Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:44 pm
On his radio show today, Glenn Beck claimed that Obama is weak because he did not call on Fox News at his news conference last night. Beck also called Helen Thomas a left wing activist columnist, and equated progressives to Marxists. I think somebody is a little cranky today over not getting a question at the press conference.
Here is the audio from Media Matters:
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Beck said, “They didn’t call on anybody from Fox, what a surprise there. How can the guy face , Ahmadinejad but he can’t face Fox?” Stu said that he had no problem with not calling on Helen Thomas, and Beck went off, “Are you comparing Helen Thomas who is a left wing activist columnist, to the journalist from Fox, not calling on me. I’d understand if he didn’t call on me, but he didn’t call on the journalist from Fox News.”
Beck ignored that Fox News was given questions in both of the first two press conferences. Major Garrett got to ask rather lengthy questions at each, so the idea that Obama is dodging Fox News isn’t true, and I really wish he would have stated the real reason why Fox News was ignored. The White House was sending a message to Fox over their decision not to carry his press conference. Once Fox decided not to carry it, they should have known that Fox News was going to be shut out. All presidents do this.
By the way, Beck’s description of progressive being unable to take criticism is a priceless bit of comedy. According to Beck, right wingers can handle criticism, because they are always criticized, but according to Glenn the left is intellectually lazy because they aren’t challenged. It isn’t the left that is so devoid of ideas, that their prescription for every issue is a tax cut. It isn’t the left that put out a budget with no numbers.
The right’s response to criticism is always to do one of three things, claim media bias, personally attack the critic, or label the critic un-American. I am sure that there are journalists at Fox News, but they aren’t allowed to objectively report the news. Judging from Beck’s whining FNC is upset that they didn’t get a question. I wonder if this will impact the decision to carry on whether or not to carry future Obama press conferences?
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
