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| White House attacks worry moderate Democrats |
| 2009-10-24 |
| A White House effort to undermine conservative critics is generating a backlash on Capitol Hill -- and not just from Republicans. "It's a mistake," said Rep. Jason Altmire, a moderate Democrat from western Pennsylvania. "I think it's beneath the White House to get into a tit for tat with news organizations." Altmire was talking about the Obama administration's efforts to undercut Fox News. But he said his remarks applied just the same to White House efforts to marginalize the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful business lobby targeted for its opposition to climate change legislation. "There's no reason to gratuitously piss off all those companies," added another Democrat, Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia. "The Chamber isn't an opponent." POLITICO reported earlier this week on an all-fronts push by the White House to cut the legs out from under its toughest critics, whether it's the Chamber, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck and the rest of the Fox News operation. White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has defended the push, saying the administration made "a fundamental decision that we needed to be more aggressive in both protecting our position and in delineating our differences with those who were attacking us." Congressional Republicans counterattacked Thursday. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the administration was "targeting those who don't immediately fall in line" with "Chicago-style politics" aimed at "shutting the American people out and demonizing their opponents." Boehner's No. 2, Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) complained that the nation's problems are growing while the White House "bickers with a cable news network." Liberal Democrats have little heartburn over the administration's attacks on Fox and Limbaugh. But the attacks make moderates uneasy -- especially when they extend to the Chamber of Commerce. While Limbaugh and Fox commentators like Beck make no secret of their dislike for Democrats, the Chamber's Republican lean is partially counteracted by nominal and financial support for pro-business Democrats who need to win votes from pro-business Republicans. The campaign websites of moderate Democrats from across the country are filled with endorsements from the Chamber of Commerce. Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, for example, has this testimonial from a Chamber official on his site: "On issues ranging from lowering taxes to increasing trade, Indiana's businesses and workers have no better friend than Brad Ellsworth." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 We had a comment from the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday that he rarely watches Canadian newscasts but prefers American instead. Seeing as he is avoiding the rabid left wing CBC and CTV, I'm guessing he does not watch CNN (or MSNBC, which is not available in Canada). |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins**** 2009-10-24 20:31 |
| #4 In baseball terms, Bambi has rabbit ears ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-10-24 15:48 |
| #3 Ann Coulter's remarks on The O'Reilly Factor last night, 10/23/09, were spot on. With some slight paraphrasing ... "the Obama administration is a bunch of whining crybabies" ... |
| Posted by: WolfDog 2009-10-24 12:29 |
| #2 FOX has Glen Beck on three times a day not because they are a tool of the Republican party. FOX is in it to make money, to answer to shareholders, they have him on because there is a market out there for what he is saying, a rather large market at that. America is split right down the middle between red and blue, the votes show this. The media is not so split on the demographics they target. FOX is the only network going after the conservative market and they are doing it because there is a large market share and not out of some patriotic duty. This is how the market work, target the segment left out, agree with their views and advertise products they will buy. Nothing more. Obama's attack on FOX is an attack on the free market and free speech to silence his political opponents and half of America. Isolating your opponents ability to communicate freely is right out of the communist playbook, plain and simple. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-10-24 09:19 |
| #1 When the squeeze comes down on them many will forget their worries. But the more they talk the harder it will be to squeeze 'em. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-10-24 06:28 |