At a closed door Florida fundraiser on Sunday night, Mitt Romney was asked about his general election media strategy, and was overheard to say he needed to move beyond Fox News' audience of true believers.
Romney's comments could be heard through the walls by reporters listening on the sidewalk, which is what we in the business call "sources." Via the Wall Street Journal:
The candidate said he didn't expect a fair fight in the media, saying he believed many commentators on television were liberals. He also said CNN reporter and host Wolf Blitzer was a good interviewer, and said Fox News had been good to him. Fox News is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Wall Street Journal.
"Fox is watched by the true believers," Mr. Romney said. "We need to get the independents and the women."
Referring to female voters as "the women" is a long-heralded political strategy.
Byron York over the Washington Examiner calls BS on Romney's characterization of Fox News' audience, arguing that the channel's cable news dominance means it reaches many Democrats and independents, possibly more than third-place news-network-as-99-cent-store CNN.
York may have the numbers right, but he also seems to have missed the point: Fox News has an ideological brand, and no matter how much exposure Romney gets from the station, it comes at the cost of being politically pigeonholed. Appearing on CNN might yield fewer viewers but without the stain of Fox's ideology, which is more important when appealing to middle of the road voters.
Fox News has been having a strange time of it lately, after a mole appeared in their ranks, Roger Ailes got into a public feud with Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich bashed the network, which used to employ him. Having the GOP's most prominent politician indicate that he views the network as something of a general electoral albatross — especially when that network is rumored to have favored the candidate in the GOP primary — is even more awkward for Fox. These incidents won't do any lasting damage to the channel, but they may imperil Roger Ailes's "course correction."
Meanwhile, best of luck to Mitt Romney in his quest for the women.
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