Obama is out of the CBC/Fox Debate

Well with Obama, the only member of the CBC running for president, joining Edwards declining to participate in the debate, this debate is all but dead. This is very good news for the progressive position. Fox News should not, must not be portrayed as a legitimate news organization, certainly by progressives and Democrats. Democrats would in general be wary of offending the CBC, but with Obama out, everyone else has cover. This is another example too of the degree to which the inside the beltway Democratic consultants are so out of touch with the American voters. The CBC obviously thought that setting up a debate with Fox News was a good idea, but the backlash from within their constituency, and now this, has to be a serious blow. The folks in charge really need to start listening to the folks on the front line, for their own sakes. On the plus side, this has to put Fox News very much back on their heels. After Nevada and now this, there is no chance that there will be a Fox News/Democratic debate. Fox is very rapidly becoming to all eyes a tool of the Republican party. As that happens, their influence will rapidly decline.

Link to Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com

Edwards out of the CBC/Fox Debate

I have to second Kos on this one and congratulate Edwards for a very good decision. Fox can promote whatever ideas it wishes too, but we progressives and Democrats have no need to support them. It is high time that we stop enabling Fox, and supporting its effort to brand itself a legitimate news outlet. It is a propaganda arm of the Republican party and that needs to be recognized. The fact that democratic candidates are starting to recognize that, and especially that Edwards is leading on this issue, is a great move forward. Furthermore, it is a demonstration of a willingness to take the fight to our opponents rather than always trying to accommodate them. I maintain that the Republicans were successful in branding Democrats as weak on defense and appeasers, not because of any stance on any particular weapon system, or our refusal to support any particular war, whether Viet Nam or Iraq, but because of the way that we fight Republicans. When facing our domestic opponents we appear weak and vacillating. If we stop that, we can take ownership of national security and defense as well as every other issue.

There is another important development in the national media that we progressives need to be aware of, watch and support. Look at things like the coverage Firedoglake gave to the Libby trial or the development of Talking Points Memo, by Josh Marshall. These are the beginnings (and as for TPM, not so much beginnings, consider this) of new legitimate news organizations that will eventually be in a position to challenge the MSM. Much will happen over the next few years, of course, and I'm not predicting how things will transpire, but there is the beginning of a revolution in news reporting. I would liken it to the introduction of the PC. There were computers and a computer industry before 1980 and there are computers and a computer industry today, but they are much different and are shaped by very different people. I believe that something similar is starting now, and it will be very much in progressive interests to see it develop and grow.

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