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Memo to Beck: Dunn's departure has been planned since April

November 10, 2009 12:48 pm ET by Julie Millican

The Washington Post reports today that "White House communications director Anita Dunn will step down from her post at the end of the month and Dan Pfeiffer, her deputy, will take over, according to sources familiar with the move." Dunn, as you may recall, found herself to be the subject of Glenn Beck's considerable ire, following her apt description of Fox News as an "opinion journalism masquerading as news." Beck repeatedly smeared Dunn and grossly distorted her words to claim, among other things, that she "worships" and "idolizes" "her hero" Mao Zedong. In smearing Dunn, Beck overlooked that numerous conservatives -- including Barry Goldwater's "alter ego" Stephen C. Shadegg, Newt Gingrich, and GOP strategist Ralph Reed -- have approvingly cited the tactics of Mao, Vladimir Lenin, and the Viet Cong, stated that they had used those tactics in their political work or have otherwise highlighted their philosophies.

But before Beck declares victory in purging the White House of a "radical" "revolutionary," he should probably be aware that Dunn's position as the White House communications director was always meant to be temporary. As the Politico reported on April 30, after Ellen Moran stepped down as White House Communications Director, Dunn agreed to take over on an interim basis. Politico reported: "Dunn will start working next week in an interim capacity until the president settles on a permanent replacement for Moran. Dunn had initially avoided entering the administration with her fellow campaign veterans. But she has continued to serve as a key outside adviser, regularly joining strategy sessions with other members of Obama's inner circle, and was an obvious choice for members of the close-knit West Wing." Also, I hate to break it to Beck, but Dunn's not going to be going far. According to the Washington Post, Dunn "will return to Squier Knapp Dunn, the consulting firm where she is a partner, but will remain as a consultant to the White House on the communications and strategic matters."

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    • Author by Major Tom (November 10, 2009 1:00 pm ET)
      5 1
      He probably already knew... His whole schtick is fooling the low-brows into thinking he is relevant.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Max Credits (November 10, 2009 1:10 pm ET)
        5 1
        He's quite dependent on his fan's stupidity, that's for sure. He's been pumping up a "free rally" happening in Florida this week. FREE? Really???
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Midnight Kevin (November 10, 2009 1:17 pm ET)
      4 1
      The average Fox follower doesn't know this and never will. They don't independently research the information Back gives them.

      ------------------------------------
      The Midnight Review
      Mum Is The Word
      Report Abuse
      • Author by justjoe628 (November 10, 2009 3:40 pm ET)
        1 4
        And you don't either. You had no idea until MMA told you. So lose the holier than thou atitude will ya.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by pete592 (November 10, 2009 4:00 pm ET)
          3 1
          And you have absolutely no proof of Midnight's lack of prior knowledge.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by justjoe628 (November 10, 2009 5:09 pm ET)
            1 3
            Just as he has absolutely no proof of what the average FOX viewer does or doesn't know. Did you give him a thumb down or thumb up?
            Report Abuse
            • Author by bintx (November 10, 2009 5:22 pm ET)
              1 1
              The average Fox viewers who I know personally don't know very much and the ones who post on this site are usually pretty uninformed.

              Anyone who relies primarily on cable opinion networks for their "news" is not very well informed.
              Report Abuse
            • Author by pete592 (November 10, 2009 6:14 pm ET)
              1 1
              The average Fox viewer knows what they see and hear on Fox. Not that tough to figure out.
              Report Abuse
        • Author by bintx (November 10, 2009 5:20 pm ET)
          1 1
          It was in ALL the papers back in April. I bet even Sarah Palin knew about it since she reads ALL of 'em.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by DellDolly (November 10, 2009 5:31 pm ET)
          1 1
          "The average Fox follower doesn't know this and never will. They don't independently research the information Back gives them.

          What part of that did you not understand? Because it says that they won't learn that Beck's information isn't always correct because they don't do independent research.

          And yeah, I knew about this before MMFA posted about it, because I read the news. So, I heard about it when she got the interim post back in April. I heard that she was a temp when the comments she made created a lot of heat last month, and I read about it in my morning check of the news headlines today.

          We are "holier than" most viewers of FoxNews when it comes to being well-informed and patriotic Americans. You don't like that? Too bad, so sad.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by justjoe628 (November 11, 2009 1:08 am ET)
               
            I'm so proud of you. You actually were able to make a comment without calling me a name.

            I understand his comment very well. He made blanket statement for which HE has no evidence to back up. I do however believe that you probably did know that Dunn was, for lask of a better word, a temp. I'm not sure that he did thought. Great of you to jump in to defend him.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by Übermensch (November 10, 2009 4:05 pm ET)
           
        Nailed it

        from Fox Nation

        [http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/Ubermensch-MM/FoxNation-Dunn.png]
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Publius39 (November 10, 2009 1:52 pm ET)
         
      I'm not trying to go overboard, but doesn't Beck and Hannity with their crusade to take down the administration with slander, libel, and lies border on sedition? I understand disagreeing with an administration on a basis of policy, but to sling the lies that they have with little regard for integrity has to constitute something illegal. I'm fed up with all these attacks on this administration that are born out of "black helicopter" conspiracy rhetoric.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by salblomo (November 10, 2009 2:07 pm ET)
         
      She attacked Fox News, their ratings went up, she's out of the job. Life goes on.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by gs-425 (November 10, 2009 3:46 pm ET)
      1 4
      Memo to MMfA...Beck is in the hospital having his appendix removed. He hasn't claimed any sort of victory that you're eluding to.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by pete592 (November 10, 2009 3:58 pm ET)
        3 1
        I think they got the memo already...

        But before Beck declares victory in purging the White House of a "radical" "revolutionary," he should probably be aware that Dunn's position as the White House communications director was always meant to be temporary.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by pete592 (November 10, 2009 4:03 pm ET)
        2 1
        Furthermore...

        If he indeed does not claim any sort of victory, what do you think his reasoning would be for not claiming it?
        Report Abuse
      • Author by bintx (November 10, 2009 5:22 pm ET)
        1  
        He will and his followers will believe him.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by bilbo_dies (November 10, 2009 5:04 pm ET)
      1 1
      In smearing Dunn, Beck overlooked that numerous conservatives -- including Barry Goldwater's "alter ego" Stephen C. Shadegg, Newt Gingrich, and GOP strategist Ralph Reed -- have approvingly cited the tactics of Mao, Vladimir Lenin, and the Viet Cong, stated that they had used those tactics in their political work or have otherwise highlighted their philosophies.

      I don't know if anyone cares that our politicians use tactics from guerilla warfare to advanve their political agenda.(?)

      Is this good, bad, who cares?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by DellDolly (November 10, 2009 5:35 pm ET)
           
        Heck, the other day, one of the righty regulars here praised the terrorist Sitting Bull's comments about how he ambushed Custer and his men.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by MMAbias (November 11, 2009 1:04 pm ET)
         
      You guys are funny. Who's really believing everything they hear? Fox's very wide and diverse audience or you? Think before you comment... If the plan, really, was for her to be in the post in the short term until they could "find" the candidate they really wanted, why would she be replaced with her Deputy, a guy that was around the whole time? It took them seven months to figure out that the Deputy was the ideal candidate (or 10 months, assuming the Deputy was the Deputy before Ms. Dunn's appointment)? Why not just appoint the Deputy from the start?Nobody has said the resignation was a result of the storm Ms. Dunn created or Beck's commentary. I certainly don't know; and there is at least a little evidence that would support the conclusions you draw. But, there might be another explanation, more in-line with the view that there was too much heat in the kitchen for Ms. Dunn. In any event, the one-size-fits-all assumptions you people make about millions of Fox viewers in order to feel and appear morally and intellectually superior to them are rather ironic.
      Report Abuse

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