Today is Martin Luther King's birthday and the second inaugural ceremony of the first African-American president. So you and I would probably find it entirely fitting that President Obama would highlight civil rights in his inaugural address. But not Fox News! During what was supposed to be an "objective" news report on Obama's address, reporter James Rosen kept up Fox News' tradition of race baiting on Martin Luther King Day.
Rosen, from the Washington, D.C. parade route, gave us a few coming attractions:
One thing to look for, preceding the president's actual vehicle, his limousine, there is gonna be eight floats. Four of them will recognize the four states from which hail the First two couples: Hawaii, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Illinois. The other four floats are going to advance this theme that we've heard so much about today, of civil rights. There will be one dedicated to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, whose birthday is observed today, there'll be another float devoted to various civil rights movements - including not only the African American protest movement of the '50s and '60s, but the Suffragists women's movement and also LGBT.
OK, fine. But then Rosen went on to take this gratuitous slap at Obama's address:
That was one thing that struck me, Bret (Baier), about this speech. The president almost positioning himself as more than a president but as a civil rights figure. So much of his speech was given over to the subject of civil rights. And yet I venture to say that had you canvassed a hundred Americans, any one hundred Americans on Election Day, and asked them, “What is the most important issue that this country faces,” they would not have named civil rights. But that is clearly a preoccupation of this president.
Rosen went on to say that there was no such “grace note” of reaching out to the opposition, as George H.W. Bush did in his inauguration.
And all good Foxies know why... Obama was too "black."
Only Wealthy White People can speak for America!
I read Rosen’s book on John Mitchell, “Strong Man” and it is filled with poor writing, weasel words, shaded references, outright lies, and no curiosity about a cover-up that’s still ongoing.
When I was still using my performance artist nom de plume of Aunty Em and writing for NewsHounds, I got into it with Rosen. I wrote about it in my post Aunty Em Ericann’s Bun Fight With James Rosen of Fox “News” which can be found at http://notnowsilly.blogspot.com/2012/05/aunty-ems-bun-fight-with-james-rosen-of.html
With all my love,
Aunty Uncle
Also, that part about “reaching out to the opposition” – yeah, Rethugs are so good at that, aren’t they? (snark)
NOTE TO ROSEN
Want something to complain? Try News Corporation’s involvement in the hacking scandals in the U.K. Now that’s a story!