President Obama on Thursday took a direct shot at Fox News, alleging that the network is spreading untruths about his signature health care reform law and ignoring the fact that it’s working well for most Americans.
During a speech at Northwestern University, Mr. Obama made clear that his policies, including Obamacare, are on the ballot for fellow Democrats in the November midterm elections. But he said that there are fewer Republicans centering their campaigns around opposition to those policies, despite the best efforts of the conservative media.
“I have laid out my ideas to create more jobs and grow more wages. A true opposition party should have the courage to lay out theirs. There’s a reason fewer Republicans are preaching doom on deficits — because they’re now manageable,” Mr. Obama said. “There’s a reason fewer Republicans are running around against Obamacare — because while good, affordable health care might still be a fanged threat to the freedom of the American people on Fox News, it turns out it’s working pretty well in the real world.”
At least one Fox News host — Greta Van Susteren — reacted to the snipe.
“When leaders blame others, they sure don’t look like leaders,” she said, during a recent broadcast. “They look absolutely childish.” She also chided Mr. Obama to “act presidential” and to stop using policy speeches as opportunities to “settle petty scores,” she said.
“Skip the trash talk,” she advised. “It only diminishes the office of the president.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.