At least one Democratic political strategist has gotten a blunt warning from the White House to never appear on Fox News Channel, an outlet that presidential aides have depicted as not so much a news-gathering operation as a political opponent bent on damaging the Obama administration.And yet, as the White House scrambled for damage control after Tuesday's elections they sent Chief White House Hack David Axlerod out to do an interview with Major Garrett of Fox News. If Fox isn't a news organization, why would Axlerod agree to an interview?
Political consultants are a staple of cable television talk shows, analyzing current events based on their own experiences working on campaigns or in government.
One Democratic strategist said that shortly after an appearance on Fox he got a phone call from a White House official telling him not to be a guest on the show again. The call had an intimidating tone, he said.
The message was, "We better not see you on again,'' said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to run afoul of the White House. An implicit suggestion, he said, was that "clients might stop using you if you continue.''
In urging Democratic consultants to spurn Fox, White House officials might be trying to isolate the network and make it appear more partisan.
A boycott by Democratic strategists could also help drive the White House narrative that Fox is a fundamentally different creature than the other TV news networks. For their part, White House officials appear on Fox News -- but sporadically and with "eyes wide open,'' as one aide put it.
By trying to boycott Fox the White House is giving up the opportunity to speak to millions of people, about half of which are Democrats and Independents. It's just plain stupid.
Posts
3 comments:
Awwww...but then who can Shwep interview? He will fewl so wonewy.
Well, somewhere down the line Fox viewers may do a tit for tat: maybe they'll start boycotting this White House.
There's a cure for Stupid. Tends to be fatal, though.
Post a Comment