Ahm, he didn't want his own words during the debate to be used to show him as a waffler during Sean Hannity's commentary on the debate styled Fox news program called what's that you say, Hannity and Colmes.
Fox Attacks
Mathew Gross in Diaries
3/09/2007 at 8:35 PM EST
Deputy Campaign Manager Jonathan Prince sent the following email to supporters this evening.
You may have heard by now that John Edwards was the first candidate to officially say no to the Fox News debate in Nevada -- and because of the hard work of so many grassroots and netroots Democrats, news is breaking tonight that Fox is out.
Fox has already started striking backat John for saying no. (There's a surprise - Fox attacking a Democrat.) Last night, Roger Ailes - the life-long Republican operative who is now Chairman of Fox News Channel - said that any candidate "who believes he can blacklist any news organization is making a terrible mistake" and "is impeding freedom of speech and free press."
And John's not their only target. Tonight Fox News Vice President David Rhodes is telling news organizations not to get involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus because of "radical fringe" groups - meaning grassroots Democrats (that would be you) - who objected to Fox's long history of spreading Republican propaganda at the expense of Democratic leaders.
The whole right-wing is getting in on the attack; the Drudge Report is blaring the headline: "War! Dems Pull Out of Fox News Debate."
Enough is enough. It's time to send a clear message to Fox News and their allies that their right-wing talking points and temper tantrums won't go unchallenged anymore - when it comes to what Democrats should do in the Democratic primary, we'll decide - no matter what they report:...
http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/3/9/20352/75748
Democratic Party Dumps FOX
Reported by Chrish - March 9, 2007 - 143 comments
Official statement from MoveOn and Robert Greenwald:
MoveOn & Robert Greenwald: Major victory for real news, defeat for FOX's right-wing misinformation
Edwards, Reid, grassroots Democrats praised for principled stand against right-wing Fox; NV Democratic Party praised for making the right choice.
FoxAttacks.com/MoveOn.org petition had over 265,000 signatures;
"Fox Attacks: Obama" video had over 280,000 views on YouTube
Today, Senator Harry Reid and the NV Democrat Party announced they would drop a FOX-sponsored debate scheduled for August - citing FOX President Roger Ailes remarks last night that compared Barack Obama to Osama Bin Laden as the final straw.
"We hope this sets a precedent for all Democrats - that FOX should be treated as a right-wing misinformation network, not legitimized as a neutral source of news," said Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. "John Edwards, Harry Reid, the Nevada Democratic Party, and grassroots progressives across the nation deserve credit for standing up to Fox's right-wing agenda."
John Edwards had announced he would not attend the Fox debate. Over 265,000 people signed a petition stating, "FOX is a mouthpiece for the Republican Party, not a legitimate news channel" and urged that Fox be dropped. Over 280,000 people had viewed Outfoxed director Robert Greenwald's new YouTube film "Fox Attacks: Obama" - located with the petition at FoxAttacks.com.
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/03/09/democratic_party_dumps_fox.php#more
Fox News Boss Hits Edwards' Boycott
Posted: Friday, 09 March 2007 1:45PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS/AP) -- Fox News chief Roger Ailes said any political candidate who blacklists a news organization is making a "terrible mistake."
His remarks followed Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards' decison to skip a Nevada debate co-hosted by Fox News.
Liberal activitsts say the news channel has a conservative bias and are urging Democratic presidential candidates to boycott the debate, which is also sponsored by the Nevada Democratic Party.
"Any candidate for high office from either party who believes he can blacklist any news organization is making a terrible mistake about journalists," Ailes said.
Ailes, who did not mention Edwards by name, spoke at a Radio and Television News Directors Foundation dinner in Washington on Thursday night.
"Recently, pressure groups are forcing candidates to conclude that the best strategy for journalists is divide and conquer, to only appear on those networks and venues that give them favorable coverage," Ailes said.
Ailes said that candidates "who cannot answer direct, simple, even tough questions from any journalist runs a real risk of losing the voters."
Earlier this week, Edwards' campaign said the involvement of Fox News was part of the reason the candidate was passing on the Aug. 14 debate in Reno.
Online activists and bloggers quickly hailed Edwards' decision as a victory in their campaign to urge Nevada Democrats to drop Fox News as a partner.
MoveOn.org Civic Action says it has collected more than 260,000 signatures on a petition that calls the cable network a "mouthpiece for the Republican Party, not a legitimate news channel."
http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/295054.php?contentType=4&contentId=367798
Links posted at Drudge Report headline:
"War! Dems Pull Out of Fox News Debate."
Nevada Dems Nix Fox Debate
By: Ryan Grim
March 9, 2007 11:12 PM EST
The Nevada State Democratic Party is pulling out of a controversial presidential debate scheduled for Aug. 14 in Reno and co-hosted by Fox News, according to a letter released late Friday from state party chairman Tom Collins and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev).
The letter said Nevada Democrats had entered into the agreement with Fox, despite strong opposition from Democratic activist groups such as MoveOn.org, as a way of finding "new ways to talk to new people."
But Collins and Reid wrote that comments on Thursday by FOX News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, when he jokingly compared Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, to Osama bin Laden, "went too far," and prompted Nevada Democrats to end the partnership.
"We cannot, as good Democrats, put our party in a position to defend such comments," the letter said. "In light of his comments, we have concluded that it is not possible to hold a presidential debate that will focus on our candidates and are therefore cancelling our August debate. We take no pleasure in this, but it is the only course of action."
The debate was to be hosted by Fox News Channel and Fox News Radio, the Nevada State Democratic Party and the Western Majority Project.
A statement released Friday night from Fox Vice President David Rhodes said: "News organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus, which appears to be controlled by radical fringe, out-of-state in interest groups, not the Nevada Democratic Party. In the past, MoveOn.org has said they 'own' the Democratic party. While most Democrats don't agree with that, it's clearly the case in Nevada."
Fox officials also argued that Ailes' remark about Obama, made at the Radio and TV News Directors Foundation Awards, was meant to poke fun at President Bush, not the Illinois senator.
Ailes said: "And it is true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don't know if it's true that President Bush called (Pakistani President Pervez) Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?' "
Controversy has been brewing for weeks about the debate. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said Wednesday he would not participate, citing Fox's conservative ties as a factor. His deputy campaign manager, Jonathan Prince, sent an e-mail to the liberal website DailyKos, which was posted on the site.
“We’re definitely going to debate in Nevada, but we don’t see why this needs to be one of them,” it read.
The state party has been under pressure from progressive activists across the country, led by MoveOn, to cut its ties with the debate.
According to MoveOn, more than 265,000 people signed a petition sent to the Nevada State Democratic Party.
In announcing the event, a statement posted by the state Democratic Party has Reid offering high praise of the debate partnership with Fox...
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3069.html
Thursday, Mar 08
Roger Ailes To Media: Pressure To Boycott Debates "Must Be Resisted"
FNC chairman Roger Ailes is apparently taking the effort to "ask the Democratic Party of Nevada to drop Fox" very seriously. During his RTNDF acceptance speech tonight, he addressed the issue head-on:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/roger_ailes_to_media_pressure_to_boycott_debates_must_be_resisted_54649.asp
Opinion on the action
Mar. 10, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
EDITORIAL: Meltdown over Fox
Network co-sponsors state Democratic debate -- oh my!
Hard-core liberals can't stand the Fox News Channel. Passing a television that's tuned to the conservative favorite forces many of them to close their eyes, cover their ears and scream, "La la la la la la la la la!" Then they dash to their computers and fire off 2,500 e-mails condemning the outlet, none of which are ever read.
But liberals' aversion to Fox News has finally gone over the top. The Nevada Democratic Party had agreed to let the right-tilting network co-sponsor, of all things, an August debate in Reno between Democratic presidential candidates. Party officials were serious about drawing national attention to the state's January presidential caucus, the country's second in the 2008 nominating process. What better way for the party to reach conservative and "values" voters who might consider changing allegiances?
But the socialist, Web-addicted wing of the Democratic Party was apoplectic. The prospect of having to watch Fox News to see their own candidates would have been torture in itself. So they set the blogosphere aflame with efforts to kill the broadcast arrangement, or at least have all the candidates pull out of the event. Before Friday, the opportunistic John Edwards was the only candidate to jump on that bandwagon.
You'd think the deal called for having Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter mock the candidates between comments. No, even unfiltered, unedited, live debate between loyal Democrats couldn't be entrusted to Fox News.
The approach of outfits such as MoveOn.org is so juvenile it's laughable. Imagine if every political organization created litmus tests for news organizations before agreeing to appear on their programming. Republicans would have boycotted PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, National Public Radio and The Associated Press decades ago...
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Mar-10-Sat-2007/opinion/13078877.html
Robert Greenwald
Fox Attack: Enough is Enough
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-greenwald/fox-attack-enough-is-eno_b_41902.html
Newshounds
Democratic Party Dumps FOX
Reported by Chrish - March 9, 2007 - 112 comments
Official statement from MoveOn and Robert Greenwald:
MoveOn & Robert Greenwald: Major victory for real news, defeat for FOX's right-wing misinformation
Edwards, Reid, grassroots Democrats praised for principled stand against right-wing Fox; NV Democratic Party praised for making the right choice.
FoxAttacks.com/MoveOn.org petition had over 265,000 signatures;
"Fox Attacks: Obama" video had over 280,000 views on YouTube
Today, Senator Harry Reid and the NV Democrat Party announced they would drop a FOX-sponsored debate scheduled for August - citing FOX President Roger Ailes remarks last night that compared Barack Obama to Osama Bin Laden as the final straw.
"We hope this sets a precedent for all Democrats - that FOX should be treated as a right-wing misinformation network, not legitimized as a neutral source of news," said Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. "John Edwards, Harry Reid, the Nevada Democratic Party, and grassroots progressives across the nation deserve credit for standing up to Fox's right-wing agenda."
John Edwards had announced he would not attend the Fox debate. Over 265,000 people signed a petition stating, "FOX is a mouthpiece for the Republican Party, not a legitimate news channel" and urged that Fox be dropped. Over 280,000 people had viewed Outfoxed director Robert Greenwald's new YouTube film "Fox Attacks: Obama" - located with the petition at FoxAttacks.com...
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/03/09/democratic_party_dumps_fox.php#more
Breaking: Nevada Democrats pull out of FOX News sponsored Democratic presidential debate
Reported by Chrish - March 9, 2007 - 85 comments
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/03/09/breaking_nevada_democrats_pull_out_of_fox_news_sponsored_democratic_presidential_debate.php#more
FOX chooses article carefully to outsource condemnation of Nevada Dems' cancellation
Reported by Chrish - March 10, 2007 - 82 comments
http://www.newshounds.us/2007/03/10/fox_chooses_article_carefully_to_outsource_condemnation_of_nevada_dems_cancellation.php#more
John Edwards the wuss
Posted: March 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
World Net Daily
Good grief! John Edwards wants to be president of the United States of America!?
The person in that job is supposed to be tough and resilient. He's supposed to embody courage and fortitude. He's supposed to be strong and resolute.
It's clear now that John Edwards isn't any of that and never will be, no matter how well his hair is styled.
Think of it. Our president must have what it takes to face the likes of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Il, Mahmoud Abbas or even Osama bin Laden.
How can we believe that Edwards could do that when he's spooked by the potential of being questioned by television reporters?
Whoa, John, that is a dangerous mission. No wonder you opted not to accept.
What was the challenge? The invitation was to be part of a televised Democratic presidential debate to be held Aug. 14 in Nevada, co-hosted by the Fox News Channel, Fox News Radio, the Nevada State Democratic Party and the Western Majority Project. Democratic Party leaders and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., supported the event. They thought it would spread the message to voters.
But Edwards backed out of the debate, saying his campaign was keeping him just too busy and that he'd be part of other events. However, there's more to it. Edwards caved in to pressure from the real lefties in his party who objected to the fact that Fox News would host the event.
MoveOn.org, a far-left organization, put pressure on the erstwhile candidate by collecting thousands of signatures objecting to the Fox News Channel being involved. The group calls Fox News, "a mouthpiece for the Republican Party, not a legitimate news channel."
Bottom line: They don't like the fact that Fox doesn't toe the leftist-liberal line in news coverage and, in fact, does present both sides of issues. Unfortunately, the left only accepts people who agree with them and attempts to silence anyone who doesn't.
That restriction of speech and press smacks of Stalinism, and it comes from Democrats.
Given that our Constitution guarantees freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the fact that Edwards caved in to such pressure raises serious questions as to his interpretation of the law of the land. If he collapses before leftist pressure on an issue like this, what will happen when he's faced with really important choices. In fact, you have to wonder why he wouldn't be able to decently explain and defend the issues of the campaign for the office to which he wants Americans to elect him.
If he can't do that, how can we possibly have confidence in him to handle those issues directly if he were elected president...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54651
No comments:
Post a Comment