New Book “Showdown” Details Obama’s Criticism of Fox News

There’s been some back and forth on the blame game regarding a new book released Tuesday by journalist David Corn, “Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor, and the Tea Party.” Specific allegations detail Obama’s statements against Fox News which he held partly responsible for him “losing white males.”

“Fed by Fox News, they hear Obama is a Muslim 24/7, and it begins to seep in …. The Republicans have been at this for 40 years. They have new resources, but the strategy is old,” Corn quoted Obama as saying.

Fox host Sean Hannity responded, saying that “not a single host” said so; and Bret Baier said on the air Monday, “For the record, we found no examples of a host saying President Obama is a Muslim.”

Hannity said on the air:

“Listen, he went to the Trinity United Church of Christ with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years. I’m not doubting his faith. I — look, he did write about his early years, that he did study the Quran, that one of the most beautiful moments in life was prayer at sunset. So, I mean he does have that background. But he was obviously part of the Christian church, the Trinity United Church of Christ.”

Hannity did say, in March 2o11, that Obama “went to a Muslim school.”

Back in 2010, such statements as this by host Glen Beck were not unusual:

“Listen, he went to the Trinity United Church of Christ with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years. I’m not doubting his faith. I — look, he did write about his early years, that he did study the Quran, that one of the most beautiful moments in life was prayer at sunset. So, I mean he does have that background. But he was obviously part of the Christian church, the Trinity United Church of Christ.”

Obama has criticized Fox before, telling Rolling Stone, “The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history. Before that, you had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints. I think Fox is part of that tradition — it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view. It’s a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world. But as an economic enterprise, its’ been wildly successful. And I suspect that if you ask Mr. Murdoch what his number-one concern is, it’s that Fox is very successful.”