Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Fox News has gone into the Twilight Zone--also known as the New Hampshire Primaries

I saw this story on Countdown with Keith Olbermann last night, and I'm just amazed by it. Is it my imagination, or is the GOP mouthpiece, Fox News, self-destructing on itself? Fox News decided to exclude Ron Paul from their GOP debate last Sunday before the New Hampshire primaries. This pissed off the Ron Paul supporters, who then hounded Sean Hannity of Fox News. First, here is Keith Olbermann's story on this mess:



And here is the actual YouTube video:



Now I want to go on to another story regarding Bill O'Reilly. Apparently Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly got into a little shoving match with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. From WCCO News:

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) ― No one ever accused Bill O'Reilly of being a wilting flower.

So when the Fox News Channel commentator and interviewer appeared midway through a Barack Obama rally at a Nashua high school Saturday, his presence was evident. Tall, with camera crew in tow, O'Reilly marched forward to get a good look.

Journalists have been known to seek the best angle.

But it was after Obama's speech that O'Reilly threw some elbows. And not so figuratively either.

Obama staffer Marvin Nicholson, a personal aide always at Obama's side during rope line handshakes, said O'Reilly yelled at him to get out of the way of his cameraman's shot. Nicholson said O'Reilly came around the waist-high barricade separating Obama from well-wishers.

"Then he grabbed me with both of his arms and tried to push me out of the way," Nicholson said after the campaign agreed to make him available to reporters.

O'Reilly, interviewed afterward by phone on Fox News, said he tried "to gently remove" Nicholson because he was standing in front of Fox's camera.

"We're sorry we had to have that little confrontation, but no one on this earth is going to block a shot on "The O'Reilly Factor." It is not going to happen," O'Reilly said.

The scene was hard to miss. O'Reilly is about 6-feet-5-inches tall. Nicholson is 6-feet-8-inches tall.

"I told him, 'Sir, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't shove me anymore.' He called me 'low class.' He was pretty upset," Nicholson said.

Secret Service agents assigned to protect Obama ordered O'Reilly back behind the barricade. At that point Obama approached him and extended his hand.

And here is the video from Bill O'Reilly's show, The O'Reilly Factor:



Now here is the response from Obama bodyguard Marvin Nicholson:



Is it my imagination, or is Fox News gone to making up its own news stories, rather than reporting on the news stories. With the first story of Ron Paul supporters chasing Sean Hannity, I certainly find it interesting how Fox News decided not to invite Ron Paul to the GOP debate, but to include former senator Fred Thompson. In this Pollster.com poll, Paul actually polls higher than Thompson with Paul getting 7.9 percent to Thompson's 2.3 percent. Yet Thompson was included into the debate. And in the 2008 Iowa caucus results, Paul actually got 10 percent of the vote, to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 3 percent. Yet Giuliani was present at the Fox debate, and not Ron Paul. As extreme as Ron Paul's political ideology and policies may be for the propaganda arm of the Republican Party, he is still very much in the race as a candidate. It is just that the GOP elites and Fox News doesn't like Ron Paul, and sincerely wish that he would withdrawal from the race. The problem with Paul also extends to the Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee. Both Paul and Huckabee are very populist candidates, who are presenting powerful populist messages to the conservative voters. These messages are going against the views of the GOP elites, and the elites desire to find GOP "mainstream" candidates that will follow their marching orders.

This brings us to the situation with Bill O'Reilly. The first thing we have to realize is that Fox News is not really a news channel, but rather a propaganda arm of the Republican Party. Whatever news stories that Fox News reports will be projected through conservative perspectives. Their news shows will be presented with a strong, pro-GOP bias. This brings us to Bill O'Reilly. It appears to me that O'Reilly may think of himself as a major prima-donna to the point where he should have exclusive access to any candidate. And since Nicholson was simply doing his job, as a bodyguard to Obama, he probably inadvertently stepped between Obama and O'Reilly, causing our Faux News prima-donna to get hysterical. Nicholson didn't shove O'Reilly--O'Reilly shoved Nicholson! And now O'Reilly is blaming Nicholson for this shoving incident, declaring freedom of the press in covering Obama. As I see it, no one forced O'Reilly out of the Obama rally. The video that O'Reilly has shown on his program does reveal some decent shots Obama shaking hands with the crowd. And yet this incident, which O'Reilly himself has caused, is now being used by O'Reilly, and Fox News, to blame the Obama campaign with infringing on O'Reilly's free press rights. This is just absurd.

Here is a little personal story of the insanity that takes place at a presidential campaign rally. In September, 1992, I was working on the West Valley College Norseman as a photojournalist, when I was given the opportunity to cover Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton at a San Jose State University campaign rally. This opportunity came from one of the political science teachers at West Valley, who was able to get campaign tickets for the event, and brought them to the Norseman. How could I not say no to taking pictures of a presidential candidate? So I went to the campaign rally at San Jose State. The rally was held outside, at the quad, which was roped off for the supporters to stand below the podium, right below Tower Hall. I had to arrive several hours early, just to get a good position near the front. Not only did I arrive early at this rally, but thousands of other Clinton campaign staffers and supporters also arrived to stake their position to listen to Clinton speak. The quad filled very quickly with supporters, causing us all to squeeze together tightly, waiting in the hot sun, with really no water. I can say that tempers flared up during that day, until Clinton finally arrived. After that, it was complete pandemonium, with supporters rushing to the front of the rope, arms outstretched, hoping to touch the Democratic candidate. Clinton walked right down the path, shaking as many hands as he could. Surrounding Clinton was the Secret Service men, keeping the path open in front of him while watching the crowd. Surrounding the Secret Servicemen were the press corps, shooting Clinton with film and TV video cameras as they were leading him towards the podium, while also following him with their cameras. Here is the picture I took, showing this incredible mess:

Surrounded by cameras and outstretched hands, Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Clinton greets cheering supporters at San Jose State University. More than 6,000 attended the rally, Tuesday. By Eric A Hopp, West Valley College Norseman.

I probably had only a few seconds--perhaps not more than a minute or two--to shoot Clinton with my camera. This was the best shot I could get of Clinton greeting the supporters. Clinton went up to the podium, gave his stump speech, and then went back down into the crowd to continue shaking hands, as he was leaving. After the speech, I could not get any closer to Clinton to take more pictures, considering that 6,000 other supporters were trying to get as close to Clinton as I was. What I'm trying to say here is that these presidential campaign rallies are complete chaos, where you are only going to get a minute or two to take a picture, or a video, of the candidate. And if there is anyone who should realize this, it should be Bill O'Reilly. And yet it is O'Reilly who is complaining, who is pushing and shoving the Obama bodyguard, and then blaming the Obama campaign for an incident that he is responsible for creating in the first place. It is also absurd.

Then again, what do you expect from Faux News?

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