fox news is so blatently one sided. My oh my, this is fun. Who knew that watching the Fox News Channel could be so enjoyable? Like certain others in the cable universe, the folks at 1211 Sixth Avenue began their coverage of the Supreme Court ruling by reporting that the individual mandate had been overturned. But then came the realization that John Roberts, the man in whom the entire conservative movement had placed its faith, the man who addressed the Federalist Societyâs twenty-fifth anniversary gala, for goodness sakes, had gone over to the other side. Appearing from his home state of Texas, Karl Rove looked ashen. For a moment, I thought he was going to accuse Roberts of treachery and call for his impeachment by the House of Representatives. Instead, speaking in funereal tones, he described the Courtâs decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act on the grounds that the individual mandate was effectively a tax as âan extraordinary step.â And he went on: It is a boost to the President, but it doesnât make the controversy go away. In fact, it probably enhances the controversyâ¦. Clearly, this will now be a dispute between the two candidates. Rove wasnât the only homie in the âfair and balancedâ posse who was desperately looking for a silver lining. Bret Baier, a Fox anchor, thought he had found one in the Courtâs ruling on the Medicaid provision, which appeared to give the states some latitude. âCan the states opt outâ of the entire bill? Baier asked. âThat is the key point.â It was left to Shannon Bream, Foxâs reporter outside the Supreme Court, to disappoint Baierâs hopes. No, she said, the language of the ruling wasnât that broad. Oh well, never mind. There was always Foxâs new poll, which showed that six in ten Americans view the individual mandate as a violation of their civil rights. The networkâs producers quickly highlighted that finding in a box at the bottom of the screen. And there was also the founder of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, who had graciously agreed to be interviewed, supposedly to talk about his decision to split News Corp. into two: a film and broadcasting company, and a publishing company. Donning his political punditâs cap, the great man showed he was perfectly capable of doing Roveâs job, if necessary: âIt may not be a win [for Obama] when it comes to the election and voting,â he said. âWe donât know.â Murdoch was quite right, but that is for the future. On this day, nothing could disguise the fact that the Supreme Court had delivered to Obama a monumental victory. Conservatives awoke this morning believing that the Court would uphold their claims that the President wasnât fit to hold officeâthat he wasnât just an incompetent and a quasi-socialist, he was a violator of the Constitution. Far from giving this narrative an official imprimatur, Chief Justice Roberts tossed it into the Potomac. And to add insult to injury, he quoted Benjamin Franklin, a sacred figure on the right, to support his arguments. No wonder Republicans were stunned. Senator Marco Rubio popped up on the screen and said that, going into November, the ruling would energize the Tea Party and the rest of the G.O.P. âWe are back where we were when I ran for office in 2010,â he declared. Then came Mitt Romney, who had also travelled to Capitol Hill for the decision. But rather than saluting it and joining in a conservative victory celebration, the Mittster was obliged to ape one of Rubioâs fired up Teabaggers. After pledging to do what the Justices hadnât, and move on his first day in office to repeal Obamacare, Romney trotted out some of his standard blather from the campaign stump, about it being a âjob killerâ that would âput the federal government between you and your doctor.â However, illustrating the ambiguous politics of the issue, he also felt obliged to point out that he was in favor of some of the popular parts of the bill, such as forcing insurers to cover people with preëxisting conditions. Finally, it was Obamaâs turn to deliver a speech he may not have been expecting to make. With his opponentâs face already bloodied, he declined to rub it in the dirt. He didnât even mention Romney by name. Speaking from a lectern in the East Room of the White House, he acted all Presidential, pointing out some of the attractive features of the Affordable Care Act, and noting, in a subdued voice, that âthe highest court in the land has now spoken.â Indeed, it has. Now itâs the turn of the politicians, and who knows how it will all play out. After Obama had finished talking, Ed Henry, Foxâs senior White House correspondent, who is generally a straight-shooting reporter, noted that the unexpected ruling could give Obama a âshot in the armâ following a disastrous June. But Henry also had a bit of news to share. The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party had just accused Obama of lying repeatedly to the American people when, during the passage of health-care reform, he insisted that the individual mandate, and its accompanying penalties, didnât constitute a tax. Aha! Obama the tax bogeyman. Now, thereâs a formulation that Fox News contributors and viewers alike can unite around. âThat is going to be a big political weapon going forward,â Henry said. Read the New Yorkerâs full coverage of the Supreme Courtâs historic health-care decision. Photograph by Ken Cedeno/Corbis. .Keywordshealth care Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blo...-romney-and-fox-news-posse.html#ixzz1zBXf0Mf1
and MSNBC isn't? you are not? so what? I am not very happy about this too, again, is that something really unexpected? I guess that makes you happy, further illustrates the intellectual rot that is liberalism.
its good comedy even though it is bad for the country. people like you seem to so easily swallow what they are trying sell you.
how do you know I even watch it? I've demonstarted quite clearly in my interactions with you before that you are the guy who has bought into poltical religion.