Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch at today's home opener for the Washington Nationals, but the crowd of 25,000 didn't stick to the FOX News script. They booed him loud. They booed him long (watch the Quicktime video via ThinkProgress).
How did FOX handle this incoming-reality crisis, this bit of Heartland kitsch theater gone awry? Well, first they turned off the audio. Then their talking head made sure not to mention to crowd's surly response -- at all.
Let's put that in context. It would be like Cheney going to a photo-op at Yellowstone and being mauled by a grizzly, and the FOX New guy just nervously talking about the administration's brilliant environmental record.
Fortunately for us, the FOX producers turned up the audio in anticipation of the cheer that usually accompanies a typical ceremonial pitch -- only there was no cheer this time. Just loud derision.
What's a FOX media lackey to do? Apparently, the solution is to praise the veep's throw, which started shy of the mound and still didn't make it all the way to the plate:
Let's take a look here. There's the vice president, tossing out the pitch. Not a bad pitch. Seemed like it was over the plate. A little low. A bit of a bounce before it hit the catcher's mitt. Pretty good for the vice president. And of course wearing his Nationals' jacket. Folks in Washington, DC, thrilled finally to have a baseball team back in the nation's capital...
As someone going by the handle War4Sale commented at Think Progress this afternoon: "19% Approval rating!!! Cheney is now less popular than herpes."
Ah yes. Listen to that sound. When a politician can't do a photo-op at a ballpark without being publicly humiliated, something has changed. And it's about time, if you asked me.
Comments