The real Fox News Democrats

[NYCGirl]

Good article from Salon.com

LOTS more at link including Lanny Davis (ewww) and how Fox works:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/04/03/fox_news_democrats/index.html

But boycotting debates is not the same as boycotting a network. Most of those national Democrats who've criticized Fox, like former Clinton advisor Paul Begala and pollster Mark Mellman, have stopped short of calling for the party to avoid Fox altogether. They would just like Democrats to realize what they're getting into. "As long as you're willing to treat Fox News as a political adversary, and you think you can use Fox News to further your arguments, you should do it, says Matt Stoller, a blogger at MyDD.com and a leader of the charge against the debates. "But don't go on there assuming that Fox News is a neutral news outlet."

Plenty of Democrats do appear on Fox. In fact, John Edwards, the first of the announced presidential candidates to drop out of the Nevada debate, has appeared on the network more than 30 times, most recently in late January of this year, and Mark Mellman has appeared more than 80 times.

But Fox also has a stable of regular commentators, some under contract to the network, who pop up frequently as representatives of the Democratic or progressive viewpoint. They do not appear to know what they have gotten into. Though these Democrats tell Salon they are doing their best to reach out and sway potential voters, they often seem to be used to further a conservative political agenda, fulfilling one of several roles that ultimately just helps the network's right-of-center hosts make their arguments against liberals.

Those Fox-friendly Democrats who agreed to speak with Salon say they're doing their best to help the party, arguing that Democrats can't afford to ignore the nation's most watched cable news network. They insist that when they've appeared on Fox they've scored points for progressives and swayed some viewers. "I think there are some liberals who are extremely biased about Fox News," says Alan Colmes, the liberal half of "Hannity & Colmes," "and wish to shun it or wish to criticize any liberal who appears on Fox News. That, to me, is not a particularly liberal attitude."

[EstimatedProphet]

1. Congratulations to Alan Colmes on winning the stupidest comment of the year award

I think there are some liberals who are extremely biased about Fox News

That's like talking about "those anti-Nazi bigots".

[Bob3]

2. "I've heard that Blacks have a negative attitude about the KKK

Which seems awful small minded of them" - Alan continued.

Nitwit - sell out nitwit to boot.

[Jim__]

3. Alan Colmes does such a splendid job of supporting progressive

points - doesn't he?

[Merlot]

4. "...That, to me, is not a particularly liberal attitude."

He should know.

[NYCGirl]

5. Kick