Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Clinton Plays Both Sides Of Controversial Murdoch

I have to be honest, it is irritating to see so many political figures on the left endorsing Hillary. Joe Wilson's was particularly troubling for me because I respect him so much. Don't get me wrong, I'd take her over any Republican any day, but it would be more about picking the less toxic poison than a candidate I believe in. One glaring example is her relationship with Rupert Murdoch. To be fair, the other front runners have taken money from Fox Execs, but not from Murdoch directly and the sums are not even close to being similar.

From The Huffington Post:

On June 5, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the News Corporation, gave her presidential bid $2,300. A few weeks later, his son, James R. Murdoch, chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting in London, gave $3,400. Altogether, NewsCorp/Fox executives gave at least $40,000 to the Clinton campaign.

In July 2006, the elder Murdoch hosted a fundraiser for Clinton's Senate re-election campaign, raising many eyebrows among Democrats. The Financial Times, which first disclosed the event, noted that Murdoch was a part of the "vast right wing conspiracy" named by Hillary Clinton as determined to destroy her husband's presidency.

She explained her willingness then to accept Murdoch's support to the FT: "He's my constituent and I'm very gratified that he thinks I'm doing a good job."

Asked about the Murdoch contributions to Clinton's presidential bid, Howard Wolfson, director of communications, said he had no comment.


If Hillary wants to be open and honest, she should explain her precarious situation with the global media tycoon. Rupert Murdoch is no ordinary constituent, that explanation is pathetic at best. She only refused to participate in the Fox News debate after Edwards and Obama declined first and didn't bother criticizing Murdoch or the network. Hillary touts this type of behavior as being a centrist, but in reality she looks like she is playing the base for fools.