We learned today that Hillary Clinton will grace Bill O'Reilly's program tomorrow. But when TPM's Greg Sargent asked if she'd take on Fox, the Clinton campaign responded: "That's not the plan."
So basically, Hillary Clinton will go into the belly of the beast with a pro-active determination to NOT fight back? That serves one purpose and one purpose only: To legitimize Fox! And worse, to legitimize O'Reilly as a credible asker of questions!
Please recommend this diary and vote in the poll below to send a signal to Clinton's campaign that willfully capitulating to Fox is unacceptable. Tell her and all other Democratic leaders watching: Legitimizing O'Reilly is wrong. Take them on!
Below are some videos of Democrats who DID fight back on Fox - actively telling Fox that the premises of their question are rigged and framed to advance a Republican agenda. Below are also some facts showing that Fox has almost no audience, and the audience they do have is not comprised of sway'able voters.
Here's what Obama's campaign said last week to TPM before he went on Fox:
We are clear-eyed about Fox's role in the dissemination and amplification of Republican talking points this election. They have been the tip of the spear when it comes to repeatedly broadcasting some of the most specious of rumors about Obama. He is going on their Sunday show to take Fox on, not because we have any illusion about their motives or politics in this election.
Here's what Clinton's campaign told TPMabout O'Reilly's show:
Hillary obviously doesn't agree with Bill O'Reilly on many issues, but he has a large audience of politically engaged people.
Granted, Obama's performance didn't exactly live up to it's billing. But to grant O'Reilly the credibility of saying he has a "large audience of politically engaged people" as if those people are persuadable? Just silly. Fox's ratings have nosedived. And Greg Sargent points out:
They may be politically engaged, but are they persuadable in any way? Some 2004 polling suggested that Fox viewers supported Bush over Kerry by 88%-7% and gave Bush more votes than conservatives, white evangelicals, gun owners, and supporters of the Iraq War.
Here are three GOOD examples of fighting back against Fox:
Senator Dodd versus Bill O'Reilly
Bill Clinton slaps down Fox
Progressive activist Lee Camp blasts Fox
Senator Clinton, don't legitimize O'Reilly. Take him on!