Nevada Dems to Party Leaders: No

by Matt Stoller, Thu Mar 08, 2007 at 03:37:24 AM EST

Taylor's got the resolution that passed yesterday.

Carson City Democratic Central Committee
RESOLUTION OPPOSING FOX PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
March 7, 2007

WHEREAS, Fox News is not a neutral source of news - it's a right-wing mouthpiece like Rush Limbaugh that smears Democrats and spreads blatantly false information; and

WHEREAS, Democrats granting Fox News the illusion of credibility would allow Fox to more easily "swiftboat" our 2008 candidates by pushing false Republican attacks into the mainstream media; and

WHEREAS, everyone supports reaching out to new people, but 1 day of Fox coverage is not worth legitimizing Fox's misinformation the other 364 days a year; and

WHEREAS, plenty of better alternatives exist to Fox News - in Nevada, MSNBC plus its NBC affiliates, for example, get approximately double the viewers of Fox cable plus its local affiliates; and

WHEREAS, we believe that Democrats need to fight back against Fox News and the right-wing smear machine in the 2008 election cycle--not enable it.

BE IT RESOLVED, the Carson City Democratic Central Committee opposes the proposal to let Fox News host a Democratic presidential debate and strongly urges the Nevada Democratic Party to drop that proposal.

Tags: 2008, Debate, Fox News, Harry Reid, netroots, presidential debate, Tom Collins (all tags)

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20 Comments

Shadow_head_small
Naiiiiiiled it!

Damn Matt, you helped turn the Nevada Democrats into a kickass grassroots organization.  Let Democrats across the country know that this is what bottom up DEMOCRATIC organizing is about.  We are here to HELP the representatives and help them see the way when their HUBRIS gets in the way of their decision making.  

A top notch resolution.

by gasperc 2007-03-08 03:48AM | 0 recs
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Re: Naiiiiiiled it!

Actually the wording on this resolution is childish, the organization that matt is writing about is only a City Council of Democrats, and not the State Democratic Party, and Matt has almost nothing to do with organizing Nevada if he is honest about his work.

Nevertheless, this memo was a step in the right direction. Its best to be happy with something that works than to tell yourself you're happy when you still haven't got the job done, right?

Credit where credit is due: Taylor Marsh got the resolution out there, the Carson City Democrats passed the resolution, so they deserve credit as well.

Matt's position on this matter was a mirror of moveon.org positions taken - except that moveon.org has collected the signature base necessary to embolden edwards + move him more to his base.  

And lastly - please understand - this is important - what we are talking about has effect on advertising.  Think about that.

by heyAnita 2007-03-08 04:29AM | 0 recs
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Re: Naiiiiiiled it!

> Actually the wording on this resolution is
> childish, t

"Childish"?  Or direct and honest?  I realize that long-term insider pols don't like to have issues discussed in straightforward direct terms, because they always want to leave room to move/wiggle/compromise.  And if we had 2 (or n) political parties acting in good faith this might still be acceptable.  But we don't, and until we do open, honest, straightforward, and strong actions will be required.

sPh

by sphealey 2007-03-08 05:17AM | 0 recs
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Re: Naiiiiiiled it!
kudos to Taylor Marsh for helping pass this resolution at the local level of the Nevada Democratic party.  
I think I'm right to give credit to Matt as well as Chris, Johnathan, Atrios and the others who saw what terrible idea it is for Fox News to sponsor any Democratic event.  How many Mark Foley(D), Barack Osama, Libby found Not Guilty incidents do we have to go through before the leadership realizes FoxNews is help bent on marginalizing progressives?  
Without Matt's outrage and persistence on this issue, I'm skeptical Moveon.org would have gotten involved and did the great work they are doing to pressure the elites in the Nevada Democratic party.  They seem to think they can change FoxNews, like alot Dems who think they can change Bush or his mind.  
Now maybe I'm wrong and moveon was involved way before Matt and some of the others.  But without Matt's posts, I wouldn't have known to make the posts on DailyKos about the issue.  So that's where I'm coming from.
by gasperc 2007-03-08 05:52AM | 0 recs
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What are the implications here?

Is this resolution something that's more like a non-binding repudiation of the event, or is this resolution the nail in the coffin of the whole idea? What concerns me is that the state Dems might not at all require the Carson City Dems in order to move on with the event.

Great news though.

by mihan 2007-03-08 03:57AM | 0 recs
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More, more, more

This is starting to work. But Reno and LV are still clearly in Collins grip.

by texex 2007-03-08 04:46AM | 0 recs
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Wire story on this, Edwards is the news peg
It's up over at Huffpo. Lot's of positive, supportive comments.
I feel people-power traction.
by johnalive 2007-03-08 05:01AM | 0 recs
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Re: Wire story on this, Edwards is the news peg

This could be a big story.  The push back on Fox might help us two-fold:

1.  Our Democratic leaders don't have to put up with the Fox debate and its aftermath.

2.  By saying NO to the debate, the big story becomes "Democrats think that Fox News is a Republican Propaganda Arm".

Nice.

by Yoshimi 2007-03-08 05:39AM | 0 recs
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Re: Nevada Dems to Party Leaders: No

A good effort, but what's needed most is for the front runners to say NO!  

Edwards got a big boost upward in my book. Now let's see if Obama has the cojones. But I'll faint if Hillary shows any leadership.

Still if Obama joins Edwards, it becomes a debate between Hillary and the Seven Dwarves, i.e. nothing.

by antiHyde 2007-03-08 05:06AM | 0 recs
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Can someone show Barack the PoxNews graphic

... that refers to him as Osama ?

I think they've had it up about 12 times.

Barack is the go / no-go on this thing now.

by ShagBark 2007-03-08 05:17AM | 0 recs
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Kos says he'll get an answer from the

Obama campaign at the end of the week.

by Yoshimi 2007-03-08 05:40AM | 0 recs
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Re: Can someone show Barack the PoxNews graphic

Obama is well aware of what Fox says about him.  Hence his actions earlier with shutting them out from access.

by yitbos96bb 2007-03-08 06:35AM | 0 recs
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Obama needs to grow a pair

I am trying to support him as he seems to be more dynamic in his thinking. But damn, this guy is way too cautious at times.

Obama, Let's see - you are smeared by this network. And this is an occasion where you will not have the opportunity to set the record straight with the FoxHeads as they will have uninterrupted segments to spin the debate once you are done. And you are still thinking of taking part in this debate? What the hell is wrong with you? I will have more respect if you actually guested on Hannity and set that sucker straight. But to take part in this charade that Fox is a neutral news org where the debate will actually be watched by many potential Democrats????

by Pravin 2007-03-08 05:19AM | 0 recs
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Judgment and leadership test
Interesting how this issue has evolved to a judgment and leadership test for the primary candidates.
Personally, I'd like to see the focus put on the Nevada party, but if the great majority of Democrats in the country are going to use this as an opportunity to vett the contenders, then so be it. That's what primaries are for.
Based on what I'm reading about this everywhere, Edwards is winning this round.
by johnalive 2007-03-08 05:30AM | 0 recs
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Relax.

Obama is currently freezing out the network and is in DC this week doing his Senate-ing. :)

Kos says that the Obama campaign will get back to him at the end of the week regarding the debate.  I get a sense (by what I see in his campaign schedule) that Obama doesn't do a lot of campaign work during the work week.

I'll bet you right here and now that Obama says no.

$50 donation to your candidate if he says yes
$50 donation to my candidate if he says no

by Yoshimi 2007-03-08 05:44AM | 0 recs
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Re: Relax.

personally didn't mean to imply Obama is taking part in this debate. But I do not know why it even takes this long to issue a response considering Edwards has made it easier for all by being the first to decline.

Part of leadership is not  just responding strongly  to personal attacks as Hillary and OBama have done in recent months. Part of it is do you have your party's back? It took a wretched ABC 9-11 movie attacking Bill Clinton personally for him to wag his finger at Chris Wallace. Hillary needed the right wing machine to make her life miserable when she was First Lady for her to speak out against it in the 90s while she has remained quiet as they have smeared others in her party in the post 2000 period.  Obama did good to freeze out FOX,but that had more to do with a personal vendetta. Obama has a chance to punish someone for attacking the party he represents unfairly on a consistent basis. This  is the opportunity to do so.

by Pravin 2007-03-08 11:47AM | 0 recs
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Switch it to MSNBC

Let Olberman moderate .... that would really be a kick in the crotch for Fox.

by dpANDREWS 2007-03-08 05:41AM | 0 recs
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Let's see. Where else can we tell our candidates

not to appear. The media is laughing at us because we don't want our candidates to appear on the largest News channel in the U.S. We don't like them. So boycott.  Oh well...
let's look at the latest numbers. Definitely let's go to MSNBC. We don't need those big Fox numbers.We would rather be correct than let our candidates face a possible hostile crowd. Which we obviously must think they can't handle themselves. I believe FOX will be around a long, long time.

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,297,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,701,000
FNC GRETA 1,451,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,427,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,317,000
CNN KING 974,000
CNN COOPER 819,000
CNN DOBBS 797,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 722,000
CNNHN NANCY GRACE 588,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 563,000
CNN PAULA ZAHN 491,000

by joliepoint 2007-03-08 09:01AM | 0 recs
Shadow_head_small
Re: Let's see. Where else can we tell our

If this was a round table discussion where the candidates can debate FOX hosts when some unfair spin is being lobbied about, you would have a point. This is about the rationale for giving FOX another opportunity to run a charade that they are actually a serious news network. I know I have no problem with Wes Clark going on O Reilly because he has a chance to show the FOX audience how idiotic O reilly is. With a debate like this, Democrats have no way of combating the debate commentary and post debate spin. The only way I am for this kind of a sponsorship is if the DEmocrats demand that people like Webb are allowed to sit in on the panels.

Remember when Cameron was the so called FOX News Kerry correspondent while he was writing sarcastic stuff about him when he should have at least tried to be open minded. Kerry people should have kicked him off the campaign beat.

by Pravin 2007-03-08 11:52AM | 0 recs
Shadow_head_small
Re: Let's see. Where else can

How many Brit Hume viewers do you think will even consider voting for a Democrat who is not named Lieberman?

by Pravin 2007-03-08 11:53AM | 0 recs

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