Fox Dutifully Adopts GOP Talking Points On Obama’s Budget Speech
Following the GOP response to President Obama’s speech on his budget plan, Fox News figures have repeatedly echoed the idea that it was an “excessively partisan” “campaign speech,” along with several other GOP talking points.
GOP Responds To Obama’s Speech: “Excessively Partisan,” All “Campaign Rhetoric,” And More
Ryan: Obama’s Speech Was “Excessively Partisan, Dramatically Inaccurate, And Hopelessly Inadequate.” Following Obama’s remarks, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said that the president’s speech was “excessively partisan, dramatically inaccurate, and hopelessly inadequate to addressing our countries [sic] pressing fiscal challenges.” [The American Spectator, 4/13/11]
Ryan: Obama “Decide[d] To Pour On The Campaign Rhetoric [And] Launch His Re-Election.” From Ryan’s remarks on April 13:
So I am sincerely disappointed that the president had a moment when we were putting ideas on the table, trying to engage in a thoughtful dialog to fix this country’s economic and fiscal problems, decides to pour on the campaign rhetoric, launch his re-election, and pass partisan broadsides against us, making it that much harder for the two parties to come together with mutual respect of one another to get things done. [The American Spectator, 4/13/11]
Boehner: Obama Gave “The Most Partisan Speech That I Can Imagine.” While speaking on the April 14 edition of Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham’s radio show, House Speaker John Boehner said:
“We have a plan,” [Boehner] said. “We went to the White House, had a nice meeting with the president and while we had our differences, at least at the White House it seemed that the president understood that we had these challenges. And then he goes out and gives the most partisan speech that I can imagine.” [The Daily Caller, 4/14/11]
Boehner: Obama Was “Giving An Election Day Speech.” Also during Ingraham’s radio show, Boehner said, “Eighteen months before an election, he’s out giving an Election Day speech where frankly he has no plan to deal with our long-term challenges and apparently has no interest.” [The Daily Caller, 4/14/11]
Boehner: “Washington Has A Spending Problem, Not A Revenue Problem.” In his comments following Obama’s speech, Boehner stated:
You are also aware I have been pushing the president for months to engage in this discussion about our long-term fiscal mess. I’m glad that he’s finally decided to engage in it. But there’s been a lot of discussion about the need to raise taxes. And I’ll just say this: we can’t tax the very people that we expect to reinvest in our economy and to create jobs. Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. [speaker.gov, accessed 4/15/11]
Fox Parrots GOP: This Is Not “A Revenue Problem,” It’s “A Spending Problem”
Rove: “He’s Wrong [That] This Is A Revenue Problem. This Is A Spending Problem, And It’s His Spending.” On the April 15 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Karl Rove stated that Obama is “wrong that this is a revenue problem. This is a spending problem, and it’s his spending.” From the show:
BRIAN KILMEADE (co-host): Here’s what stunned me, and I think it’s essentially for — he’s saying game on.
ROVE: Right.
KILMEADE: Because he said the problem is the rich are not paying enough. Upon further review — and he brought to your years at the White House, the proof of that. But the stats show that revenues were never higher than they were during those eight years.
ROVE: That’s correct. That’s right.
KILMEADE: There has to be a reason.
ROVE: And look, here’s the other thing. Let’s assume — you’re absolutely right. He’s wrong that this is a revenue problem. This is a spending problem, and it’s his spending. He’s increased discretionary domestic spending in two years by 84 percent if you include the stimulus. His budget plan in February has us going — spending $46 trillion over the next 10 years with $36 trillion in revenue. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/15/11]
Fox Parrots GOP: “Wow, This Is So Partisan”
Lowry And Schoen Agree: “Obama’s Speech Was Partisan And Corrosive.” During the April 14 edition of Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, National Review editor and Fox News contributor Rich Lowry said that what Ryan had received as “a response” from Obama was “an utterly partisan, corrosive, poisonous speech that was vapid on the substance.” Fox News contributor Doug Schoen responded: “The rhetoric, I’m unfortunately going have to agree with Rich, was over the top. It was too partisan.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 4/14/11]
Johnson: “All Observers Saw This As A Partisan Speech.” During the April 14 edition of Fox & Friends, guest host Peter Johnson Jr. stated that “virtually all observers saw this as a partisan speech. It was billed as a plan, but it turned out to be kind of a full-throated attack on the Republican Party.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/14/11]
Carlson Decides: “Wow, This Is So Partisan.” During the April 14 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Gretchen Carlson responded to Obama’s speech by saying that her initial thought while listening to the speech was, “Wow, this is so partisan.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/14/11]
Krauthammer: “I’ve Rarely Heard A Speech By A President [That Was] So Shallow, So Hyper-Partisan.” On the April 13 edition of Fox News’ Special Report, Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said of Obama’s speech:
KRAUTHAMMER: I thought it was a disgrace. I’ve rarely heard a speech by a president so shallow, so hyper-partisan, and so intellectually dishonest outside the last couple of weeks of presidential election where you are allowed to call your opponent anything short of a traitor. [Fox News, Special Report, 4/13/11, accessed via Nexis]
Fox Parrots GOP: This Was An “Opening Salvo” In The “Presidential Campaign”
Rove: Obama’s Speech An “Opening Salvo” In “Presidential Campaign.” On the April 15 edition of Fox & Friends, Rove said during a discussion with the co-hosts:
CLAYTON MORRIS (guest host): Let’s talk about Medicare and Medicaid for a second. That was a big part of, obviously, the Ryan plan. But you’re — you know what your boss had to go through to try to deal with Social Security. And in an election year, is it an impossibility — is it an impossibility to go after these types of entitlement reforms?
ROVE: We are not yet in an election year. We’ve got a year-and-a-half before the election. This is my big complaint about the president. He had a chance to be a bold leader and say, let us come together and find ways to get this done. And instead, he said, opening salvo, presidential campaign. I got to go to the fundraiser in Chicago, but before I do, let me take a lot of vicious slams at the Republicans, so we have no chance at all of constructive action. And, look, he wasn’t serious. He has a commission chaired by Joe Biden, who couldn’t keep awake during the presentation. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 4/15/11]
Krauthammer: “We’re A Year-And-A-Half Away From Election Day And It Was Supposed To Be A Speech About Policy.” From the April 13 edition of Special Report:
KRAUTHAMMER: But we’re year-and-a-half away from Election Day and it was supposed to be a speech about policy. He didn’t even get to his own alternative until more than halfway through the speech. When he did he threw out numbers suspended in midair with nothing under that with all kinds of goals and guideline and triggers which mean absolutely nothing. The speech was really as it was attack on the Ryan plan. [Fox News, Special Report, 4/13/11, accessed via Nexis]
Napolitano: “I Think We Just Witnessed The Kickoff To The President’s Re-Election Campaign.” On the April 13 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck, guest host and Fox Business host Andrew Napolitano said to guest Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), “Senator, I think we just witnessed the kickoff to the president’s re- election campaign. What do you think?” [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/13/11, accessed via Nexis]
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