It’s a foolish man who steps into the Fox News vs. White House contretemps, because it’s the worst sort of political debate: screechy partisanship overlain by cynicism and posturing. Naturally, I’m that foolish man.

I’ve never understood why Fox News drives so many people (meaning liberals) crazy. Yes, the talking heads on Fox are blatantly one-sided, and while the news segments play it straight, more or less, there’s still an unmistakable undertone of conservatism there. So what? If that bothers you, there’s a simple solution: Don’t watch. Really, Fox is not worth so much as a moment of your outrage. It hasn’t debased the country’s political discussion any more than have the bleaters at MSNBC or Air America. I tune ‘em all out, and my life is better for it.

But at the same time, it’s stupid and unseemly for White House officials to seek to punish and isolate Fox News. It’s not just that this crusade makes the Obama administration look petty and small; it also suggests that the White House gang has become unnerved by a cable news operation, for God’s sake. It’s unsettling to think that the people we trust to face down Iran and North Korea, fix the economy, protect us from terrorists, and deal with a newly pugnacious Russia are spending time worrying about Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.

I can’t imagine that a single person who previously watched Fox News doesn’t do so anymore simply because the White House expressed disapproval. But I can imagine that people who didn’t previously watch might henceforth tune in occasionally, Americans being a naturally cantankerous bunch. Better yet for Fox, it now has first claim to a role all media outlets are supposed to covet — that of the counterbalance to power.

This was not a good day’s work by the Obama team.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 5:57 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.