Air America challenges FOX, offers to host Republican debate

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 11:25 AM on March 13, 2007.

In light of last week's highly publicized and deeply embarrassing cancellation of a Fox-hosted Democratic presidential debate, Air America has slyly offered to host a Republican presidential debate (with or without FOX News as a partner):

"Agreeing to the debate 'would allow Republicans to differentiate themselves from Democrats,' Air America President Mark Green wrote to the Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina Republican chairmen in a deadpan communication..."

Ha.

Air America's got balls... ovaries... cojones... whatever you want to call it. They have the courage to admit that they're a progressive network.

FOX, on the other hand, sits quivering in fear at the breakdown of their collective self-delusion: that it's not a Republican propaganda network... it's not a Republican propaganda network... it's the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful network I've ever known in my life... er, sorry.

It's such a hysterically obvious charge that the only thing FOX commentators can do is claim that if it WERE true it'd be hysterically obvious. And yes, they actually did just that, shortly after calling MoveOn and Kos "junior grade Stalinists":

Mort Kondracke: "If Fox, you know, was embarrassingly right wing or something like that, it would be plain for all to see."

That was on the fair and balanced network's fair and balanced Beltway Boys program. Kondracke's co-host, Fred Barnes, provided a dose of FOX balance™, after Kondracke's "Stalinist" rant: "Alright, I agree," he responded.

But that's just one show. I mean, Bill O'Reilly showed his NOT RIGHT WING-ness by whipping out the thinly-veiled antisemitic charge that MoveOn is "Soros-funded" (Read: Jew Jew Jew, Foreigner Foreigner Foreigner) and then -- cover your smirk -- that pressure from progressives to avoid the antagonistic shark-tank of FOX is straight from Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

Bill O'Reilly, boy genius.

See how FOX isn't right wing at all?

Now, back to Air America's gambit, about which MoveOn's Adam Green (no relation) commented:

"This is a brilliant move by Air America and a Catch 22 for Fox. If Republicans accept a co-sponsored Air America/Fox debate, Republicans are granting that Fox is a right-wing mouthpiece and not a neutral source of news. A rejection of Air America by Republicans would legitimize last week's rejection of Fox by Democrats -- and will legitimize the future rejection of Fox by Democrats. A win/win all around -- and the big loser is Fox, whose credibility is falling by the day."

Tagged as: fox, air america, republican party, presidential debates

Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs.