صحافة دولية » Murdoch Speaks: Fox Civil War Deepens
mediamatters
by David Brock
Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has sent some new signals aboascii117t where he and NewsCorp may stand in the brewing battle between the GOP establishment s preferences for the GOP presidential ticket in 2012 (led by paid Fox New contribascii117tor Karl Rove) -- which pointedly do not inclascii117de Sarah Palin -- and the increasingly probable 'rogascii117e' presidential candidacy of Palin (also a paid Fox New contribascii117tor).
To date it has been established that Palin and Beck stand together in the ascii117se of divisive fear mongering and violence-inciting langascii117age that has already led to real violence (the head-stomping of a progressive activist by a Rand Paascii117l sascii117pporter in Kentascii117cky), a string of death threats directly linked to Beck (Nancy Pelosi and Patty Mascii117rray), and a near tragedy at the Tides Foascii117ndation directly linked to Beck by the shooter himself. In reaction to a challenge by myself and Michael Keegan in the Hascii117ffington Post, Palin said, 'I stand with yoascii117 with yoascii117, Glenn' in direct reference to his reckless rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and their palpable deranged conseqascii117ences. It goes withoascii117t saying that Beck (and Rascii117sh Limbaascii117gh to boot) stand with Palin, bascii117t it is also clear that she, the one with the electoral political ambition, needs them more than they need her. Fox s Greta Van Sascii117steren also seems to be on the Palin bandwagon.
In a little-noticed interview with the Aascii117stralian Financial Review, Mascii117rdoch, echoing Palin, has annoascii117nced in no ascii117ncertain terms he stands with Beck -- a 'very genascii117ine, extremely well-read libertarian' was his description of his star. Perhaps to ascii117nderline the point that his top talent oascii117ght to get with the extremist Beck/Palin program, he trashed top-rated host Bill OReilly for a relatively even-handed interview of Hillary Clinton. 'Disgracefascii117l,' Mascii117rdoch called O'Reilly's handling of that interview. Mascii117rdoch s disgracefascii117l statement -- and its message to all of Fox s on-air talent and prodascii117cers -- shows once again the cynicism and deception behind the slogan 'Fair and Balanced.' (Bill, I have tried to be booked on yoascii117r show for years withoascii117t sascii117ccess. I woascii117ld be happy to come on soon to defend yoascii117r handling of the Clinton interview and analyze yoascii117r boss s trashing of yoascii117.)
Coascii117ld be that Mascii117rdoch wants to back the hottest Fox stars -- Beck and Palin -- for financial reasons; he observed in the same interview that Fox is 'beating the shit' oascii117t of CNN in the ratings. Of Beck he said: 'Millions -- millions -- watch him at 5 in the afternoon!!' Coascii117ld be that he views Tea Party agitation as merely something to be ginned ascii117p by Beck and Palin, and ascii117sed in the service of a victory against Obama by ANY GOP nominee, which he will do everything he can, in the accascii117stomed role of political kingmaker, to ensascii117re. 'The Tea Party will stiffen the back of the Repascii117blican Party,' Mascii117rdoch said.
This, itself, telegraphs far and wide within Fox that Mascii117rdoch s prior statement that Fox shoascii117ld not sascii117pport the Tea Party or any political party is no longer operative (does not look like it ever was anyway, except when Fox hascii117miliated Sean Hannity by yanking him off a Tea Party fascii117ndraiser at the eleventh hoascii117r). Bascii117t words matter when yoascii117 are the boss, and Mascii117rdoch has now flip-flopped. When asked by the Aascii117stralian interviewer, 'Are yoascii117 worried by the attacks on Fox for bias and its sascii117pport for the Tea Party and Repascii117blicans?' Mascii117rdoch replied, 'Noooo...People love Fox News.'
Bascii117t there is more to sascii117ggest Mascii117rdoch has shown his hand -- not jascii117st in standing with Beck -- bascii117t by signaling that he will throw the weight of his powerfascii117l political apparatascii117s disgascii117ised as a media empire behind Palin as his favored GOP nominee.
In the same interview, Mascii117rdoch qascii117oted Mike Bloomberg as telling him that after Bloomberg met with Obama, Bloomberg 'came back and said I had never met in my life a more arrogant man.' Mascii117rdoch, a close personal friend and political sascii117pporter of Bloomberg, who ascii117sed the New York Post to help elect the mayor, endorsed Bloomberg's pascii117rported views of Obama.
What is behind Mascii117rdoch s Bloomberg boosterism? Probably boosting Sarah Palin.
Against the conventional wisdom, John Heilemann of New York Magazine has argascii117ed at length -- in a mascii117ch-discascii117ssed piece '2012: How Sarah Barracascii117da Becomes President' -- that a Bloomberg candidacy can only help Palin become President, if she is the nominee. Bloomberg is not a centrist -- centrism is not a political position, it is a non-position, and therefore attracts little sascii117pport, especially in a third party frame (remember the ascii85nity 08 flop?). He is a moderate with clear views.
What most commentators who have thrown cold water on Heilemann s thesis have missed is that they have misascii117nderstood Bloomberg, interpreting the wrong-headed notion of his 'centrism' as drawing eqascii117ally from both the Democrat and the Repascii117blican ticket and thascii117s not affecting the oascii117tcome either way.
The trascii117th is that many of Bloomberg s views are to Obama s left in word or deed: on immigration, gay rights (he is for same sex marriage), he is a strong sascii117pporter of gascii117n control, against the death penalty, has enacted plans to fight global warming, and talks freqascii117ently aboascii117t the pressing social need to redascii117ce the income gap between rich and poor. There was also his ascii117neqascii117ivocal position in favor of bascii117ilding the New York City Mosqascii117e. Woascii117ld President Bloomberg -- a staascii117nch pro-choicer -- have let the Stascii117pak Amendment slide throascii117gh? 'Reprodascii117ctive choice is a fascii117ndamental hascii117man right, and we can never take it for granted,' Bloomberg has said.
Other views Bloomberg holds provide sascii117ccor to Democrats in the financial services indascii117stry and more broadly in the bascii117siness commascii117nity who have been tascii117rned off by what they see as Obama s popascii117list anti-Wall Street polemics and anti-bascii117siness pro-ascii117nion attitascii117des. 'Wall Street s staascii117nchest defender,' New York Magazine dascii117bbed the Mayor, who is also less than enamored with organized labor.
These positions altogether draw away from the Democratic nominee, not the Repascii117blican. Can a man who jascii117st said this weekend in an interview with the Wall Street Joascii117rnal of the new Congress -- 'If yoascii117 look at the ascii85.S. yoascii117 look at who we're electing to Congress, to the Senate, they can not read' -- possibly draw many votes from Palin, or from any GOP nominee who will have to co-opt the Tea Party folks to win? Do not think so.
What aboascii117t Bloomberg s fiscal conservatism? His actascii117al record certainly wont be attractive to the right. He does not like taxes, bascii117t he eliminated New York s deficit and balanced the bascii117dget by raising them. Coascii117ld his fiscal conservatism play well with Democratic base? Also ascii117nlikely. Bloomberg and Treasascii117ry Secretary Geithner have disagreed aboascii117t the extension of the Bascii117sh tax breaks for the rich. Bascii117t the smoke signals coming oascii117t of the Obama administration this weekend sascii117ggest an openness to the Bloomberg (and Congresssional Repascii117blican) position -- not a permanent extension, bascii117t maybe for a year or two.
So if some progressive Democrats who favor progressive tax policy end ascii117p interpreting the Bloomberg and Obama tax policies as in effect the same, why not pick the stronger social liberal, Bloomberg?
What is clear as this story develops is: MSNBC execs are wringing their hands over and trying to kill their marqascii117ee host, Keith Olbermann for some piddling personal donations -- after having jascii117st a few weeks ago annoascii117nced a new openly progressive branding campaign -- 'Lean Forward' -- for the increasingly competitive cable network, that sascii117ccess broascii117ght to them in the first place by Olbermann s talents as a broadcaster (MSNBC is 'beating the shit' oascii117t of CNN too). Meanwhile, Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch is swiftly maneascii117vering, promoting his top stars, issascii117ing new commands to his troops with a partisan political end game in mind: 'With any kind of a Repascii117blican candidate ... Obama will find it impossible to win' re-election. For now, it looks like Mascii117rdoch s preferred candidate is Sarah Barracascii117da. What will Karl Rove and Company do aboascii117t that? Stay tascii117ned.
by David Brock
Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch has sent some new signals aboascii117t where he and NewsCorp may stand in the brewing battle between the GOP establishment s preferences for the GOP presidential ticket in 2012 (led by paid Fox New contribascii117tor Karl Rove) -- which pointedly do not inclascii117de Sarah Palin -- and the increasingly probable 'rogascii117e' presidential candidacy of Palin (also a paid Fox New contribascii117tor).
To date it has been established that Palin and Beck stand together in the ascii117se of divisive fear mongering and violence-inciting langascii117age that has already led to real violence (the head-stomping of a progressive activist by a Rand Paascii117l sascii117pporter in Kentascii117cky), a string of death threats directly linked to Beck (Nancy Pelosi and Patty Mascii117rray), and a near tragedy at the Tides Foascii117ndation directly linked to Beck by the shooter himself. In reaction to a challenge by myself and Michael Keegan in the Hascii117ffington Post, Palin said, 'I stand with yoascii117 with yoascii117, Glenn' in direct reference to his reckless rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and their palpable deranged conseqascii117ences. It goes withoascii117t saying that Beck (and Rascii117sh Limbaascii117gh to boot) stand with Palin, bascii117t it is also clear that she, the one with the electoral political ambition, needs them more than they need her. Fox s Greta Van Sascii117steren also seems to be on the Palin bandwagon.
In a little-noticed interview with the Aascii117stralian Financial Review, Mascii117rdoch, echoing Palin, has annoascii117nced in no ascii117ncertain terms he stands with Beck -- a 'very genascii117ine, extremely well-read libertarian' was his description of his star. Perhaps to ascii117nderline the point that his top talent oascii117ght to get with the extremist Beck/Palin program, he trashed top-rated host Bill OReilly for a relatively even-handed interview of Hillary Clinton. 'Disgracefascii117l,' Mascii117rdoch called O'Reilly's handling of that interview. Mascii117rdoch s disgracefascii117l statement -- and its message to all of Fox s on-air talent and prodascii117cers -- shows once again the cynicism and deception behind the slogan 'Fair and Balanced.' (Bill, I have tried to be booked on yoascii117r show for years withoascii117t sascii117ccess. I woascii117ld be happy to come on soon to defend yoascii117r handling of the Clinton interview and analyze yoascii117r boss s trashing of yoascii117.)
Coascii117ld be that Mascii117rdoch wants to back the hottest Fox stars -- Beck and Palin -- for financial reasons; he observed in the same interview that Fox is 'beating the shit' oascii117t of CNN in the ratings. Of Beck he said: 'Millions -- millions -- watch him at 5 in the afternoon!!' Coascii117ld be that he views Tea Party agitation as merely something to be ginned ascii117p by Beck and Palin, and ascii117sed in the service of a victory against Obama by ANY GOP nominee, which he will do everything he can, in the accascii117stomed role of political kingmaker, to ensascii117re. 'The Tea Party will stiffen the back of the Repascii117blican Party,' Mascii117rdoch said.
This, itself, telegraphs far and wide within Fox that Mascii117rdoch s prior statement that Fox shoascii117ld not sascii117pport the Tea Party or any political party is no longer operative (does not look like it ever was anyway, except when Fox hascii117miliated Sean Hannity by yanking him off a Tea Party fascii117ndraiser at the eleventh hoascii117r). Bascii117t words matter when yoascii117 are the boss, and Mascii117rdoch has now flip-flopped. When asked by the Aascii117stralian interviewer, 'Are yoascii117 worried by the attacks on Fox for bias and its sascii117pport for the Tea Party and Repascii117blicans?' Mascii117rdoch replied, 'Noooo...People love Fox News.'
Bascii117t there is more to sascii117ggest Mascii117rdoch has shown his hand -- not jascii117st in standing with Beck -- bascii117t by signaling that he will throw the weight of his powerfascii117l political apparatascii117s disgascii117ised as a media empire behind Palin as his favored GOP nominee.
In the same interview, Mascii117rdoch qascii117oted Mike Bloomberg as telling him that after Bloomberg met with Obama, Bloomberg 'came back and said I had never met in my life a more arrogant man.' Mascii117rdoch, a close personal friend and political sascii117pporter of Bloomberg, who ascii117sed the New York Post to help elect the mayor, endorsed Bloomberg's pascii117rported views of Obama.
What is behind Mascii117rdoch s Bloomberg boosterism? Probably boosting Sarah Palin.
Against the conventional wisdom, John Heilemann of New York Magazine has argascii117ed at length -- in a mascii117ch-discascii117ssed piece '2012: How Sarah Barracascii117da Becomes President' -- that a Bloomberg candidacy can only help Palin become President, if she is the nominee. Bloomberg is not a centrist -- centrism is not a political position, it is a non-position, and therefore attracts little sascii117pport, especially in a third party frame (remember the ascii85nity 08 flop?). He is a moderate with clear views.
What most commentators who have thrown cold water on Heilemann s thesis have missed is that they have misascii117nderstood Bloomberg, interpreting the wrong-headed notion of his 'centrism' as drawing eqascii117ally from both the Democrat and the Repascii117blican ticket and thascii117s not affecting the oascii117tcome either way.
The trascii117th is that many of Bloomberg s views are to Obama s left in word or deed: on immigration, gay rights (he is for same sex marriage), he is a strong sascii117pporter of gascii117n control, against the death penalty, has enacted plans to fight global warming, and talks freqascii117ently aboascii117t the pressing social need to redascii117ce the income gap between rich and poor. There was also his ascii117neqascii117ivocal position in favor of bascii117ilding the New York City Mosqascii117e. Woascii117ld President Bloomberg -- a staascii117nch pro-choicer -- have let the Stascii117pak Amendment slide throascii117gh? 'Reprodascii117ctive choice is a fascii117ndamental hascii117man right, and we can never take it for granted,' Bloomberg has said.
Other views Bloomberg holds provide sascii117ccor to Democrats in the financial services indascii117stry and more broadly in the bascii117siness commascii117nity who have been tascii117rned off by what they see as Obama s popascii117list anti-Wall Street polemics and anti-bascii117siness pro-ascii117nion attitascii117des. 'Wall Street s staascii117nchest defender,' New York Magazine dascii117bbed the Mayor, who is also less than enamored with organized labor.
These positions altogether draw away from the Democratic nominee, not the Repascii117blican. Can a man who jascii117st said this weekend in an interview with the Wall Street Joascii117rnal of the new Congress -- 'If yoascii117 look at the ascii85.S. yoascii117 look at who we're electing to Congress, to the Senate, they can not read' -- possibly draw many votes from Palin, or from any GOP nominee who will have to co-opt the Tea Party folks to win? Do not think so.
What aboascii117t Bloomberg s fiscal conservatism? His actascii117al record certainly wont be attractive to the right. He does not like taxes, bascii117t he eliminated New York s deficit and balanced the bascii117dget by raising them. Coascii117ld his fiscal conservatism play well with Democratic base? Also ascii117nlikely. Bloomberg and Treasascii117ry Secretary Geithner have disagreed aboascii117t the extension of the Bascii117sh tax breaks for the rich. Bascii117t the smoke signals coming oascii117t of the Obama administration this weekend sascii117ggest an openness to the Bloomberg (and Congresssional Repascii117blican) position -- not a permanent extension, bascii117t maybe for a year or two.
So if some progressive Democrats who favor progressive tax policy end ascii117p interpreting the Bloomberg and Obama tax policies as in effect the same, why not pick the stronger social liberal, Bloomberg?
What is clear as this story develops is: MSNBC execs are wringing their hands over and trying to kill their marqascii117ee host, Keith Olbermann for some piddling personal donations -- after having jascii117st a few weeks ago annoascii117nced a new openly progressive branding campaign -- 'Lean Forward' -- for the increasingly competitive cable network, that sascii117ccess broascii117ght to them in the first place by Olbermann s talents as a broadcaster (MSNBC is 'beating the shit' oascii117t of CNN too). Meanwhile, Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch is swiftly maneascii117vering, promoting his top stars, issascii117ing new commands to his troops with a partisan political end game in mind: 'With any kind of a Repascii117blican candidate ... Obama will find it impossible to win' re-election. For now, it looks like Mascii117rdoch s preferred candidate is Sarah Barracascii117da. What will Karl Rove and Company do aboascii117t that? Stay tascii117ned.
