Opinion: Clinton, Obama and the Murdochs
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The kingmaking Kennedys may be the most high-profile family whose allegiance has split along Clinton-Obama lines, but the Murdochs offer their own intriguing form of political discord.
If you think they’re dealing with a red-blue divide (as when Republican presidential hopeless Rudy Giuliani’s daughter endorsed Obama — ouch), think again: The infamously conservative media mogul responsible for FOX News’ impeccable journalism has actually put his money on Hillary Clinton. The International Herald Tribune explains:
Rupert Murdoch is a well-known conservative, and his New York Post newspaper was a longtime foe of former President Clinton and Hillary Clinton during his two terms in the White House and her first run for the U.S. Senate in New York in 2000. Since then, the couple have worked to reach a detente with the paper and its owner. The Post endorsed Hillary Clinton’s re-election bid in 2006, and Rupert Murdoch hosted a fundraiser for her senatorial campaign. In January, however, the Post endorsed Clinton’s rival, Obama, for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
The Post may have broken away from Murdoch, but his daughter Lis, a TV tycoon in her own right, has upped the ante by hosting a fundraiser for Obama at her London digs. Further proof that, no matter what commenter Michael says about Jane Fonda over at Top of the Ticket, no endorsement (however weird) is a bad one. Unless it’s from President Bush.
In short, politics makes for fascinating family drama — and the whole epic ‘the future is at stake’ angle is a crowd pleaser. Seriously, when are we getting the reality TV show about celebrity campaigners? CNN can’t have all the fun. Besides, straight news is beginning to sound like it’s in reruns: Obama! Hillary! Race! Gender! Scandal? ... Repeat.