As the first to suggest she might be aiding and abetting Fox, I felt compelled to listen to Maryscott O'Connor's appearance on Fox radio today as a guest of John Gibson. While I wasn't impressed, she did not purport to represent DailyKos, and as the show went on it became clear that Gibson liked her too much to use her as a strawman.
Gibson led into her appearance by stating: "The Democrat side has some fracture lines, some places where there appear to be cracks and questions about whether the Democrats will hang together. There are a lot of liberals ... who see the Democrats as sell outs. ... You hear these crazy crazy things that are said and you wonder where does that come from. Alex Baldwin said today: 'Most of these Democrats are full of crap.' ... I've been wondering for sometime, where does this stuff come from. And I've discovered it. And when you see one of these actors just spewing, I now realize where they get it. And we're going to talk to one of the leading lights of where they get it."
But then he backed off.
Gibson specifically referred to MSOC as the author of a blog My Left Wing, BUT said she had "quite a following" and that "she puts her diaries up on DailyKos, the leading Democratic blog. ... DailyKos is a big deal. John Kerry has put up three posts on DailyKos. ... These guys are wired into these blogs. Maryscott O'Connor is one of the leading lights of this."
Gibson clearly was associating MSOC with DailyKos.
Gibson then framed her in a fashion that was clearly intended to portray her as a wacko -- just another Hollywood leftist actor like Baldwin: "MSOC is California, entertainment industry, the left." It was a not so subtle frame smear.
Gibson noted that Perot took the Repub vote and helped Clinton win and noted: "I saw this emotional meltdown, cry of the hear, when Alito was confirmed. From the left there was a lot of venom directed at the Democrats. So we got on the phone with this woman who leads quite a ban of leftists in California, in the country, she's on the internet. ... Her name is MSOC. She runs a website called My Left Wing."
She then referenced the controversy on her being on his show:
MSOC: "I'm glad to be back."
Gibson. "I read your blog. They worry about things. They worry about you coming on Fox."
MSOC: "Not the people on my website. The people on the other website."
Gibson: "The Daily Kos. Is it so bad to talk to an ideological opponent?"
MSOC: "No." ...
The conversation then turned to the Democrats. She made it clear where she stands:
MSOC: "I'm not speaking for the Democrats. I'm speaking for people like me, who aren't really Democrats, who are more like socialists."
Gibson: "Do you support Dems without question. Are there Democrats you oppose."
MSOC: "Absolutely. I oppose Casey. ... Ben Nelson. He's not a Democrat. I can't vote for that kind of a Democrat. That's a DINO."
Gibson: "What I fail to understand, there you are in California, you're in the entertainment business ... can't you see that Casey runs in place where Democrats."
MSOC: "Democrats. ... I'm not a Democrat."
Gibson: "Outline your liberal ideology so we can see the difference between you and ordinary Democrats."
MSOC: "I don't think I can do that ..."
And before the break there was another reference to the controversy on DailyKos:
MSOC: "Couric is a Republican. I would characterize her as a Neocon. She's a stooge of the Right. Which ironically is what I'm being called right now."
Gibson: "I'm sorry I'm doing this to you."
After the break. MSOC ranted about the NSA. Sadly, Gibson came across as more reasonable. That's the problem with ranting. She also sounded hostile and a bit uptight.
She did a much better job when she prognosticated that the Dems would take about the House. And she did another good job in stating that in November people like her would vote Democratic.
Gibson asked a caller: "What do you think about MSOC about being attacked for appearing here." And he read her a Kos post. And concluded that "she was charming," "hoped she'd come on again," and applauded her for "talking to the infidels."
My Objective Conclusion: She's not doing any damage. And it's her right to do whatever she wants. I wish a more dynamic and articulate exponent of the left was on Gibson's show, and also one who didn't sound so hostile or depressed, but there's no real harm here.