It's no great surprise when an Obama administration official takes a swipe at Fox News.
But it is somewhat unseemly when one of the President's top advisers and campaign manager does it in front of Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
CHRIS WALLACE, HOST: When the Republicans originally proposed some cuts like this, Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer were calling it draconian and extreme and radical. And you ended up agreeing to about two-thirds of it.
DAVID PLOUFFE, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: Well, again, you were just talking about the number. There were some cuts and there are actual cuts that were radical and draconian. They're not in the final package. So --
WALLACE: Billions of dollars in cuts in infrastructure, research and development, high-speed rail?
WALLACE: What do you mean a lot of our viewers?
PLOUFFE: Well, my point is I think that most Americans believe, there may be some in the base of the Republican Party -- and polls show this out -- the American people want compromise. There's a slim majority that does not.
Plouffe may have been referring to Republicans with that last comment, as Gallup reported Wednesday:
With Congress facing a midnight Friday deadline to pass a federal budget before a partial government shutdown occurs, a new Gallup poll finds Americans rooting for a deal. By 58% to 33%, more Americans want government leaders who share their views on the budget to back a compromise and avert a shutdown rather than hold out for a budget they agree with. [...]
The slight majority of Republicans nationwide, 51%, want the people in government who share their views to hold out for a budget they agree with rather than compromise. This compares with 27% of Democrats and 29% of independents who say the same.
As such, a slim majority of Republicans in this poll wanted their leaders to hold out for a budget they agree with, but that doesn't mean they consider compromise a dirty word.
Instead, when it comes to certain issues currently facing the nation, conservatives at this moment are more steadfast in their views especially as members of their Party in recent years have abdicated core principles in order to pass legislation and budgets that were by no means appealing to the Right.
Either way, it sure is strange for a member of the White House to go on a news channel and take a cheap shot at its viewers, although given the unprecedented arrogance of this Administration, nothing's surprising anymore.
(H/T Mediaite)
