JohnnyMarzetti
10-27-2011, 10:41 AM
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201110270014
Rick Perry's surprising embrace of birther rhetoric this week produced a head-shaking response among some conservatives who expressed bewilderment at the prominent candidate's turn toward a long-ago debunked conspiracy theory.
That Perry had to spend the two news cycles trying to extricate himself from his birther missteps seemed to confirm the complaints that his comments to Parade reporter and then a CNBC interviewer were misguided and did little to inspire confidence in his candidacy.
Washington Post conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin reprimanded Perry as a "clown" and "buffoon," and chastised his unserious behavior. ("This is not the time for foolishness.")
Meanwhile, one Republican Hill staffer complained Perry's actions were "a total disgrace," and David Freddoso, author of The Case Against Barack Obama, suggested the Texan's birther turn was "disqualifying for the presidency."
So yes, in some conservative circles Perry's birther rhetoric was denounced. But Republican loyalists this week never called out the real source of their frustration and never condemned the entity most responsible for cultivating a conservative culture where wallowing in birther rhetoric, even by a presidential candidate, seems like a good idea.
And that's Fox News.
Fox News has done more to mainstream birther charges this year than another media outlet. Despite occasional bouts of sanity from hosts like Shep Smith and Greg Jarrett, the balance of birth certificate coverage on Fox has consisted of countless segments where the bogus tale was hyped and treated as legitimate. Together with faux candidate Donald Trump, Fox News this year launched the story wide, and still treats Trump as a reputable political figure even after he was humiliated when the White House released Obama's birther certificate last spring.
Meanwhile, just this month Sean Hannity peddled the false claim Obama "grew up in Kenya." Fox News has pushed the birther story in a way that not only defied common sense, but also did real damage to the Republican Party, which has to reach out to independent voters next year during the presidential campaign.
Rick Perry's surprising embrace of birther rhetoric this week produced a head-shaking response among some conservatives who expressed bewilderment at the prominent candidate's turn toward a long-ago debunked conspiracy theory.
That Perry had to spend the two news cycles trying to extricate himself from his birther missteps seemed to confirm the complaints that his comments to Parade reporter and then a CNBC interviewer were misguided and did little to inspire confidence in his candidacy.
Washington Post conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin reprimanded Perry as a "clown" and "buffoon," and chastised his unserious behavior. ("This is not the time for foolishness.")
Meanwhile, one Republican Hill staffer complained Perry's actions were "a total disgrace," and David Freddoso, author of The Case Against Barack Obama, suggested the Texan's birther turn was "disqualifying for the presidency."
So yes, in some conservative circles Perry's birther rhetoric was denounced. But Republican loyalists this week never called out the real source of their frustration and never condemned the entity most responsible for cultivating a conservative culture where wallowing in birther rhetoric, even by a presidential candidate, seems like a good idea.
And that's Fox News.
Fox News has done more to mainstream birther charges this year than another media outlet. Despite occasional bouts of sanity from hosts like Shep Smith and Greg Jarrett, the balance of birth certificate coverage on Fox has consisted of countless segments where the bogus tale was hyped and treated as legitimate. Together with faux candidate Donald Trump, Fox News this year launched the story wide, and still treats Trump as a reputable political figure even after he was humiliated when the White House released Obama's birther certificate last spring.
Meanwhile, just this month Sean Hannity peddled the false claim Obama "grew up in Kenya." Fox News has pushed the birther story in a way that not only defied common sense, but also did real damage to the Republican Party, which has to reach out to independent voters next year during the presidential campaign.