Barack's Choice: Yes To Fox News, No To Hillary Clinton

Watching Barack Obama on Fox News Sunday, I was struck by something that hadn't occurred to me before: Maybe Fox News thinks they might have to deal with Barack being president and -- unlike Bill Clinton -- they see no immediate reason to try and destroy his presidency from day one.

How else to explain the civil tone of Chris Wallace's questions?... and the strikingly moderate analysis by the Fox pundits that took place afterwards?

I am no great lover of Fox News. And prior to watching the interview, I had been as prepared as a lot of people probably were to see a combative Barack Obama shining the light of truth on Fox New's real agenda. But when I saw the actual tone that Barack was using, I immediately realized that he was not there to accuse them of doing something negative towards him unless they did so in that moment.

This is called diplomacy... a largely forgotten skill... and the special quality that attracted me to Barack's campaign in the first place. Barack demonstrated that the foundation of his candidacy -- that the time for people from the left and right to talk to each other and seek common ground has come -- is still alive and well.

So, I applaud Barack for going on Fox News Sunday and giving Chris Wallace the benefit of the doubt... allowing for the diplomatic possibility that the interview could go well... which I think it did.

Senator Obama, you made a wise choice.

Comparing this to Barack's response to the reality-twisting, "do anything to win" behavior of Hillary Clinton, Bill "They played the race card against me!" Clinton, and the rest of Hillary's team... and I believe Barack has correctly decided that a "diplomatic discussion" -- (aka a debate on "the issues" that Hillary is demanding Barack have with her) -- is not going to happen. I think he realizes that any interaction with the Clinton campaign is going to be filled with "more of the same"... in other words, more of the politics of the past that his candidacy seeks to change.

We all know how every year Lucy promises Charlie Brown that she'll hold the football while he runs up to kick it. And we know that every year Lucy breaks her promise and pulls the ball away from Charlie Brown at the last moment, and he winds up flat on his back. It's called "The Leopard cannot change its spots."

So, in denying Hillary the debate she wants, he has made another wise choice.

I wouldn't be surprised if Barack is sad about having to choose to -- essentially -- let Hillary Clinton go. Because I believe that, in his heart, he really does want all of us -- including the Clinton's -- to work cooperatively for a better America... for a safer and healthier world.

But he has had to make a difficult choice. He has had to realize that -- until he is president -- he cannot attempt to work cooperatively with those who in actuality want to destroy the new politics he wants to bring to America. People for whom the politics of collaboration is either completely unknown or a psychological threat -- as the Clinton's have demonstrated is the case for them -- must be kept on the sideline at this point in time.

With Barack Obama's candidacy, this new politics is being given its best chance ever to reach the maturity necessary to become the mainstream way for politics to function in America. By appearing on Fox News Sunday, Barack showed us that this new politics can still happen...and that, at least in the case of Chris Wallace and the pundits who appeared with him, Fox News can potentially be part of the process of building this new political world. Barack showed us that you have to give "the better angels" in people a chance to show up. (And yes, I know that one Sunday morning interview show does not make for a completely transformed Fox News. But, as Chris Wallace said at the end of the interview, "Don't be a stranger." And I think Barack said "I won't be." I think Barack will be back on Fox News a number of times in the future.)

As for Hillary and Bill's "better angels"? Well, I'm sure they are in there somewhere. But given the campaign mindset the Clinton's have shown they will use for the rest of the nomination contest, I believe Barack is correct in assuming that the Clinton's will not let those angels speak until after the Democratic contest is over... if they let them speak at all.

In the movie "Sophie's Choice," Meryl Streep's character is forced by her Nazi tormentors to choose between saving one of her children and letting the other be killed or letting them both be killed. The sight of her letting her little girl be taken was one of the most painful moments I've ever seen portrayed on film.

As I've already said, I'm sure it's been painful for Barack to choose to let Hillary go. Perhaps he'll be able to throw a "spiritual lifeline" to her later. But his first priority is to make sure that the politics of the future survives this challenging time.

I suspected he knew he needed to do this when, in his speech after losing the Pennsylvania primary, he said:

I also know that real change has never been easy, and it won't be easy this time either. The status quo in Washington will fight harder than they ever have to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November.

With his appearance on Fox News and his rejection of Hillary's call for a debate, I'm now sure he does.

Keep doing what you're doing, Senator Obama. You have made a wise choice.

Follow Steven G. Brant on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SteveBrant

Comments

[mamak]

Kudos! Keep on campaigning your presidential platforms Barack......civil dialogue....benefit of the doubt...common good for mankind....HOPE...

[WAstateliberal]

You should check out the video of his stump speech in Indy. It's on JedReport (and maybe somewhere on this site, but I just haven't found it), second video to the left.

[Kishadawn]

I think Obama's strategy is good. He's in the lead . Clinton's campaign funds are also low (even with the influx of 10 million) and HRC could use the free publicity and the buzz it will generate. Since Obama is using this strategy, she's going to have to campaign on a grass roots level like Obama. He's proven that he's much more successful when he does.

Continue acting "presidential" Obama. I agree with the previous posts that suggest she should debate herself. Maybe she can start attacking McCain like a good Democrat.

[RobinL]

Amen to this article!

[marthlois]

Steven,
I do believe that this article will be recirculated by many.
I thank you so much for your astute observations and for
calling attention to the fact that Barack Obama has been
following his path to a higher ground. Goodness knows
that someone in Politics needed to. Well Done!!

[amyd]

Good post.

[Je111]

Obama can hide and run from debate. But he can't hide and run when he may be called upon in crisis when he needs to make critical calls such as to launch a missile or not. He's good at manipulating crowds and the media and short on substance and issues. That's why he's scared to debate HRC.
The sales pitch of the empty change rhetoric will sound old very quickly. People quickly figured out he's just another polictican, not what he tried to sell you as some sort of inspirator, which is evident from the attack politics that Obama and his supporters practiced were copied straight out of republican's playbook and divisive to the dem party.
Sure HRC attacked too. She ought to return the fire as any political would do and not content to be a sitting duck. At least she didn't claim to be above politics, didn't claim as agent of change.
Now people know the real Obama is just another politician. He's still not honest about it. I can understand that, all politician will say or do anything to help their own chances. But the real issue is he's made hope and change his selling point which turned out to be fake, and he got no substances on real issues and running away from debate every chance he got.

[Steven G. Brant - Huffpost Blogger]

You're alternative reality storyline is so well thought out, I'm really impressed. But none of what you are saying is accurate. If you honestly think Barack is the one on the attack and Hillary is just defending yourself, you are entitled to your beliefs. But I highly suggest you read the reports about this race coming from places other than Hillary's campaign. Because her world is the world of spin and make-believe... the world of "do whatever it takes to get elected" politics... what she learned from being in Washington since 1992. You need to get beyond what she and her people say. You need to read Time, Newsweek, The Economist, The Atlantic, Harpers, etc. If you do, you'll find out what a false reality you're living in.

[JWLANDSCAPES]

I am a Hillary supporter, who is well read, drinks latte's at starbucks, affluent, and multiple degrees. Senator Obama is my senator and I am very familiar with his meteoric rise and celebrity. He must be a genius to write so many pieces of legislation in one year, or rather, have the blessing of Illinois king makers, and have his name put on the top of the legislation that other people have worked on for many years. I question his ease for taking credit for a curious number of bills and legislation that have a history preceding Obama's short tenure. I question his SPIN on how a lack of experience is a good thing, since he hasn't become corrupted by Washington politics, like the Clintons and long standing Senators and Representatives like the Kennedy's...oh wait! He didn't mean Ted Kennedy.

It is politics as usual, regardless of Obama's rhetoric claiming otherwise. His campaign has attacked Hillary's character, trustworthiness, judgement, and he diminished and belittled her time as First Lady. He accuses her of race baiting, when in fact his campaign is run by experts in playing the race card to their full advantage. He has lied on numerous occasions before fessing up about Rezko, his knowledge of Rev. Wright's inflammatory sermons spoken might I add, long before South Carolina...crying out that "Hillary Clinton has never been called a n****) But of course, that isn't race baiting.

[Kordo]

I swear to god, I'd have more confidence in Hillary if her supporters came off like they'd ever even heard the word "logic". Does every Pro-Hillary argument stop & start at some campaign talking point?
The first time I hear someone post something pro-active Hillary has/is doing, I'll send her 20 bucks. However, from now on whenever Hillary tries to slam Obama for something nasty that he does MORE than her, I'm sending him 20 bucks.

"I'm a scumbag, but I'm your scumbag" isn't really that great of a campaign slogan, jus fyi

[WAstateliberal]

Absolutely classic.

[WAstateliberal]

"hope and change his selling point which turned out to be fake"

I'm sorry, what are you referring to here? The term "turned out" suggests there has been some event which would prove your point. Are you suggesting his failure to engage in another non-debate is evidence that hope and change "turned out" to be fake? How does a non-debate advance hope and change? What do you need to hear that you didn't already hear in the first 25 debates? Is there seriously some question you seek an answer to which has not been asked and answered? Do you have access to You Tube? It is a great resource, perhaps you could find it useful in getting the answers you seek. Google works well too.

[bentenrai]

I have yet to see Obama hide and run... as far as I know, it's Hillary who hid and ran in Bosnia under sniper fire.

[army193]

Let me see if I have this right...Hillary & Obama debates 21 and Chris 1 interview...Now who would you say got the best deal?

[crossoverwriter]

Barack did a smart thing. Ignore no-moral-fiber Hillary and her stinky, dirty bag of tricks, He was brave, to appear on Fox to reach across the aisle to his "enemy" so they could see the humanity and intelligence in his eyes (and visa versa), and hear it in his words, Get everyone thinking outside the box to "new politics." The audacity of hope: that Repubs just might be able to do some fair and square business with Dems and meet successfully in the middle, so that we all get what we need!. Realize that half the country is not evil like you always heard. That you don't have to wear a flag pin to be a true patriot. (BTW, I didn't see Hillary or Stephanopoulis or Gibson or anyone wearing a flag pin either!).
Let's take this country, kicking and yelling, OUT of the separate dark caves to see each other in a new light. It's called BIRTH PAINS.
Repubs for Obama, Independents for Obama.
Yes, we can.

[WAstateliberal]

Enthusiastic agreement here.

[marthlois]

In the end, what stands out is the man's temperment. He doesn't get down when
the cards are against him and he doesn't get overly excited when things are in his
corner. So, that's where my vote will go ~ with the strong and steady candidate.

[meanguy]

when have the cards been against him? the fawning media has carried him around on their collective shoulders since day one! this is the same candidate whose campaign's response to even a whiff of criticism has been 'the racists are attacking me'

[cmeans29]

Steven, excellent post! I wasn't concerned about the tone of the interview because, Chris Wallace, set the tone a few weeks ago when he "strongly critcized the Fox Morning Anchors for bashing Obama."

Fox wants a civil relationship with Obama; it's all about ratings with the networks and Obama attracts viewers.

[laksa]

I am worst. I cannot watch live. I taped it thinking that if it is too one sided I could just stop it or something. Wow, so surprised that it went well. Wallace made George and Gibson looked like 2 playground bullies. May be other cable news personnel can take a page from Wallace and do some decent reporting. Like may be Chris Matthew can stop saying Obama cannot win without the white votes?! Does Chris think Hillary can win without the black votes? or is he and the rest of the media + the Clintons think Blacks are inconsequential?

[4wehttam]

Laksa, I did the same thing....lol! I tivo'd it last night to watch it later on today after reading comments about it on Huffpo. Alas, I was quite pleased with it. I was watching it thinking, Oh God now he's going to let them have it, he's going to let them have it, but he didn't. Wallace didn't really give him a reason to do so.

I'm sure regular FIXED News viewers were waiting for him to show his Angry Black Man side. He was cool, collected, respectful, intelligent and quite honest as usual. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this man. My very old neighbor (an ardent FIXED NEWS viewer) who said he'd never vote for a black candidate before our PA primary, said today that he would now consider it because he has proven himself to be authentic and doesn't easily lose his cool even under enormous pressure. This is a huge step forward for my neighbor, and says alot about how people react to Obama when they actually hear him speak in one to one interviews, especially in enemy territory.

[RobinL]

Chris Matthews can be such an airhead. I think he's got ADD or something. He can't stay on a subject and is always attracted to the most insubstantial take on a situation. He flips all over the place, always taking a rather sensationalist approach. His take on Hillary's big "win" in Pennsylvania was typical. He knows the numbers---should know the reality of the situation---and yet he blathers on. He perpetuates fiction.

[queenisabella]

agreed and he is not the only one to perpetuate fiction, it is very disturbing, this attitude is all over the mainstream media,they create, revive, pound on non-issues- this is what is being fed to people across America w/ less access to real informative material-journalists are not doing their job
I was APPALLED last night by Sanchez' coverage of Rev Wright's speech, the only question he kept asking gleefully was, is it going to hurt Obama???
no matter that Mr Wright's performance has nothing to do w/B Obama's presidential abilities
no matter that Mr Wright had given an intelligent and substantive speech which could have induced a real conversation
of course after bragging that indeed it is unfair to only show 2 seconds from a speech taken out of context and that it was why CNN broadcasted the entire speech, all they did afterwards was to highlight quotes , easy to be interpreted differently and taken out of context...McCain used some of them this morning too

[mesuki]

At first I was petrified to tune in to Fox News,but I finally worked up enough nerves to do it. I thought they were gonna do what ABC did a couple of weeks ago,but was pleasantly surprised that Fox actually conducted themselves in a professional manner.I was not against Obama doing the interview when I found out about it last week.I knew that as a unifying candidate he had to accept challenges from both friends and foes alike.I thought Fox did well and Obama did well,so lets hope in the future they stop trying to rip him appart...I don't think they will ,but I'm an optimist ...I,m always hopeful!

[LordKelvin]

Comrade Mesuki

You wrote

"I was not against Obama doing the interview when I found out about it last week.I knew that as a unifying candidate he had to accept challenges from both friends and foes alike."

So what was the cause of your initial anxiety... FLASHBACK to that bumbling display two weeks ago?

Why did you not recall what Daniel did when they threw him into the Lion's den?

"O ye of little faith". If Clinton scares him so much, I can already feel your trepidation if He is elected POTUS and has to go One on One against the Russian Bear or Chinese Dragon.

Will the American people witness an onset of PARKINSON SYNDROME on HDTV?

COGITO, ERGO SUM.

[Stillhere29]

Loved this post! Thought it said exactly what Obama's all about!

[meanguy]

well, it certainly echoed all of obama's talking points...who actually wrote it-axelrod?

[apoyo]

To debate Clinton anymore is to legitimize her irrational pseudo-mathematical arguments.

He needs to concentrate on what the country needs and not what Hillary needs.

[WAstateliberal]

And to give her free media she doesn't deserve. If she wants to be on t.v., perhaps she shouldn't have blown through $140 million by Super Tuesday.

[OSUMercutio]

I was also impressed with Obama's performance today. I was also pleasantly surprised that this interview was much more civil than last week's ABC debate. While I agree that it doesn't change my opinion much about FOX news it does magnify the ineptitude of the debate moderators.

[burnt]

The metaphor was one of the "inner child"... and I believe we all need to make the correct political decisions to let that go for now and effectively deal with the very real problems of reconciling with our global neighbors and ending this class warfare that is being forced upon our nation by a small corporatist hierarchy. The only way I can envision that happening is by producing a real change in the way we govern ourselves.

I believe Obama's decision to accommodate FOX on a level of mutual respect was the right one. In my opinion, FOX will need to go to much greater lengths to change my general opinion of their news organization, but it seemed like they were making some attempt, so I'll give them a little credit. Clinton has lost all credibility to me and I personally see her position as totally self-serving at this point. I would give her no more credit. She is bankrupt. There is little she can offer to the Democratic Party or Americans in general beyond more destruction and divisiveness.

[Stillhere29]

Exactly. Everyone knows that Obama and Fox News are NOT friends, but the fact that he could sit down and talk with them, hear them out and respond in kind, is just another example of Obama's readiness for the White House

[dimples109]

I watched the interview on Fox and I was very impressed with Obama and his demeanor. he showed that he was not a angry black man, I prayed that he answered the questions, and not be blowed away with Chris and his cronies on Fox, I am ready for these primaries to be over, I am getting fatigued from all the negativity, this is our chance to take back the White House, I was shocked Brit Hume defended Rev Wright. I guess Sean will renounce and reject Brit for his comment. it is time to get on with the business of getting Obama to be the Democratic nominee. so we can take it Mccain.