WTF: Dean On FOX

by Benn Ray

Why I love Howard Dean. The head of the Democratic Party went on FOX News and said to Chris Wallace:

DEAN: Chris, the Republicans…for the last 30 years, the Republican (play)book has been to race bait and to use hate and divisiveness.  In 2006, the American people said no to that; I think they’re going to say no to that in 2008.   It is true that the economy, the war and healthcare are more important to the American people.  They are tired of the divisiveness of what the Republicans have done to them.  And that’s why the Republicans are in trouble.  Deep trouble.  Another four years of George Bush is not what we need…

WALLACE: Governor, are you suggesting that bringing up Jeremiah Wright is “race-baiting” and hate and divisive?

DEAN: Yeah, I am suggesting that kind of stuff.  I think when you start bringing up candidates that have nothing to do with the issues…uh when you start bringing up things that have nothing to do with the candidate, nothing to do with the issues, that’s race-baiting. And that’s exactly what it is.  Just like Willie Horton was race-baiting so many years ago.   I think we’re going to take…we’re going to turn the page on this stuff.  I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of difference between the Republicans and the Democrats on issues, but the biggest issue of all is we don’t use this kind of stuff.  We never have used this kind of stuff and we’re not going to start now.  America is more important than the Republican party and that’s the lesson the voters are about to teach the Republicans.

WALLACE: The left wing of your party is in a snit over all these Democrats appearing on Fox. In fact, the head of MoveOn.org had this to say about Democrats on Fox. "It legitimizes a right wing network that is going to use that credibility to smear them in the general election." He and the head of the Daily Kos are using words about you guys showing up here as weak, idiotic, stupid. How do you respond to the left wing?

DEAN: What I'd say is this: we stayed off Fox for a long time because your news department is, in fact, biased. But, Chris, you haven't been. You've always been tough, but I always thought fair and I still think that's true. And we need to communicate with people who are going to vote in the Democratic Party. Hundreds of thousands of Republicans have turned their back on their own party to vote in the Democratic primaries in the last six months. We owe it to our -- to all the American people to reach out to those folks. This is not about Fox News. That's not why I'm here today. I'm out because I want to talk to your viewers directly about why this election is important and what we can offer the American people.

WALLACE: Let me ask you, and obviously it's always about the millions of people who watch these shows. Looking back, do you think it was a mistake for the Democratic Party to boycott Fox debates and all the other programs during the last year and thereby boycott getting your message out to the millions of people who watch?

DEAN: No, I think it was right thing to do, because there are some things in the news department that have really been shockingly biased and I think that's wrong and I just say so right up front. It is important also for us -- we shouldn't punish the viewers of Fox by staying away. Now those viewers have had an opportunity to look at the debates on other channels, now they're going to have an opportunity viewing on this channel and I think that's fair.

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Comments

[stevo]

I'm not sure if I beleive Dean really thinks this, but, I guess the powers that be in the Demo. party decided this was the most effective tact to take. I have my reservations.

[Benn]

Yes. I would prefer the Democratic Party continue to ignore and marginalize FOX News as the Republican Propaganda Machine that it is. I think he's also being a little over-flattering of Wallace's "professionalism".

The Democrats don't need FOX to get elected. And pandering to them will just hurt the party. FOX is kind of like the South in that regard.

[stevo]

I'd say, hold out until they at least do a regular rotation of, "McCain-Straight Shooter?" depicting all of the flip-flops and outright lies McCain has sputtered, and then, an another of "you've heard about the extremism of Rev. Wright but what about Hagee/Moon/Falwell?"
but I guess equal coverage is just a pipe dream.

[Benn]

Wait, are you talking about Fox or the rest of the mainstream media? Kinda hard to tell these days.

Yeah, if I'd had any doubts about voting for Hillary, her going on the o'reilly factor would have shored me up for Obama.

[stevo]

Take your pick, I don't follow corporate news anymore, as it is, I get a glimpse, and sad to say, that pretty much covers what the corporate news offers anyway.
"Missing white woman" "Miley Cyrus" "Rev. Wright" check, whew, so glad there isn't a war going on! I'm so glad that there isn't a presidential race where people are interested in what the economic policies are, or how they'd handle Iraq, nah, none of that elitist egg-head stuff for me, just give me bowling scores and orange juice, and of course the missing white women/pop divas being naughty.

[Amadeo]

I understand staying off of Fox...but going on via the guy who ripped other Fox hosts aobut Obama bashing is actually effective...for some purpose. It may just push Wallace further out there.

[stevo]

I guess, going on as a Demo., and affirming that you are doing this, grudgingly, in spite of, they way they are, is adequate. In addition, if CNN or others are starting to do just as bad,(which they are), it's very difficult to take them ALL on, which, is pretty much what they're doing anyway, but, they can't actually say that.
I do think they should start calling out more specific cases on other channels.