Open Thread Plus Holiday Cartoon
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on December 25th, 2011 5:36 am by HL
Open Thread Plus Holiday Cartoon
A cyber-penny for your thoughts.
A cyber-penny for your thoughts.
Fox News Gives Free Airtime For Employee Karl Rove?s Partisan Attack Ads
Earlier this year, Karl Rove bemoaned, “America is likely to see the most negative re-election campaign ever mounted by a sitting president.” Meanwhile, “Rove’s deep-pocketed attack group” American Crossroads has been relentlessly releasing one partisan attack ad after another. In that vein, Crossroads released an ad this week mocking Obama for defending his record of […]
Earlier this year, Karl Rove bemoaned, “America is likely to see the most negative re-election campaign ever mounted by a sitting president.” Meanwhile, “Rove’s deep-pocketed attack group” American Crossroads has been relentlessly releasing one partisan attack ad after another. In that vein, Crossroads released an ad this week mocking Obama for defending his record of accomplishments.
One of Rove’s most powerful employers, Fox News, rewarded their employee’s partisan attack group with a lot of free airtime. The ad was featured on Fox’s Sean Hannity show, on Fox’s “The Five,” and during Fox’s daytime hours. On Hannity, Crossroad’s communications director Jonathan Collegio was invited to talk about the ad. Rove himself appeared as a guest on another show to tout his own ad.
Fox pundits lauded the ad as “brilliant,” “pretty funny,” “very effective,” “fabulous,” and “my favorite ad of the year.” Fox guest host Mark Steyn even criticized CNN for failing to cover the ad. Watch a compilation:
As the website American Crossroads Watch notes, “Rove’s group is funded by secret corporate donations made possible by a 2010 Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, allowing unlimited corporate funding of elections. Press reports indicate that AC is planning to amass and spend at least $52 million this year to support candidates friendly to Big Business, all without disclosure or accountability.”
In addition to all the airtime that Rove’s group will be able to afford, Fox News is making clear that it will do its part to market the partisan content to its audience in glowing terms. As Media Matters notes, Fox also gave another one of Rove’s attack ads free publicity and endorsements back in Novemeber.
