If the co-sponsor had been CNN or NBC do you think they would be pulling out? You tell me.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3069.html

Gee whiz Deane, isn't this still America? Can't they decide which debates they want to be in and which they don't?

By the way, congratulations! You did it. You posted something without using the word "liberals".

My guess is no. Each of those networks are responsible for their respective images though. You can't have it both ways and expect no reprecussions. If it had been CNN or NBC, then people who prefer Fox would have had something to say about it too. Just like we are now. If you ( the royal you ) don't like it - then DO something about it. I'm not saying this in a bullyish way, but seriously, I'm going to start asking this more often: What are you going to DO about it? Do you think we need to talk more about it and enlighten people? OK - you've done it. Along with every other person with with a keyboard - now what? What are you going to DO about it? Are you outraged enough to do something? Or is this it for you? ( Again - not YOU you DJ. But people who have NO inclination to DO ANYthing about it should just say so ).

None of these networks speak for me though. And I'm a Democrat. Kind of. I'm not saying that they have zero influence over me. But I can think for myself. And this isn't important enough for me to have that strong of a conviction about. There are just other things that need my attention. And I am the one that decides what needs my attention. Not a TV.

CJ: You are the Decider!

Deane, are you aware that even Democrats overseas fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan petitioned the Nevada Democratic Party to drop Fox?

"According to MoveOn, more than 265,000 people signed a petition sent to the Nevada State Democratic Party."

This purchased party platform called Politico didn't report the whole story, but they did print this drivel from former Nixon aide and now "news" poobah, Roger Ailes:

"FOX News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes gave the progressive activists more ammunition on Thursday when he jokingly compared Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, to Osama bin Laden."

Gee, that is a knee-slapper Roger. Let me guess, a play on words, like Roger the draft-dodger and now the crispy-prostate codger? Is there no reason to be dignified when you spend your life as a so-called media mogul?

The more appropriate analogy is to compare Fox News to Air America. Surely we wouldn't expect a state Republican Party to co-sponsor some debates with Air America, would we?

Andrew

The analogy doesn't work. Fox News has straight news programs plus opinion programs.

In contrast, Air America has only opinion programs.

The analogy doesn't work, but for a different reason. Air America is owned by Americans. Fox is not.

What are the Democrats afraid of?

Ann Coulter.

What would Republicans have to be afraid of if Air America were co-sponsoring the debates? Nothing - except they know Air America is slanted to the left, just like Fox is slanted to the right, so they wouldn't get a fair shake. Why would any Democratic presidential candidate want any part of a right-wing news-sponsored debate?

Andrew

Fox has straight news journalists, Air America doesn't.

Acccording to your logic, Republicans would be justified in not having a debate sponsored by Left leaning CNN.

DD writes:
Fox has straight news journalists, Air America doesn't.

You've obviously never listened to Air America Radio News. They have journalists like Bill Crowley, Wayne Gelman, etc. do the news at the top of every hour. Some of these guys are 20-30 year veteran journalists who have worked in the media forever. They could moderate a debate as well as anyone who works at Fox News.

Andrew

Gee Andrew, are you so far left politically that fair and balanced Fox News seems slanted to the right to you?

Again, according to your logic, Republicans would be justified in not having a debate sponsored by Left leaning CNN.

CNN does not lean left - or right. They are also biased, just in whichever way the political wind is blowing or however the groupthink is operating that week. I wouldn't trust my news from CNN anymore than I'd trust it from Fox News. The Democrats shouldn't be involved in any debate sponsored by CNN or MSNBC either.

Andrew

Gee whiz, here's an idea, how about a public debate on public television? Or is that too novel an idea?

I know, I know, how are we gonna find out about all the drug companies' latest ways to treat the nation's hypochondria? How will we know where to get the worst $15 pizza ever? What will Mom do if she isn't enticed to spend the college money on a couch?

Oh, woe to the viewer who was tuning in just for the commercials, but then again, the panel might have time to answer questions with a thoughtful response. Heaven forbid we actually heard what the candidates had to say.

DJ said>>>>
What are the Democrats afraid of?

Same thing the neo-CONers are......

This is totally and completely justified. Go look at the Obama thread for a solid example of why FOX news is not a recognized source for reputable news.

They are a GOP mouthpiece, nothing more, nothing less. If the Dems had engaged them in this debate (and who the fuck made that deal?), they would have gained some legimitacy they do not deserve, based on their actions to date. Frankly, we don't need FOX at all involved in anything Democratic at this point. They've not demonstrated being of value.

Balls in their court. If they work on changing this, perhaps the next cycle will see them more engaged than they currently are. If they don't, tough titty.

There is just too much wrong with FOX to treat them otherwise. Why do you think Obama has frozen them out? Could it be the running barrage of bullshit crap they pulled early on? Might be, don't 'ya think? Frankly, I would do the same and make considerable noise about it.

I'm with Andrew in this too. It's not reasonable to expect AAR to host Republican stuff either.

Now Thom Hartman would be fine for anybody, and he remains a shining example of where a significant percentage of our media needs to get to, if they expect to be taken more seriously going forward.

This statement last night from the "lie-in' (lion) of the left" Bernie Ward:

"There are abuses that we don't know about."

!!!!?????? Huh? Cant be true! You can not truthfully affirm something that you have no knowledge of!!!

Cancle the Bernie Ward (KGO) show from your list of sources of credible information.

If he personally has some inside knowledge of some abuses, then he would have said "... that YOU dont know about...". He also did not qualify the statement with a "I think..." "I predict..." "I suspect...", "I hope...", "I want there to be..." etc.

62kgw, your post seems irrelevant to this thread. If you want to start a new topic about Bernie Ward, be my guest. This doesn't seem to be the place.

Andrew

Fox news fair and balanced? The Kool Aid drinkers are here.

I think Ward's insane statement qualifies as
"hipocrisy" of the Democrats.

I nominate Bill Orielly to be the moderator of the debates.

Cant stand fox news? :
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Mar-10-Sat-2007/opinion/13078877.html

You can't be " Fair and Balanced " AND " Right tilting." Fair and Balanced means one thing - right-tilting means something else.

I think that's a sore spot that drives Democrats insane.It makes us feel like just because a network uses that slogan, it is believed. It is wholly innacurate and perpetuates division. What Fox SHOULD do is re-image their slogan to read " We're fighting back with everything we've got." THAT would be accurate.

Besides, it's a slogan. Not a mission statement. The people on that station and ALL others are given voice to show that they are NOT fair and balanced. In fact, that's why they were hired. THAT is why they are popular. Not because they are fair and balanced, but because they have their own ideas and are paid to express them.

People who are truly fair and balanced don't get ratings. They are peceived as boring thinkers, part of the intelligencia, weak, hand wringers and faggots. I couldn't disagree more with that sentiment.

Fox is tough. That's their mission statement. But they are not tough on their own. And that's infuriating.

Liberals on Fox News: Geraldo Rivera, Greta Van Susteren, Chris Wallace, Alan Colmes, to name a few. I assume some of the reporters are, but there is no way to know.

Hannity is conservative, of course, and Bill O'Riley probably is. Who else?

62 said>>>
I nominate Bill Orielly to be the moderator of the debates.

LMFAO!

O'LIEly shouldn't be within 800 miles of a debate ever unless it's over the pornographic novels he narrates.

Sure there are a few liberals like alan colmes on Fox. But they aren't any liberal's hero. I don't have any respect for Geraldo, Van Susteren, or Chris Wallace (especially after he tried to sandbag Bill Clinton in that interview a few months back), and I'm not sure on what basis they would be considered liberals.

In the end, Fox controls the editorial content of the shows. Many of them are taped. Liberals don't control the final cuts. Let's remember that when the Hannity and colmes show was first in development at Fox, it was known internally as "Hannity and Liberal to be named later." colmes is there mostly as an easy punching bag and foil for the conservative guests.

Andrew

That's what they do at FAUXNews. They throw a left learning Republican that has some Liberal views and they call him a hard liner. Alan Colmes is as Liberal as Plush Bimbo. Colmes couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. But neither could O'LIEly.........
Liberals on FAUXNews is like saying neo-CON talk hour on Air America Radio.....

It's a mouthpiece. End of story.

Talk all you want. A quick trip to MediaMatters will clarify this well enough.

Their current behavior does not justify them having any significant involvement with Democratic primaries... Heck, they are gonna be lucky to be able to cover candidates directly.

Their treatment of Obama speaks more than well enough to why.

You guys are funny. As I recall, Andrew can't even get Fox News on his TV. Yet, he posts like he actually knew what was being broadcast.

I've not watched FOX live in a coupla years now. How do I know what's being broadcast? There is this little thing called the Internet. It tends to keep people, who know how to use it properly, well informed.

Actually, that's not completely true. I've watched a bit of FOX on business travel. It's pretty bad where getting informed is concerned. It is, however, very well produced and entertaining! They get top marks for that.

Can't speak for Andrew, of course, but my own experience with FOX is pretty horrible. That's exactly why they don't get much of my attention these days at all. My father in law camps out on all the cable networks, as well as local news.

He's getting up there, but remains quite sharp.

His general opinion of FOX is entertainment only.

You are gonna have to do one hell of a lot better than that to even establish a stepping stone from which to claim FOX is anything other than the mouthpiece described here.

Hell, Murdock himself has been on record many times with his view of what news should be and the role of the network in general. Doesn't he "make the news?"

I have definitely watched FOX News in the past, Deane - my Dad used to watch it all the time, so whenever I went to his house and he had it on, I would have to endure it. Also, sometimes when I travel I'm flipping through the channels at a hotel and I'll come upon Fox, and if I see Hannity's ugly mug in a split screen with someone he's berating, I can't help but turn my head and look for a few seconds, like a traffic accident.

Andrew

???"and if I see Hannity's ugly mug in a split screen with someone he's berating, I can't help but turn my head and look for a few seconds, like a traffic accident."

Gee, I agree. Colmes is much better looking than Hannity. Not.

I think the alan colmes bit is hilarious!

Hope he is paid well. It would be damn tough to have to live with kissing Hannitys ass weekly.

alan colmes is not ugly - he's downright scary looking. What the hell happened to his eye? Would you leave your kids alone with him? But to Fox, that's what all liberals are supposed to look like!

I'm sure colmes is well paid. Fox would hate to lose him. An experienced, skilled liberal talker going toe to toe with him every night would rip Hannity to shreds and Hannity and Fox know it. colmes is a pussycat.

Andrew

LOL. I've often wondered if Fox put Colmes on just to make the left look stupid.

Totally!

That's exactly why he is there! I've thought that from the first time I saw the two together. We've got Hannity, with his big ass father complex and colmes playing up to that perfectly!

And no, I would not leave my kids alone with him period. Spooky. He's a douche bag.

Deane_johnson:
LOL. I've often wondered if Fox put Colmes on just to make the left look stupid.

He's a token and you know it.

BTW, since you are so fast to condemn the dems for pulling out of this debate, what's your opinion of Obama? Fox compares him to a terroist, is that what you think? What if they had used the N word? Would you still be handing out the same condemnations?

>>>"Fox compares him to a terroist, is that what you think?"

I missed that. When did it happen.

>>>"What if they had used the N word?"

What's with these hypotheticals that never happened and never will?

LOL!!!

Go look at the Obama thread here for all you need to know on that score.

FOX aired Obama's likeness and or name, in conjunction with references to Osama's name and or likeness repeatedly!

Besides, where are you going with this? If your plan is to dodge enough questions to feel good about continuing to watch FOX and think it's programming is authoritative, keep it up. You will get there if you try hard enough.

If it's to attempt to bring some credence to FOX where people know better, think again. You've got a very heavy burden on that score. More than one study and a fair number of fact checked articles on FOX and it's less than stellar journalistic practices have been posted essentially everywhere, including here.

Those have not been refuted to date, which brings us back to the origin of this thread.

The Democrats would be complete fools to actually engage FOX on any basis, other than for entertainment. They just have not demonstrated being worth anything else.

Interesting too. How come so many conservatives are that interested in getting their fellow FOX viewers interested in Democratic candidates? Could it be they are just drooling for more smears and jeers? Maybe they just need to see both sides a little more? Hmmm...

If it's the latter, than good. The freezeouts are working nicely and should continue.

Sorry Deane, but you've got nothing so far on FOX being anything other than an entertainment only network.