Patterico's Pontifications

11/8/2009

Obama Administration Warns Democrat Strategist: Stay Off of Fox News

Filed under: Dog Trainer,General — Patterico @ 3:01 pm



The Los Angeles Times (yes, the Los Angeles Times!) reports:

At least one Democratic political strategist has gotten a blunt warning from the White House to never appear on Fox News Channel, an outlet that presidential aides have depicted as not so much a news-gathering operation as a political opponent bent on damaging the Obama administration.

The Democratic strategist said that shortly after an appearance on Fox, he got a phone call from a White House official telling him not to be a guest on the show again. The call had an intimidating tone, he said.

The message was, “We better not see you on again,” said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to run afoul of the White House. An implicit suggestion, he said, was that “clients might stop using you if you continue.”

Keep it up, Obama.

32 Responses to “Obama Administration Warns Democrat Strategist: Stay Off of Fox News”

  1. That’s very gangsta, really.

    happyfeet (f62c43)

  2. Unless there were several other strategists who appeared on Fox news and got a call from the White House, his condition of anonymity is probably compromised.

    Huey (b957d9)

  3. This is just one more sign that the Dems and the administration are writing off any attempt at bi-partisanship. I understand they have the majorities so they don’t HAVE to involve the other side. However, it is not a good idea to ignore large parts of the population. That is why part of Obama’a appeal was his being able to reach across the isle. We like our government to look bi-partisan even if we don’t like bi-partisan results.

    – FOP Vermillion

    FOP Vermillion (939d28)

  4. The White House, of course, denied the story and used Ploufffe as an example of why it couldn’t be true. Of course, he is flogging a book and even these guys know that to make money you have to sell books.

    Mike K (addb13)

  5. It’s things like this that make me worry about Obama lieutenants referring to Chairman Mao so frequently.

    Alta Bob (e8af2b)

  6. , an outlet that presidential aides have depicted as not so much a news-gathering operation as a political opponent bent on damaging the Obama administration.

    that the videotape-hiding LA Times can print that with a straight face is really sort of scary.

    happyfeet (f62c43)

  7. In Chicago there is a saying that is used when the big boys want to drop a not-so-subtle hint about you not getting out of line: We know where you live. This is a version of that. My guess is that call came from Rahm.

    BT (74cbec)

  8. Obama’s model has always been Putin. Next, he’ll want to appoint the governors.

    Kevin Murphy (3c3db0)

  9. You know, if all of our criticism of Obama is so wrong … why does his behavior so confirm it?

    SPQR (26be8b)

  10. This is simply irrational: the WH has publicly stated that they believe Fox News is not a *real* news outfit; so, if that’s true, why the heck do there care if their people appear on it? It’s not a *real* news organization, so what damage can be done? Why would they devote one iota of time to this?

    Their fear is palpable. And the more they attempt to push back and use thuggish tactics, the stronger the scent of their fear becomes.

    Dana (e9ba20)

  11. Verbal threats are a crime. Is there one democrat with the gonads to file charges against the white house? Evidently not, they all bow on command and kiss O’Dumbo’s a**. Believe it folks, and armed uprising is on the way. Me think a military commander will get tired of the BS and take over D.C. without firing a shot.

    Scrapiron (4e0dda)

  12. The LAT posting has some crisp editing, compared to the fuller piece by Nicholas. No doubt space limitations due to all the lucrative and profitable ads they’re running.
    http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/11/white_house_fox_offlimits_stra.html

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  13. Get help, IMP.

    JD (f8eae0)

  14. Too bad for the Big Zero that Joey “Batters” Aiuppa isn’t still among the living. He coulda showed ’em all his version of the “Chicago Way”.

    General Malaise (42c6c0)

  15. Somewhere, someplace, an honest and responsible Democrat is feeling a chilling effect running up and down his spine. He’s not alone, this isn’t supposed to be happening.

    Obama ran as a political moderate who could heal the racial divide and lead America to better times for all. But today’s ugly storm warnings don’t match Obama’s promise of hope and change. Something is wrong, very wrong.

    When an Administration uses coercion to force free men to submit to its authority, that Administration demonstrates it is no longer worthy of either loyalty or respect. If Obama will employ naked intimidation against his own inside supporters, what level of violence might he be capable of inflicting on his vocal critics?

    We’ll soon have the answer.

    ropelight (e6e651)

  16. Welcome to Barack Obama’s Goddamned America.

    Next stop on the tour: Hugo Chavez’s Goddamned Venezuela.

    Banana Republics, here we come!

    Mark (411533)

  17. Scrap…I don’t think any officer in our Military would attempt to stage a coup – it just won’t happen.
    But, that doesn’t mean that we won’t see a repeat of Rostenkoski being chased through the streets,
    or when another bunch of SEIU thugs attack a Townhall Tea Party attendee,
    the crowd takes things into its’ own hands.
    The worse thing (image-wise) that could happen to this administration would be another Ruby Ridge/Waco type of incident. The anger is so palpable, that in any such repeat, no government employee would be safe from the reach of the crowd.
    Then, all Holy Hell is going to break loose.
    Economically, we are entering into a repeat of Jimmah’s Stagflation (hopefully, it won’t get any worse than that);
    Politically, we are repeating the tension of the 1850’s – and we know that didn’t turn out so well.

    AD - RtR/OS! (7df9d7)

  18. Just like old Soviet Russia.
    The White House has a fleet of bread trucks to be deployed in the middle of the night – ready to pick up straying disciples from the DNC.

    Metallica (e4735c)

  19. Yeah, they’ll probably deliver them to the Soylent-Green facility.

    AD - RtR/OS! (7df9d7)

  20. When an Administration uses coercion to force free men to submit to its authority, that Administration demonstrates it is no longer worthy of either loyalty or respect. If Obama will employ naked intimidation against his own inside supporters, what level of violence might he be capable of inflicting on his vocal critics?

    …and all because of one solitary, isolated cable news not *real* news outfit. That this is causing such an uproar and bad, even perhaps illegal, behavior is what makes it so surreal.

    Dana (e9ba20)

  21. I’m guessing the anonymous subject of White House attention is Pat Caddell, he’s usually quite uneasy on TV trying to put a happy face on Administration policies he personally finds abhorrent.

    ropelight (e6e651)

  22. Forget the consultants – most are airheads anyway

    bring on democrat congress critters and let them all hang out

    It shouldn’t take to much to show they have not read what they signed

    Typical White Person (b7bd02)

  23. 2.Unless there were several other strategists who appeared on Fox news and got a call from the White House, his condition of anonymity is probably compromised.

    Exactly. Which is why the story sounds bogus.

    Myron (63564c)

  24. Just like old Soviet Russia.
    The White House has a fleet of bread trucks to be deployed in the middle of the night – ready to pick up straying disciples from the DNC.

    Comment by Metallica — 11/8/2009 @ 5:16 pm

    And Obama is not in Berlin to celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Of course, this might be merely a matter of a scheduling conflict.

    Ira (28a423)

  25. They do not want honest debate. They want two partisan organizations to shout at each other.

    Ideas must not be debated. Ideas must be isolated and destroyed. It’s amazing how possible this is in this seemingly open environment of ours.

    Amphipolis (b120ce)

  26. Obama Administration to media:

    “Put up that wall!”

    Amphipolis (b120ce)

  27. Pat Caddell, Bob Beckel, or (the blonde woman from California who ran Dukakis’ campaign) (name has slipped my mind, just finished driving home for an hour after a sixteen hour shift.) That’s three possibles right off the top of my head.

    And I think Huckabee had a Dem on this weekend. Don’t usually watch his show but one of the dispatchers had it on in the HQ console.

    Have Blue (854a6e)

  28. Caddell said it wasn’t him, and Beckel was on FOX this morning.

    Beckel said on-air at least twice over the last several days that he was getting pressure to stay off FOX. He resists the pressure, and says FOX viewers include Independents and Dems, and the network is a good way to reach “persuadable” voters, so he keeps coming on.

    Obama’s enforcers know Beckel’s right, but they want to keep Dems off the network anyway, so they can claim FOX is one-sided, not fair, and not balanced. If Dems keep showing up on-screen the not-balanced dog won’t hunt.

    White House efforts to silence dissenting opinion are getting more brazen. His authoritarian predisposition is leading him into revealing the dark side of his hidden agenda.

    ropelight (19f3ee)

  29. Fox needs to put this into a commercial. Let Obama himself deny it. Put him on the defensive.

    I would hope anyone actually threatened would come out and be public. They would have a future, and this is a huge tragedy for our country that anyone should be willing to come forward with.

    Let Obama say Fox is one-sided… after his stooges threaten people to stay off, that would only make Obama look worse.

    Whoever the GOP’s nominee is should insist on one or more debates to be held on Fox News and PJTV or other right leaning organizations. At least as many as are held on PBS or NBC. For far too many decades have the left had exclusive control over this vital process. Let Obama refuse to show, and the debate take place anyway. IF he does show, he needs to be asked why he let this crap go on.

    Dustin (bb61e3)

  30. What amazes me is that the democrats don’t seem to mind at all that Obama is clearly against free speech.

    These people have preached their whole lives about this kind of essential freedom. Many of them protested the Vietnam war or were involved with civil rights protests. Why are they so silent? Why aren’t senators, congressmen, and others on the left coming to together to make clear they have principles, and that free press is a universal right.

    Where is Bob Woodward? I guess I was naive to think these people had principles, and just happened to be liberal. If they don’t come forward now, their credibility is completely destroyed.

    Dustin (bb61e3)

  31. “…And Obama is not in Berlin to celebrate the tearing down of the Berlin Wall…”

    It would be a lose/lose situation for him:
    He would be forced to say something nice about RR (which would cause a complete brain-cramp),
    or to completely ignore RR and be crucified in the honest media for such a slight.
    So, he hides under the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom.

    Nothing to see here, move along now.

    AD - RtR/OS! (7c0a4b)

  32. For my 27 – Susan Estritch. (Of course the name came to me as soon as I went to bed.)

    Have Blue (854a6e)


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