६ जून, २०२३

Fox News sought a response from the White House for a story it was doing on the problem of President Biden's advanced age.

But — as HuffPo reports in "Fox News Refuses To Run Snarky White House Comment In Story Criticizing Biden’s Age"  — the White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates only responded with attacks relating to the advanced age of Rupert Murdoch.

First:
"We take inspiration from the 92 year-old owner of Fox News, and send our best regards on your accurate coverage of extreme MAGA Freedom Caucus complaining that President Biden outsmarted them on the budget as he continued the unprecedented bipartisan winning streak that is central to the best legislative record in modern American history."

Then: 

"I go back and forth on whether these stories are born out of Fox News executives trying to send a signal to y’all’s 92 year-old chairman, or that 92 year-old chairman’s frustrations with the political successes of a younger man running an exponentially more complex operation.” 

There's a big difference between owning a company and seeking election to high office. That Murdoch hangs onto his power says nothing positive about Biden's effort to cling to power in his old age. Biden must convince us, the people, that he's fit. He's younger than Murdoch and at least as power hungry. That's Bates's argument.

ADDED: At Meadhouse, we've been catching up on the HBO series "Succession," which has a character based to some extent on Rupert Murdoch. I bought the Season 2 "Complete Scripts," and I thought this was interesting, from the Introduction by Frank Rich:

If the younger Roys at times echo the behaviour of some of the Murdoch progeny in their self-delusional confidence in their own non-existent talents, their hapless public relations efforts to rebrand themselves, and their bottomless sense of entitlement, their father is an archetypal self-made American tycoon rather than a scion who inherited his empire as Rupert Murdoch did. 

The primal connection between Succession and bedrock American mythos is one reason why the show resonates with an American audience that does not necessarily follow the Murdochs, the Redstones, Michael Eisner, John Malone, or other contemporary media and finance barons who sometimes inspired our show’s fictional stories. That audience is more likely familiar with classic entertainments that offer variations on the theme, whether Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy or Lillian Hellman’s frequently revived 1939 Broadway potboiler The Little Foxes, in which the vicious Southern siblings’ ruthless civil war over the family inheritance drives a Black domestic servant to observe: ‘There are people who eat earth and eat all the people on it like in the Bible with the locusts. Then there are people who stand around and watch them eat it.’ 

४४ टिप्पण्या:

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

The Left is so clever!

China laughs at us.

Enigma म्हणाले...

The Democratic Party continues its "I know you are but what am I?" projective messaging. This began in earnest in 2016 when Trump's sexual conduct suddenly became an issue, despite Democrats "Ignoring All Women" for several decades.

What say you Bill Clinton?
What say you Al Franken?
What say you Harvey Weinstein?
What say you Bill Gates?
What say you John Conyers?
What say you Hunter Biden?

Breezy म्हणाले...

No one’s worried about Murdoch’s age and acumen. A majority of those polled are concerned about Biden’s. Bates is just deflecting, and not very well.

Temujin म्हणाले...

It's such an absurd comparison, but one that is to be expected from our White House. Murdoch is the lead shareholder in the company he built, today a publicly traded company. Biden is a lifelong politician, who hasn't produced or built anything, has lived on the dole off of the people of America for over 50 years, and has been shown- empirically- to be as corrupt as the day is long.

All that said, if Murdoch makes crazy loon decisions while wetting himself, Newscorp stock may drop. If Biden makes crazy loon decisions while wetting himself, the world as we know it may end.

The WH can joke about this and use Fox News as it's foil. And that will bring out the sniggers and smug smiles from all those on the left, but it doesn't answer any question. On the other hand, the Biden team hasn't answered any question since 2019.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

This will not end well.

I don't know quite HOW it will not end well, but it will not end well. Faith in a supernatural deliverance as the road to a happy ending is at least as good a bet as any other, at this point. That, or something approaching total destruction. Fate decides.

Time for breakfast!

Ampersand म्हणाले...

You stay classy, White House. The problem is that the US government IS exponentially more complex, and it's nominally being run by a demented figurehead who was cognitively deficient even before his age related decline. And the Bateses of the world couldn't be happier.

Assistant Village Idiot म्हणाले...

It's the White House, and it's DC politics in general. There's no real argument here in the traditional sense, just calculated insult. It is a more elegant sounding version of "I am rubber, you are glue. Bounces off me and sticks to you."

gilbar म्हणाले...

Who ARE these people that think that Joe Biden and the dems are doing a wonderful job?
If there are people are there that think so, i'd love to hear it.
Inga? gadfly? Mark? Anyone? Tell us what is wonderful ?

Sally327 म्हणाले...

Al Pacino is 83 and his 29 year old kind-of girlfriend is pregnant with his child. Robert DeNiro, 79, is a new Dad as well. His 45 year old girlfriend just had a baby, DeNiro's 7th child apparently (I didn't know he had any kids).

So at least we're spared this sort of evidence of Joe Biden's potency.

wendybar म्हणाले...

The world is laughing at us. Hell, even I am laughing at us. What a joke this country has become since Obama fundamentally changed America.

Left Bank of the Charles म्हणाले...

“There's a big difference between owning a company and seeking election to high office.”

The Murdochs’ own 39.6% of Fox Corporation, the rest is owned by public shareholders.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

I'm getting really tired of literally everything coming out of the government these days being spin. Not a word about truth or sense or the interests of the American people.

Always and only: "we won't answer your question or give you facts, but here is the message we want you to take away..."

Iman म्हणाले...

Feck off Brandon!

Jersey Fled म्हणाले...

"Who ARE these people that think that Joe Biden and the dems are doing a wonderful job?
If there are people are there that think so, i'd love to hear it.
Inga? gadfly? Mark? Anyone? Tell us what is wonderful ?"

I'll start the list off for the aforementioned stooges:

https://nypost.com/2023/06/05/thank-the-green-energy-cult-for-major-blackouts-this-summer/

RMc म्हणाले...

Who ARE these people that think that Joe Biden and the dems are doing a wonderful job?

People who believe that any Democrat, by definition, is better than any Republican (or independent).

This isn't drinking the Kool-Aid, it's drinking rat poison.

Balfegor म्हणाले...

the White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates only responded with attacks relating to the advanced age of Rupert Murdoch.

I mean, what else are they supposed to do? The dignified thing to do would be to decline to comment. But the administration flunkies know that once the question is asked, once it's been put into the public mind (e.g. by Biden's verbal and physical pratfalls), they're on the back foot. And that if they had a good response, Fox probably wouldn't present it fairly, anyhow, any more than CNN or MSNBC would fairly present a rebuttal by a Republican. Under those circumstances, might as well attack. Then at least Fox can't drop a sly, insinuating line about how the White House "did not respond to a request for comment" (something shady journalists love to do).

robother म्हणाले...

The Government is the Biden family's business. The distinction Althouse is suggesting would be lost on Joe, even before dementia.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

An aging and inattentive Joe Biden fucked up America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and his poll numbers have never recovered. An aging and inattentive Rupert Murdoch let his “journalists” run wild with batshit-crazy reckless disregard and he lost three-quarters of a billion dollars before you could say “Release the Kraken.” They are sorry proof losing a step can be extremely costly.

Kay म्हणाले...

The wh response reminds of what the donald or some average twitter user would say in the same situation.

cassandra lite म्हणाले...

You get the feeling that the WH comms office is a woke frat house that competes to write the snarkiest responses to disfavored new outlets like Fox, as well as the most fawning to favored outlets they consider allies (see, e.g., NYT).

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

Biden must convince us, the people, that he's fit.

Biden doesn't have to convince anyone of anything. He was installed via voter fraud in GA, PA, MI, AZ, and WI. And he was the perfect fit to accept the challenge. A corrupt, senile, old man who can be controlled like a puppet and do what he's told.

Being installed, he is unaccountable to anyone, especially the voters. For those that did actually vote for him, I assume he is delivering everything they hoped he would.

n.n म्हणाले...

A female is a woman and a mother.

A baby is a fetus and a human life.

A butterfly is an egg, a larva, a pupa, an adult, and an insect.

A corporate CEO is a leader but not a commander in chief.

A man mimicking, mocking a woman, may be trans/homosexual, a misogynist, or a community jester.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"a scion who inherited his empire as Rupert Murdoch did"

Huh? Who are these people, shoveling obvious BS?

Greg the Class Traitor म्हणाले...

"Biden must convince us, the people, that he's fit. "

No, he doens't. All he has to do is convince you he has a D behind his name, and will be a tool for your power lusts

See Fetterman

Democrat voters aren't decent human beings, they're power hungry monsters who obsess about murdering babies, rather than, oh, demonstrating some responsibility in their sex lives (don't tell me the kids of the upper middle class suburban moms obsessed with abortion just don't know about birth control, because I'm not stupid enough to buy that).

So, no, anyone who's willing to vote for Biden is diode it because they think having him officially in that office will get them the power they want. It doesn't matter what kind of job he does, because the people in that position dont' give a shit about the "good of the country".

Tina Trent म्हणाले...

We are Biden's boss.

Murdoch is Fox's boss.

We have a right to know if Biden is competent. He is our employee. So is that little shit who wrote this response to Fox News.

Wince म्हणाले...

By owning the recent jobs report and the budget deal, Team Biden seems confident the economy will be on stable footing through the election.

I tend to think that's why McCarthy gave in so much on the budget: to take away any claim that the future direction of the economy is the Republicans' fault.

Meanwhile, Trump will be able to claim distance between himself and both Biden and the Republican leadership.

Hence, it's difficult to discern Team Biden's strategy if the economy does go south, other than weaponizing the justice system against Trump.

Kevin म्हणाले...

The WH can joke about this and use Fox News as it's foil.

You can fool some of the people all the time.

Especially when you give them something to retweet.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Using the White House analogy with Murdoch, who has put his sons in control of Fox News, Biden should put Hunter in charge of his administration.n Why not be honest about the graft ? Hunter is no more corrupt than "The Big Guy."

hombre म्हणाले...

"There's a big difference between owning a company and seeking election to high office."

Democrats have never understood the difference between private and public. Hence their equating Trump's "slick" business practices to Biden family grifting at the public's expense.

Zavier Onasses म्हणाले...

"the White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates only responded with attacks relating to the advanced age of Rupert Murdoch."

Yes, That is the time to reach for the ejection handles. BAILOUT BAILOUT BAILOUT. Next article?

gilbar म्हणाले...

American forces are now OPENLY working with (oh! Sorry "Advising") Ukrainian NeoNazi Terrorists
And we're supposed to be concerned with puppet in chief Biden's age?
It's Not as if he has ANY say in "his" Administration. You Know who DOES have a say: NeoNazi's
We are entering into a Nuclear War, with Both eurasia AND eastasia.. At the Same Time.

1984 is SUPPOSED TO BE an instruction manual.. And the manual Clearly states: DON'T DO THAT!!

Mason G म्हणाले...

"There's a big difference between owning a company and seeking election to high office."

There's also a big difference between being old and competent vs. old and incompetent.

Just sayin'.

gilbar म्हणाले...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/world/europe/nazi-symbols-ukraine.html
Nazi Symbols on Ukraine’s Front Lines Highlight Thorny Issues of History
Troops’ use of patches bearing Nazi emblems risks fueling Russian propaganda and spreading imagery that the West has spent a half-century trying to eliminate.

“What worries me, in the Ukrainian context, is that people in Ukraine who are in leadership positions, either they don’t or they’re not willing to acknowledge and understand how these symbols are viewed outside of Ukraine,” said Michael Colborne, a researcher at the investigative group Bellingcat

It IS funny, how people "outside of Ukraine" don't view Nazi symbols with the Love, and Adoration they receive INSIDE the Ukraine.
It's ALMOST AS IF the Ukrainians are NAZIs and don't want you to notice it so much

gilbar म्हणाले...

members proudly wear symbols steeped in Nazi history and espouse views hostile to leftists, L.G.B.T.Q. movements and ethnic minorities. But some members of these groups have been fighting Russia since the Kremlin illegally annexed part of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014 and are now part of the broader military structure. Some are regarded as national heroes,
The iconography of these groups, including a skull-and-crossbones patch worn by concentration camp guards and a symbol known as the Black Sun, now appears with some regularity on the uniforms of soldiers fighting on the front line

Free Manure While You Wait! म्हणाले...

Joe Biden is a serial asshole. Is it any wonder his administration reflects that assholery?

Free Manure While You Wait! म्हणाले...

"And that will bring out the sniggers"

Sniggers, is like the word niggardly; I find both extremely offensive.

Free Manure While You Wait! म्हणाले...

"Tell us what is wonderful?"

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!”

In other words, the Progressive playbook. Especially that last part, which is why they're so keen on trans-men competing as women. And let's be honest here. Who doesn't enjoy the sound of women crying?

Readering म्हणाले...

Fox lawyers got in trouble for representing in response to document discovery that Murdoch was not a Fox News Executive. On the eve of trial it turned out he was. The judge stopped his planned investigation when the case settled.

As human longevity means that decision makers increasingly rewrite the timelines for retirement, this will become more and more an issue. Succession opened with a health crisis for the patriarch. I have not seen the last season, but I gather half-way through he actually dies, having done nothing to turn over the reins. So much for planning orderly succession.

Kevin म्हणाले...

"Biden must convince us, the people, that he's fit. "

Not really.

See: Fetterman, J., Feinstein, D., Schiff, A., et al., 2023.

Jim at म्हणाले...

as he continued the unprecedented bipartisan winning streak that is central to the best legislative record in modern American history."

Unreal. Simply unreal.

What fucking planet are these people on?

fairmarketvalue म्हणाले...

Left Bank said:

“There's a big difference between owning a company and seeking election to high office.”
The Murdochs’ own 39.6% of Fox Corporation, the rest is owned by public shareholders.

Not even apples and oranges. Fox shareholders can sell their shares if they disagree with the Murdochs' management of the company. In contrast, we are stuck with Slo Joe, despite his obvious cognitive and physical issues, and we are along for the ride if he decides to back Ukraine into a world-wide conflict.

n.n म्हणाले...

Joe Biden fucked up America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan

Following the precedents set by his mentor, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Barack Obama, in Iraq and a segue to the World [ethnic] Spring series in progress.

Craig Mc म्हणाले...

"...rather than a scion who inherited his empire as Rupert Murdoch did."

Rupert inherited a metropolitan news-paper based in a town with fewer than half a million people in 1952.

Newcorp is currently worth about USD$11B.

Somehow I think Rupert built his empire.

Greg the Class Traitor म्हणाले...

Gilbar said...
American forces are now OPENLY working with (oh! Sorry "Advising") Ukrainian NeoNazi Terrorists
And we're supposed to be concerned with puppet in chief Biden's age?


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/02/pro-kremlin-neo-nazi-militia-inciting-torture-murder-ukrainian-prisoners
Pro-Kremlin neo-Nazi militia inciting the torture and murder of Ukrainian prisoners

That was the first hit that came up. Previously I've found pictures of Wagner Group leaders with swastika tattoos.


Now, let's get down to reality, shall we?

Putin is a former KGB Colonel who misses the USSR
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7632057
Putin: Soviet collapse a 'genuine tragedy'
In his annual state of the nation address on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the collapse of the Soviet empire “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.”

That's from 2005.

If you are on the side of Putin, you are a commie scum bag murderer and worthless POS.

If you claim to be a right winger, but you let KGB Col Putin scam you into thinking Putin's "on your side" on ANYTHING of value, you are a pathetic chump, a moron, and the dictionary definition of a "useful idiot"

Biden wanted Putin to win in Ukraine. He gave Putin the green light to invade, and when Putin did invade, Biden tried to get Zelensky to bug out and leave Ukraine to collapse.

Zelensky refused. He probably then blackmailed Biden, using evidence of his corruption in Ukraine to force Biden to support Ukraine against the evil Putin.

If your'e siding with the commies wanting to bring back teh USSR, and using as your justification some small number of "Neo Nazis" on the other side, you are a worthless piece of human garbage