In publishing on the whole Fox/Obama kerfluffle, Slate is moving through the 5 stages of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance), except in reverse...

First, ACCEPTANCE from Weisberg: "Obama's right. It's time to stop taking Fox seriously."

Second, DEPRESSION from Kaus: "I have zero faith that Ailes is independent of the Republican party or, specifically, those Republicans who have occupied the White House recently--the Bushes." (Not in Anger, but in Sorrow!)

Next, BARGAINING, again from Kaus: " Maybe it's all about raising money from the base by riling it up. It's late October, after all. Dems (and Dem consultants) need dollars. " (That's the ticket! But if anything it will fire up the righty base even more.)

Then, ANGER from Dan Gross: "Fox News Channel has boosted audiences by narrowcasting to birthers and tea partiers, and it has seen an increase in ads from gold companies - the metal is thought to be a good hedge against Obama destroying the dollar." (OK maybe not Anger, but certainly a twinge of bitter.)

Finally: DENIAL from Shafer: "This Obama-Fox war ain't nothin'!... see the one FDR waged in the 30s" Move along... nothing to see here... oh and in the old days they compared people to Hitler while he was still alive!

Too bad there's not one more step... REGRET. When will Slate publish the obvious, that, whatever you think of Fox, picking on them was a boneheaded play by the Obama administration. A politician picking on any media organization is like responding to the 13-year- l33tspeaking punk in the fray (:-p. w00t! pwnd.) who's taunting you relentlessly.

Short of killing him, anything you do is going to increase the taunting. You've got a country to run, Brit Hume has lots of free time and you just validated him.

LOL right on man!

Great post!

But I beg to differ. One smart thing Obama has continually done has been to let his opponents get riled up. By rattling the monkey cage, then training the camera on the shit-flinging monkeys, you create an impression that is attractive only if you are a like-minded monkey looking to fling shit. All Obama has to do, then, is call it the monkey cage what it is, and not pretend it's another ice cream social.

To paraphrase John Lennon: "If you go comparing everything to Chairman Mao/You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow."

Let the 30% dimwits have their 30% and live in their monkey cage.

Has no one noticed that, while Fox rages against the White House, health care reform is quietly making its way through the Congress? Strange coincidence, huh?

Hellzapoppin:

Great post!

But I beg to differ. One smart thing Obama has continually done has been to let his opponents get riled up. By rattling the monkey cage, then training the camera on the shit-flinging monkeys, you create an impression that is attractive only if you are a like-minded monkey looking to fling shit. All Obama has to do, then, is call it the monkey cage what it is, and not pretend it's another ice cream social.

To paraphrase John Lennon: "If you go comparing everything to Chairman Mao/You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow."

Let the 30% dimwits have their 30% and live in their monkey cage.

LOL! You are a pistol, Hellzapoppin! I had to laugh at your monkeycage metaphor. Very apt!

Of course healthcare reform is making its way through - quite noisily actually, every network including fox covers it every day! Democrats have a filibuster proof majority so the question is not if, but when.

As for the whole rattle the monkey cage thing - get someone's base in an uproar as a distraction... first, I don't buy it. Second, doing that is a particularly craven way to operate. It's not a charge I'd expect to be leveled at a democratic administration at least in this forum, even if the administration is staffed in part by self-proclaimed maoists and truthers.

No, Simplest explanation is best - that explanation is nothing more than poor strategy on the part of the administration. The ONLY time attacking the press works is when they've done something specific, a singular incident that is obvious to all as inappropriate, like harassing of the kids. Just being generally hostile and biased is not a crime, and is the persistent state of being of some news organization be it FOX, NPR or Al Jazeera, depending on who is in power. Mature pols deal with it. Inexperienced ones rage at the machine.

One smart thing Obama has continually done has been to let his opponents get riled up. By rattling the monkey cage, then training the camera on the shit-flinging monkeys, you create an impression that is attractive only if you are a like-minded monkey looking to fling shit.

That would work if the dumbass from FL would stop calling women whores. Then again when isn't there a Dem (or Republican) that isn't making a dumbass statement. My point is that there is already so much poop throwing - no one will notice a little more.

Simplest explanation is best - that explanation is nothing more than poor strategy on the part of the administration.

It may be simplest, but it's not necessarily correct.

I think the strategy is to make Fox the voice of the Republican Party and therefore win over more moderates who are turned off by what Fox runs. They tried the same tactic with Limbaugh several months ago. The party doesn't really have a voice right now, so why not tag it with the people who are most likely to turn others off? It's hard to see much of a downside, and it may have an upside, so it makes political sense.

And to the extent it encourages the "movement" conservatives, it can create more situations like in the upcoming NY-23 special election for the House where the battle between the Conservative and Republican candidates may help Democrats win another seat.

moodyguppy:

As for the whole rattle the monkey cage thing - get someone's base in an uproar as a distraction... first, I don't buy it. Second, doing that is a particularly craven way to operate. It's not a charge I'd expect to be leveled at a democratic administration at least in this forum, even if the administration is staffed in part by self-proclaimed maoists and truthers.

It's not a distraction. It's saying "Here's what the opposition looks like;" effectively showing that Republican leadership is really the personalities on Fox and talk radio--which it is, for all intents and purposes. It's saying "If you want to know what they've got, look here." Like any good defense it concentrates on the weakness of the opponent's offense, rather than attack it at its strongest points.

That's politics. I don't see a big downside for Obama on this.

gunsmoke:

That would work if the dumbass from FL would stop calling women whores. Then again when isn't there a Dem (or Republican) that isn't making a dumbass statement. My point is that there is already so much poop throwing - no one will notice a little more.

You're certainly right, when it comes to congress. Obama's not a poop flinger (presidents generally aren't) and so I think this is his version of the bully pulpit. You have to remember that conservatives have been framing the issues for a long time now, very effectively. The democratic congress and the "Air America"-type liberal media aren't even in the same league. So it's up to President Obama to frame issues; this is apparently his way. Personally, I'd like to see him in the more traditional bully pulpit (and take on Fox by going on Fox) but that doesn't appear to be his style; and I have to say, it's not the dumbest way to go about things.