Shadow Blogger Taunts Horowitz

Self-admitted Shadow Party operative “Marie Therese” has posted an open letter of sorts to my co-author David Horowitz (and, by extension, presumably, to me). She writes on her blog:

“Hey, David, yoo-hoo, here we are!

“The vast left-wing conspiracy.

“We’re as close as your computer.

“Right here! Yoo-hoo!! Helloooo!!!! Maybe you just haven’t tried hard enough to find us?

“Log onto http://www.newshounds.us and start reading!

“We’re hardly hidden.

“In fact, we’d like to be better known. As we’ve said before, we’d like it if good old George would toss a few dollars our way.

“George Soros isn’t hiding.

“Hillary Clinton isn’t hiding.

“The Democratic party isn’t hiding.

“MoveOn.org isn’t hiding.

“Media Matters isn’t hiding.

“Daily Kos isn’t hiding.

“None of us are hiding.

“Words like `shadow party’ conjure up images of secret handshakes, smoke-filled rooms and satchels of money changing hands.

“Actually, David, why don’t you investigate the real Shadow Party?

“I believe you’ll find that in Texas.

“It’s called TrimPac and it was set up by the original shadow daddy of them all – Tom Delay.(1)

Well, Marie Therese certainly isn’t hiding. The blog for which she writes, NewsHounds.us (Its motto: “We watch FOX so you don’t have to”) proudly announces its Shadow Party pedigree on a page called “News Hounds Manifesto“.(2) It says:

“In early 2004, eight middle-aged citizens from different backgrounds and locations around the USA teamed up via MoveOn.org and the internet (thank you, Al Gore!) to volunteer our services for OUTFOXED, a documentary film by Robert Greenwald regarding Fox News Channel. For approximately three months, each of us watched FNC conscientiously for five or more hours a week and posted our findings regarding Fox’s self-proclaimed mission of fair and balanced reporting. …

We offer special thanks to Robert Greenwald, Laurel Busby, Kate McArdle and the rest of the staff at Robert Greenwald Productions, our wonderful Blogfather Jim Gilliam (voted world’s best by news hounds across America), MoveOn.org and Center for American Progress with whom we have felt so proud and privileged to associate. …

“Our hope is that you will visit this site regularly so that over time you will come to see, as we have, the ways in which Fox News in particular, lies and distorts its `news’ reporting and spins in favor of the Republican party. …

“Disclaimer: This blog belongs to the News Hounds who were unpaid volunteer Fox News reserachers for the movie, Outfoxed. We have no ongoing formal association with the movie, MoveOn.Org, Center for American Progress or any other person or entity involved with the film with the exception of Jim Gilliam who hosts and maintains our site.”

Has anyone told Marie Therese about the increasingly cozy relationship between Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch and Senator Hillary Clinton? I would be intrigued to hear her thoughts.(3)

by Richard Poe

August 28, 2006 02:27 PM ET

Cross-posted from ShadowParty.com 08.28.06

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NOTES

1. Marie Therese, “`Steady, Reliable Joe’ Adopts Divide and Conquer Tactics“, NewsHounds.us, 9 August 2006

3. Ben Smith, “The Odd Couple ’08“, New York Observer, 15 June 2005, 1; David Carr, “Murdoch and Clinton: An Unlikely Alliance“, The New York Times, 15 August 2005; Ben Smith, “Hillary Woos a Tabloid“, The New Republic, 9 January 2006; Caroline Daniel, “Murdoch to Host Fundraiser for Hillary Clinton“, Financial Times, 9 May 2006; Rupert Murdoch Loves Hillary Clinton“, CBSNews.com, 9 May 2006; Roger Aronoff, “Rupert and Hillary“, Accuracy in Media (AIM.org), 6 June 2006