From the National Journal’s Hotline, an transcript of yesterday’s White House press gaggle with Scott McClellan, where a reporter (Jim VandeHei?) — likely an acolyte of Juan Cole — registered a complaint about the White House’s choice to have their TVs tuned to FOX News.
To be fair, unlike Professor Cole (who has called for FOXNew to be shut down on the grounds that it is “polluting” the information stream) the reporter in question didn’t go quite so fard, instead only registered a formal complaint to demand a channel change (he noted that tax payer dollars fund the TVs, though it is unclear why such an observation would necessitate a change in channel to something of his choosing rather than that of other tax payers — like, say, those in the White House who choose the channels).
It’s all about free speech, you see. Which translates into the freedom, in the new normal of left-liberal ideology, not to be offended by speech that you don’t like. Or by the unnatural height of John Gibson’s hair.
The elites of the White House press corp (and at least one at the University of Michigan, who has aspirations to take this free speech message to Yale) should not have to put up with such an odious affront, the argument goes. After all, they are already forced to cover conservatives who the drooling morons in the electorate have — through sheer ignorance and an unhealthy fidelity to both Jesus and NASCAR, installed in office. Isn’t that enough? THE LINE HAS TO BE DRAWN SOMEWHERE!
AND IF EVER THERE WAS REASON FOR SERIOUS SYMBOLIC REVOLT, THIS IS IT:
Q: It’s come to my attention that there’s been requests — this is a serious question — to turn these TVs onto a station other than Fox, and that those have been denied. My question would be, is there a White House policy that all government TVs have to be tuned to Fox?
MR. McCLELLAN: Never heard of any such thing. My TVs are on four different channels at all times.
Q Because you have four different TVs. But every time I’ve ever been —
MR. McCLELLAN: Every TV in the White House also has channels every — has a split screen, where they can —
Q Well, they always seem to be tuned to Fox, and there’s been requests, and these are paid for by taxpayer dollars. And my understanding is that you guys have to watch Fox on Air Force One. Is that true?
MR. McCLELLAN: First time I’ve ever heard of it. First time you’ve brought it to my attention, meaning the first time the press corps has brought it to my attention. In fact, I’ve watched other channels on here.
Q There’s one —
MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, Jim, come on. I’ve watched other channels on here, so I don’t know where yuo’re hearing that. But it’s the first time anyone in the press has raised that question with me.
Q You’ve watched other channels other than Fox?
MR. McCLELLAN: On here, yes, sure.
Q I’ve never seen — they’re always turned to Fox, which a lot of people consider a Republican-leaning network.
Q Scott, is it one — on the airplane, is it one for all? I mean, if it’s tuned for Fox here, is it Fox everywhere?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think that certain areas may be interconnected, but I’ll have to double-check which.
Q Is yours off, wherever you are?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the conference room, or the senior staff office, the staff office, they’re different TVs, and you can switch to different channels. I’m not sure if some of these in the back are connected to some of the others that are watching right here, right now. It doesn’t look like it to me. I’ve never known anyone that’s raised a complaint about a request from back here to watch a different channel.
Q I’m officially raising it and officially complaining about it.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I’m going to go see if we can change the channel for you. Have you called up?
Q I was the Fox victim, and I was told — the quote was, “No,” when I asked for CNN.
MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t know who you talked to, so — it didn’t come to my attention. You don’t know who you talked to either?
Q Well, the magic people at the other end off the phone.
MR. McCLELLAN: The magic people at the other end of the phone. Well, I’ll see if this cabin is —
Q I was told, “We don’t watch CNN here, you can only watch Fox.”
MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, it’s hard to respond to something when I don’t know who it is you talked to.
Q I used the phone back here.
MR. McCLELLAN: I find this all quite amusing, to tell you the truth. I mean, there are a lot of people on this plane that do watch that channel.
Q I’ve never been told, no. They’re such nice guys up there.
MR. McCLELLAN: First time you brought it to my attention. I’ll go see what we can do on it.
Such passion. Bringing the fight RIGHT TO THE MAN, too!
Christ. I have never felt so proud to be an American. Hell, I’m even willing to overlook my disgust at the imperialist military actions that liberated 50 million people and created two fledgling democracies in one of the world’s most troubled regions.
Because yesterday, the Latte Brigade took a stand!
****
image courtesy Dorkafork.
“I was the Fox victim”?
WTF is wrong with these people? Although, these are the same spoiled a$$holes who complained about the coarse food being served to them on Air Force One.
COPY!
Got a format cleanup for ya…
SB: around
been
BECAUSE OF THE BRIT HUME!!
I refuse to believe this is legit. That is the most pansy-waist thing these young ears have ever beheld.
God Bless Scott McClellan. How he puts up with these BUFOONS as long as he does is beyond me. After the second question about “Fox TV” and what channels they watch at the White House, I would have ended.
“Ok, that’s enough questions about what is watched on TV here. Does anyone have a quation about, you know, how the government is operating ???? “
The myopia of the DC media is astounding. While they rail about the “rightwing propaganda” of Fox, they steafastly deny that ABC/NBC/CBS/CNN/NYT/WaPo/MSNBC, etc have ANY BIAS AT ALL! This despite the Rather/Mapes attempts to smear Bush with proven forgeries, the CNN lies about the use of nerve agents in Vietnam, the NBC fraud of setting up explosives to cause fires in SUV’s they wanted to brand “unsafe”, the Pew Polls showing overwhelming liberal self-identification among the nat’l media, it goes on and on.
Listening to the leftists whine about how FNC should be shut down serves as a great reminder that liberals are to “tolerance” and “free speech” as Islam is to “peace”.
There’s pretty much no limit to these idiots’ pettiness and self-involvement, is there?
Here’s the rule: the person in charge of the vehicle chooses the station. I don’t care if it’s the radio in my truck or the televisions in Air Force One. If I’m in the mood for some acid/folk/bluegrass and I want to crank The Holy Modal Rounders until my ears bleed, passengers have to sit down, shut up, and bear it. If the President wants Fox News on the television, the white house press gaggle should sit down, shut up, and bear it.
Quite simple, really.
The teevee wars?! Guilt by airwave association? Snot running down your cheeks, rubbing your bleary little eyes with your tiny balled fists?
Damn children. Pointless little shits.
A couple days ago I speculated in another thread on the pathetic state of affairs in the driveby media. It’s even worse than I’d thought. I haven’t had a lousy teevee in a decade and apparently didn’t miss a thing.
Get a life (and another job) you mewling punks.
tw: Watching the cathode ray tube results in mindrot.
No gas, no grass, no ass– no CNN.
Some things are beyond critical commentary, because nothing that can be said about them are more illuminating than the raw, unprocessed things themselves.
This is such a moment.
The pure, naked clarity is somehow… beautiful.
are = is
TW: I probably should have read through that one more time.
I travel quite a bit by air and I therefore spend quite a bit of time sitting in aiport terminals. Now most of these airports are either local governmentally owned, and they are run by some sort of quasi-governmental entity.
Now when was the last time anyone was in an airport waiting area with the TV sets tuned to anything other than CNN? Huh?
It’s true …
I understand there is not one copy of “The Communist Manifesto” or Mao’s “Little Red Book” on Air Force One. You don’t expect the Press Corps to be comfortable with reading material written by the enemy (Constitution, Federalist Papers). I think we need to show some respect and get their heroes’ material on the plane too. Not just Bush and the neocon’s stuff. And maybe play CD’s of Osama’s tapes and Zaquari’s beheadings to make them feel really warm and fuzzy.
A tremendous opportunity for a 98-yard comedy touchdown pass awaits Tony Snow. Picture if you will:
First press briefing is entitled “The Fox Network Invitational Press Briefing”. Have the prominent “Brought to you by FOX” signage everywhere and have folks like Kiefer Sutherland and Homer Simpson sprinkled throughout the seating. Even have the Family Guy ask a question about the length of Helen Thomas’s boobs. “Yes, Family Guy from FOX. I’d like to ask Helen if that’s a Wonderbelt she’s wearing.”
Out of the park.
I think everyone recognizes that freedom of speech has a consumptive aspect, and that forcing people to watch one channel kind of violates that. I don’t think this is an exapmle of offense, just of not being able to change the channel. If anything, this is the laudable reaction: in response to sometihng you don’t like, you change the channel. Far from the point you’ve raised about the issue of offense, which is about silencing the offensive speech.
Or, in other cases, they translate “free speech” to mean the liberty to commit vandalism.
Al Bundy (with hand in crotch of pants), “Hey, David Gregory-hand me a beer from over there. Ya bitch.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – they don’t need a press secretary, they needa governess.
Perhaps Tony Snow isn’t the right person for the job, perhaps they ought to hire babysitter Brittany Doyle.
Was there any report of how the others in the room reacted to this…uh, exchange? Was there a lot of eye-rolling and embarassed muttering, or many “yeah, me too” type remarks percolating through the press rows?
Good Heavens, what a petulant and whiny little thing to complain about.
“The Charge of the Latte Brigade”
And into the valley of the Red States rode the eight-hundred…
No force involved. They can leave the building.
And as someone else pointed out, nobody bitches about CNN being the only fricking channel shown in airports.
One of the bits was about on the airplane.
They should. They should write to each airport and ask that they change the channel if they want a new one.
Actus,
If I’m in a bar, and they are showing a local baseball game on TV, can I compell them to switch to another TV program?
BRD
I think the White House press corps is pissed because they weren’t offered the job as press secretary. Expect to see more hissy fits thrown over the size of coffee cups and softness of toilet paper.
Obligatory posting: IGNORE ACTUS. God knows he is ignoring the point.
That is all.
TW: press. OK, what is the server up to now?
Holy Crap.
Why do the press on AF1 think they should have any say on what’s on television? Do they run AF1??
Spoiled, self-centered brats!
Compell? no way. You can ask. I was at a bar near GW, and people asked for the TV to tune into the basketball game. And they did.
Actus,
So, basically, the news folk can ask, and then the AF1 folks can either change the channel or not?
BRD
It seems like that’s whats going on here right? They’re asking why there aren’t other channels on, what policy is being this one channel, what it would take to switch it, etc…
The only difference with a bar is that this is an executive branch decision. Which makes first amendment arguments relevant, since this is a government actor.
Actus,
Well I was trying to parse your earlier statement:
And this bit in response to R. Crawford:
And I just don’t see how this relates to your last comment:
But then again, it’s Friday and I might be a bit slow.
BRD
Looks like someone was good this week and earned computer room privileges at the State Hospital for Developmentally Disabled Telephone Poles.
What happened to the Playboy Channel? I had that one added special.
tw: “son” as in son, this shit beggars belief.
Why oh why couldn’t that have been the moment when Scott says, “Are you f*king kidding me?”
For the love of Bob, why be so apologetic? He’s got a little time left on the job and nothing to lose.
Apropos of nothing else, I *heart* the thread title.
Mjusane…
Hmmm.
I am officially all out of sarcasm.
No force involved. They can leave the airplane.
Of course. Nobody has to be in AF1.
I vote that they carry broadcasts of NRANews. The look of dawning horror on the WH Press groupies would be priceless.
“It is not the policy of this government to give in to the demands of Whinyists.”
I am among those who assumed this was parody, some carefully seeded Iowahawk gag.
That it is real… gives me great hope.
If this pathetic simpering loser can get intop the Washingfton press corps, the barriers to entry into journalism must be lower than I thought. How much do those Times reporters get paid again?
Hmmm.
Can I vote for endless loops of TalonNews on AF1 with the reporters forced to watch Gannon as a Talking Head?
Or Talking Cock, whichever.
You know. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
So, because a TV is on, tuned to a certain channel, people are, “forced,” to watch it?
Oh brother. That’s probably the most ludicrous claim I’ve ever seen. Even more ludicrous than this presstitute asking the question in the first place.
I too, have been confronted, while in an airport, with multiple TV’s tuned to CNN. I read my book or do my crossword puzzle, while I wait.
I did enjoy reading the comments on the National Journal site. Especially the one that said that FoxNews ought to be shut down. The oh-so-tolerant left: Freedom of speech (AND CHOICE!) for me, but not for thee.
The President does. And he should watch whatever the hell he wants. And if it makes him giggle to put Fox News on where the press are, he should do that too.
Only liberals would want to take all the fun out of being President.
I’d make them watch Team America: World Police on endless loop. Except for the puppet sex, that is.
Umm, it’s 2006 and this reporter just discovered the Fox News Channel is turned on in the WH and AF1?
Was David Gregory unavailable to make an ass of himself, or have they promised that job as a rotating “pool” assignment?
Pathetic.
Why not the puppet sex, Pablo? It’s about as close to the real thing that some of those characters will ever get.
actus “They should write to each airport and ask that they change the channel if they want a new one”
Ummm, my 7 year old might agree but I think adults, at least non-press adults, are above such things.
On the other hand, if you’re going to ‘flood the zone’ with a news broadcast what is the justification for going to the 2nd rated network? Seems to me that the people have voted with their remotes and CNN lost. I wouldn’t be surprised if CNN didn’t have some sort of contract with the airports. Otherwise you would think some 7 year old or press member would have complained by now.
And that would make it a win-win situation, so I’m okay with that.
Something tells me this is what its about for some people.
Yes, because jokes at the expense of self-important blowhards really are in bad taste.
Now now, our president isn’t so important.
Actus, we all know you think you’re clever, we all know your mommy tells you you’re clever. Unfortunately, you are not clever. You’re just sort of dull.
My favorite part:
We must watch CNN on the people’s dime! It is our- no, their- right!
The_Real_JeffS sez:
You wouldn’t want journos going feral aboard AF1. After all, the leader of the free world is stuck in there with em!
I mean, God forbid a reporter should have to listen to something he she it isn’t already repeating…
Now do you see why I want a full-time camera on these carny folk?
Some of the things I read are just sooo uninspiring though.
Are you channeling rls, Major John, BBH, Pablo, The_Real_JeffS, and I*?
We demand reparations.
*(God, I could be here a while, apologies to everyone I missed)
What, you’ve never heard of free fall, Pablo? 35,000 feet over the Atlantic, rompin’ all the way down to that wet, hard impact. Might hit a fishing trawler, a freighter, or even an errant Russian spy ship, but, hey, it can only improve the gene pool.
Is kewl, Verc. actus inspires my uninspiration.
TW: rising above it all…..
I demand my forty comments and a post, JeffS. We’re in this together; no justice, no peace.
Judging from your posts, everything you read is uninspiring.
Proofreading?
Awright, man, now you’re talking! Let’s rumble!!
– Preferably while cruising at 35,000 feet.
– Tony’s first opening lines to the Babboon gaggle could be:
Snow: ‘Good morning….before we get to questions concerning the real world, I want to mention that for those of you beleagered souls fed up with being forced to watch CNN on the lounge TV’s, the WH staff has replaced them with closed circuit feeds directly from the set of Katie Courics evening news, so you’ll be able to look up her skirt while she reads the DNC briefing talk points. We want to make everyone feel as at home as possible. On the matter of AF1, we’ve set aside a press area at the rear of the plane with a Barney playhouse, and copies of “The American worker”, to offset the TV problem. The request for Kerry magic hats is being considered.
– Now if anyone wants one, there are baskets of fresh banana’s at the back of the room, donated by “Our sisters of the perpetual bleeding hearts”, and now lets get to the first questions….Ok Helen, you had your hand up first….
Thomas: ….I understand that the White house is trying to cover its embarrassment about the forced indoctrination of the press corps with the FOX TV scandal, but how can we be sure those banana’s are not from some plantation in the bahama’s, run by a typical despot regime that President Bush seems to love, which uses slave labor payed for by the American taxpayer dollars that….
Snow: ‘Scuze Helen…..before I answer that we had a email request from a constituent in your district that asked if you wear a wonderbelt, or if those could actually be your breasts sagging down around your waist. Maybe you could set the record straight on that.
….etc etc etc