Obama's Fox News Appearance: Friendly?

by: Matt Stoller

Sat Apr 26, 2008 at 16:25


Ben Smith reports that Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said the following about Obama's appearance on the networks.

It was a very friendly exchange. I think we asked them questions that fox viewers would want to hear and I think they'll be interested in his answers, but he, he very much clearly wants to reach out to the kind of moderate conservative Democrats and Republicans who watch of Fox and I think, as I say, very much wants to get away from any sense that he's a creature or a captive of the left. That was very clear throughout his more than half an hour we sat down and talked to him.

I don't believe the Politico and I don't believe Chris Wallace, but I also don't believe the Obama campaign when they say that Obama took 'on Fox News'.  It is also telling Obama has not posted on Dailykos since 2005.

There are a variety of backchannel conversations based on this comment from Chris Wallace wondering, in shock, why Obama would legitimize Fox News like this.  It's stupid, right?  It doesn't help him, correct?  I think so.  He doesn't.

Of course we'll see tomorrow whether Wallace was telling the truth, so this could all be moot shortly.

Matt Stoller :: Obama's Fox News Appearance: Friendly?

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"Moderate Conservative Democrats and Republicans who watch FOX"??? (4.00 / 1)
The idea that Fox vieweres are moderate conservatives is one of the more obvious lies in this little mess.  PIPA's survey showed that these folks were far and away the most deluded and out-of-touch segment of the media marketplace.  The Fox audience was so bad that Democrats who watched Fox were as deluded as Republicans who watched PBS.

So, I guess maybe he's speaking of "moderates" from a World Church of the Creator point of view.  

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3


To be clear (4.00 / 1)
The "he" in:

So, I guess maybe he's speaking of "moderates" from a World Church of the Creator point of view.

...is Chris Wallace.

We know that Obama went on Fox Sunday, but we don't know what HE said or what Fox will cut from the interview.

I would like to hear Obama use Fox to take the offensive in the campaign on defending the Constitution, implementing open Government and restoring the economy. This is a way to run against Washington.

Flag Pin Patriots
I have been criticized for not wearing a tin flag pin made in China. I see a lot of flag pin patriots working day and night to undermine our hard fought rights under the Constitution. As president I will put my hand on the bible and pledge to protect and defend the Constitution. I will salute the flag and I will act to restore our democracy and clean the government from top to bottom.

What is Washington afraid of?
This administration has used every conceivable means to prevent the American people from knowing what is being done in their names while squandering our children's inheritance. We the people deserve to have easy access to information about how the government is spending our money, how the government is making decisions and who is benefiting from the spending and actions of government. We have the tools now with information technology to make it happen. America can handle the truth.

Make the Economy Clean, Green and Healthy
Re-invigorate competition in the economy by ending no-bid contracts, ending the Bush tax cuts for the rich, ending Corporate Welfare, ending subsidies for companies that move jobs off-shore, re-regulate banking practices, raising the minimum wage, prevent Americans from loosing their homes, giving individuals tax credits for saving and producing energy, subsidize tuition for every person qualified to enter college, and provide health care for all.


[ Parent ]
Sure, I Knew It Was Wallace (4.00 / 1)
Did anyone think otherwise?

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Why not just wait? (4.00 / 3)
"It's stupid, right? It doesn't help him, correct?" I am going to hold my fire and see (or read) what happens.

Where exactly should Obama go for a fair interview? ABC? CNN? Hardball? Timmy Russert?  They all are going to ask chickens--t questions.

John McCain doesn't care about Vets.



Wrong Track! (0.00 / 0)
The story here is not about him appearing on Fox. Big Deal.

The story is this quote:

"...[he] very much wants to get away from any sense that he's a creature or a captive of the left."

Hello! And this is the guy who the Left is supporting?

Clinton doesn't run from the Left as her voting record shows. She may understand that for whatever reason the Left doesn't like her but she doesn't run from her life long record of leading and supporting Liberal causes.

Obama again:

"Or this time, we can build on the movement we've started in this campaign - a movement that's united Democrats, Independents, and Republicans..." - Obama

That is the guy most on the Left are supporting? Someone who wants to sleep with Republicans?

Now Howard Dean was no Liberal but he didn't say upfront that he wanted to water down Progressives causes by bringing Republicans into the fold.

How in the heck people all over the internet can get excited about Obama is beyond belief. Catch this from TPM:

Obama: National Journal Rating Of Me As "Number One Liberal" Is Bogus

In the meeting with the Indy Star edit board that's  going on right now, Obama pushed back against the National Journal's recent rating of him as the number one liberal in the Senate, a ranking that will no doubt be one of the GOP's chief attacks against him this fall.
...
Obama questioned NJ's methodology, arguing that "they selected 10 votes out of the many hundreds that I've cast" which the mag thought were indicators of his liberalism. One of those votes, he said, was a bill that he'd sponsored calling for a new "office of public integrity."

Not a creature of the Left. Wants to sleep with Republicans. Now he runs from a Liberal rating saying it's not true.

What is not to like?

And already I read people online defending him running from the Liberal Rating. The same people who over the last few months that praised that same rating.


You say this is the story: (4.00 / 1)
"...[he] very much wants to get away from any sense that he's a creature or a captive of the left."

That is a quote from Chris Wallace. Since you are agreeing with Wallace's assessment of Obama that can only mean you are sleeping with Wallace.

Clinton doesn't run from the Left as her voting record shows. She may understand that for whatever reason the Left doesn't like her but she doesn't run from her life long record of leading and supporting Liberal causes.

Really. I never considered starting unnecessary wars was a liberal cause.  For that matter, I didn't know that liberals aligned themselves with the likes of Mark Penn.

And, the notion that Obama is the most liberal member in the Senate is laughable.  But I suppose Obama could have lied and claimed he was.  The "most liberal" or "most conservative" labels are always  sure fire winners in a general election.

John McCain doesn't care about Vets.



[ Parent ]
Nonsense (0.00 / 0)
I'm assuming that Wallace is not going to make an ass of himself by misrepresenting the tone of the interview. We will find out tomorrow won't we?

You representation of Clinton's vote is one of millions who have never fully read her floor speech at the time of the vote. If you had you couldn't say what you did. And how about supporting ongoing wars that you are against? You give Obama a pass for funding time after time? You give him a pass to 'talk is cheap' about being against the war but yet did not have the courage as others did to vote against funding? Yeah 'talk is cheap'. Funny how he doesn't bring up his funding votes in his speeches isn't it?

A lot of people here have argued that Obama is more Liberal than Clinton. Congratulations at least you admit he is Republican-Lite.


[ Parent ]
Life long record of supporting liberal causes? .. (4.00 / 1)
hello!! .. she was once a Goldwater Girl!!

[ Parent ]
Well, Some Say Life Begins At 40 (0.00 / 0)
So, she easily beat that.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
So it's on tape? (0.00 / 0)
Or am I missing something? I can understand Obama wanting to talk to Fox's audience. I can't understand why he wouldn't insist on going live. Seems like he's put himself in a postion of no-power with no compensating benefit.

They always tape their Sunday show interviews. (0.00 / 0)
Bill Clinton's was taped when he went after Chris.

[ Parent ]
For those who don't know, (0.00 / 0)
The interview will broadcast on the Fox channel at 2pm and 6pm, EST.  


He's not going to get a fair interview anywhere! (0.00 / 0)
I really don't care if he goes on FOX right now--the rest of the corporate media is not a friend to him either. We have to start playing their game a little bit, because so far we have been incapable of changing it--people are still watching ABC news and This Week. We are still giving them ratings. So if we can't even change channels, what good are we doing to help?

 


the problem isn't the interview. it's what will happen afterwards. (0.00 / 0)
when they mangle it, analyze it, and use it to support whatever hit piece they want to run

Grumble grumble (0.00 / 0)
If you don't believe it, don't subject your readers to it.

On the substance...Wallace was probably right. He suggested Obama wants to talk to the Fox News audience.

And if you're conspiracy minded, Obama took a shot at Murdoch earlier in the week, and was then lashed in the New York Post (which has backed him), so this could be make-up. (My version of this conspiracy theory here: www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0408/Dancing_with_News_Corp.html)


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