Fox News’ all-out effort to neutralize Mitt Romney’s 47% remarks now includes exploiting the hell out of a fourteen-year-old audio of then-Illinois-state-senator Barack Obama saying that he believes in redistribution.
In his interview with Fox News yesterday, Romney referred to a YouTube video, originally unearthed by the Drudge Report, of Obama speaking at an October 19, 1998 conference at Loyola University. Fox has obligingly made it their leading article on foxnews.com.
The article makes a token effort to be F&B, noting that the short video clip "purports" to show Obama saying he believes in redistribution and doesn't put the words in any sort of context. The accompanying post on Fox Nation makes no such effort. The post is short and sweet, saying merely that “Obama spoke against ‘propaganda’ that said government doesn't work (they eliminated the part where he admitted that some government action hadn’t been effective) and the need to ‘pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution because I actually believe in redistribution’ (they eliminated what he said right after that which was, ‘at least at a certain level to make sure everybody’s got a shot.’)”
The story does have a little traction with “MSM” political bloggers this morning. It certainly has resonance with some Fox Nation readers, sparking the usual vitriolic and sometimes vicious remarks:
Whether it will ultimately have the same resonance as the "47%" remark, or whether it'll go down into oblivion as a bit of cheap gotcha, only time will tell.
I watched F&F for only a couple of minutes today, but just in time to watch Gretchen pouting over the media ignoring the Obama video, while crying over the time spent on Romneyâs. She needed a pacifier. I enjoyed it immensely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYqF_BtIwAU
On the other hand, Romney’s statement is a pretty direct dismissal of those who will not support him as being unworthy.
The half life of the respective quotes is going to be quite different. The Obama comment will be waved around by Fox to little effect for the next few days, while the Romney quote will haunt him up to the moment the Election returns are announced.
The fact that the foxy faithful swallow this garbage whole is proof positive of a poor level of critical thinking skills. The USA is not showing itself at its best … Luckily, most Europeans are aware that FNC is not the intelligent contingent in the country.