Marginalize Enemies? Sounds Like A Plan!
The cold and calculating Barack Obama is acting likejust another politicianwith some grand "political" plan of his, the local toilet paper roll POLITICO tells us. He takes the so-called "powerful opponents" of his agenda out there and tries to weaken them, so as to "pass his agenda." He is Richard Nixon, minus all of the massive law-breaking.
Criminal acts, all:
President Obama is working systematically to marginalize the most powerful forces behind the Republican Party, setting loose top White House officials to undermine conservatives in the media, business and lobbying worlds.
With a series of private meetings and public taunts, the White House has targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest-spending pro-business lobbying group in the country; Rush Limbaugh, the country’s most-listened-to conservative commentator; and now, with a new volley of combative rhetoric in recent days, the insurance industry, Wall Street executives and Fox News.
Mmm, tasty. Although we dare point out to Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen that it might take more than a "volley of combative rhetoric" to "marginalize" the insurance industry and Wall Street -- especially the latter, what with it being, no exaggeration, the most powerful lobby in the history of human existence, with whom every politician now and forevermore will be in bed. They control the fucking money!
As for Fox News, well, who cares what those flappymouths go on about. But the "new" White House attitude of pointing out that Fox News is completely terrible has somehow riled up ABC's Jake Tapper, who asked Robert Gibbs yesterday, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot man? Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Tapper: It's escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations "not a news organization" and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it's appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one -
(Crosstalk)
Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.
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.
Tapper: I'm not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I'm talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a "news organization" -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That's our opinion.
LEAVE MEGHAN MCCAIN AND FOX NEWS ALONE, FOXTROTTERS!
Obama strategy: Marginalize most powerful critics [POLITICO]
Jakes Tapper Challenges Robert Gibbs Over Fox News Claims [Huffington Post]