Obama’s Czars and the Bolsheviks at Fox News

[Beaverhausen]

http://trueslant.com/christopherthomas/2009/09/16/obamas-czars-and-the-bolsheviks-at-fox-news/

Number of Czars in the George W. Bush Administration: 35.
Number of Czars in the Obama Administration: 32.

Number of stories on Fox News from 2000 – 2008 with the word “Czar”: ~27,000
Number of stories on Fox News from 2008 – Present with the word “Czar”: ~42,800

Number of stories on GlennBeck.com from 2000-2008 with the word “Czar”: ~29
Number of stories on GlennBeck.com from 2008-Present with the word “Czar”: ~137

As lopsided as those numbers are they’re actually appreciably more lopsided than that. Google’s ability to filter on the publication date of a result leaves something to be desired and, in many cases, the pre-2009 results are mis-identified results from 2009. If we add “-Obama” to the search criteria in a somewhat ham-handed attempt to filter out discussion of the Obama administration we end up with just 141 results from Fox News and just 6 “Czar” results from Bush-Era Glenn Beck.

That’s an impressive ratio: 42,800 to 141. For every “Czar” story during the eight years under President Bush, Fox has published more than 300 during the eight months under President Obama. Where, one might ask, was all this worry and concern about shadow governments and conspiracy when Bush was in office? Where was the outrage? Where was the paranoid fear?


SNIP


Courtesy of Wikipedia and for the record, US Presidents have had what we would now call “Czars” in the White House since the days of Roosevelt and it is Bush, not Obama, who holds the record for the most “Czars” in an administration.

more at the link

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

1. As a comparison, could you do CNN, ABC, NBC, etc... ?

[Beaverhausen]

3. those other networks aren't harping on the "Czars" the way Faux is

[Clio the Leo]

2. I just sent an email to Sen. Alexander.......

.... since he is my Senator. I said that as a long time supporter of his (of course I use "supporter" very loosely lol) I was puzzled as to this bizarre tangent he's taken that SEEMS to be inspired by the cable news chatter. I told him that while I was unsure of what his motivation was, he was coming across as bitter and petty and I pleaded with him to return to the cause for which he always fought for, improving the lives of the citizens of the state of TN.

(Kill 'em with kindness is my motto. ;) )

[damntexdem]

4. Are any of the President's czars in place because he can't get the Senate to approve appointments?

I keep hearing about how senators are holding up votes on Obama appointees. Is appointing a czar a temporary way around that?

[Beaverhausen]

5. If you read the entire piece, you will see that Czars have actual job titles

and I don't think their appointments have to be approved by the senate.

from the article about the use of the term "Czar":

Typically it refers to someone with a specific policy position within the White House; cabinet level secretaries and other confirmed positions are generally not referred to as “Czars.” For example, the so-called “Weatherization Czar” is actually the “Program Manager, Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).” With a title like that “Weatherization Czar,” silly as it sounds, must be a welcome reprieve.