Today the Times Argus takes an unusual position for a news organization .They came out editorially supporting Obama’s criticism of Fox “news” as having crossed the line from a news organization to a rightwing propaganda mouthpiece.
The Obama administration’s war against Fox News could be a worrisome precedent, except we know from experience the pernicious methods that Fox uses to distort the news.
The media wagons most often circle up in defense of their brother media when a powerful politician criticizes. Fox must have crossed way over the boundary to the right and out of the mainstream.
The Times-Argus and the Rutland Herald have felt the wrath of the Fox and Bill O’Rielly. Several years ago Fox’s O’Reilly attempted to bully the papers because they had not shared the stand on Jessica’s law that Fox/O’Reilly were pushing. It was a time of extremely high tensions and O’Reilly’s film crew at one point harassed a state legislator in an attempt at intimidation. Vermont was solidly on O’Reilly’s target list. Both papers were added to Fox’s “worst newspapers” list. The lines were drawn.
Aw shucks Brian, O’Reilly?
With lines drawn back then Lt.Gov. Dubie made an appearance before the Fox man himself offering a tribute of maple syrup . O’Reilly said
“Dubie is a pro-life Republican who supports Jessica’s Law, proving there is diversity in the land of Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, far-left Senator Patrick Leahy.
Last week candidate Dubie participated in conference call and toured the emergency bridge closure site. In a manner he must have thought reassuring he declared among other things an understanding of the importance of bridges and left.
“…I know first hand the importance of the Champlain Bridge to the economic and social well-being and safety of Addison County.”
Just another spoken reminder that the prime time spotlight is not his comfort zone. Reinforcing his documented habit of ducking debates he started his campaign with a curious unorthodox email announcement . These are not winning tactics for the Republicans.
Even as one elder Vermont commentator declares Governor Douglas’ new lame-duck status may actually give him “the mantle of statesman” with the legislature, one has to wonder seriously about the anointed Republican candidate Dubie’s rightwing positions and a skill set needed to campaign for higher office.
http://www.timesargus.com/arti…
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0…
http://www.vermontbiz.com/news…
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lying down with the Foxes. I think the thing about VT that gives the national repubs such fits is that the place looks like a Republican wet dream. It’s very white, rural, small farms– it has all the features of their jeffersonian individualist fantasy on the surface. And then you turn over any rock and you find an anarcho-syndicalist who sees corporate power as the true threat to our civil liberties. Much really ruin their postcard vision.