It seems obvious to me why Fox invited Jane Hamsher on to be interviewed about her opposition to the Senate health care reform bill. It’s not clear to me that she does, though — or maybe she does and isn’t bothered by it. Whichever it is, I think Steve M. gets it exactly right. He quotes from Jane’s response to the Daily Kos diarist who attacked her (in a rude and inappropriate manner, in my opinion):
Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake:
I notice there is a diary up on Daily Kos attacking me for going on Fox & Friends….
There’s a difference between helping to recruit Democratic viewers to Fox that they don’t have, and bringing a message about PhRMA that divides Republican viewers from the party leadership by pointing out the hypocrisy of their talking points….
It scares the bejesus out of the DC establishment of both parties to think that the left and right might align against the corporate interests that dominate the massive giveaways that keep happening no matter who’s in power….
Steve then gently tells Jane she was used:
Fox books liberals for two reasons: to be punching bags or to help reinforce messages Murdoch wants to deliver. I watched your clip and you weren’t treated like a punching bag — so that leaves only one choice: you were there to play “Even the liberal…” — that is, you were there to deliver the message “This bill is so awful even some liberals loathe it.”
No one on the right is “uniting” with you on principles. The Fox audience doesn’t want to join you to help make a good bill. The Fox audience wants to kill this bill, brutally and mercilessly, and then get every single Democrat out of office.
I agree that the bill is rather awful, and I’ve been vacillating on the question of whether it’s worth voting for, so I respect your intentions. But if you think left and right are meeting right now, your vision field is almost as warped as that of the we-love-Hillary-and-Sarah PUMAs. The Fox audience doesn’t hate the fat cats — the Fox audience hates you, Jane, and everything you stand for, and your readers and everything they stand for, and Barack Obama and everything (they think) he stands for. But they’ll suspend their contempt when they can use you as a stick to beat Obama with. You know the old saying: “Let’s you and him fight!” That’s what they’re saying to you.
PAST CONTRIBUTOR.