The White House is taking it upon itself to police the news media. The trend started of course with the Fox News Channel, but the administration has moved on to bash other organizations, most recently the Associated Press and car site Edmunds.com. It seems to believe that any criticism of its policies is worth attacking.
The White House claims, in the words of Valerie Jarret, that it will go after any organization that "spreads false news." But the attacks suggest that the administration will take on any outlet that challenges claims designed to further its agenda.
Edmunds calculated the number of cars purchased during the Cash for Clunkers program that would have been purchased without the rebates. The site determined that C4C had incentivized the purchases of only 125,000 automobiles, meaning taxpayers paid $24,000 per car purchase under the program.
The White House immediately took on Edmunds with a blog post at WhiteHouse.gov headlined "Busy Covering Car Sales on Mars, Edmunds.com Gets It Wrong (Again) on Cash for Clunkers". This blog has been ground zero for attacks on Fox as well.
Edmunds CEO Jeremy Anwyl defended his company's calculations, telling the Christain Science Monitor,
It’s shocking and somewhat troubling that this is something the White House would pick up. This administration more than any other administration is invested heavily in the auto industry, so you would hope that they would had done a little more homework than their response suggests.
The Associated Press also earned the White House's wrath after it published a fact-checking story claiming that the administration exaggerated the number of jobs saved and created by the stimulus packing. The White House called the AP story "misleading."
The folks at Mediaite see a troubling trend emerging.
Earlier this week Valerie Jarret told CNN that the White House’s was not just taking on Fox, but anyone who spreads false news. This week that apparently includes both the AP and the “highly-respected and influential car site Edmunds.com” for an analysis piece they did on ‘cash for clunkers.’ ... Starting to sound like a bit of a disturbing trend, no?The White House is on a slippery slope, here. What’s next? A re-edit of the NYT? Perhaps a vetting of the Nightly News? The Internet has certainly made it possible for anyone to become a media watchdog, but it is not the White House’s responsibility to be approving our news for us. Ever. There are a lot of things the White House should be policing, our media is not one of them. Ten Glenn Beck’s will always be preferable to a media comprised of all the news the White House sees fit to print.
These knee-jerk reactions suggest that the White House is not accustomed to critical media accounts of its policies, and that it believes it is politically advantageous to attack any media outlet that questions its claims. The Presidency is a strong bully pulpit, and attempting to delegitimize organizations that express valid objections to its policies is not very presidential.



















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November 1, 2009 - 16:46 ET by Joe CamelMy brother is a real estate agent, albeit he is not making much in life now. He recently sold a house, a HUD house to a young man, first time home buyer. Not only did he get his $8000 for the purchase, HUD (you the taxpayer) also gave him a check in the amount of $1500 for purchasing the property. Seems like this is something that has not been circulated to many, as I had not heard of it. Also, it was somehow able to get through FHA approvals, without running water or electricity (plumbing fixtures were missing and light fixtures missing). Such a gimmick with these clowns.
→ False information
November 1, 2009 - 16:50 ET by Cool ArrowThe math on C4C is sound.
But did you hear Joe Biden got some Auto-Pork for Delaware?
Nothing like spreading the dung.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Good picture
November 1, 2009 - 16:52 ET by ahusserCaptured those dead psychotic eyes. Nothing like a paranoid psychotic as prez. Makes the serial rapist Clinton look like just a simpleton.
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
This administration and
November 1, 2009 - 16:53 ET by bigtimerThis administration and their attempt at total control by hook or crook will end up paying for this boneheaded idea in the end.
Backfire, backlash is a polite way to put it....they just don't get how angry people are out here in the real world...many more Americans are waking up more and more each day.
It will show in the elections....it already is...it would do the spineless RINOs to pay attention as well.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Reverse coups
November 1, 2009 - 17:10 ET by American Delight"The White House is taking it upon itself to police the news media." Why not? It already runs the banks, the auto industry, health care before too long. The news is just too important to allow the private sector to manage it! (sarc/off)
Barack Obama a Professional Whiner and Crybaby
November 1, 2009 - 17:11 ET by Retired GeekThe dictionary says that a professional is someone participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs e.g. a Professional Football players etc.
The vast majority of football players or amateurs play in sandlots, parks, High School or as College players, only a few can actually make their living playing football.
The vast majority of the 'Opinionated' are amateurs and only a few like Rush Limbaugh can actually make a living by expressing their 'Opinions' publicly.
The vast majority of 'Racists' are amateurs and only a few like Al Sharpton can actually make a living by exhibiting their 'Racism' publicly.
The vast majority of 'Whiners and Cry Babies' are amateurs and only a few like Barack Obama and his White House Staff, can actually make a living by being 'Whiners and Cry Babies'.
Hating on the media
November 1, 2009 - 17:13 ET by Patrick MichaelValerie Jarrett is such a piece of work. She fits in so well with what Michelle Malkin refers to as this Chicago-on-the-Potomac White House. Other White House's have disliked the media (Nixon comes to mind) but when have they acted like this thin-skinned "I'm gonna tell!!!" White House? It did not start with the attacks on Fox News, it started with the requests to email names and information of dissentors to the White House. By the way, what ever happened with those names???
Stay Free!!!
By the way, what ever happened with those names?
November 1, 2009 - 18:05 ET by HuapakechiYour computer been acting strange recently? On-line activity when nobody is at the keyboard?
When you finish a land-line call, and don't hang up immediately, do you hear a spare click?
Have you noticed occupied black sedans parked near your house for hours at a time?
They've got your name.
Prepare for an audit, or two, or three, by the IRS, and don't admit to owning any handguns.
Negotiating with a liberal is incremental surrender.
What ever happened with those names?
November 1, 2009 - 20:07 ET by Patrick MichaelTo late to the handgun thing. The VA has probably already told the FBI that I am crazy, so there is no way I will ever be allowed to own one (have you heard about this??) Stay Free!!!
Yes, I have.
November 2, 2009 - 11:05 ET by TailgunnerA friend of mine who had a major head injury in a motorcycle accident, even though he was wearing a full-face helmet, became bipolar as a result.
The VA sent him a letter declaring him incompetent to handle his own affairs and oh, BTW, he could no longer own a firearm and this information was being provided to the BATFE.
Due process? None.
I think the government has since changed this policy. Otherwise I would have received one by now.
(I have a higher VA disability rating than my friend does.)
:D
As GUN CONTROL has nothing to do with GUNS, so HEALTH CONTROL has nothing to do with HEALTH.
Tyranny is rarely felt save by those who OPPOSE it. (unknown)
Didn't this all start with
November 1, 2009 - 17:19 ET by Chris NormanDidn't this all start with the Clintons' "Rapid Response Team" and the idea of the "Permanent Campaign"? It's also juvenile - like a teenager who will never admit he's wrong and has a smart aleck response for everything.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
yeah, that Edmunds dot com is a radical right wing conspirator !
November 1, 2009 - 17:32 ET by traderjamesBetter shut them down before they really stir up the pot !
Wow, I just had a thought, tho...it is entirely possible that aformentioned site will be all over this administration in the future as well, since BHO and Co. own 2/3 of the auto industry in this country. Should be interesting. You never know what will happen when you wake a sleeping dog...
I am Barack, your Obama
November 1, 2009 - 17:36 ET by CO2MakerYou shall say no false news before me!
The creepy factor long ago passed Edwards and is beginning to overtake Letterman and get into areas of serious domestic effect.
What do you get when you
November 1, 2009 - 17:39 ET by MidAmericaWhat do you get when you cross Chicago gangsters with third world dictators?......
→ That's easy
November 1, 2009 - 17:43 ET by Cool ArrowChi-Town Dicksters.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
I know the answer isn't
November 1, 2009 - 17:44 ET by Chris NormanI know the answer isn't Fidel Capone...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
You Get...
November 1, 2009 - 19:21 ET by rightwingidiotAn Obeyme.
And no matter how far they
November 1, 2009 - 17:46 ET by RR GOPAnd no matter how far they go with this, most of my co-workers and others I know won't blink an eye and I'll be loathe to say too much because they'll just roll their eyes, probably murmur something about "Bush" or Fox News and be content with whatever the Socialists let them keep and will say we're still a damn sight better off than most other people around the world.
In other words, we're surrounded and outnmumbered by moderate, Dem, and politically unconcerned people who will if not cheerfully then grumbling a bit and go along with whatever Washington says and will never, ever be willing to take on city hall.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
"vetting" criticism
November 1, 2009 - 17:52 ET by HuapakechiLook for a new White House agency to be unveiled for the public in the near future. The New and Improved Ministry of Propaganda will henceforth require all news articles and internet communications to be approved by their officers.
Failure to do so will be cause for revocation of all governmental healthcare benefits, serial audits by the IRS, and a gratuitous raid or two by armed, masked, and body-armored agents of BATFE (they don't need no stinkin' warrants). Should you survive that, expect to be cited by the EPA and your home to be declared a habitat of the endangered German Cockroach.
Welcome to the United Socialist States of Amerika.
Negotiating with a liberal is incremental surrender
Petulant 15 year old
November 1, 2009 - 18:03 ET by Dim BulbWhite House Blog headline: "Busy Covering Car Sales on Mars, Edmunds.com Gets It Wrong (Again) on Cash for Clunkers".
It sounds as if they have a petulant 15 year old writting their stuff, and two can play that game. Here's my headline: "It's Time For This Mis-Administration To Man Up And Grow A Pair."
What’s next? A re-edit of the NYT?
Some at the NY Times appear to be doing that themselves.
Dear Hugo,
November 1, 2009 - 18:48 ET by MaratDear Hugo,
Did you have to go through all this crap like i am going through just to make the media an honest and transparent media? What would be your thoughts if i should declare Fox News and "EB" (Limbaugh) natural disasters and had the National Guard confiscate their properties?
Waiting to hear your thoughts,
Comrade O
Missionary Media Muddies The News
November 1, 2009 - 19:34 ET by tanzaniteMissionary Media Muddies The News
http://jeffersonsrebels.blogspot.com/2009/11/missionary-media-muddy-news.html
Subsidies, Inc.
November 1, 2009 - 21:23 ET by Pilgrim1949Let's see.....the complainer opines that Edmunds, et al, have miscalculated because of the administration (e.g., taxpayers) having ALSO shovelled more (shovel ready?) $$$$$ into the auto industry.....
Hmm....doesn't that actually impy the costs are MORE, not less than Edmunds calculated?
Oh, wait! I forgot! It's this administration's Fuzzy Math Czar that also oversees.......Treasury Secretary and House Financial Committe Chairman tax returns, among other things. OF COURSE we plebian unwashed masses can never attain to the level of financial BS this administration can shovel out.
How silly of me.
What can I say, but "it figures!"
"Ye canne change the laws of physics....." but some politicians believe that with the right legislation you can pretend they don't really apply to your own pet projects...
Blight House Press Corp
November 1, 2009 - 21:27 ET by AmmoManOK gang. The Blight House is starting to get a little mad about all of this. From now on, Valerie wants everyone to quit spreading it around and follow her lead. That's taking one large dump. Sure makes it a lot easier for the rest of the press corp to sidestep... (or is that scooping them up quietly and burying them?)
I watched Chavez come to power...
November 1, 2009 - 22:23 ET by Army BratIn just this way.
Obama is a liar and Truth is
killing his Marxist agenda.
AB... Yep...they're going
November 1, 2009 - 22:30 ET by bigtimerAB...
Yep...they're going down that same bunny-hop trail....only difference is...this country is not Venezuela...no eggs are going to end up in their basket that they can peel and eat without being rotten in the first place...and we know what happens when you crack open a rotten egg.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Fox can take care of itself.
November 1, 2009 - 23:18 ET by TailgunnerObama's intent is to ensure that other dissenting media know what's in store for them.
Pour encourager les autres.....
As GUN CONTROL has nothing to do with GUNS, so HEALTH CONTROL has nothing to do with HEALTH.
Tyranny is rarely felt save by those who OPPOSE it. (unknown)
It Definitely Isn't Presidential But,...
November 2, 2009 - 00:07 ET by Winghunter...it is Stalinesque, it is Leninesque.
This Comrade In Chief and collection of Politburo isn't about being presidential, it's about control...It's about "fundamentally changing America".
Are we catching on yet loyal Americans??
His Royal Highness
November 2, 2009 - 05:57 ET by packmanHe's not really a President, he's the man who would be King.
Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread... ~Thomas Jefferson
King oBama
November 2, 2009 - 09:04 ET by Sergeant ROCKWill there be a soccer game at the end of his first term?
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
What Else Would One Expect From An African Marxist Dictator?
November 2, 2009 - 09:03 ET by John Galt1776Wait until all of the African's with HIV and AIDS start streaming into America now that comrade Hussein has lifted the ban on letting people infected with HIV and AID's from obtaining visa's to enter and live in America.
"Spreads false news"
November 2, 2009 - 09:09 ET by retroconSpreads false news. Spreads false news! Spreads false news? Spreads false news.
OMG, Spreads false news!?!??!?!
SPREADS .... FALSE ... NEWS
News
False news
False
news
Al
November 2, 2009 - 10:05 ET by jessieHAll I can say is I will never buy a car from government motors. I will never sign up for government healthcare. I will never vote for a corrupt candidate. If the govt. doesn't like it, too bad. They will NEVER own me.
How Dare you!?!
November 2, 2009 - 20:13 ET by RubiconMany are finally beginning to notice we are being subjected to a systematic attack on anyone who dares to utter any suggestion this administration has 'cooked the books' on any issue at all.
All who make a profit are, evil. All who believe workers should be able to decide for themselves if they will be represented by a union, are evil. All who think our Constitution is being ignored, trampled, watered-down, or openly violated, are evil. America is evil for all her arrogance & past misdeeds, even when the rest of the world went along, begged us to intervene, &/or allowed us & our military to shed its blood & spend our treasure, to protect them.
Our progress, our development, our growth, has all been at the expense of everyone else, since we did things & the rest sat there looking at us while doing nothing. After all, we made progress while others depended on socialist systems to do for them. So, it must be our fault they did not progress or that their economies & lifestyles are a mess.
Why is it we have a President, and administration, plus a host of federal bureaucrats & plethora of politicians, who all think whatever is wrong in & with the world today, is all our fault? Have you noticed they rarely, if ever, attack anyone else?
The environmental movement consistently wants America to fix everything, be responsible for whatever is broken, take the blame for whatever did not work, and most of all, pay for any & all changes "they" have decided must take effect to fix the world according to "their" view?!? Any of our suggestions are written off immediately as wrongheaded, biased, racist, mean-spirited, takes advantage of any & all others, does not pay enough, & does not give international organizations enough authority over issues so our government has to get "their" permission before we do anything.
Everything these international types propose, always calls for "America" to sacrifice & to give up her individual rights. Why is that? Why are we to not believe in & protect individual property rights? Why are we to give up our right to keep & bear arms? Why are we to accept restrictions on speech, since what is said hurts the feelings of others & in particular, those who spew vitriol about America at every opportunity? Why is America to submit to international courts or international environmental treaty organizations or other universal human & civil rights groups whose lists of rights almost never encompasses rights we already hold dear? Why is America's constitution perceived as oppressive & restrictive of universal rights as defined by international non governmental organizations special interests groups?
And why are all of the proposals laden with the idea the rights that will be granted, are 'granted,' are subject to the will of such groups, limited, & always - always based on socialist principles which call for Americans become segments of some sort of utopian world collective?
Each time we agree to cooperate with the rest of the world, we end up giving up "our" rights, giving in to "their" demands, sacrificing "our" ability to act in our own interests, & agreeing to let those who could care less about America &/or openly hate America, to make choices for us through unelected bodies of international bureaucrats who all have come into power after being apprenticed at most of the globalist non governmental organization special interest groups?
And why is it those making these proposals, whether Americans or from the international community, seem to be confirmed socialists, seem to hate the idea of individual rights, really hate the idea our rights are individual & unalienable, & want us to agree our rights are subject to "their" interpretations?
Look at all of this, then look at the White House attacks we have seen. Read about what has been said, what is being said, & what we have been told are their objectives. Americans wanted change away from Bush after years of media demagoguery. Americans, after years of being told why they were stupid to let Bush do this or that, why Bush was stupid for buying into intel (despite the fact that almost all western nations also bought into the same intel AND had actually supplied a great deal of it to our intel agencies), and so, Americans bought into a man who campaigned as a moderate (even conservative on many issues), talked about conservative principles & talked about tax cuts or at least no new taxes, & talked about inclusion & racial unity creating a post racial America.... and we got what we got. A man who attacks anyone who utters even a whisper of dissent.
Obama is not who he portrayed himself to be. Obama has not lived up to many of his campaign promises, cannot live up to others, and has absolutely no intention of living up to others, plus never intended to live up to some that folks imagined he would that were never part of any plan.
Many past Presidents have hated the media. Many have acted against some members or organizations in the media. All did so through satire, humor, logic, intellect, & quietly. They were not openly hostile & they rarely, if ever, picked out one or a few & were openly hostile & openly threatening to them.
This administration has set up anyone who is conservative, a Christian, limited government lover, limited & strict Constitution lover, gun rights lover, low taxes lover, etc. And anyone who actually agrees with any point related to any of the above & a host of other than socialist issues, also should watch what they say, who they associate with, and how they act.
When Obama decided America & Americans were to blame & when he openly attacked us & blamed us in international speeches, it became obvious, he does not like America & plans to make changes to destroy the America we all have known, to create 'his' version of a nation & world that matches 'his' version of how life should be. And Heaven help anyone whose vision does not match Obama's!
Capitalism did not oppress or ruin the world. It was bastardized by politicians who wrote laws & promulgated regulations that catered to suspiciously influential special interest groups. If the system failed, it was because it was designed by those with special interests to make it fail or to let them exploit it for their own gains. That means our only failure was to be duped by slight of hand slick talking politicians who told us one thing, then did another once elected & in power!