Washington Post Identifies Rove As ‘Informal McCain Adviser’ — Why Won’t Fox News?
Washington Post Identifies Rove As ‘Informal McCain Adviser’ — Why Won’t Fox News?
In March, the Politico reported that a “top adviser” to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said former Bush aide Karl Rove is “now informally advising the campaign.” As ThinkProgress has regularly noted, since Fox News hired Karl Rove as a “contributor,” the network has refused to identify him as an informal adviser to McCain, disregarding an obvious conflict of interest.
Since being on Fox News, Rove, a maxed-out donor to McCain, has provided electoral maps to the campaign, admitted learning about insider information in a “private gathering” with the senator, and has repeatedly shilled for McCain on the network. Rove has been embraced by Fox, and now he jokes about hosting the Colmes and Rove Show. Yesterday, the Rove Watch clock reached 91 days:
The Washington Post, on the other hand, is taking a more transparent route. At noon today, Rove will be featured in a Post Election 2008 Discussion, offering a “critique [of] the campaigns of the three remaining 2008 presidential candidates.” The Post has properly identified Karl Rove as an “informal adviser” to McCain.
The Washington Post has come clean by acknowledging Rove’s ties to the McCain campaign. What is stopping Fox News from following suit?
ROVE: I'm not certain that I qualify as an advisor to McCain. I have friends at the campaign who occasionally ask me for reactions, and the Fox network is well aware of that, and similar contacts by some of their Democratic analysts.
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31 Responses to “Washington Post Identifies Rove As ‘Informal McCain Adviser’ — Why Won’t Fox News?”
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theyve got to catapault the propaganda.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:59 amwhere are you Donald Segretti? John McCain needs youl.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:01 pmDefinitely stay on this one TP, there just may be someone in the Milky Way galaxy that doesn't know Rove is a conservative Republican who wants McCain to win. Maybe.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:03 pmKeltoi, you're missing the point, as usual.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:08 pmKeltoi Says:
Definitely stay on this one TP, there just may be someone in the Milky Way galaxy that doesn’t know Rove is a conservative Republican who wants McCain to win. Maybe.
I hate to pile on K, but Zooey is right. Wanting McCain to win (and sending him money) is way different than being put on the air as an 'independant' pundit. Do you think it is fair to not identify Rove as an advisor to Mccain? Why would that information be wrong to provide? You are correct in one sense, everybody BUT fox news viwers understand your point. Its the knuckdraggers at Fox that we need to educate.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pmIs Rove on the McCain payroll or not? An informal advisor could be anyone... http://newsprism.wordpress.com
May 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pmfox "news" = dogshit.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pmSo can you turn off your self-important Rove watch clock yet?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:16 pmWashington Post Identifies Rove As ‘Informal McCain Adviser’ — Why Won’t Fox News?»
Perhaps it because they're a-holes?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:19 pmTP's Democratic nomination watch: What day is this? I seem to have lost track.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:21 pmdamnitall....#9 should've been it's.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pmRepunklicans Says:
So can you turn off your self-important Rove watch clock yet?
So keeping Rove's relationship with the McCain campaign secret is ok with you? Rove is the most divisive low life political hack that ever lived. Isn't it important - certainly with the last 7 years in mind - to open up the political process and make it more informative to all voters? It sounds like you want the repubs to win - even if cheating is involved. Do I have your number or not?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pmTurdblossoms,subpoenas & Cherry blossoms; you gotta love Springtime in D.C.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:36 pmWrong. I just don't like TP's self-important watch clock showing up every time he appears on FOX. I don't like Rove. It doesn't look like its a secret that he's an informal adviser to McCain.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:36 pmZooey Says:
Keltoi, you’re missing the point, as usual.
Pish. There is no point. Every talking head who contributes to political campaigns doesn't list who they are giving to be they Dem or Repub. Does Juan Williams say "I've given money to Obama" every time he comes on?
Rove holds no official position in the McCain camp to the best of my understanding. He won two presidential campaigns - of course people are going to ask his advice.
If he is on the McCain payroll, fine, he should disclose that. If not, he is just another partisan pundit and anyone who doesn't know his background is out to lunch.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:37 pmRepunklicans Says:
Wrong. I just don’t like TP’s self-important watch clock showing up every time he appears on FOX. I don’t like Rove. It doesn’t look like its a secret that he’s an informal adviser to McCain.
I wonder how much traitor rove is being "informally" paid.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:39 pmRepunklicans Says:
Wrong. I just don’t like TP’s self-important watch clock showing up every time he appears on FOX. I don’t like Rove. It doesn’t look like its a secret that he’s an informal adviser to McCain.
What I am reading in your words is that it is still acceptable to the last gasp 27%r's to keep informtion from the voters. It is a fact that is repubs can limit voter turnout, they have a much better chance of winning. That is the problem with Fox news and your attitude. You know what is best for the low information voters who tune in.
What you call a 'self important' watch clock, those of us who wish our country had its Constitutional government back call it the 'truth'. I can see where you would have a problem with that.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pmKeltoi
May 7th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Typical.
There is such a thing as professionalism. If you would like an example of it, check out Keith Olbermann. He frequently uses the phrase "in the interest of full disclosure," even when the connection is so remote it's almost ridiculous to mention it. That gives the viewer the opportunity to give his reporting on the topic as much or as little weight as we might deem necessary.
Obviously you like being kept in the dark -- that way you don't have to think too much.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:47 pmWell, you can think what you want, but you're wrong about me.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:51 pmThe thing about Fox is that they believe they are doing the right thing: Getting more republicans elected. That is their goal and that is how they operate their network. Those of us how care and engage our brains know this, but Fox's target audience evidently does not.
Why does the right side hate information so much? Does it scare them, threaten them, alienate them? Whats the problem with information?
May 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pmRepunklicans Says:
Well, you can think what you want, but you’re wrong about me.
You wrote the words, right? You might be more happy speaking to the dismals at Redstate or maybe Malkins site. They think like you do over there. They hate America too.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:55 pmThis is more than just whether Rove contributed the maximum amount of money to McCain. (Although on a news network I would suggest that it would be appropriate to disclose such a fact.) Rove has taken a more active role in supporting the campaign by providing advice and political maps to support political strategy. Active involvement needs to be disclosed. Where Rove is actually speaking up to support tactical moves taken by McCain's campaign as suggested by Rove, the fact should definitely be disclosed.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:05 pmThe TP headline asks: Washington Post identifies Rove as 'Informal McCain Adviser' - Why won't Fox News?
1. Fox News is not 'Fair and Balanced' -- never has been, never will be.
2. Fox News is the official propaganda outlet of the RNCC and the Bush White House, always has been always will be.
3. Fox News recognizes no known standards of journalistic ethics or codes of conduct. Never has, never will.
4. Fox News sucks. Always has, always will.
This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.
Just saying . . .
May 7th, 2008 at 1:09 pmWhoo-hoo! I'm the one who submitted the advisor question to the Post's discussion with Karl Rove.
Also asked him about his missing wedding ring -- said he left it in the shower.
I find each answer equally believable.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:16 pmZooey Says:
There is such a thing as professionalism. If you would like an example of it, check out Keith Olbermann.
I don't need Olberman to do the full disclosure thing. All I have to do is listen to him for 30 seconds and I know exactly where he is coming from.
But this is a silly argument. The Karl Rove Watch holds the rapt attention of about half the 200 people who come to this blog - I am thinking the rest of America isn't sweating it.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pmKeltoi,
A clueless man once said, "the soft bigotry of low expectations."
Get a clue.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:29 pmHah!
Once again, someone at TP is so wise and has deciphered my entire political ideology based on one comment! That's terrific!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:57 pmZooey Says:
Keltoi,
A clueless man once said, “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”
Ha! Touche. My expectations for cable news are indeed low. It is a buyer beware environment. If you tune in, you should be at least smart enough to figure out a persons politics without them having a scorecard pasted to their forehead.
May 7th, 2008 at 1:59 pmI think I see now. No expectations of professionalism are necessary, because our news media has become debased by a lack of professionalism.
The right-wing strategy of "poisoning the well" has worked amazingly well for them. Congrats.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:20 pmI think krazeeinjun is right. How is it a "conflict of interest" that a wingnut propaganda outlet hires wingnut propaganda specialists? You and I may not like anything about it, but calling on Faux News to identify Rove's agenda is as foolish as expecting Bush to tell the truth.
May 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pmIsn't it obvious that Rove can be put on as a bobble head and not as a McCain advisor. They may be subject to give equal time to McCains opponent. Or for that matter make McCain account for the free air time for his campaign trollop advisors.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:27 am