Fox News Channel: For Democrats Unsafe at Any Speed

Barack Obama has apparently given in to pressure from Chris Wallace at Fox News and agreed to appear on his Sunday propaganda show. This is an unfortunate decision because all it does is give legitimacy to a Republican Party mouthpiece that has savaged Obama consistently for the past year.

The official policy of the Democratic Party should be to boycott the Fox News Channel. Roger Ailes and his henchmen who run Fox's political "news" shop have done more damage to Democratic presidential candidates than any other source of infotainment including talk radio and the odious (and influential) Drudge Report.

Fox News is the crown jewel of the Republican noise machine.

So this Sunday Obama will be led to the home base of Sean Hannity, William Kristol, Britt Hume, Bill O'Reilly, Fred Barnes, Morton Kondracke, and all the other warmongers and culture warriors like a lamb to the slaughterhouse. His responses will be cut up and edited and used against him in a million ways just as Fox has done with its endless tape loops of Reverend Wright, its chewing on "bitter-gate," and its childish disparaging of his name, his exotic background, his career, and his abilities.

Remember, it was Fox's Sean Hannity who planted the question about Bill Ayres at the ABC News debate. That was unhelpful for Obama. Why does anyone believe that appearing on the Republican propaganda network is helpful to any Democrat? Are there really NASCAR whites out there watching Fox, loving Hannity and O'Reilly, who are going to cozy up to Obama after seeing him do an interview?

I believe it is a mistake for Democrats, especially presidential candidates, to boost the credibility of Fox News by playing along with its "fair and balanced" farce.

Comments

[londongal]

Obama should do it -- I just hope he's prepared and shows some toughness!

[Bobzmcishl]

I like Nascar but hate Fox News and O'Reilly, Hannity, Hume, Kristol, and the rest of the white guys on that network. I was vehemently against Obama appearing on Fox News, even more so, after Terry McAuliffe went on the kissed Fox's butt the other night. What a charade!

[UnbiasView]

"The official policy of the Democratic Party should be to boycott the Fox News Channel."

So you really think the best way to deal with other Americans is to pick up you toys and go home where it's nice and safe and mommy can protect you? Give me a break, Obama is acting like a man and doing an interview where he will be respected. Liberals make it sound like the Karl Rove is going to pop out of the closet and kill you if you go on Fox News.

If Obama wants to be President and he can't face Chris Wallace then he is a joke, but he is obviously showing he is not.

If Obama's early ideas of being someone that can unite parties want to come true, you can't just ignore Republicans just like a Republican President shouldn't be ignoring Democrats.

[1dogs2]

My contempt for Fox "News" is as profound as my confidence that Obama can handle Chris Wallace. (It's not possible to cross your fingers behind your back while typing a comment.)

[UnbiasView]

If he honestly can't get through Chris Wallace he has no chance in the fall.

[disgustedcitizen]

"Are there really NASCAR whites out there watching Fox, loving Hannity and O'Reilly, who are going to cozy up to Obama after seeing him do an interview?"

I know it's not what you asked, but I am white, 62 years old, I love NASCAR, hate fox, hate hannity, despise O'really?, AND I am going to vote for Obama.

Still, I agree with you, Obama going on fox can do no good, but lots of potential harm.

[UnbiasView]

"Obama going on fox can do no good, but lots of potential harm."

I thought he was going to unite parties? Great leaders work with both sides . . . bad leaders work with one side (Bush).

[mc52]

The Wallace interview could be a very positive opportunity for Obama.

This interview could give Obama a critically important opportunity to clarify and positively define himself on major issues, to a large conservative audience. Are you aware that Wallace did a remarkably honest and positive act when he recently called out several of his Fox colleagues for constantly berating Obama on their show, Fox and Friends:

..... "Far be it for me to be a spokesman for the Obama campaign, .... but you know, the fact is that after giving a speech on race earlier this week, on Tuesday, he gave a major speech on Iraq on Wednesday and a major speech on the economy yesterday. And so, I think they would say that in terms of deflecting attention away from the issues people really want to hear about, maybe it"s the media doing it, not Barack Obama."

Here is a link to more complete discussion of the above on ThinkProgress: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/21/wallace-obama-fox/

Given Wallace's stated recognition of the importance of Obama's three speeches on race, Iraq and the economy, it seems certain that Wallace will let Obama focus on, and clarify and define himself on these hugely important issues.

I think this show could be a watershed in the election for turning away from the trivia trashing, and to get Fox News - and not just Chris Wallace - to start focusing on the real issues.

[Desiderata]

You are right, me52. Obama probably agreed to face Wallace because of Wallace's previous soul-searching protest.

Obama will get a fair interview with Wallace. Wallace is no Gibson nor Stephococous.

[katefranklin]

I respectfully disagree, though I will suspend judgment until *after* the interview airs. This interview gives him an opportunity to land some punches and show some fancy footwork. It's all a matter of how he's able to maneuver. It will also provide a solid counter-argument to Hillary's obnoxious "wimp" label. Obama's a big boy. He can handle this. Don't write off *all* Fox News viewers either. Some of them (not all) actually have 1/2 a brain and can recognize garbage when they see it. I haven't lost all hope ... yet.

[Desiderata]

They may recognize the garbage, but why, then, do they consume it?

[OSUMercutio]

I agree. As much as I dislike Faux News, if Obama can stand up to them, it will be one more step in putting the awful ABC debate behind him. And anyways, they're gonna take his comments out of context regardless of whether he give an interview for them or another network.

[UnbiasView]

"they're gonna take his comments out of context regardless"

What's the difference between Fox doing it or MSNBC or even huffington post doing the same thing?

The "100 years war" comment was taken out of context just like many of Obama's have been.

[rickmv]

So should McCain refuse to appear for an interview on NBC or god forbid MSNBC which lately has become nothing more than an arm of the Obama campaign? Say what you will about Fox but they don't have a host like Olbermann who seems to have only one theme every night, which is to pump up Obama. O'Reilly is alot of things and he may endorse McCain but you hardly hear him mention McCain's name. You can't ignore Fox, the audience is too big. Those same "bitter" voters who Obama so ingeniously alienated in San Francisco are exactly who he will need in November. It does no good for you to ignore them.

[IsaacKuo]

Yes, we can ignore Fox. The audience may be big but it consists entirely of people who actually like being lied to constantly, as long as they get to hear what they want to hear. Fox viewers won't vote for progressives anyway.

[UnbiasView]

I watch Fox News, I watch MSNBC . . . the truth is some place in the middle. It's not healthy to get all of your information from one source.

BTW, progressive seems to be the new term for socialist so I hop Obama doesn't start using that to define himself.

[Lon]

On the other hand, Fix cut up the Wright remarks despite the fact that they were not made on Fox. It doesn't appear that that particular tactic requires Obama to appear on Fox. It will be interesting to see how well he performs. Maybe he thinks it is a chance for him to appear tough while attacking non-democrats. That wouldn't be such a bad thing.

[Lon]

Oops that should be "Fox cut up" I don't do misspellings for political affect. But I do sometimes make typos.