Is Fox News bamboozling viewers about today’s anti-health care reform crowds?

By On March 21, 2010 · 5 Comments

Is the Pope Catholic?  (Those who don’t believe in the Vatican II need not answer.)

I’ve noticed that Fox News has been running three shots throughout the day.

The main shot is of the Fox host and whomever they’re interviewing.  Off in the distance, you can see a large crowd in the Mall.

The smaller picture is the events on the House floor.  Then there’s a close up shot of the Tea Party anti-health care protestors.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Fox News has a documented history of presenting the anti-health care crowds being larger than usual.

Like any weekend in Washington, there’s more than one political protest going on today.

The Washington Post reports that “tens of thousands” of supporters (the organizers claim over 200,000) are protesting today in D.C. in favor of Obama’s immigration reform plan.

I got to say, they picked a bad weekend to do it, because the media has no ability to consider anything beyond health care reform right now.  North Korea could be launching a nuclear strike against Japan right now, and we wouldn’t know it because we’ve got to discuss how monumental Stupak’s announcement today was.

Anyway, the larger crowd shots serving as a backdrop of Fox News coverage of the health care debate is likely people who aren’t even there protesting about health care reform as the Washington Post estimates the anti-health care crowd as being only “several hundred.”

I simply cannot believe that Fox News would set to broadcast the way they are without mentioning the crowd behind them is for a different protest unless they wanted to create the false impression they were.

I know, Fox News, caught subtly suggesting opposition to health care reform is more widespread than it is?  I’m shocked.

Evangelize!
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  • http://www.plunderbund.com Eric

    <img src=”http://lolcat.com/images/lolcats/893.jpg”>

  • Gil Gray

    The Democrats are cheering themselves on as the ?winners? in the legislation process. Let?s take a closer look.

    Assume two professional football teams. One team has 11 players, the other team only 9. They are playing in the Superbowl and the first team that crosses the goal line wins. There are no rules except for those the larger team puts into place as necessary. The 11 man team has had the ball since the beginning of the game. Every attempt at moving the ball ten yards is met with a failure due to the clumsiness and fumbling on every clear path toward the goal. And, with each successive failure, they set up a new rule that extends the number of downs allowed to move the ball toward the goal line. The 9 man team left the field after the first rule change as there were no referees to call foul. After 10 hours of play and still not able to move the ball over the goal line, the Chief Umpire, who was actually the coach of the 11 man team, stepped in and created an ?Executive Order? to add a new rule to move the goal line to one yard in back of the ball and then claim a victory. Hooray for the ?winners?.

    The next game is on Tuesday Noivember 2nd, 2010. Lets?s see who wins that game when millions, not nine, converge onto the field.

  • http://www.plunderbund.com Eric

    Putting aside the horrible nature of your analogy, there's a pretty big problem with your scenario, Gil. You assume that there won't be millions also energized by the passage of health care reform and a big win for the left. We'll be energized and we'll be there. Congressional seats are typically lost in mid-term elections, it's one of our great checks and balances. I doubt it will substantially shift the centers of power in DC.

    Think about it. There were millions (or hundreds of thousands – whatever) of teabaggers during the summer of discontent. They were loud. They took to the field. They were angry. They converged upon the field.

    And they lost.

    The bottom line is we'll also be out on that field and we'll not only be energized, but confident from a pretty big win.

  • mvirenicus

    i have an old high school buddy who works for the IMF. here's how he describes the modern republican voter: “stupid, insane or evil.” i would add they might be some combination of the three. don't try to reason with them.

  • modernesquire

    Gil-
    You apparently don't know football or how to make an analogy.

    The “rules” that the Democrats is that radical notion in the House known as “majority rules.” This bill passed under no unusual mechanisms. There was no three-hour long “15 minute” votes like the Republicans used.

    The Republicans didn't leave the field. They chose to never come on.

    You've successfully butchered football and the very concept of analogy.

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