The War on Fox - Catch-22 for Who?

Via Memeorandum The White House war on Fox News rages on. Jake Tapper devoted his question at today's gaggle to clarifying the administration's position on Fox. Here is a portion of his exchange with Baghdad Bob Gibbs:

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.

Without naming them, Gibbs is singling out "Hannity" and "The Glenn Beck Show" which means the opinion shows are the problem. Never mind that all of MSNBC qualifies as opinion, the opinions there are pro-Obama and not an issue for this White House.

Gibbs' answer proves the point that Joe Scarborough made this morning on "Morning Joe." Here is a clip of Scarborough opining the real goal here is to make sure the main stream media does not cover anything investigated by Fox. He hits on what must surely be a few sore points namely ACORN, Van Jones, and now Anita Dunn:

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If Scarborough is correct, the White House strategy reveals a great weakness within. Nearly every day some new revealing statements from the people chosen to work in this administration comes to light. If it were a matter of a problem statement by a single person, the statement rightly reflects on that person. At this point every revelation taints the White House instead. How can any consider it a coincidence that there are this many Mao lovers and self identified communists in high levels of this administration? It defies credulity.

The White House has no tangible strategy to stop this continual drip drip drip of video clips espousing bizarre philosophies and socialistic statements. If they could get out in front of this somehow maybe they could stop some of the bleeding. In reality, though, they can't make a Friday dump because there are likely plenty more of damaging statements from this crew yet to be found and they all know it. They can't keep dismissing these statements or lamely tying them to Lee Atwater. The mud that sticks is sticking to the White House walls.

Following the implied warning to the media not to follow news that comes from Beck and Big Government is a loser for the media. When the next ACORN-type revelation goes uncovered, the media is left with egg on its face. They can only sit on the sidelines while the White House drives up Fox's ratings. If there is an implied threat that the full force of the executive branch of government will be unleashed against those who fail to heed the warning, the only downside to the media is less access and higher ratings. How many Times staffers will be willing to take more layoffs so this White House can avoid answering questions about Anita Dunn or Ron Bloom? It speaks volumes about this absurd dishonest administration that they think this preposterous attempt to double-bind the media is their way out. "That's some catch, that Catch-22."

Obama Czar: Free Market is Nonsense & We agree with Mao

Ron Bloom, Obama's Manufacturing Czar, states the Free Market is nonsense in this latest clip from Naked Emperor News. Bloom attended Harvard Business School according to a profile in The Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Bloom attended Harvard Business School, where he gravitated to populist business cases and was keenly interested in employee buyouts. After 10 years at investment banks, among them Lazard, he became special assistant to the USW president in 1996.

Both inside and outside the USW, Mr. Bloom is known as a financially savvy negotiator — with a tendency to spout profanities. In a 2007 article depicting Mr. Bloom’s role in the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corp. takeover battle, The Wall Street Journal wrote some USW members thought Mr. Bloom is “too cozy with the moneymen.”

The following clip is from a speech at the 6th Annual Distressed Investing Forum held at the Union League Club in New York, February 27-2, 2008. Wait for the left to spin this as someone with a Che poster in their college dorm room.


This is a rough transcript of the portion of the speech shown in the clip:

Generally speaking we get the joke. We know that the free market is nonsense. We know that the whole point is to game the system, to beat the market or at least find someone who will pay you a lot of money because they are convinced there is a free lunch. We know this is largely about power. That this is an adults only, no limits game. We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from a barrel of a gun. We get it that if you want a friend you should get a dog.

Bloom has a history of giving provocative speeches. Consider the portion quoted in a piece by the Washington Examiner

"Let me give you some advice. First, we are big believers in dentist chair bargaining. For those of you not familiar with this approach, it is inspired by the story of the man who walks into his dentist's office, grabs the dentist by the balls and says, 'now, let's not hurt each other.' We do have a lot to lose and we and everybody else knows it. But what you need to understand is that we are willing to lose it."

— Prepared remarks for a speech to an International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 21, 2006

What Bloom fails to understand is the country also has a lot to lose and we are not willing to lose it.