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Ear to the Ground

Rupert Murdoch Praises ... Obama?

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Posted on May 30, 2008
Muuuuuurdoch!
www.aca-demy.co.uk

The opportunist Murdoch, who historically leans notoriously right, said he is a friend of John McCain, but that the Republican presidential nominee has “a lot of problems.”

Aside from his support for the Iraq war, ruthless global capitalism and gross media consolidation, Rupert Murdoch has found space in his Lilliputian heart to praise Barack Obama, though stopping short of a complete endorsement, saying he wanted to “meet him personally.”


The Guardian:

News Corporation chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch has used his newly acquired technology conference D6 to throw his weight behind “rock star” Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, as well as giving his views on the Wall Street Journal.

Murdoch made critical comments about the number of journalists involved in editing at the Wall Street Journal, which became part of the News Corp empire when he bought parent company Dow Jones in December, saying that every story seemed to be edited by “8.3 people”.

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal D6 conference in Carlsbad, California, Murdoch was asked by veteran tech correspondent Walt Mossberg if he had played a part in the New York Post’s endorsement of Obama.

“Yeah,” he replied, candidly. The select audience of entrepreneurs and digital business executives at the conference earlier this week cheered, as can be seen in the accompanying video.

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By Bukko in Australia, June 9, 2008 at 8:13 pm #

Joe, I’m a liberal (although not in the Aussie politics sense of the word.) I’d like to inform you that I hate you.

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By Joe, June 8, 2008 at 7:09 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Liberals are so misinformed and are always looking for someone to hate

Murdoch is a significant backer of liberal Democrats. He backed Gore for crying out loud. Do a little research instead of buying the lies that fanatics sell you. Murdoch is not cemented into any party and that why Foxnews is the leading news source for americans

A MSNBC report showed 9 out of 10 reporters donated to the democrats. If you dont recognize you have been spoon fed opinions from a liberal media your entire life your clueless. Fox only seems weird to you because there isnt only ONE republican out of every 10 you see on screen

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By jatihoon, May 31, 2008 at 9:23 am #

A very wise old “OWL”.Obama can use some successful tips to win the presidential election.Money has no enemy and failure has many.

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By Purple Girl, May 31, 2008 at 7:30 am #

He also said he’d consider a ‘Liberal’ show, but would not consider offering anything to Olbermann (like he’d even condier it). So Ruppy you see the station Ahead, Final Stop of Your Gravey Train? Sorry Asshole You are a Day late,billions short and your vile treasonous stench proceeds you.
Foolish you and your other Cohorts, you put all your eggs into the weak bottom basket of the BushCo’s. You failed to realize your bread and Butter comes from the Masses and is reliant on you Providing a ‘FREE PRESS’. You failed to realize you were the Weakest and most vulnerable of the ‘FourHorsemen’, You not only survive by our attention, you can only Thrive by it.YOU BETRAYED US, so now we will turn away and starve you OUT! Greatest aspect is that YOu are THEIR Archilles Heel.We turn you OFF, Your Corp investors have no avenue to advertise, they lose revenue and Propaganda ability and You all go down. No More Corp crap, No More Religious Heresay, No more Gov’t support. I do Not Beleive Chevron is ‘Green’, I do Not beleive the ‘releigious right’ is Moral, Nor do I Beleive ANYTHING Gov’t has to say. I ,infact, see the Scam of the Recent ‘McClellan Tell All’ as a Red herring.Charges of Intentional Treason, War crimes with malice and Profiteering from Crimes against Humanity are still on the Table.
You Are Nothing and So are Your “Words”- Keep talking though we love to add to our growing List of indictments and Well documented Evidence which will be levied against ALL co - conspirators.Cave Adsum .

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By Bukko in Australia, May 31, 2008 at 6:21 am #

Rupes knows when it’s pointless to resist a winner. He did the same thing here before the Australian parliamentary elections in December 2007. His right-wing newspaper empire backed John Howard, but the Labor Party was clearly going to trounce that loathsome toad. So Murdoch summoned Kevin Rudd, Labor’s prime minsterial candidate, for an audience and gave him his blessing before the election. Presumably laid out what would be expected if Rudd didn’t want constant strife from Murdoch’s forces. Wonder what he’d say to Obama in a similar meet-up?

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By Fadel Abdallah, May 30, 2008 at 7:37 pm #

Only an Omni scientist God would know what plot Murdoch is cooking for Obama! And the suger-coated language and praise for Obama is the real bait. If Obama is really smart, he wouldn’t even want to be seen in the same city were Murdoch could be!

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By cyrena, May 30, 2008 at 5:17 pm #

Shit! The LAST thing Barack Obama needs is any praise from Murdoch. That’s like getting a letter of recommendation from Dick Bush.

If Obama DOES meet with him, he needs to carry a cross (to flash Murdoch) and dress like a knight in shining armor…double steel plated from head to toe with an extra helmet to boot.

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By Thomas Billis, May 30, 2008 at 3:54 pm #

If Obama meets with Rupert Murdoch I will waste my vote in Nov and vote for Ralph Nader.Hillary’s meeting with Mellon Scaife was the last peg in the coffin for her campaign with me.These dogs want access because they know it is going to be a big democratic year and if the democrats give in it is the Washington they are all running against.The Mellon Scaifes and the Murdoch’s access to Washington politicians is one of the reasons so many of us have been so angry for eight years.In Mellon Scaifes case even longer.Obama if you are truly running against the Washington as it exists do not meet with Murdoch.It will cost you more than you will ever gain.

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By Kevin James, May 30, 2008 at 3:13 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

He realizes that Obama is going to win so of course his ego is telling him to side with the winner and his advisers are telling him to play nice with the next president specially after the speech he gave Sunday (see below).
On the other hand Obama will be even more groomed to fit the mold, it maybe uncomfortable but he’ll have no choice to play nice with his new and future friends either!

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/322037

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By geoffspear, May 30, 2008 at 1:36 pm #

Or maybe he thinks the superdelegates will see his endorsement, think it’s proof that Obama is actually a secret right-wing nut who’s been posing as a liberal to get elected, and they’ll all vote to nominate Clinton.

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By Stephen Smoliar, May 30, 2008 at 1:23 pm #

I wrote about this performance (what else are you gonna call it?) on my blog yesterday at:

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/05/give-readers-something-they-want-to.html

I was less interested in his take on Obama than on his “wisdom” about journalism.  Since I came to the content through CNET News.com, I was also taken with how the divide between the technology community and what the rest of us would take to be a sense of reality is as wide as ever.  I have posted the hyperlink in the spirit of “share and enjoy” (with all the connotations that Douglas Adams originally intended)!

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By TheRealFish, May 30, 2008 at 1:10 pm #

And Rupert Murdoch’s money went to the Hillary Clinton campaign. In that “Lilliputian heart,” when money is on the line, whom do you think he supports? Or, rather, WHAT do you think he supports?

It is certainly no Democrat—only the desire to stoke fires that are already burning. Anything this man has to say about any Democratic person or campaign is as empty as that Lilliputian heart.

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By Aegrus, May 30, 2008 at 1:01 pm #

It’s really odd to watch Rupert Murdoch. I had watched an excerpt of the interview, and you just wonder what he’s really thinking because people like Murdoch are always playing chess with the public… or maybe he’s just being off-the-cuff. I guess we’ll find out.

I’ll tell you what, though, any more media de-regulation, and my head will explode.

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