(This is a first-time diary by a longtime lurker. Does this mean I have to carry the team’s luggage and get my head forcibly shaved?)
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Our victory in the matter of the Nevada debate cannot be overcelebrated. It is important for few different reasons, the most obvious of which is that our candidates will not be savaged by Fox’s biased coverage of the debate. We have stopped their advance. Now we need to roll back their grip on their territory, and that can mean only one thing.
Our job, not as progressives but as those who want the truth told to the American people, is to help America understand that Fox News does not operate independently of the Republican party.
What course of action does this suggest? Calls for a complete boycott are mounting, and I find myself in the unfamiliar position of supporting the most extreme course available before more moderate means have been employed.
Why a Democratic boycott of Fox News? Simply put:
There are no circumstances whatsoever under which a Democratic officeholder, candidate, advocate or other talking head can advance the progressive agenda by appearing on Fox News.
None.
We know that the network is anxious to sabotage the progressive agenda, and yet they still invite Democrats, with a frequency they control, to appear on some of their programs. What does that tell us? It tells us that every single appearance by a Democrat on Fox News has been calculated by the network to help the conservative Republican agenda. It is just one of the many weapons they employ, but it is a weapon we have the power to take away.
Will we look petulant by boycotting a network known for unflattering coverage? Absolutely. But there is a talking point available to us that Americans will understand. Essentially, it amounts to telling the plain, unvarnished truth.
"The Democratic Party understands that Fox News is not a legitimate news source but a network with a particular political agenda that we do not share. Members of our party are portrayed as the villains in this game whether it is by a lone anchor reading from a teleprompter, or to their face in the studio with the cameras rolling. We respectfully decline to participate in a process explicitly designed to impugn our integrity and be detrimental to our cause."
In the wake of the Nevada victory, the netroots might just be able to get Democratic leaders to adopt this. Let's turn up the pressure and make it happen while the iron is still hot.
Update:
Here's a poll, although it may wind up a trifle one-sided.
Recommended? Beginner's luck! Thanks for the kind words, everyone, and yes, any tips would be welcome.
Update #2:
There's been some talk about whether Gen. Clark and others go on Fox because they are aiming to convert the voters we'll need. I believe that is exactly what they're aiming for, and in principle it's tough to argue with that. We should not be afraid to go anywhere. It hurts me to the core to say we should concede an inch of ground unfought.
The problem is that the Fox people have obviously crunched the numbers. The fact that they are eager to have people such as Gen. Clark on their air is the very indication, in my mind, that such invitations should be declined. If the conversions were really happening, Fox would stop giving our people the chance.
There's a terrific comment down there from poe: if you know the game is rigged, you don't play.
Thoughts???