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Obama's Fox Assault Is a Distraction--And Conservatives Are Falling for It
U.S. News & World Report ^ | October 20, 2009 | Peter Roff

Posted on 10/20/2009 6:12:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Sending Anita Dunn—who is probably not enjoying her proverbial 15 minutes of fame—out onto the north lawn of the White House to attack Fox News is serving its purpose.

The responsibility for determining which of the national news networks are legitimate and which ones are not is something the founders did not include in the executive powers section of the Constitution. One might even argue that the inclusion of the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights is a pretty clear sign they thought that giving any part of the federal government the power to do so would not, to put it in modern terms, be a very good idea.

Nonetheless Dunn made her remarks and presidential press secretary Robert Gibbs is backing her up, despite the fact that even a few journalists inside the press briefing room are echoing complaints from the conservative rank and file that the White House has no business doing that sort of thing.

Give Obama's political team some credit. This is a fight they wanted to have, at the time they wanted to have because it is a distraction to their enemies.

It's always nice to have allies, especially when the powerful are talking trash about you. But it's not always necessary. With a 24-hour cable news channel, a talk radio network, some local television affiliates and several newspapers all together under the umbrella of its parent company News Corp, Fox doesn't really need any help in mounting a defense against the White House's charge that it is something other than a legitimate news organization. Just ask Van Jones, the former White House "Green Jobs Tsar" whose friends picked a fight with Fox's Glenn Beck and lost.

In reality the purpose underlying the fight with Fox takes advantage of conservatives who are afflicted with what might be called "Pay Attention Deficit Disorder," meaning they have trouble sticking to one issue for any length of time.

Consider that, up until now, the conservative opponents to the Obama agenda have been mounting a strong defense of their position. The "cap and trade" national energy tax bill, which only passed the House because the White House was willing to twist so many arms, came to a screeching halt when it got to the Senate. The health care reform bill, which President Obama initially insisted would be on his desk before the August congressional recess, may now live or die based on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's skill at legislative legerdemain. All because the conservative opposition remained largely united and focused on beating these two bills.

Now the White House is drawing conservative attention off onto other things. Some conservatives, particularly those based in the blogosphere, seem intent on making the special election for a congressional seat in upstate New York into some kind of leadership litmus test. Others think now is the time to engage in a winnowing of one group or another from the conservative ranks in order to reorient the movement along some new axis. And now, thanks to the White House's provocation, there are those who are spending time trying to motivate the public to act in defense of Fox.

You don't have to swing a dead cat to find a blogger or a pundit who will argue that each of these fights is supremely important to the long term future of conservatism in America. Without commenting on any of the possible outcomes of any of these debates or the merits of any of the arguments put forth on any side, let's stipulate that these issues are all important and the debates are worth having; however that doesn't make them all-important.

Conservatives, if they are to succeed in their effort to protect their own interests as well as the country's, need to keep their fire aimed in the right direction, which means keeping Obama and the Democrats from getting what they want most. The focus of their efforts should remain on opposing Obama and the Democrats in their efforts to nationalize and otherwise permanently wreck the U.S. economy with their health care and energy tax schemes. These are the fights that will determine the country's future.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 111th; 2010election; afghanistan; agenda; anitadunn; baucus; baucusbill; bho44; bhoeconomy; bhofascism; bhohealthcare; bhotyranny; capandtax; capandtrade; davidaxelrod; democratcorruption; democrats; dncstrategy; donttreadonme; economy; elections; energy; energytax; foxnews; fubo; glennbeck; healthcare; healthcarebill; liberalfascism; obama; obamaagenda; obamacare; peterroff; publicoption; rahmemanuel; socializedmedicine; taxes; waronfox; whitehouse
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Agree? Disagree?
1 posted on 10/20/2009 6:12:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“We’re surrounded. That simplifies the problem.”


2 posted on 10/20/2009 6:14:47 PM PDT by Bahbah (Only dead fish go with the flow)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The focus of their efforts should remain on opposing Obama and the Democrats in their efforts to nationalize and otherwise permanently wreck the U.S. economy with their health care and energy tax schemes. These are the fights that will determine the country's future.

I agree with this. Obama doesn't have the power to run Fox News off the stage.

Nor is the election of a liberal Rino in New York more important than the health care or capntrade bills.

3 posted on 10/20/2009 6:18:56 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: Bahbah

And then there’s this:

“All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of
us, they’re behind us...they can’t get away this time”

Never give up, my fellow Americans. Never.


4 posted on 10/20/2009 6:19:37 PM PDT by Bahbah (Only dead fish go with the flow)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Disagree. Conservatives are pretty good at multitasking.

Every time liberals declare that something is distracting us, its best to assume that its hurting them and they want us to look somewhere else.


5 posted on 10/20/2009 6:19:53 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Obama et al are trying to completely control the internet. Watch the rerun of Glenn Beck tonight.


6 posted on 10/20/2009 6:20:24 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Hannity got this last night.He called it a diversion when talking to Morris. I mentioned this in a couple of posts yesterday. When everyone is talking the war on Fox and the Chamber of Commerce no one is watching the catastrophe in Afghanistan, the con game of healthcare reform and the almost 1.5 trillion dollar deficit.


7 posted on 10/20/2009 6:21:40 PM PDT by xkaydet65 (atement)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The article assumes that this administration knows what it's doing.

I kind of doubt that.

8 posted on 10/20/2009 6:22:33 PM PDT by MAexile (Bats left, votes right)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m not sure that I buy the notion that we are all too stupid to be able to address several issues at once. But, I’m sure that the White House thugs think that we are, so it makes sense from their perspective.

I say: fight these bastards in the air, on the beaches, in the country, in the villages, and everywhere these vermin raise their reptilian little heads. Never give up.


9 posted on 10/20/2009 6:23:13 PM PDT by centurion316
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Not me. Waiting for the gang to come out of hiding. In the mean time I am trying read through the Senate bill.


10 posted on 10/20/2009 6:27:50 PM PDT by dhs12345
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To: Bahbah
And then there’s this: “All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us...they can’t get away this time” Never give up, my fellow Americans. Never.

I like the way you think!....surrender...Nuts!

11 posted on 10/20/2009 6:28:13 PM PDT by mystery-ak (gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: centurion316

The poor bastards have us surrounded.


12 posted on 10/20/2009 6:30:11 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It’s a distraction - sure - but we’re not the intended targets. It’s aimed completely at their own base. Zero wants his socialist/ecofreak supporters riled up and hopping mad - so he throws some crumbs their way. He knows they already have a deep seated grudge towards everything FOX, and so he knows he can tap into that grudge anytime he wants - like when he wants to procure letters/donations/rallies in support of socialized medicine.


13 posted on 10/20/2009 6:31:00 PM PDT by eclecticEel (The Most High rules in the kingdom of men ... and sets over it the basest of men.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

BS . I disagree. I call and email every FRCKN day.

They aren’t listening.
purposefully putting through bills. Letting terrorists on to American soil....on and on it goes

And then blame us!


14 posted on 10/20/2009 6:32:36 PM PDT by Freddd (CNN is not credible.)
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To: eclecticEel
It’s a distraction - sure - but we’re not the intended targets. It’s aimed completely at their own base.

Dead on target with that. Its the same everytime they call us racists. Its about intimidating their own from stopping to listen to what we have to say. They can't afford to let that happen.

An honest media is a disaster for the democrats.
15 posted on 10/20/2009 6:33:48 PM PDT by cripplecreek (Seniors, the new shovel ready project under socialized medicine.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This is a great theory until you try to figure out who exactly is distracted.

Kind of like thinking an elevator fart will keep you from getting off on the right floor.


16 posted on 10/20/2009 6:34:07 PM PDT by IamConservative (I'll keep my money. You keep the change.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Pathetic liberal attempt at reverse psychology.


17 posted on 10/20/2009 6:34:32 PM PDT by MCH
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Disagree. TV stations quickly discover which topics fascinate viewers and which ones make them yawn. FOX is giving lots of air time to the WH’s attack not because it has been foolishly sidetracked by a RAT strategy, but because the coverage is driving up the ratings bigtime.


18 posted on 10/20/2009 6:36:35 PM PDT by freespirited (Liberals are only liberal about sex & drugs. Otherwise, they want to control your life. --DHorowitz)
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To: cripplecreek

I agree with you. These little side lines havent taken anyones eye off the ball.


19 posted on 10/20/2009 6:41:51 PM PDT by New Yawk Minute
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To: dhs12345

When you make some sense of it..let us know. I spent hours and hours on the last bill. I am not doing that again..lol


20 posted on 10/20/2009 6:43:22 PM PDT by New Yawk Minute
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