Op-Ed: The rise of Fox News & conservative media against Pres. Obama

The summer of 2009 has been a rough time for President Obama and Democratic members of Congress due to the rise of alternative sources of media.

While healthcare reform was the centerpiece for debate during this summer of angst for the left, there were numerous side shows too. The controversy with Professor Henry Gates and Sgt. Joseph Crowley, the backlash over President Obama's speech to public school students, and the radical past of "green jobs czar" Van Jones. These stories have dominated the public debate over the past few weeks and months, almost without interruption. Because of this, President Obama's popularity rating has declined to anywhere from the 45 to the 55% mark, showing that he is in fact vulnerable. What makes all of this significant is that the vast majority of these stories were either reported on or driven by Fox News, talk radio, Politico.com, The Drudge Report, and various online blogs. The mainstream media was not proactive at all in terms of getting to the bottom of many of these stories and hammering the points home. Among the outlets I am referring to are CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. I firmly believe now, after looking at all the news from the summer, that a very clear liberal media bias exists. These outlets either did not care or did not do their job effectively in bringing the facts to the American people who obviously cared about these topics. Because of this bias and lack of cooperation, conservatives and independents have turned to select news outlets to get their information and to voice their concern. Fox News has seen their ratings skyrocket since Mr. Obama took office in January. There seem to be two reasons. One, Fox is represented by conservative pundits in their prime time lineup. Two, they are the only news outlet who appears to challenge the Obama Administration on policy decisions. What the other news outlets seem to forget is their role is not to be a cheerleader, it is to hold our government accountable. With the latest news today of Van Jones being forced out of office for his controversial past, it is important to note that this was done exclusively by Fox News and various Internet sites. Glenn Beck is being given the majority of the credit for exposing Mr. Jones as a radical. No matter your opinion of Mr. Beck, in this case he did our country a service in revealing these troubling facts to the American people. Conservatives are energized more than ever to confront President Obama and Democrats in office who are supporting policies that they do not like. It also appears that conservatives are now growing in numbers and many independents are now dissatisfied with President Obama. I fully expect that this process will only get worse. Conservative media has been emboldened by their success fighting against the White House and Congress on a bevy of liberal issues. Democrats have made several mistakes in recent weeks, including dismissing the town hall protesters as "un-American," supporting healthcare reform options that are no longer popular, and by showing arrogance because of their positions of power. This, in my opinion, seems to be driving much of the conservative anger and outrage over the Democratic policies and positions. Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and countless other conservative pundits are guiding millions of people and influencing their opinions. This hyperpartisan climate we are living in appears to be getting worse, only because the conservatives now have found their voice against the overwhelming liberal machine. Fasten your seat belts, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like it will be a bumpy couple of years.