Friday, October 23, 2009

Jake Tapper, And The Press Pool, Stand Together

With Fox News against the White House attempt to censor the cable network. Check that, to shut DOWN the network. I am assuming that, by now, you have heard of the concentrated attacks on the Fox News Network by Administration officials, and the president himself. Larry Johnson had a great piece on this earlier in the week, Fox Is Not A News Station?, if you need to catch up.

Well, the strangest thing has started to happen as the White House has continued its unprecedented attack on a major network, not just freezing out a reporter here or there as other administrations have done, but a flat out drive to shut down this network. I can scarcely believe it myself, but what has happened recently is that reporters from other networks, even the Washington Bureau chiefs of the main news outlets, have started to stand WITH Fox News.

It all began with one of my favorite reporters, Jake Tapper of ABC News. He is one of the very few national reporters from a major network to consistently challenge the Obama campaign, and now the Obama Administration. And he did so again just the other day as his post entry indicates:
"Today's Qs For O's WH - 10/20/09"
From this morning’s gaggle in White House press secretary Robert Gibbs’ office:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –

Let's just stop right there. Jake Tapper referred to Fox News as a "sister organization." That is HUGE, people. His use of that phrase speaks volumes, as he indicates a solidarity with Fox News (good post on that very topic at Commentary Magazine here). Perhaps it is even a bit of a warning shot across the bow that the White House needs to back the hell off from this attack on a major press outlet.

The Q&A continued:
(Crosstalk) Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.

Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say –

Gibbs: ABC -

Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?

Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion. -jpt

You know I can't stand Gibbs anyway, that mealy mouthed worm. But Tapper demonstrates what a stand up guy he is by pursuing this line of questioning, and not letting Gibbs, or the White House, off the hook.

I mentioned above that the White House is doing its darndest to completely shut down Fox News. The following video is a good summation of what has happened thus far, the latest attack by the White House, and what the other networks did:



I know, right? They know, I gather, that this time around, it may be Fox News, but next time, it could be CNN, or MSNBC. I would love to think that the solidarity of the major networks was the result of it simply being the right thing to do.

The All Star Panel on Fox News takes this on, too, with a bonus clip of Obama's discussing Fox News:



Uh huh. Sure, he's not losing sleep over it. If he isn't, why are he and his minions going out of their way to ATTACK Fox News? It most certainly IS "breath-taking in its pettiness" as Mr. Barnes put it.

Thomas Jefferson
said it best:
"I am... for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents."

And, when he said this:
"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it."

Finally, Thomas Jefferson said this about the importance of a free press and our responsibility to it:
"To preserve the freedom of the human mind... and freedom of the press, every spirit should be ready to devote itself to martyrdom; for as long as we may think as we will and speak as we think, the condition of man (sic) will proceed in improvement."

Hopefully, that is exactly why the networks are standing shoulder to shoulder on this issue. They know, as we do, that our liberty is at risk when the press is under attack from its government.

Like Jefferson, like the Washington Bureau, like Jake Tapper, like many of you reading this, I stand on the side of a free press, and on the side of our liberty. It is our duty, it is our call, it is our very democracy.

8 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

Well, you know where Obama learned his "tactics"...from Chicago. This is EXACTLY what Mayor Daley does...refuses to talk to news agencies that give him bad press. You've seen from John Kass' columns how Daley blows him off or refuses to allow him to ask questions.

Obama (and Emmanuel) plays dirty and I've been trying to tell those freakin' Obots this from day one. How else did he managed to get those sealed divorce papers from his Republican opponent's divorce when he ran for Senate?

What Obama may find out is that his dirty Chicago politics won't play nationally...at least from the Press. I hope this backfires on his ass and they start to examine more closely who this guy really is. He may have opened up Pandora's box....and I'm thrilled!

(word verification for this comment: ineswisa...short for I'n a wisa guysa?)

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey, Mary Ellen -

No doubt abt it. It shows in everything he does (or that Rahm does FOR him - I have no doubt Rahm is behind the scenes letting people know just how it's gonna be done). Did we not try to tell people Obama was going to take Chicago politics national? Yes, we did. And did they believe us? Hell to the no, they didn't. Maybe they are starting to see that Mr. Unity Pony is full of it.

And Mary Ellen, I surely do hope you're right that people will start to realize it. And I sure hope that the media is finally going to do a little introspection and see that they have been used, and had. My experience is that it usually makes people pretty mad when they find that out they've been made patsies. But that could just be me.

ROTFLMAO abt your word of the day! You are too funny!

Btw, I told my my fellow NQ writer, and friend, Ani, abt your blog today. S he recognized the Divine Democrat name, but didn't know abt your newer blog. I told her how incredibly funny you are, and what a great blog it is. :-D

Mary Ellen said...

Just to brighten your mood, I went to look at AmericaBlog last night (I love to see what the Obots are up to) and thought you would LOVE to see what they think of Obama now. I've never seen so much whining, crying, gnashing of teeth since I told my kids they had to pay for their own car insurance.


Halitosis...er,I mean, Aravosis has been covering the health care bill negotiations and I swear, the comments about Obama had me rolling on the floor laughing.

Here are a few of my favorite from that post. You could read the rest if you want, but they are all about the same.

Here goes..get your tissues out because you're gonna laugh until you cry:

Mike_in_the_Tundra said:
I really don't remember voting for Olympia Snow during the presidential campaign.

Montiel said:
Obama campaigned on a strong public option.

When push came to shove he ran the other way.

What does it matter now what he says - we already know who he is.

(Mary Ellen's note: Then the following guy is trying to put the kool-aid stains on somebody else's upper lip and throws in a little Christian bashing to finish it off.)

JohnnyG [Moderator] 10 hours ago 2 people liked this.
Even if this is proven true, the kool-aid drinkers will still ignore it. All they care about is his "historical presidency." They'll be more than happy to let his dirty dealings be swept under the rug. Much like how Christians view God, anything good is credited to Jesus (Barack) and anything bad is credited to the devil (Rahm, anyone else handy.)

PresPlatitudes said:
why isn't obama pushing for the PO, instead of parading around on letterman like a vain opportunist?

(Below is my favorite comment!)

Judas Peckerwood
If Obama's ultra-secret overarching goal for his presidency is to make the PUMAs look sane in retrospect, then all I can say is "Well played sir, well played indeed."

(ROTFLMAO! They hate it that the PUMA's were right!)


Fireblazes(CheetohsandCatfood) said:
Obviously, he was lying about wanting the public option. No money in that, after all it takes a billion to become president.

godwillsortyouout said:
For what it's worth, in the 2008 Presidential campaign, McCain raised $8 million from people who worked for healthcare companies, including lots of executives.

Obama raised ** $19 million **. You do the math.

(They just figured that out? And HOW many times did we try to tell them that before and how did they reply? "Racist!" )

vkobaya said:
if President Obama isn't trying to scuttle his own campaign promise

No, no, of course, he isn't trying to scuttle his own campaign promise. No, like any card carrying Republican, he is trying to scuttle America, drag it down the tubes, destroy our nation, which he hates and despises.

I'm sick of the man. Revolted, bitter, and angry that I and so many others were played for suckers into voting for him. Would we have been worse off under McCain and Sarah Palin? Beginning to wonder. Probably would have been no different.

(More laughing...I thought "we" were the "bitter and angry" ones? Look who's bitter now!)

Oh yeah...there's plenty more just like it. Crack open a can of beer, put your feet up, and enjoy the show.

:-D


PS: Thanks for the nice things you said about my blog! You're an angel,kiddo!

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

ROTFLMAO! Oh, my - that is too, too good, Mary Ellen!! Again, did we or did we not TRY TO TELL THEM??? Sheesh, hard to have any real sympathy for them at this point, especially since these brainless Koolaide drinkers STUCK us with this guy!

And this is timely - my uncle is coming into town tonight for the weekend (he lives in NY State, and was visiting my mom for a few days, then will be here), so I was getting some posts ready to go up over the weekend. I was just abt to start writing on Obama's poll numbers, and I see this comment. I am SO tempted to include those comments in my post. I bet that would make those people nuts, wouldn't it?? (That is acceptable for blogging, is it not? As long as a link is provided? Just wanting to make sure it's kosher, so to speak.) Actually, I'd like to take your whole comment with interjections - that would be even funnier! Whaddya say? :-)

And my pleasure - it's a great blog you have! Ani is a total doll - don't know if you have read her work at NQ, but she is a pistol. LOVE her. I know she would love your work, too!

Anonymous said...

you two are killing me. Man, I've got no love for Fox, but even LESS for Obama and his pissant followers. You all just brightened my day!

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey, bluelyon!! Nice to hear from you! :-D

Oh, I hear you abt Fox. I'm telling you, I never watched Fox News in my LIFE until Greta van Susteren had Hillary on one time. She was so respectful to her, I was floored, especially after the way the other channels had treated her. Then I started to watch America's Newsroom in the morning, and was pleased at the even-handed way they dealt with her (and other issues). It was a breath of fresh air after MSNBC's hatchet job (as a reminder, I USED to watch Olbermann faithfully every single night, even DVRed it, for pete's sake). Sure, they have some conservative viewpoints on there Fox, but I discovered that, not unlike other lies spread by the DNC/liberal elite, Fox was not the horrible channel I had been told it was. They treated Hillary a far sight better than anyone else did, and that meant something to me in that time of blatant sexism/misogyny.

I should say that it is RARE for me to see Hannity and O'Reilly (and brief, like just checking to see if Greta is on) - I do have some standards, after all - but the news shows are okay, like Bret Bair and America's Newsroom, better than CNN (which I also used to watch).

These days, though, I take most things with a grain of salt, no more taking things at face value, especially from Obama sycophants. Sadly, too many of the other "news" channels are just that.

Anyhoo - glad to see you around, bluelyon!

Mary Ellen said...

Rev.Amy- Feel free to use whatever you want from that comment and edit whatever you like. Mi comment is su comment. ;-)

Ditto on everything you said about Fox. Greta is the only one I usually watch and sometimes I'll catch glimpses of the morning show. Also..not taking anything at face value, absolutely feel the same way. I learned my lesson.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

LOL - thanks, ME! Look for it in tomorrow's post (Sunday). Thanks!!

Yes indeedy, lesson learned. The hard way, unfortunately...