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When Fox Attacks Obama: Take Action
This Wright situation is akin to Al Gore being painted as a liar and John Kerry being tagged as a traitor. Fox News has now compared Obama to Hitler, Mao, Unpatriotic, etc.
Josh Marshall had a great TPM video yesterday about the Fox-centric Wright attacks and how obvious it is that they're leading the charge on this. It's still on TPM's front page if you want to see for yourself.
The fact that this debate is still going on shows just how successful Fox has been at affecting the media's coverage of it and subsequently your very own conversations and concerns.
Why are there no video clips of Hagee's sermons floating around or why were none of Huckabee's sermons scrutinized by the media?
Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films has produced another of his ongoing watchdog films follwing his documentary "Out-Foxed" titled "Fox Attacks Obama Part 2." Take a look.
Moveon.org has a petition to sign to bring the Fox-manipulated media's attention to themselves.
Comments (6)
I had some fun this weekend... There were some GOP friends of mine who were talking about how Obama was a "cult", blah, blah, blah. We've heard this all before because it is the party line on FNC.
So I merely said, "A cult, how?"
"Well, people discuss him like a great genius, he has the power to sway people, people lose judgment when discussing him..."
"So," says I, "you are basically saying then, that Ronald Reagan was a cult figure as well?"
Need I tell you that *that* was the end of the discussion as my friends decided to change the topic. And, boy, did they look uncomfortable.
March 18, 2008 5:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
But I am not uncomfortable when I say that one of the signs of cultism is staging vicious verbal attacks on anyone who levels the smallest criticism of Obama or who raises the smallest, legitimate question about Obama. This goes on on political websites---I haven't seen it here, thank God---and it is getting worse. The refusal to hear anything negative about him, is disturbing. Disturbing, and so anti-democratic that anyone this intolerant calling himself a democrat, is laughable. If it is not a cult, it will soon be one, if the saner elements in it fail to do something about the extremists.
It hurts Obama and should be stamped out---yesterday.
March 18, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
fine, blame fox news, blame talk radio, blame everybody, but the facts remain: those incendiary comments by the reverend wright are part of the national consciousness, and all the hoping and wishing and praying that it will all just go away is nothing but wishful thinking.
it is time to think clearly. obama is now an anathema to the majority of whites in the country, who, even if racist, do not like having their noses rubbed in it, nor having their country cursed to god.
cult or no cult, inability to face reality is not a good thing. this will not go away, and the whining about it only makes you seem like a cultist.
March 18, 2008 7:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
"inability to face reality is not a good thing"
The inability of most Americans to face their racism is not a good thing.
March 18, 2008 8:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
As a Clinton supporter, I've been careful to stay out of this Obama/Wright story. Like most things in life, it is what it is - no amount of effort to tilt it one way or the other is going to change the basic facts in their totality, whatever they are in the end.
However, I think a restrained viewpoint from the other side might contribute something valuable to the discussion. Hence, a few points:
(1)Does this "hurt" Sen. Obama? Yes. At the very least, in the sense of a large, dominant story that cannot be construed in any way as helpful. In a larger sense, it potentially (I said, "potentially") questions the expressed purpose of his candidacy.
(2)Is it fatal? I doubt it. However, this caution: That depends on what the total story actually IS, after it is defined to the point that we can draw a satisfactory circle completely around it. The whole truth is ultimately more important (as usual) than "damage control". This is one of those areas where Sen. Obama is less well-known in public terms than the other major candidates. It may be that this is one of those times where that is a disadvantage.
(3)The comparison to Rev. Hagee is a stretch: Different relationship, too much "dog bites man" in the Hagee story.
(4)I realize that Rev. Wright is now being defined by "sound bites". That won't last, either. If there is (or is not) a more defensible larger context to place these utterances into, it is only a matter of time until we find out.
As I said above, I don't intend to have much more to say about this (depending of course on where it goes from here). I can honestly say that very little in politics "shocks" me. I can equally honestly say that I was genuinely suprised by the familiar published comments of Rev. Wright. They were jarring to me in the context of his long-time role as Sen. Obama's minister and mentor.
March 18, 2008 9:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
The context is all over the Web, provided by people who have actually attended the church for years. I don't think you're looking very hard if you're really not aware of it.
God forbid all you people getting the vapors should ever accidentally tune in to a black talk radio station. You'd drop dead of a massive coronary on the spot. Everybody knows damn well that a lot of white people will say things when they think they're "among themselves" that they wouldn't say otherwise. Well, surprise! Black folks, being human too, are no different.
March 18, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
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