Six Fox News contributors, plus several regular guests, have signed a letter opposing the immigration reform bill. It signals not just a split in the GOP but the extent to which Fox News fills its airwaves with conservative activists in the guise of pundits. Perhaps in an attempt to distance themselves from their "fair and balanced" employer, none of the contributors identified him or herself as affiliated with Fox.
Media Matters has the scoop on the six contributors and how they "disclosed" their affiliations:
- Monica Crowley, Ph.D., Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
- Erick Erickson, Editor of RedState
- Laura Ingraham, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
- Michelle Malkin, author of Invasion and syndicated columnist
- Sandy Rios, Vice-President Family PAC Federal and Morning Host for AFR Talk
- Former Congressman Allen West
However, other signatories will also be familiar to Fox News viewers and News Hounds readers:
More proof, in case you needed it, that Fox's so-called outreach to Hispanics is little more than window dressing and a ploy for votes.
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Kevin Koster commented
2013-05-22 12:56:38 -0400
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AAP makes a good point. The harsher voices on the GOP right wing made concerted efforts to scuttle any attempts at immigration reform during the George W. Bush presidency.
In 2006, the last time before now that an attempt was made, the AM Radio voices began screaming about “Amnesty” for months and their advocates in Congress made sure to stack the bill then in consideration so that it would never pass. At the same time, several extreme right wing legislators put forth measures that were designed to simply drive undocumented immigrants from the country.
Today, we’re getting the same approach from those quarters. Part of the goal is to derail any possibility of an Obama-backed measure from passing. The other part of it is to keep undocumented immigrants in a twilight situation where they can be exploited by various businesses at the same time that they are reviled by public figures and pundits. The point of this approach is that the right wing does not want to see a solution of any kind to this problem. It’s too much of a win-win to keep the undocumented people here as such, thus satisfying two big areas of their constituency.
In 2006, the last time before now that an attempt was made, the AM Radio voices began screaming about “Amnesty” for months and their advocates in Congress made sure to stack the bill then in consideration so that it would never pass. At the same time, several extreme right wing legislators put forth measures that were designed to simply drive undocumented immigrants from the country.
Today, we’re getting the same approach from those quarters. Part of the goal is to derail any possibility of an Obama-backed measure from passing. The other part of it is to keep undocumented immigrants in a twilight situation where they can be exploited by various businesses at the same time that they are reviled by public figures and pundits. The point of this approach is that the right wing does not want to see a solution of any kind to this problem. It’s too much of a win-win to keep the undocumented people here as such, thus satisfying two big areas of their constituency.
Kevin Koster commented
2013-05-21 14:11:29 -0400
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So, basically some of the angriest and most hateful personalities on the network are going the AM Radio route. Shouldn’t be a surprise, given that several of them are regularly inflicting this kind of vitriol on the air.
The AM radio take on the matter has been to try to kill the idea of it by throwing in so many poison pills nobody would want it. The typical approach heard on KFI has been to say “Fine. They can stay in the US and pay taxes and pay a fine. But no benefits of any kind for them or their kids EVER.” Which translates to the same thing they’ve been advocating for the past 10 years: Either directly deport 11+ million people or make their lives in the US so miserable that they’ll self-deport. And all of that ignores the fact that too many businesses are happy to have the undocumented laborers here, since they don’t have to pay them much at all. Which means that while one side of the right wing is making a killing off the backs of these people, the other side of the right wing is exploiting xenophobia.
When the history of this time is written, it won’t come out any better than the nightmares of immigrants through the 19th Century. Back then, there were plenty of leaflets, propaganda papers and rags to fan the flames of the hate. Today, in the 21st century, Fox News has taken that idea into the high tech world. In an ironic way, you can take the attitudes out of the 19th Century, but you can’t take the 19th Century out of the attitudes.
The AM radio take on the matter has been to try to kill the idea of it by throwing in so many poison pills nobody would want it. The typical approach heard on KFI has been to say “Fine. They can stay in the US and pay taxes and pay a fine. But no benefits of any kind for them or their kids EVER.” Which translates to the same thing they’ve been advocating for the past 10 years: Either directly deport 11+ million people or make their lives in the US so miserable that they’ll self-deport. And all of that ignores the fact that too many businesses are happy to have the undocumented laborers here, since they don’t have to pay them much at all. Which means that while one side of the right wing is making a killing off the backs of these people, the other side of the right wing is exploiting xenophobia.
When the history of this time is written, it won’t come out any better than the nightmares of immigrants through the 19th Century. Back then, there were plenty of leaflets, propaganda papers and rags to fan the flames of the hate. Today, in the 21st century, Fox News has taken that idea into the high tech world. In an ironic way, you can take the attitudes out of the 19th Century, but you can’t take the 19th Century out of the attitudes.
NewsHounds
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about Fox Newsies Advocate Against Immigration Reform
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2013-05-21 13:53:29 -0400
More proof, in case you needed it, that Fox's supposed outreach to Hispanics is little more than partisan window dressing.