Neil Cavuto in Wonderland
Reported by Ellen - March 25, 2009 -
Guest blogged by Dan
Neil Cavuto describes himself merely as "FOX Business," rather than Managing Editor and Anchor (which I have mocked as pretentious in the past) in his recent article, The President 'Gets It'... Why Doesn't Congress? on FOXBusiness.com. One might have hoped that Cavuto had joined the group of business pundits humbled by the recent downturn and their failed predictions. Nah. His ego is as big as ever.
Cavuto writes: "Clearly, the President of the United States doesn't have to demand FOX Business Network.
Methinks he already gets it."
Okay, I know absolutely nothing about the cable service at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but I'd guess it has access to every channel you've heard of and some you haven't. No need for the Obama family to join the dozens of others demanding Fox Business on their cable.
While I have pointed out Mr. Cavuto's artificial use of "folksy" language, I am not sure the return of the archaic "methinks" is the answer. Language has changed since the time of Shakespeare, forsooth.
Cavuto continues:
"Here's the deal:He breaks news on Jay Leno.
Apparently, first watching us on FOX Business.
Now I can't prove the Fox Business thing.
But no denying what I heard on the Jay Leno interview thing."
Cavuto admits that he can't "prove" that the President of the Untied States watches his show. Then, probably facetiously, he continues,
"Mister President, you're right.And you owe me no royalty fees.
After all, you're the President.
And what the heck, who'd believe me if I said...you, the most powerful man on the planet...just ran with a line from the angriest Italian anchor on the planet?
But enough about me.
Back to me.
And my point:
Treat the disease. Not the symptoms"
Was Cavuto really claiming that President Obama quoted that line of his on the Leno program? I would not be the one to know as by 11:00 pm. Eastern, I am usually in bed and not watching TV in any event. What I can assert is that Neil Cavuto is neither the first, nor will he be the last, to use that phrase relating to problems medical, economic, or otherwise.
Cavuto adds:
"The President wants to go after the abuses that lead to the rage.Congress wants to just pile on the penalties and create more rage.
The President's Treasury Secretary missed this. Might have even endorsed this.
Congress missed this. At best, stupidly ignored this.
But listen to the President when he says quit debating this."
We have seen the Republicans in Congress and FOX Pundits declare, with a straight face, that the President is destroying the Constitution. I took the President's comments to refer to this. But Neil can make it all about himself.
"What's done is done. Stop fixing messes after they're done."
Start preventing messes before they're done.
It's sort of like, no doubt, the President's position on FOX Business Network, which he clearly watches.
If you don't get the cure.
Demand the cure."
The problem though is that I have not seen "the cure" to the "bonus baby" problem proposed on Fox. The AIG retention bonuses are probably legal; they may be enforcable in Court; but they are not popular.
While we might all have wished the bonus problem had never arisen, the point is that it has. So what exactly is the cure Neil Cavuto wants us to demand? Watching Fox Business? More Cavuto ego-stroking? Or should we all demand that Fox Business be carried by the Sci-Fi Channel? Fox Business, Where Fantasy Reigns Supreme.
