Prometheus 6

We know that Murdoch's daughter, who influenced him to buy American Idol for Fox, is an Obama supporter. Murdoch himself and the News Corp owned Wall Street Journal have expressed praise for Obama.

The Illinois senator is a rhetorical president in the mold of Ronald Reagan. And any coverage, including negative, is likely to rebound to his advantage. In this case appearing before Fox is not dissimilar to appearing before the Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Saddleback Forum. Barack doesn't need to win them over but merely display sangfroid and hold his own. A preliminary meeting also plants a seed of doubt in the minds of network executives so that unlike the apearance in Philadelphia before ABC, even if they don't over-compensate with adulation at least they blunt the edges.

O'Reilly himself is a clown and holds no journalistic credibility, but he is a major draw. So why not appear before him? After the contrast between the Democrat and Republican conventions and with the current Palin imbroglio, the Obamas have become the Cosbys and John McCain threatens to emerge as Maury Pauvich/Jerry Springer. Besides, Barack is more black conservative than black conservatives; he'll be right at home.

We know that Murdoch's daughter, who influenced him to buy American Idol for Fox, is an Obama supporter. Murdoch himself and the News Corp owned Wall Street Journal have expressed praise for Obama.

Irrelevant. Fox News, the business, is part of the Republican machine.

He asked if Fox is going to treat him fairly three months ago. Look over those three months and tell me the answer to that question.

And this is released (because yes, Kurtz is part of that machine too) the same day McCain's boycott of CNN for being mean to one of his staff is broadcast.

Besides, Barack is more black conservative than black conservatives; he'll be right at home.

That doesn't help.

You nailed it down, P6. Faux News is just part of the Republican machine.Murdoch is worried about access if, as he probably suspects, Obama wins the election.

I think Obama knows better. This is Fox News we are talking about. I agree, Murdoch is worried Fox could have limited, if any, access if Obama wins. I dont' think he needs Fox News to win. Besides, anyone who gets there news form Fox News do not want to be convenced by Obama or anyone. These people are just happy believing the nonsense about Obama thats still out there and have no intention on believing otherwise. Obama knows the "shake" he'll get from Fox will be neither "fare" nor "balanced". Frankly I think Fox's access should be limited.

I mean no disrespect but the thought that "Barack is more black conservative than black conservatives" is, in my opinion, absurd.

Pro., you are wrong. This is a chess game not checkers. The Big "O" goes on Faux during the repub big speech. BRILLIANT!!!!!

And Fox is legitimated, and Red America says, "Huh, that Osama feller sed he wudn't gonna be on Fox no more. He's such a damn wussy." And McCain will announce before his next CNN appearance that they came to terms because they gave him the questions before hand, per usual.

"This is a chess game not checkers."

What does this mean? Seriously.

Barack Obama makes no special or overt appeals to the black electorate. He promises us no special dispensation. He may not take a directly inimical stance toward blacks but he repeats much of the same conservative talking points about black culture and family structure. How much do you want to bet that if Bristol Palin was impregnated by a young brother named Rasheed that Barack Obama would be issuing a passionate call for men to behave more responsibly and meet their obligations as fathers?

P6, to paraphrase Bones McCoy, "I'm a doctor not a political mastermind." From how I interpret the first sentence it appears that Fox execs initiated the meeting. It also strikes a chord of subordination, if not conciliation, on their part. As written, Roger Ailes is the one who tries to clear the air. It almost reminds me of Priam, a king in his own right, asking Achilles for Hector's body back. Also the three month delay from when the meeting occurred to when it's publicly revealed seems to indicate a relative position of strength for Obama. After all, Fox is the right wing news organization and Obama is the purported enemy. If Fox wanted to rally the conservative base and damage Obama, surely it would have been more effective to immediately release the details of the encounter and portray Barack as a whiny biatch. However, Ailes blames Barack for the breech and although Ailes avers that he won't be "in the tank" he says that he'll be fair. When I contrast this against Hillary Clinton's session with Richard Sciafe which was complete with photos it takes on a different connotation than the one you imply. You may very well be right but that's how I see it.

Just another promise he flip-flopped on.

Sorry. It's that easy to ignore everything you've figured out. And it's just what an audience that prefers Fox News to a live event will do. He gains nothing from this.

But the Fox audience is just the retail end of the process. The same audience is enthralled with Palin but, as you've just posted, opinion makers and insiders question her value. Obama's gain doesn't have to come from winning converts. It could just be validating his authority with the executives or establishing some rules of contact.

It could just be validating his authority with the executives or establishing some rules of contact.

Ailes gave up nothing. NOTHING. What has Obama validated?

P6,

We have reached that point in the campaign season where folks are denying reality. It happens all the time. Look at how the Republicans are defending the selection of Sarah Palin. Obama half-stepped and faked on the game. The fact that good folks can't admit that and still vote for him it is a sign that we have reached that point.

Submariner, you were talking about how the fix was in, in terms of Obama winning the presidency. Do you still think that's the case? Do you feel any differently now with McCain's selection of Gov. Palin as his running mate?

Again, I don't know. So far Obama has gone too far for me to question his intelligence. In many ways he's been counterintuitive and still managed to succeed. I would never expect Ailes to openly state that he gave up something. But if Obama is going to appear on Fox, it's obviously rather calculated and deliberate on his part as evidenced by the fact that he met three months ago with the network chief. It certainly isn't a spur of the moment decision.

Sall, the Palin selection, in my estimation, was a ham-fisted appeal to a narrow slice of the electorate based in in the neoconfederacy. But I don't think it is a net gain. If anything, I think it has galvanized women on the left to protect abortion rights as much as it has inspired the right. And for the more Puritanical element, a woman with an unwed pregnant teen daughter who chooses to leave her own one year old special needs child to campaign for office is not the epitome of finer womanhood and family values. And Pailin also spares formidable prospects like Romney and Huckabee for a run in the future. I put it to myself this way: knowing what they know now, would McCain and company still make the same choice? I highly doubt it. McCain has confused spontaneity for change. Surprises and thrills certainly do have their place, but I don't think this was what anyone had in mind.

Online or off, do not feed the troll. Any interaction with O'Reilly or Hannity is feeding the troll. There is NO safe space on Fox News. There are no votes, no credibility to be gained by appearing there. Obama loses nothing by just going about his business.

I still feel that Obama appearing on fixed Fox News really won’t achieve much. Obama would be about as successful on fixed Fox News as he would if he were to appear at the RNC to plead his case. They are not going to treat him fare and no matter what he says it will be misconstrued to fit insisting partialities, no matter when he goes on. He gains nothing and will convince no one who fills themselves with fixed Fox News.

After polishing my model of Confederate Americans (thank you RNC) I can see one reason for Obama appearing on Fox News: to reduce the odds of a race war. Just think of the Redneck reaction to Obama winning the election after "ignoring them."

I doubt appearing on fixed Fox News would mitigate that reaction. To them Obama is “out of his place” for garnering the temerity to even thinking of running for office much less winning. I just don’t think there is anything he can do to change those “Redneck” sentiments.

Granted, O'Reilly will hammer him about the whole Rev. Wright episode. Fox was the leading network that played those videos of Wright repeatedly to the point of nauseating; however, this will give Obama a way to further distance himself from Rev. Wright -- and Black Nationalism -- by labeling it "divisive". I'm sure O'Reilly is going to ask Obama how he's going to solve those "cultural defects" in the black community: crime, teenage pregnancy, high school drop outs, etc.; O'Reilly will bring up Jesse Jackson's comments a few months ago about Obama talking down to black people; Obama will be asked to address gangsta rap and the negative influence it has on black teenagers. This interview will be nothing but sensationalistic sound bites of Obama rehashing more of his victim blaming rhetoric directed towards the black citizenry -- notably poor black folks -- with both the Black Bourgeoisie and White Elites applauding him as being "courageous" and "pragmatic". This will be Obama's way to appeal to those so-called Reagan Democrats who feel blacks aren't getting enough chastisement to clean up their act. Thus, we'll read more headlines in the mainstream media on how Obama challenges conventional black wisdom and calls for more "personal responsibility" among the black folks.

If anything this interview will further make the case that Adolph Reed, Jr been telling us for a while now about Obama: he's this generations Booker T. Washington.

Undoubtedly, Obama can't change their feelings. That's one of the immutable aspects of politics which P6 outlined the other day. (Should expand that into a book. So far I've seen three tantalizing subjects here in the last few months that are worthy of sustained discourse and publication.) But it does speak to the malleable facets of how you acquire power and and how it's implemented.

to reduce the odds of a race war
This is what I was getting at when I compared it to appearing before a forum inhabited by one's ideological foes. I wasn't exactly thinking in terms of race war but I was thinking about a poisonous atmosphere and persistent backlash that would make it exceptionally difficult to govern.

Preston -

If Obama dares to engage in any of the obsequious behavior you describe above then I will not vote for him come November. That is a promise.

However, I've watched O'Reilly over the years and I know the tactics he uses when he discusses issues of race. He'll push Obama to discuss many of those topics I've mentioned. All I can go on is Obama's history when discussing race, and so far when he tackles race it's often from a conservative framing. Submariner is correct to suggest that Obama is more of a black conservative than black conservatives. Obama's arguments about black folks are no different than the ones you hear from Fox News' leading black commentator: Juan Williams.

I believe Obama's advisers are telling him that this could be a positive move for him in his appeal to "working class white voters". I could be wrong about all of this and Obama may surprise me with his rebuttals. I mean, hell, he surprised me with his acceptance speech last week with all the populist undertones. Yet I wouldn't be surprise to hear Obama rehashing his conservative talking points about the failures of the black community, either. White folks of all political stripes love that type of talk.

three tantalizing subjects

I remember you suggesting a book on dealing with racism. What were the other two?

If Obama goes on Fox News and plays into any of this nonsense, I think he will even lose the support of folks over at Jack and Jill.

Copying everybody else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat.

Zululand Proverb

The others are this stuff right here and here. The rebuttal to Matt Bai (I can't find it) was also well thought.

http://www.billoreilly.com/newslettercolumn?pid=24183

"After going mano-a-mano with Obama on television, I am also persuaded that he is a sincere guy—that he wants the best for all Americans. He's an ideologue, but not a blind one. He understands that his story is incredible, and, I have come to believe, he is grateful to the American system for allowing it happen.

It is true that we don't know whether Senator Obama has the ability to solve complex problems, but you can say that about all presidential contenders.

Like most politicians, Obama has used guile and good luck to accumulate his power. He can be ruthless, kind, unfair, and generous. In short, he's a real person trying to achieve an unreal position—that of the most powerful person in the world.

God help him."

Submariner:

Thanks. I asked because I'm trying to organize my thoughts around the advice about racism idea and thought maybe I could work the other two in, but they would have to be a seperate thing.

I agree. The other materials are too tangential and severe. Of the three, the first is potentially the most utilitarian and popular. I think I told you that I envision it as a cross between From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust and Stephen Covey's famous tome.

So, if Barack Obama does become president, there will definitely be change.

On the foreign policy front, Obama has convinced me that he is tough but cautious.

And thank you, keto, for the link. Combined with your selection, I think O'Reilly's comments bolster the argument for Obama appearing on Fox. Such a declaration by O'Reilly (which would have been inconceivable without entering his arena) come as close to an endorsement as is humanly possible by a champion for the conservative cause. The fact that its published after the GOP convention adds to it a seriousness that is not easily discounted by thinking people.