GOP Senator Likens Obama to Nixon

Amidst White House Feud With Fox, Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander Says Administration Appears to be Creating "Enemies List"

(AP)  The third-ranking Senate Republican said Wednesday the Obama administration appears to be launching a Richard Nixon-like political strategy of making an "enemies list" of people who disagree with the president.

Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who once worked in President Nixon's administration, warned the White House that such a "street brawl" approach of attacking political opponents "can get you in a lot of trouble."

Alexander offered no evidence that Obama is developing an actual list, as Nixon famously created for his opponents. But, he said, "I have an uneasy feeling only 10 months into this new administration that we're beginning to see the symptoms of this same kind of animus developing."

"It's a mistake for the president of the United States," he said. "Let's not start calling people out and compiling an enemies list."

White House spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai responded that it's Republicans who "seem to be formulating lists of people and policies to oppose" while the president "is focused on tackling the list of critical priorities that Washington has ignored for too long."

The president "remains committed to working with Republicans to include their best ideas, even if he doesn't get their support," Tseggai said.

Alexander's criticism, which echoed weekend remarks from Karl Rove, the former adviser to President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor, comes amid an unusual public feud between Fox News and the White House. Alexander also cited widening disputes between the administration and business groups such as the insurance industry, Wall Street banks and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Several top administration officials have sharply criticized Fox News in recent days, saying the cable television channel acts like a wing of the Republican Party and shouldn't be viewed as a legitimate news organization.

The president bypassed "Fox News Sunday" during a string of appearances on news shows recently, and Fox News officials have said the White House threatened a boycott. The White House has denied that and says it will book administration officials on Fox News shows.

The administration also has taken on the Chamber of Commerce, for example, suggesting the group is out of touch with the business community on health care, climate change and other issues.

[garyl615]

Lamar Alexander is a traitor...he's not patriotic.... support the troops. That's what the repukes told us back when somebody even dared to say something about Nam dodger yellow coward Bush!!!

[czhnder]

01/20/2012 -- "Change we can believe in!"

[jxknowles]

First they compare him to Nixon, believing the public will see President Obama as a dictator. Now they compare him to Nixon, thinking the public will see him as a crook. What's next? Compare Obama to George W. Bush, so the public sees him as a failure?

[element51]

Just a few days ago I encountered a woman who told me that Obama was a muslim, socialist. communist who was working to ban the Bible and the Christian religion. When I tried to give her the truth she got irate and told me that I had a big problem. Then she walked away. It is amazing that there are still people out there who believe this stuff and the reason there is is because of Faux News and talk radio. It seems there are people out there who refuse to hear the truth and people who encourage them. I would like to see our elected officials working together to solve our problems instead of constantly being at each other's throats. What we need is problem solvers not problem makers.

[wheresmycountry]

Bush sent Rove and Cheney to attack the enemies on his list. No one was safe. Not even federal judges who were fired if they failed to raise their hands to Bush.

[chevyhotrod]

The president cannot fired a federal judge dump$ss, they only appoint them. Get a brain.

[djseavy]

Of course Obama is taking it on the chops from several directions. He's trying to stop the "business as usual" scenerio that has erroded public trust in government and big business. I may not agree with everything Obama is doing, but I think he's on the right track and I respect him for having the guts to stand up to his detractors.

[bubbadubba]

<<<Faux News has the same level of journalistic credibility as the World Wrestling Federation>>>

I wouldn't insult the WWF like that, those guys are really big and they don't deserve such a horrible insult.
I think Al Jazeera would be a better comparison but then again Al Jazeera is a lot more credible than Faux News. Maybe the Nazi propaganda machine of Hitler would be closer?

[Disinfectant]

Progressivism will destroy this country not save it. People wear the ideology like some fashionable new piece of clothing.

[saturn05]

Yep and I love my ideology. But actually you make it sound like it is something Satan dreamed up. But that's the Republican party. They are full of inuendo, lies and fear-mongering. That's an ideology and a group of very disturbed people.

[bubbadubba]

Another right wing talk show listener. When are they going to start charging Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck with inciting people to hurt our President? All those fools do is spew disgusting hate and lies about Obama trying to get someone to hurt him. How much more will we allow?
Free speech is one thing, inciting others to hurt someone is illegal.

"NEWARK, N.J. -- A security guard at Newark Liberty International Airport charged with threatening President Barack Obama is due in court.
John Brek is expected to hear a judge in Newark review the charges via a video link on Thursday.
Brek was arrested Tuesday night, several hours after a Continental Airlines employee reported overhearing him make threatening comments at an airport coffee cart. Obama arrived at the airport Wednesday afternoon to campaign for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.
The 55-year-old is charged with making terroristic threats against the president and is held on $100,000 bail."

[watervliet]

WAKE UP GOP!!! OBAMA HAS 4 YEARS AND YOU GUYS HAVE TO ACCEPT IT. I USED TO BE A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN AND PROUD OF IT, BUT THE WAY IT STANDS NOW YOU JUST LOST MY VOTE AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY. YOU CAN JOIN FOX NEWS ( GLEN BECK, HANITY) RUSH LIMBAUGH, SARAH PALIN AND CHENEY HEADING TO THE NORTH POLE (FREEZING)!!!

[j_mcdonald-2009]

Wrong, Bozo. He has EIGHT years to go.

[chevyhotrod]

water,
I very highly doubt you were ever a conservative republican. Stop your BS propoganda crap. If you are or every were a conservative, you would not saying what you are saying.

[ianlou]

Ironic that if you want to insult a Democrat President, accuse him of being like a former Republic President.

[chonder2]

Well'well we know that a Repub Lamar Alexander is always going to rush to the aid of another Repub, False News.

[johndevinejr]

by skyk-2009 October 22, 2009 12:42 PM EDT
endurorob_5, have you EVER had an original idea?


These people are so boring to argue with. They all say the same thing over and over. But it has to be done, just like you have to keep stepping on cockroaches even though you know it is impossible to get rid of all of them.
Stunning dogged stupidity, the hallmark of the republican.

The single most important thing we need to do is to go to the polls and vote Democratic. Keep these incompetent and dishonest republican hacks out of office.

[chevyhotrod]

hey john,
what's the matter, facts get in your way. Dishonest, what about all those campaign promisses make by your saviour? No taxes for anyone under 250K, dishonest? No lobbist, dishonest? No war in Iraq, dishonest? Bi-partisanship, dishonest? Moderate, dishonest? No signing bills for 5 days, dishonest? Transparencey, dishonest?

Incompetent? one word Afganistan?????? You are the joke my friend and within a couple of weeks we shall see where the voters are going with regard to party. It's not looking good for you, 10% unemployment and rising, the single largest defict in American history. Great job, keep it going. What a joke, but all you have to say is "keep stepping on cockroaches"? Ya, very intelligent????

what a fricken joke!!!!!!

[johndevinejr]

Faux News has a long history of bald faced lies. No one with an ounce of common sense watches these News Actors. They have no credibility with anyone who checks facts.

Faux News has the same level of journalistic credibility as the World Wrestling Federation.

[chonder2]

snotrod-The racists left the democratic party when it became obvious that they could not stand in school doorways,hang blacks from trees anymore, and stop the voting process.They gravitated to a party that had the same "Values" Republican.

[bubbadubba]

I certainly hope Obama follow's Nixon example and gets our troops out of Iraq-Nam and Afghanistan-Nam just like Nixon got us out of Vietnam.
Say what you want to about Nixon but the wall street billionaires and right wing war mongers were still saying we should send more troops to Vietnam when Nixon had the GUTS to bring our troops home from that fiasco.

[johndevinejr]

How old are you? We had to put 100's of thousands of people in the street day after day for YEARS to get that scumbag to get our troops out of there.
Richard Nixon was a weasel, a liar, and a participant in felony breaking and entering. Incidentally, he was also the creator of CZARS, appointing William Simon as Energy Czar.

[rafterman1]

Nixon EXPANDED the war to Cambodia. Forget about that?

[bubbadubba]

Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck followers are unwittingly following in the footsteps of the Nazis by supporting the right wing hate radio hosts.
As a German said after Hitler and the Nazis took over:
" First they went after the Jews, I was not Jewish so I did not object.
Then they went after Catholics, I was not Catholic so I did not object. Then they went after Liberals, I was not a liberal so I did not object. Then they went after Communists, I was not a communist so I did not object. Then they came after me, I did not object because there was no one left to hear me."

Nixon did have a list in a less wired world. I personally believe that FOX News is the enemy of mankind. Posted by Baileyccc

[endurorob_5]

Why? Because they expose orginizations like ACORN for what they really are.

[czhnder]

No answer, Baileyccc?

[johndevinejr]

Endurob

Fox is consistantly dishonest, telling deliberate lies repeatedly. That is enough to disqualify them as a news organization.

[endurorob_5]

The big difference between Obama and Nixon in this situation is Nixon kept his list secret and covertly attempted to destroy them. Obama has made it public knowledge his dislike for those who do not agree with him and uses his liberal/progressive minions to help destroy them. He even is arrogant enough to tell other news outlest they she not treat FOX like a news outlet.

[czhnder]

Mark Twain once said, "Never get into an argument with someone who buys ink by the barrel." The WH will wish they hadn't. If they are so smart, why are they not on Fox all the time showing their brilliance instead of hiding and cowering from stating their arguments?

[endurorob_5]

Because they do not have the courage to answer critical questions.

[ianlou]

why are they not on Fox all the time?
Same reason they are not inviting Rush to the White House.

Because they don't have to.

[gangesdak]

Fox can whine all it wants. They will have to play with gass bagg Limpaw, not with a gentleman.