Friday, October 18, 2019

Fox hides out

Fox buries the story on Mick Mulvaney


If an Acting Chief of Staff admits to a federal crime repeatedly on camera, and no one at Fox reports on it, did it really happen to the people in the Republican base?

Mick Mulvaney either did something crazy or did something really clever. He went on camera and admitted that there was intentional quid pro quo regarding holding up money to Ukraine in exchange for them investigating Democratic corruption. 

Of course, he said, We do it all the time. It is normal. "Get over it."

Shortly afterward the White House lawyers said that he really isn't speaking for them, but this is now out there.  One of two things happened. Either Mulvaney essentially confessed to the key issue in dispute, in contradiction to Trump's "no quid pro quo!" and this is fatal to him.  Or, by talking about it has he normalized it, and made it not a question of whether Trump did the terrible thing, but instead, whether it is unusual and terrible.

It might be the fig leaf GOP Senators need as it dribbled out that yes, of course there was quid pro quo. Now the issue becomes one of presidential discretion to do the dirty business of foreign policy that is the nature of statecraft. Didn't we get British naval bases in exchange for Lend-Lease?  Didn't we agree to remove missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviets moving missiles from Cuba? Weren't both of these good for America and good politics, too?

Meanwhile, Fox, is figuring out how to spin this. The White House is sending mixed messages. Maybe it is being walked back, maybe not. Fox isn't describing the multiple messages and certainly not the disarray. 

They are saying nothing. Readers who mostly view Fox knew nothing about this. Readers who never engage with Fox wouldn't know that Fox has blacked it out.

Below is the opening page, and then page two below it, of the Fox News website yesterday evening, amid the big headlines about the Mulvaney confession everywhere else. I count 34 news stories. Mulvaney does not make the cut.












6 comments:

Mick Mulvaney said...

The democrats have long claimed that the Russians were involved in hacking computers (the DNC computer), when in fact it was the Ukrainians. The democrats have long demanded an investigation into the computer hacking.

Trump told the Ukrainians that he was going to suspend military aid until the Ukrainians investigated the DNC computer hacking. That is a legitimate request. It's no different than Peter Sage withholding his son's allowance until his son cleans-up his bedroom. Trump never used a quid pro quo to demand that the Ukrainians investigate that crook Joe Biden.

If Trump passed-gas (farted), then the democrats would be calling for an investigation. Trump asking the Ukrainians to investigate their interference in our elections is not a big deal, and certainly not worthy of impeachment. Democrats have become so desperate for power that they flail-around uncontrollably screaming, and they publicly embarrass themselves.

Trump isn't going anywhere for the next five years. You better get used to it.

Anonymous said...

Still waiting for evidence that Joe Biden is a crook...

Peter, would you please devote one blog to listing all of Trump's illegal, unethical, and immoral conduct? Apparently his cult-followers believe (I am avoiding the word "think") that he is a paragon of virtue when, based on the facts, he is the complete opposite. I know that the list is very long. Just give it your best shot, but don't wear yourself out. Be sure to include the Access Hollywood tape, Trump University, his charitable foundation, stiffing contractors, filing for bankruptcy (how many times?), hiding his tax returns, obstructing the Mueller investigation, etc.

As Americans, we must work together to de-program the cult victims and help them recover.

Anonymous said...

Forgot, please also include: cheating on 3 wives; befriending sex offender and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein (also failing to protect him in Federal custody); hush money payments (before the 2016 election) to Stormy Daniels, porno actress and stripper.

Honest Abe said...

OK.....so you don't personally like Trump. I didn't like Barry or Joe. NOTHING you listed is criminal, and worthy of impeachment. Some of your accusations aren't even true.

The bottom line is that Trump has been more effective than Obama was.

Rick Millward said...

Right, FOX is not a news organization. It just plays one on TV.

When the news broke about Rudy's kids they didn't cover that either, preferring stories about lost puppies and such. There is a huge appetite for tabloid style entertainment and whether it is factual or not is irrelevant. The genius of FOX is that it looks like real news, sort of like a Halloween disguise and surprise!, people are fooled, with money to be made. Trick or Treat!

The attempt to normalize foreign election interference is clever all right and reveals the depth of cynicism Republicans have allowed into their party. "Get over it" is the eternal Regressive retort to anyone who protests indecency. It's another way of saying "if you don't like it, make me"...the bully's taunt...not to mention the descent into adolescent name calling from the White House podium. Also the the tactic of the walk back..."I didn't say that"...is textbook gaslighting.

"Get over it" is a challenge to do something and if not addressed it will embolden even worse behavior.

Anonymous said...

"Get over it"?

That's kind of like progressives screaming that "climate change" is a "settled science". It's not settled, but progressives have attempted to close the debate and silence the opposition. Then you smear the opposition as "deniers"

What was Joe Biden doing interfering in a Ukrainian criminal investigation? ANSWER THAT! It didn't concern him, so why did he call for the Ukrainian prosecutor to be fired? It was NONE of Biden's business.

Why did Obama interfere in Israeli elections, and spend American money doing it? Obama DID interfere in Israeli elections.

How have Pelosi, and Feinstein, and others become filthy rich on a government salary?

When Dems do it it's "good", and when the GOP does it it's "BAD". Yeah....right!