Hot off that messy roll in the mud falsely announcing John Edwards would ditch his presidential bid, the Politico’s Ben Smith is back on the campaign trail, analyzing his token candidate’s relations with the media. Well, with Fox News, anyhow.
As you’ll recall, Edwards pulled out of a FNC-sponsored debate, with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama following suit. His camp is pretty much A-OK with leaving Fox News in the dust as they march ahead with their campaign.
But who’s having the last laugh?
Television industry analysts said they didn’t see any impact on Fox’s bottom line or its ratings from its increasingly hostile relationship with the Democratic Party. Democratic pollster Mark Mellman wrote in The Hill last month that 88 percent of Fox’s viewers voted for President Bush in 2004, and only 7 percent voted for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). And the channel has thrived through waves of Democratic hostility before, largely because it has a loyal viewer base that is likely to rally behind it in the face of Democratic criticism.
Which is certainly true. But without Edwards on board, who will Bill O’Reilly have to throw around on set? He’ll have to go the Keith Olbermann route and surround himself with yes men. Horror!
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