This week's Fox News Watch was a mix of the candid, the intriguing and the downright comical. Let's start with the humor. Well-intentioned liberal panel member Jane Hall, wringing her hands over the fact that the Wright matter has injected race into the campaign, got off this bit of unintentional comedy.
JANE HALL: Unfortunately, this is going to be what's going to be associated [with Obama]. I mean, it's like Willie Horton, except that Obama knew Reverend Wright,* and on Fox and other networks he is visually linked, it gives one more excuse to run this incendiary footage. I really regret that race, which Obama tried to transcend, is now going to become a very ugly subject in this race.
So it's unfair to pin this Wright stuff on Obama, except for the fact that, well, it's . . . fair. Moreover, whose fault is it that race has been injected into the race? If Obama were really the kind of person to transcend race, he wouldn't have been hanging around with Rev. Wright for 20 years.
View video here.
As for the intriguing, Jim Pinkerton [making a welcome return to the show after his sojourn with the Huckabee campaign] passed this along.
JIM PINKERTON: There's another story, of course, which all of us in the cable news world are going to have to look forward to. I saw it on a blog called The Cable Game where it made the point that Reverend Wright, Jeremiah Wright, has an enormous stake in Obama losing. He's been saying for half a century that white people are terrible. And now, if Obama wins the election, then obviously America is not so bad. If Obama loses he says "see I told you."
Now that is some pretty Machiavellian stuff.
Finally, toward the top of the show, Juan Williams told an obvious but oft-denied truth.
JUAN WILLIAMS: Let me start with an assumption I am sure lots of people disagree with. Say there's a liberal lean to most of American media. Let's say they realize Barack Obama is in trouble this week after senator Clinton's win in Pennsylvania and they are doing a reassessment of senator Clinton and saying maybe there is something here. I think what has been overwhelmingly negative coverage . . . you are starting to see a shift and reassessment.
* For that matter, what was unfair about raising Willie Horton? By interesting coincidence it was Jim Pinkerton, working on the Bush campaign, who had noted Al Gore's use of Horton during the primary campaign and brought it to the attention of others, leading to the Bush ad.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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The Cable Game blog
April 27, 2008 - 06:53 ET by Tim GrahamJim Pinkerton mentioned a neat theory about Jeremiah Wright wanting Obama to lose so his Incorrigibly Racist America theories will be proven -- at The Cable Game blog. Check it out.
Wright did sort of sabotage
April 27, 2008 - 07:05 ET by motherbeltWright did sort of sabotage Obama. He "outed" him as just another politician who will do and say whatever he has to do and say. So much for Obama's "new kind of politics."
when asked about Obama's partial distancing of himself from Wright's
inflammatory sermons, Wright said, "he's a politician, he does what he
has to do."
We've talked about the question of "Does Bill really want Hillary to win?" and now it looks like Wright may be (even subconsciously?) attempting to grease the skids under Obama.
As Arte Johnson used to say on "Laugh-In".....Veeeeeerry in-ter-esting!
MB - Wright isn't trying to sabotage Obama
April 27, 2008 - 07:32 ET by Dee BunkPinkerton and others saying this are trying to sabotage the American people into believing that poor Obama is a victim of this guy.
All of the statements in question happened before the Obama campaign for Presidency and the only statements since have been on the puff piece love fest on PBS. I saw the whole interview and it was made to transform Wright into this great soft spoken Man of God. If he wanted Obama to be impacted more, he wouldn't have done that interview, or in doing it he would have made some fiery statements
I have no doubt that Wright wants Obama to win.
You may be right, Dee; I
April 27, 2008 - 07:46 ET by motherbeltYou may be right, Dee; I didn't see the interview.
I sometimes think that Jackson, Sharpton, et al would like to see Obama lose so that they could say "See? Racist as usual!!"
But in the end, I know that they will always find something to kvetch about:
Oh, I see, you think because we have a black President, everything's fine now?? Well what about all the other blacks who are denied opportunity???? etc.
I don't know why Pinkerton et al would say that, unless, as you said, to make Obama a victim. But if that were true, wouldn't they have done the interview in a way to make Wright a less sympathetic figure?
Sometimes it just gets to be like the "Battle of Wits" in The Princess Bride. Who knows what they are thinking?
I'm just going to keep my stock of duct tape replenished.
duplicate
April 27, 2008 - 08:30 ET by Dee Bunkduplicate
Love Story
April 27, 2008 - 07:58 ET by JWFIf this was not such a train wreck, it would be more fun to watch.
The dinosaur media as usual, fell in love with their favorite, Obama and refused to vet him. So now we have the most left leaning ultra leftist candidate for the Presidency ever. It is too late to vet him now, he has too many delegates.
If Sen McCain weren't so busy insulting people in his own party, by not letting them say Hussein, and decrying the state party members from running their own commercials, and buying into the green socialist global warming, we might end up with a 1984 Reagan type smackdown.
I couldn't agree more!
April 27, 2008 - 08:17 ET by motherbeltThe dinosaur media as usual, fell in love with their favorite, Obama
and refused to vet him. So now we have the most left leaning ultra
leftist candidate for the Presidency ever. It is too late to vet him
now, he has too many delegates.
And if, as some are predicting, we end up with a Democratic-controlled Congress and a filibuster-proof Senate, all bets are off.
Euro-socialism, here we come!!
This is really a Hobson's choice...the only alternative is to vote for mcCain...who may not be a socialist, but he certainly is an appeaser. How much resistance would he put up, against a socialist-leaning Congress?
Can you imagine him vetoing anything? (That wouldn't be "working with Democrats" you know!)
And he'll let Chuck Schumer and Pat Leahy give him a list of "confirmable" candidates for any SCOTUS openings ("reaching across the aisle" you know!)
It's a lose-lose situation.
Liberalism/Socialism/Communism
April 27, 2008 - 10:52 ET by iveseenitallAs I sat in a university classroom in the 60's I suffered the "liberal"/socialist/communist "professors" every week. I rejected them. Rev. Wrong, (Bill Ayers, et.al.) bought into their garbage big time. As he moved along, Wrong found out that there are millions of gullible, immature, ignorant people out there who will buy the crap you're selling. Modern "liberalism" took a big leap at that time. The Obamas were two of the many lemmings who followed guys like Wrong, et.al.. Wrong and his buddies indocrinated thousands of fools into the "America Is Evil", communist campaign. Change America any way you can, even violently. Sit-ins, protests, bombings, hate-filled "sermons" at "churches", university classooms of disinformation, etc. became a way of life ( With Vietnam, the "communists" saw a way to be "victorious" through politics and lying propaganda). Now it's the third wave of "liberals" in America. They are "liberals"/ socialists / communists who want to "change" the America they hate so vehemently. With Barry and Hillary they've gotten very close to the highest office in our land. Connect the dots America, and pray.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
What's The Matter With ConservativeLand?
April 27, 2008 - 11:22 ET by RexRuthlessSo, the question you have to ask yourself is how has it come to pass that McCain, of all the republican candidates, is the one we have?
Why not Romney, for God's sake?
Was it because he was a Mormon and our own loony-tune religious zealots couldn't let such a heathen devil to be the occupant of the White House?
And, Guiliani, for sure, too lib on some things, but capable as an executive, cleaned up New York and so on, was the next best choice. Why not Rudy?
Was it just too much to allow a lapsed Italian Catholic into the White House with a Jewish First Lady on his arm? Gee, a guy actually capable of enforcing the laws, such as labor laws against using illegals. Who would be against that among the members of the Grand Old Party?
You can't blame the half-idiocy of a McCain canidacy on the Demonios. No, that falls squarely on the shoulders of our own theocrats and Free Trade mongers.
So, who and what are to blame here?
Say there's a liberal lean
April 27, 2008 - 11:01 ET by Jack BauerJuan is so controversial.
Look Juan, just because research consistently show 90% of journalists are liberal/Democrat DOES not prove the coverage leans left.
Just because the media is now acting like the cheering chorus for Obama does not prove the media leans left.
As genuine patriots, as opposed to those flagpin wearing rubes, they simply want what's best for the country, and have put aside all bias to decide that Obama is best. Politics has nothing to do with it.
Sheesh you conservatives need to get a grip on reality.
Right on, Jack
April 27, 2008 - 11:12 ET by iveseenitallYeah, where's the "liberal" bias on NBC,ABC,CBS,CNN, MSNBC? I don't see any at all. They are all objective, unbiased, moderates. That Juan Williams is a right-wing nut! Scheeze.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
"Never Trust A Liberal"
April 27, 2008 - 11:27 ET by RexRuthlessAs I said above, ok, don't trust the libs. But the libs are so smart that they engineered the McCain candidacy, so they could get most of what they wanted?
Or are the Republicans actually in charge of their own party and the authors of this major misstep called the McCain Candidacy?
What exactly is this "malaise", to invoke the spirit of the '70s and Jimmy Carter, that has taken possession of the Republican party, with a country poised for stagflation while the "Euro-Socialist" currency kicks our currency's butt?
"I mean, it's like Willie
April 27, 2008 - 11:40 ET by Republic1"I mean, it's like Willie Horton, except that Obama knew Reverend Wright."
Knew the Rev., attended his church for 2 decades, named a book after one of the reverend's sermons, had the reverend marry him and his wife, had the rev. baptize his children, made the reverend a close associate and spiritual mentor....
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." -Muhammad
...and still refuses to
April 27, 2008 - 16:31 ET by bigtimer...and still refuses to disavow him....he may dance all around it with his cute by half spin, but he has not done that....
Going to be interesting to see what happens after the NAACP and National Press Club meetings Wright is yet to attend this week...goodness only knows what's gonna' come out of his mouth for news clips, you can bet Obama wishes he would disappear until after the election if he wins the dem. nomination.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Exactly. Will he throw
April 27, 2008 - 21:42 ET by Republic1Exactly. Will he throw bombs, play the victim card, or little of both. I'm guessing whatever the tactic, he's still going to be blaming America, whitey, and Fox news.
"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him." -Muhammad
Rep1... Did you catch any
April 27, 2008 - 21:58 ET by bigtimerRep1...
Did you catch any of the NAACP show with Mr. Hollywood material Wright tonight or the screechin' Rev. A's introduction for him...we were posting on OT about some of this...I had to get away from it for awhile.
...anyway if you didn't, the spin was already starting on CNN last I saw.
It was quite the show...pure madness as far as I am concerned, but I posted over there what I thought at the time...enough from me.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Obama and race
April 27, 2008 - 21:18 ET by sara123I saw an interesting interview with Shelby Steele on Obama's catch 22 in this election. He is trying to run a campaign as a "barginer" which Mr. Steel explains is where a Black person, like Oprah agrees not to be mean to whites in exchange for white trust and support. She does not speak kindly towards whites in terms of race which would outrage black and white liberals; but she is not a flame-thrower racist like Sharpton or Jackson. Obama has to be seen as a flame thrower to be accepted in the Black community which is why he participates in Wright's church, in an election for Black support; and he has to be seen as a barginer to whites during this campaign to get white support. His wife is a flame thrower. His preacher is a flame thrower. Obama wants to play the part of presenting himself as a barginer but he is acting like an invisible man who chants hope, change, hope, change, hope, change!
He has made two flame thrower slips: one when he threw his white grandmother under the bus yapping about the "typical white person" being a racist. He did it again with the white voters in PA when he claimed they did not like people unlike themselves (racists). I think Obama is a flame thrower hiding out during the election in the hope of pulling off the appearance of being a barginer to gain white votes. His wife is a flame thrower and is so filled with hate she just stews in racial bitterness.