JOAN VENNOCHI
Wanted: A war of words
By Joan Vennochi, Globe Columnist | June 3, 2007
IF YOU can't face the bad boys of Fox News, how can you face the bad boys of Iraq or Iran?
Joe Biden wins this debate on style and substance before it even takes place.
The Delaware senator and presidential candidate said he will participate in a Fox News Channel debate in the fall , despite demands from liberal groups like Moveon.org that he back out of it.
That leaves Biden, former senator Mike Gravel of Alaska, and Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio as the only three Democrats committed to attending the forum scheduled for Sept. 23 in Detroit.
Even the event's cosponsor, the Congressional Black Caucus, isn't lure enough for five other Democrats who are running for president. Senators Hillary Clinton of New York, Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, and Barack Obama of Illinois, and former senator John Edwards of North Carolina, and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico have all turned down Fox.
Note that Clinton didn't turn down Rupert Murdoch -- whose media empire includes the Fox News Channel -- when he threw a fund-raiser for her Senate reelection bid. That was symbolism she couldn't afford.
"For me, it's basic. I get elected because the African-American community supports me. . . . To say no to them, I don't get it," Biden said.
Besides, Biden added, he goes on Fox "to be the other voice. . . . To fight back. I'm tired of Democrats not fighting back."
Edwards, the first to back out of the debate, is the only candidate to give an official reason. His campaign said Fox programming tilts too much to the right.
So now, he and the other presidential candidates aren't just tilting to the left. They are genuflecting.
Assuming a down-on-their-knees position may feel good for the moment. But in the long run, it only gives the right wing fodder to use against the Democrats' quest to regain the White House.
This marriage to left wing advocacy groups will hurt them in the general election -- the GOP will make sure of that. In 1988, George H. W. Bush taunted Michael Dukakis as "a card-carrying member of the ACLU." In 2008, the Republican presidential nominee will taunt his opponent as a puppet of Moveon.org.
"We feel like you have to accept the fact that Fox is a major news organization in this country. You have to be able to walk into the lion's den," said Biden adviser Larry Rasky.
Besides, said Rasky, "The Congressional Black Caucus is as important a constituency as you have. Who are we to say 'no' [to them]? . . . When did we become the arbiter of good taste? People are watching. We have to make our case to them."
Rasky said Moveon.org put out an e-mail asking their members to call upon Biden to drop out of the debate. In response, the Biden campaign put out a statement saying it wished Moveon.org would express as much concern about getting Democrats to participate in a debate on the Iraq war as it is about getting Democrats to back out of the Fox debate.
This is a reference to a June 6 Iraq-only debate that The Financial Times and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies are trying to stage. Biden agreed to participate, but other campaigns have been ducking a commitment. Biden said he is the only Democrat who has an answer for the question "Now what?" regarding Iraq.
Of course, Biden needs all the media exposure he can get. He is not leading any polls anywhere. When it comes to invitations, he can't be as selective or arrogant -- choose your adjective -- as Clinton, Obama or Edwards. He has less to lose by giving specific answers to tough questions about Iraq or other thorny policy issues.
But deciding when and whether to answer tough questions shouldn't be a matter of political strategy, especially when it comes to the Iraq war. Sooner or later, the leading Democrats in the presidential race will have to say more about the war than simply stating opposition to it.
The presidential race is too long, and it is overrun by too many photo ops and press releases. But from the people's perspective, there can't be too many debates. The debate forum is where the candidate finally steps away from the consultant, opens his or her mouth, and speaks sense or gibberish. A friendly or hostile audience can tell the difference.
Besides, where does this all lead? If Democrats say no to Fox, does that mean Republicans will say no to CNN? Maybe they can all agree to go on "American Idol." Then again, when it comes to bad boys, Idol judge Simon Cowell beats out Fox's Bill O'Reilly.
Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is
vennochi@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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