Fox News Is the GOP

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It’s long past time for Fox News to declare themselves a political affiliate of the far right wing of the Republican Party. This is ridiculous.

With Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee all making moves indicating they may run for president, their common employer is facing a question that hasn’t been asked before: How does a news organization cover White House hopefuls when so many are on the payroll?

As Fox’s popularity grows among conservatives, the presence of four potentially serious Republican candidates as paid contributors is beginning to frustrate competitors of the network, figures within its own news division and rivals of what some GOP insiders have begun calling “the Fox candidates.”

With the exception of Mitt Romney, Fox now has deals with every major potential Republican presidential candidate not currently in elected office.

The matter is of no small consequence, since it’s uncertain how other news organizations can cover the early stages of the presidential race when some of the main GOP contenders are contractually forbidden to appear on any TV network besides Fox.

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27 comments
1 DaddyG  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:40:47am

The last thread was a segue into todays political discussions.

2 jamesfirecat  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:41:25am

How is Newt Gingrich, considered a “potentially serious Republican candidate” for president?

3 DaddyG  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:42:09am

Fox should limit themselves to hiring political staffers like the other news networks. /

4 Surabaya Stew  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:45:16am

From the article:


The notion of a politician taking a paycheck from a news organization before mounting a presidential bid isn’t totally new. Pat Buchanan hosted CNN’s “Crossfire” in the 1990s in between GOP primary campaigns and certainly used the national platform to his advantage in the years before Fox News achieved its current status.

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Buchanan, in an interview, said the rule should be: “As soon as you come close to declaring or declare, you’re gone.”

In the 1996 campaign, the populist Republican made his final appearance as a “Crossfire” host in February 1995 and then announced his candidacy the next month.

But Buchanan, now a paid MSNBC contributor, said, “We’re in a dramatically different era now.”

Pat’s on their payroll? Geez, talk about yur liburl media!

5 pharmmajor  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:45:39am

F##k FOX News; the best news coverage comes from Reason:
[Link: reason.com…]

6 Brother Holy Cruise Missile of Mild Acceptance  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:46:24am

it’s the closing of the circle, nothing more. In this day and age of reality tv and tabloidesque news this is the next logical step for the right. Candidates created by the “media” and paid to be on TV. They are by, for and of the corporations and Fox is just their vehicle.

7 jaunte  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:51:28am

Shouldn’t their Fox contracts and appearances be calculated as contributions to their campaigns?

8 Killgore Trout  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:52:40am

re: #7 jaunte

Shouldn’t their Fox contracts and appearances be calculated as contributions to their campaigns?

Technically, no. Since none of them have officially declared they are just drawing a personal salary.

9 SanFranciscoZionist  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:52:49am

re: #4 Surabaya Stew

From the article:

Pat’s on their payroll? Geez, talk about yur liburl media!

The official doctrine is that Buchanan is ONLY invited to speak by the liberal media to make conservatives look bad.

Could be true. I have no idea.

10 What, me worry?  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:52:59am
C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully said that when C-SPAN tried to have Palin on for an interview, he was told he had to first get Fox’s permission - which the network, citing her contract, ultimately denied. Producers at NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC all report similar experiences.

Who was it here that was saying how fair and balanced Fox is because they always give equal time to liberal pundits, but that you never see the Right wing on NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC? Someone needs to give him the answer.

11 jaunte  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:53:17am

re: #8 Killgore Trout

Nice fat loophole, then.

12 lostlakehiker  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:56:29am

None of these people is going to be the nominee. Romney ought perhaps to be, but he’s Mormon and sadly, being Mormon seems to be a liability in Republican presidential primaries.

Huckabee, Palin, and Gingrich are not qualified for office. That’s not always a liability when it comes to House and Senate races, but seats in Congress all too often go to unqualified clowns. Neither party is immune to that.

At the presidential level, some vestiges of prudence survive. Maybe Santorum is also unqualified, putting aside the matter of whether being Republican is itself a disqualification.

The field is far wider than these 4 or 5 names. Somebody else will gain the nomination.

13 Charles Johnson  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 10:57:30am

I predict Sarah Palin is going to be the GOP nominee.

14 Killgore Trout  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:00:32am

re: #13 Charles

I predict Sarah Palin is going to be the GOP nominee.

I think that’s very possible and looking ever more likely.

15 William of Orange  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:00:45am

Any Machurian candiate for you?
Quote from the wikipedia page about the 2004 movie.

The members (of a platoon of soliers) begin to come together in a dystopian near-future America defined by jingoism, islamophobia, and increasing corporate influence. Shaw, now a United States Congressman, becomes his party’s candidate for Vice-President. He is an unexpected candidate, as Connecticut Senator Tom Jordan (Jon Voight) was the leading choice for some time.

I’m beginning to believe we’re living in a movie, my of Truman show….

16 John Q  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:03:52am

Fox News relationship to the Republican Party is pretty much the same as the relationship between pre-1989 Pravda and the USSR Communist Party. A mouthpiece that distorts facts to drive a political agenda, interspersed with a little actual reporting.

Roger Ailes used to be a media consultant for Republican candidates, advising them how to push their message on TV. How much easier for him just to run his own cable network to uncritically push the Republican agenda.

17 jaunte  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:05:03am

re: #13 Charles
The Republicans can ignore a lot, but I think quitting office the way she did is enough to kill her chances.

18 Ericus58  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:05:33am

re: #13 Charles

I predict Sarah Palin is going to be the GOP nominee.

As her “picked” candidates for State and Federal positions fail to win, I see her popularity dropping and hopefully a more pragmatic, centrist shift.

It’s the only way the GOP can expect to have the support of Independents or Moderates.

19 pharmmajor  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:10:09am

re: #13 Charles

I predict Sarah Palin is going to be the GOP nominee.

Then that will guarantee a GOP loss, thank God.

20 What, me worry?  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:10:36am

re: #2 jamesfirecat

How is Newt Gingrich, considered a “potentially serious Republican candidate” for president?

The horrifying thing is that he really is. Over the last few months, they’ve been including him on the polls on who is leading.

21 Okami  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:13:45am

re: #13 Charles

I’d be surprised. She didn’t completely drown the republican ticket with McCain, but only because she came in late and was pretty unknown. I don’t see how she could survive a 2 year campaign being known as “the stupid candidate”. Not to mention she came in dead last (I think?) in that straw poll. I think she’ll run, and stay in the race until near the end, possibly pull a Hillary and stay in even after she loses, but I don’t think she can draw anyone besides her fans in to support her.

22 Surabaya Stew  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:24:33am

re: #13 Charles

Nothing that I’ve seen of her indicates that she wants (or is able) to do the traditional cross-Iowa and New Hampshire treks, geting the support of the locals who decide the primary winners. I think Palin will flame out like Rudy 9/11 did in Florida back in 2008.

23 Ericus58  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:29:12am

re: #18 Ericus58

As her “picked” candidates for State and Federal positions fail to win, I see her popularity dropping and hopefully a more pragmatic, centrist shift from the GOP.

It’s the only way the GOP can expect to have the support of Independents or Moderates.

Reading this post might lead one to conclude I was referring to Palin, which is not my intent. Rather, the GOP.

I have yet to make any prediction on who the top candidate is going to be - or even WHO should be the candidate.

24 CarleeCork  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 11:53:38am

re: #13 Charles

I predict Sarah Palin is going to be the GOP nominee.


Unfortunately, I fear you are correct. I think she will be the VP again, I’m hearing (Mike) Pence/Palin will be the ticket.

25 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 3:09:05pm

This is another one of those “dark future” moments!

26 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Sep 27, 2010 3:09:59pm

re: #17 jaunte

The Republicans can ignore a lot, but I think quitting office the way she did is enough to kill her chances.

I don’t think the base cares

The fox-news-watching loyal base of the GOP is brutally dumb

27 Stephen T.  Wed, Sep 29, 2010 8:33:03am

I couldn’t help but notice how the article specifically mentions that Mitt Romney is not part of the Fox News machine. I couldn’t decide if the writers of the article were trying to show that he has been marginalized by the current GOP or that Fox’s candidate/pundits are marginalized by their association with the network.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it.


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