Chris Wallace Was Right

When did whining about news coverage become a strategy? What does Anita Dunn think she's going to accomplish by complaining about the Obama coverage on Fox News? Does she think Fox will magically change because she wills them to? Does she think Fox News will lose viewers because of her nasal complaining? Her base already has a rabid, irrational hatred for Fox News, so she's hardly going to make a difference there. Honestly, I don't get it.

Be careful, if you listen to this, your ears may bleed. Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director, is frenetic and absurd in this CNN interview. How much caffeine did this woman have before she did the interview? Here's a tape of her whining without taking a breath for 9 minutes about Fox News. When asked if Obama will go on Fox News, this is what she says, in her nhaa-nhaa nasal voice. Yes, obviously, he'll go on Fox because he engages with ideological opponents, and he has done that before, he will do it again, I can't give you a date, because frankly I can't give you dates for anybody else right now, but what I will say, is, when he goes on Fox, he understands he's not going on it as a news network, he's going on to debate the opposition, and that's fine, he never minds doing that."

At that point, the guy from CNN, Howie, finally got a word in edgewise, when this franticky woman had to come up for air. She goes on to bash Fox News some more: This isn't us making it up, Howie. You study the media. You know that it's not just their opinion shows. . . . Again, the interviewer had to strong-arm his way in to get a word in edgewise, and he asked her, what about Major Garrett (White House correspondent from Fox news). Do you think he's fair?

Dunn continues: I will say, and I've done this in my interviews, I have differentiated between Major Garrett, who we view as a very good correspondent, and his network, and Major knows this. Major came to talk to me when we didn't include Chris [in the Sunday Omaba Show-athon] in the round of Sunday shows, Chris Wallace in the Sunday shows, and I told Major quite honestly that we had told Chris, Wallace, that having fact-checked an administration guest on his show [she's such a coward, she doesn't say who it was], something I've never seen a Sunday show do, and Howie, you can show me show me examples of where Sunday shows have fact-checked previous week's guests, and I'd be happy to see those, we asked Chris for an example of where he had done that to anybody besides somebody from the administration in the year 2009, and we're still waiting to hear from him. When they want to treat us like they treat everyone else, but let's be realistic here, Howie, you know, they're widely viewed as, you know, part of the Republican party, take their talking points, put them on the air, take their opposition research, put them on the air, and that's fine, but let's not pretend they're a news network the way CNN is.

For the love of God, this woman is off her meds. Or maybe she's on somebody else's meds. What does she mean, she wants to be treated like everyone else? You're not everyone else, you represent the White House.

Is she serious? "Let's not pretend" that Fox News is a news network the way CNN is? Has she ever watched CNN? To believe that she's misinformed, I would have to believe that she also has the IQ of a rock, so the only other answer for a statement like that is that she's being completely hyper-partisan, which may be a good strategy in a campaign, but doesn't seem to me to be all that effective if you want to govern. Somebody ought to tell these White House people, they won. She apparently thinks the people watching Fox are all drooling, rabid, far-Right neanderthals. A lot of the people watching Fox are actually independents. Their ratings are increasing, while CNN's are taking a dive. So again, what is the strategy here?

The guy interviewing her, Howie from CNN, tries again: You are making a distinction, just before we move on between, the opinion guys, O'Reilly, Hannity, and Glenn Beck, and people like Major Garrett?

Dunn: Yes, I'm, ah, aha, I'm not talking about people like Major Garrett, I'm talking about the overall programming. For instance, Howie, the New York Times had a front page story about Nevada Senator John Ensign, and the fact that he had gotten his former chief of staff a job as a lobbyist, then helped his clients, the former chief of staff that Ensign had had an affair with. Now. Did you see coverage of that on Fox News, I'm not talking Glenn Beck, I'm not talking Sean, I'm not talking The Factor, I'm talking about Fox News.

What an absolutely unappealing, unlikeable woman--as Communications Director. I don't think even "Howie" cares for her. He asks her, arent' people at the White House just maybe a little shell-shocked because Barack Obama got such good coverage during the campaign, and now he's getting pretty typical presidential coverage, which is to say pretty rough coverage.

Dunn: Oh, you know, the reality is, one of the great strengths of President Obama as a candidate and as a president is his ability to see, take the long view, understand there are going to be good times, there are going to be bad times, certainly in the course of his two-year campaign, Howie, and I don't think you would disagree, there were some times that were quite rough for us, in particular, around the Pennsylvania primary, and certainly in the general election as well, absolutely, and we understand that, and he understands better than anyone, you know, you're gonna be up, you're gonna be down. What is true though, is that you don't have to be a passive bystander when you opponents are seeking not to have a debate on the issues but simply to tear down the president and his presidency and that's what we're not going to do we will push back.

Good Lord, this woman never takes a breath. Does she honestly think ObamaTeam has had a rough go of it from the media? Compared to whom?


I love this: Grow up already, you're the President of the United States.



Some HotAir commenters throw in their two cents' worth:

This is the dumbest media-savy administration ever. Every media outlet, save for one, is in the tank for them. Instead of accepting their enormous fortune and remaining quiet, they call attention to their childishness. Bad move. People will not put up with the whining for long, and FNC is only gaining viewers.

Since when was the Liberty Bell look ever a popular hair style for women? Especially women on television. Good gosh. [I was thinking "helmet hair," but I've already used that. Obviously helmet hair is a new "style."]

Where has this tooth sucking, shrill, “ya-know” reiterating valley girl creature been for the last 9 months? She is great…for CONSERVATIVES! What a high strung yo-yo. You go, White House Communications Director lady batherer. Keep it up, you just sent another 5,000 viewers over to Fox to see what the fuss is about. Dummy.

My that was pathetic. That reminds me of the WH snitch website where Obama supporters were to report “fishy” stories about health care “reform”.The Obama administration’s real problem appears to be with the Constitution and the First amendment.The notions of freedom of speech and a free press appear to be inconvenient annoyances for President Obama.I’ve got news for you Mr President you live in the USA not Communist China or Fascist Iran. Citizens have every right to criticize you, your policies and your administration.

The Red Eye gets more viewers at 3a.m. than CNN does at 7p.m.! Fox news is #1 in ratings and won’t bend over for Hussein like CNN, MSNBC, and the rest does!

When you’re surrounded by sycophants, objectivity looks like hostility.


Is she chewing her teeth?

Here are comments from the Left on the same video posted on a site perhaps too-hopefully named Think Progress.

I am happy to see the Faux Noise actions are being called out but I hope the attention they are now getting does not work to their advantage. Those that are glued to Faux Noise will not understand what Dunn is saying. The Faux Noise machine will whip up more froth for the faithful dolts to whine about. The right is very good at pushing falsehoods and framing those that oppose them as traitors. They are adept at putting out the message and not letting the facts get in their way.

Dunn did not need to state the obvious. When Fox attacked Clinton nonstop and did not criticize Bush, then it should have been very clear to even the average person. It is good that Fox is being shut out of the White House press. If Murdoch and Ailes want to be a part of the WH press corps then they know what they need to do. But they won’t.
 
It’s time to take the obvious truth of Fox’s partisan nature to the obvious conclusion – their activies are campaign activities that should be subject to campaign spending laws. Just because they will ‘make the argument’ that Fox is a news organization, doesn’t mean that the argument is valid.
 
Never has been legit. Never will be legit. Their the official voice of the mental midgets.



Fox News: “Doing for the Republicans what Gobbels did for the Nazis.”

"Gobbels"? Do you suppose the guy meant "gobbles," as in turkey? I guess that's enough of that.

Update: Fox News Replies

The last line is a good one, a statement from Fox News Senior VP Michael Clemente:  "It's astounding the White House cannot distinguish between news and opinion programming. It seems self-serving on their part."



Fox News couldn't buy the publicity that the White House is giving them for free. Going after Fox has to be the dumbest ObamaTeam public relations stunt evah. I thought these people were smart. Heh.

Here's Glenn Beck speaking to Pat Caddell, former Senior Advisor to former President Jimmy Carter. The theme here is that ObamaTeam is continuing to act as though they're in campaign mode, and they don't seem to understand the power of the Executive branch of government.



Update #2: Circling the Drain: CNN Finishes 4th in Prime Time Demo For 7th Consecutive Weeknight

Our gal Anita Dunn sure knows how to pick 'em, doesn't she? Go CNN, a "real" news network.