Think Progress has the video of Mort Kondracke, of FOX News’ Beltway Boys throwing a tizzy fit over the cancellation of the Nevada debate:
KONDRACKE: Now this tells you a lot. Fox or no Fox, this tells you a lot about what the Moveon.org, Daily Kos kind of left-wing liberals are all about. I mean they are not about free speech and free debate. If Fox, you know, was embarrassingly right wing or something like that, it would be plain for all to see. They just want to stop at any of their — any Democrats from participating in this because it is a Fox thing, and they’re willing to intimidate them to do it. This is junior grade Stalinism on their part.
BARNES: Stalin?
KONDRACKE: Stalin.
BARNES: Alright, I agree.
That’s funny enough. But let’s look at some of the commentary from the right-wing blogosphere. Captain Quarters has this amusing assertion:
Fox balances its commentary at least as well as the other networks, and it attracts viewers from across the political spectrum because of it.
And, he adds for extra comedy points:
If Fox really was that conservative, they wouldn’t have wanted to carry the debate at all. They want to sell advertising time, and if their audience was so unconcerned with Democrats, they would hardly have asked to televise their debate.
No recognition from the Captain that FOX News wants to carry the debate for the dual purpose of appearing to be a legitimate news outlet and smearing the Democratic field at the same time.
Then there is this from Don Surber:
For those of us old enough to remember, this reminds us of the 1970s when socialists tried to capitalize on anti-war feelings to advance their agenda…
…I said it before: Democrats are picking a presidential candidate, Republicans are picking a president.
And the Kos-trich krowd is more concerned with stiffing Fox News than it is getting its message out. 2008 should be a fun election.
Again, no recognition that the Democrats can better ‘get their message out’ on a network that doesn’t refer to the progressive wing of the party as ‘junior grade Stalinists’ and ‘socialists’. Check that. FOX News doesn’t distinguish between the progressive wing of the party and the champions of the DLC, like Hillary Clinton. To them, we’re all socialists and communists. Blogs for Bush throws another famous communist in our face:
The left has pretty much exposed itself as opposed to ideas, opposed to debate, opposed to the democratic tradition in the United States – a bunch of small-minded, mean little junior league Leninists – contemptible in all respects.
It’s hard to see how the decision to not use FOX News as the vehicle for a Democratic debate has anything to do with economic policy or socialism/communism/totalitarianism. These types of insults just seem reflexive on the right. That doesn’t make them any less idiotic, however. If the GOP refused to do a debate on PBS I might think they were paranoid but I wouldn’t call them Nazis.
If the reaction of the right is any indication, we’re making progress. The fact that they are squealing like stuck pigs means that they are afraid.
