Murdoch (Hearts) Hillary

I hate to say I told you so, but...

From MSNBC:

Rupert Murdoch, the conservative media mogul whose New York Post tabloid savaged Hillary Clinton's initial aspirations to become a US senator for New York, has agreed to host a political fundraiser for her re-election campaign.

The decision underlines an incongruous thawing of relations between Mr Murdoch and Mrs Clinton...Mr Murdoch will host the fundraiser, due to be held by July, on behalf of News Corp.

MSNBC says the fundraiser is for Clinton's bid for Senate re-election rather than for any presidential run but the idea of News Corp backing Hillary for anything at all seems to have hit the media and blogosphere like a bolt from the blue.

To regular Newshog readers it won't be a surprise.

From Newshog, Feb 2nd 06, "Murdoch's UK Flagship Ditches Bush?:

read that burial of Bush again. This is the word from on high. Murdoch has ditched Bush and is casting about for his replacement. Expect the same motif from FOX News soon.

From Newshog, Sept. 13th 05, "Bush 'Insincere', says David Brooks":

it's interesting to note that Rupert Murdoch's flagship newspapers in foreign climes have been less than supportive of Bush this last two weeks too. The Australian, the newspaper that Murdoch takes most editorial control over, ran Andrew Sullivan's column entitled "Buck Stops At Bush" on the 12th and the London Times, the prize jewel of Murdoch's empire has likewise been critical of the Bush administration in the Katrina aftermath...

Brits remember that when Murdoch's newspapers dumped the Conservatives after almost two decades of wholehearted support it made the very first landslide election of Tony Blair an utter certainty. It seems to me that there is no single candidate, either from the Republicans or the Democrats, who has yet garnered Murdoch's favour but it is no longer a sure bet that his eventual preference will be on the Right. In particular, Murdoch is a secularist who has no patience for moralising preacher-politicos who would harm his profits by restricting salacious TV or pressuring against showing pretty nearly-nude women on page three.

Can you imagine the upset to everyone's thinking if Fox News did for a Democratic candidate what the Sun and the News of The World did for Tony Blair - endorsed that candidate over its traditional biases, signalling an utter seachange from the vehicle many who would have voted for the Right rely on for their news and opinion? There must be at least a few Democrat hopefuls wondering how they can be that Annointed One and quite a few GOP "media managers", including Karl Rove, having sleepless nights at the possibility.

From Newshog, Jun 19th 05, NOW The Right Wants Us To Believe In A Rightwing Conspiracy :

Murdoch is using his British outlets to doublecross Rove in preparation for switching to a Democrat candidate in '08.