Commentators on Fox News practice the old adage: The best defense is a good offense.
On Wednesday, after Fox News spent two days vilifying Shirley Sherrod based on a 3 minute video released by conservative Tea Party blogger, Andrew Breitbart, the atmosphere changed from drudging Sherrod throw the mud, to blaming President Obama for the incident that caused her to resign.
Breitbart released the video on Monday morning and it went directly to Fox.com and from there, Monday night’s Fox line-up of Shirley Sherrod’s character assassination evolved.
On Tuesday, Tony Harris on CNN did a full report and interviewed Shirley for her side of the story. He played more of the video, which revealed that Ms. Sherrod was using the white farmer story, to tell of her own personal “revelation” of bias and personal growth. She has told the story many times during speeches over the years, because it was a defining moment in her life that instilled the belief that it’s “about those who have, and those who have not. It’s about the poor, not about color.”
Harris also interviewed the white farmer and his wife, who had nothing but praise for Ms. Sherrod and said she helped them save their farm.
Fox News continued their assault on Sherrod Tuesday night, even after new information had been surfacing all day. Bill O’Reilly bragged about calling for her to resign and seemed pleased that he got what he asked for.
The landscape changed on Wednesday, when the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack called Shirley and offered a sincere apology, which included a job offer. He took full responsibility for his decision to force her resignation and attributed it to his zero tolerance for racism. It was left unsaid, but clearly Vilsack was also duped by Breitbart’s video. He acted in haste and said he was the one who made the regrettable decision, without direction from the White House.
Fox News clearly went into damage control mode in light of the rapidly deteriorating case against Sherrod being a reverse racist. By Wednesday afternoon, their entire theme had changed.
“Why was she unjustly fired by the Obama administration?” Became the Fox question of the day.
Bill O’Reilly’s “no spin zone”, was an extraordinary example of twist and spin. He started out by saying he didn’t follow through on the full Sherrod story and check the source, as he should have, and he owed Ms. Sherrod an apology. Just when the audience thought O’Reilly was taking the high road, he and his guests Dick Morris and Dennis Miller spent the rest of the show besmirching her character, motives, and that of the president.
Dick Morris brought up the fact that Sherrod recently won a multi-million dollar suit against the USDA, implying that she is duplicitous in character.
They didn’t mention the fact that Sherrod had filed the lawsuit over two decades ago, on behalf of a group of black farmers, including her own family. It has taken this long to get justice for people, who were being discriminated against.
Morris tried a different version of the same Breitbard argument, by re-packaging some of Sherron’s speech, when he zeroed in on four words that she had spoken out of the entire 40 minutes: “one of his own”. Dredging the bottom of the barrel even further, Morris predicted that “a bunch of stuff is going to come out about her.”
“Obama demanded that Vilsack fire her, because they were afraid of Fox News,” said Morris. “Obama has a big problem now, because they are stuck with her. They can’t fire her again. It’s going to be like having Reverend Wright on his staff.”
Morris goes on to imply that the Obama administration is “in serious trouble,” because Sherrod will have a free license to run amuck with her racial bigotry.
“Yeah, she clearly has a radical left past,” agreed O’Reilly. “Guess I’m not going to get a loan for that farm I want, if Shirley is involved.”
So much for the high road. So much for “fair and balanced”.
One problem with their theory: Shirley Sherrod has not accepted the USDA job offer, nor has she made a decision if she will return to work for them.
To use Dennis Miller"s maxim in his cocky diabribe against Sherrod, how long will Fox continue to "nibble on this cookie?"
***Jean Williams 2010
Comments
Thanks for explaining the bit about the multi-million dollar lawsuit. Not much has been said about it, but leave it to Dick Morris to tell the half-truth. He is a master at it.
O'Reilly's apology was disengenuous at best. Who apologizes to a person and then continues the same accusatory dialoge on her being a racist? What a flamming hypocrite. O'Reilly has always been a pompous a---hole, but he has really sunk to new lows since Obama has been in office. The only time I can stomach him is when other news media show clips of the latest cocky thing he has said.
Jason says:
"Thanks for explaining the bit about the multi-million dollar lawsuit. Not much has been said about it, but leave it to Dick Morris to tell the half-truth. He is a master at it."
take a good look at Dick Morris..doesn't he look like Jabba the Hut's half brother? notice the similar laugh?
The Obama admistration has done it again. Passed abill for unemployment benfits until 2012, and left out the seniors.. No raise for us just a cut. I call that discrimination.
deedie says:
"The Obama admistration has done it again. Passed abill for unemployment benfits until 2012, and left out the seniors.. No raise for us just a cut. I call that discrimination."
unemployed get help to keep from going homeless and you want a raise? IN A RECESSION??? If social security was a job, you would be fired just for thinking raise in a recession...unemployment is NOT related to social security!!! NO ONE is asking for a raise in this recession, ONLY YOU!
Deedie, what planet are you from. Unemployment extended until 2012? It was extended for another month, fool. Then the Democrats will have to battle it out with the stingy a-- Republicans to get more for the unemployed. What part of "there are not jobs" do you ignorant conservatives not understand?
Sherrod is a racist and should be fired. Obama IS responsible for her firing since he is the President. The buck stops at his desk as it has with every pres before him.
He and Vilsack ACTED STUPIDLY as we have been now accustomed to seeing Obama act!
KEEP IT STRAIGHT said Sherrod is a racist and should be fired. Of course, she is not a racist and Breitbard and Fox News got their heads handed to them for trying prove she was based on a 3 minute snippet that was 380 degrees the opposite of the message she was working up to. It's so amusing that some people just refuse to take off their tin foil hat, no matter how much proof is availabe to refute their ridiculous argument.
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