because it seems 24/7 anti-Obama, and that is now including Greta. Do a study on their salaries and you will quickly understand why they don't want Obama. I read somewhere an insightful comment. All the rich have to do is maybe step down a notch on their brand of Champagne so someone else not so fortunate can eat a sandwich, or it was something close to that.

[wmafoune]

I agree...

[mistlesuede]

Fox viewers didn't understand that. The words were to big.

[Spitfire67]

Psst, it's too.

[rwt1138]

Isn't McCain the candidate who always appears with a grande cup from Starbucks in his hand?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shaw/reading-the-pictures-emha_b_134406.html

[SunshineDaydream]

I DO!!!

[j-racqoon70]

Watch enough Kieth Obermann on MSNBC and you'll see why he gives them such terrible epithets.

[bentenrai]

Olberman, O'Reilly, Hannity, Maddow, all of these are just people with opinions looking for people who agree with them, or people to denigrate on their show. They are at best funny, but mostly they are uninformative.
They are not even commentators, they are propagandists, and they don't help much.
What we need are journalists. Cultured people with street smarts who ask pointed questions and then LISTEN to the answer, then let people judge what they heard.
Journalists are a dying breed. Now any uncouth fool with a loud mouth has a show.
I wish all of them were replaced by clones of Bill Moyer. If there were journalists left, there would be no fool out there believing that Obama is an Arab or that blacks will take over the white house or none of that nonsense.

[victorsa]

I agree with you as far as Olbermann, O'Reilly and Hannity go...we must view them just like Lottery tickets as "for entertainment only". But I think it's important to make a distinction for Maddow. There's a difference between "having an opinion" and having your whole raison d'etre be to shove that opinion down your guests' and viewers' throats and to belittle and denigrate your guests. There's no denying Maddow's opinion, but she is intent on civil and educated discourse, unlike the others for whom elevated volume level is their only art form. I mean, calling Pat Buchanan "fun" stretches credulity, but hey, I've never sat across a desk from the guy ;-).
Perhaps this is a distinction without a difference, but I would put Maddow in an entirely different class than the others. They're fun to listen to (well...Olbermann's fun...O'Reilly and Hannity are infuriating), but I feel like I am smarter when I listen to Maddow.

[Jinxykb]

You obviously have not watched Maddow.

[harriscrl3]

I hear ya Barack. FOx News is TABLOID TV plain and simple and they are TABLOID TV that pushes the Bankrupt DEFUNT Proven INCORRECT republican agenda.

Republican and conservatism is a JOKE they stood by and let the village Idiot use them to spread his talking points and deception to the American people and they want us to believe they are reputable Puleeze.

Have they done anything on Palin Other than that ridiclousness with Hannity. Did they ask her about palling aorund with separtist group that want Alasak to cede from the Union. Did they ask her aobut her witch hunting pastory doctor.

Carol

[Spitfire67]

Has CNN or MSNBC asked Obama about his campaign funding? Have they asked why you can use any name and address when you donate to his campaign online? Have they asked why that security feature is permenantly turned off?

[minty68]

"Because the way I'm portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?"

WE DO!!