Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Republicans don’t trust women.

No Justins, No Peace

Not all heroes wear capes.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

This blog will pay for itself.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Death Cultists Open Thread: Tucker Carlson Needs to Go Away

Death Cultists Open Thread: Tucker Carlson Needs to Go Away

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There’s not much we can do about Fox News, at least until the old man finally croaks and his kids decide it’s too much of a social liability, but can we at least get this yapping taintcrust off our American air?


Back when Tucker Carlson practiced his punditry on MSNBC in the 2000s, he held Russia in low esteem…

These days, Carlson is providing comfort to the Russian president in what the host on Tuesday night termed a “border dispute” with Ukraine. Addressing the Biden administration’s determination to oppose Russian aggression, Carlson said, “You’re going to win an important moral victory against dastardly old Vladimir Putin, who is much, much worse than Justin Trudeau, just so you know.”

“So you can feel good about that, because — because,” snarked the host. “Let’s see, come to think of it, why would you feel good about that?”…

… Putin hasn’t changed; Carlson has. A convincing explanation for his embrace of Putin — as well as of Hungary’s strongman, Viktor Orbán — comes from the Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum: “The aggrieved Americans who now find their way to Orbán or Vladimir Putin also dislike their own country, albeit for different reasons. They cannot abide its racial diversity, its modern culture, its free press.”…

Tucker Carlson has morphed into an unreasonable nihilist who boosts white nationalism, autocracy and whatever other lunacies are left in the Fox News cupboard. That formula has made his program the No. 1 show on cable news; it’ll mark its sixth baleful year on air this fall. Don’t expect Putin to stay the bad guy that long.

… Carlson’s pro-Putin act is so helpful that Russian state television has been rebroadcasting it with Russian subtitles. Carlson “urged Americans to turn against their government on the grounds that higher costs for them, in exchange for a pointless stand against Putin, is a ‘terrible deal for you,’” as Will Saletan summed it up in a Bulwark story comparing him to Charles Coughlin, the WWII-era radio host who defended the Nazis and painted Jews as a conniving force pushing the United States into the European conflict.

Carlson is dangerous because he has a cultlike following who believe his nightly rants. I would love to see the Murdochs put decency above dollars and remove him from the airwaves.

But it’s important to remember what Carlson is: nothing more than an outrage machine. What he offers is not political commentary. It’s Fox-approved nonsense meant to juice ratings — and it works…

Given the First Amendment, Carlson has the right to say what he wants on his opinion show. Judge Vyskocil made that clear in her opinion, using Fox’s own rationale. This is entertainment — of a particularly ugly and dark variety — but it’s not news and shouldn’t be mistaken for it.

Nevertheless, whether he’s talking trash about Anthony S. Fauci, Democrats, the reality-based press, or educators who want to teach history to children, Carlson does harm. The only defense against it is informed knowledge of exactly what he’s up to.

The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.

And they should remember what he isn’t obligated to deal in: the truth.

Reader Interactions

41Comments

  1. 1.

    RaflW

    How the heck does Fox have any advertisers who aren’t the CrapPillow Guy and some junk nutritional supplements? Late stage capitalism is so damn gross.

    eta: “yapping taintcrust” is the single best use of mild swearing I’ve seen in many a day now. Well done, Anne.

  6. 6.

    RaflW

    Has anyone checked on Rod Dreher since his BFF Orban turned on Putin?
    Better yet, don’t bother. Shouldn’t give him clicks.

  7. 7.

    Mart

    “I missed the “Does he eat dogs?” racist comment aimed at Asians.”‘

    Actually a right wing swipe at Obama who mentioned in his book he tried dog meat as a child in Jakarta. Fuckers never stop with the nasty.

  8. 8.

    RaflW

    Russian state television has been rebroadcasting it with Russian subtitles. Carlson “urged Americans to turn against their government on the grounds that higher costs for them, in exchange for a pointless stand against Putin, is a ‘terrible deal for you,’”

    The darkly hilarious part is that of course Putin is freaked out about Russian citizens that are already turning against their government on the grounds that higher costs (in young conscript’s lives lives, and soon, rubles) in exchange for a pointless soon-to-be quagmire in Ukraine is an awful, raw deal and they know it already.

    Putin is reportedly already trying to shut down Facebook, a widely used platform in Russia. I was surprised to learn that unlike China, the internet hasn’t been much controlled in Russia. Shutting it down now is going to be really obvious to Putin’s subjects.

  10. 10.

    Ken

    I bet Tucker’s eaten more human spit than he imagines. He strikes me as someone who would piss off the restaurant staff.

  11. 11.

    Yarrow

    @RaflW: This sort of thing isn’t going to help keep average Russian citizens on Putin’s side either.

    There were significant queues to cash machines and counters at Sberbank outlets across Moscow yesterday. It became next to impossible to withdraw foreign currency towards the evening. Russia’s largest bank clearly in trouble as a result of sanctions.— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) February 26, 2022

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    this yapping taintcrust

    Anne Laurie, you are priceless. Every mention of Tucker Carlson from here on out should begin with these three words.

  15. 15.

    Salty Sam

    but can we at least get this yapping taintcrust off our American air?

    Damn AL, you’re  workin’ Betty Cracker’s side of the street now?

  18. 18.

    Miss Bianca

    @SiubhanDuinne: I agree!

    (I have had one friend appear on his show, during the Trump Times when baby-snatching was happening at the border. How she held her patience with him I will never know. All I know is, the only way I would ever appear on his show is to be able to say, “Tucker, you yapping taintcrust” to his face.)

  19. 19.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Alison Rose: You may recall Tuckers outrage with the song “W.A.P.” and how his wife assured him that was not normal at all.

    So…..take from that what you will.

  24. 24.

    pajaro

    On Joy Reid tonight, Joy spoke with a member of Parliament, who has decided to stay in Kyiv, even though she thinks members of Parliament might be on the Russian kill list.    The MP  picked up a Kalashnikov, for the first time, about three days ago.  She said she was practicing, since she might need to use it tonight.  Joy asked her what she thought about Zelinsky, and she said that he had really stepped up, which was high praise for her, since, as a member of the opposition, she had criticized him severely in the past.  Joy was speechless for a couple of seconds, because, let’s face it, that kind of patriotism is unthinkable here right now.

  25. 25.

    Roger Moore

    @RaflW: ​
     

    How the heck does Fox have any advertisers who aren’t the CrapPillow Guy and some junk nutritional supplements?

    Because they have something advertisers drool over: an audience of credulous nitwits who will accept literally any nonsense that comes from their TV. I’m convinced this is the real reason right wing media is so powerful. They have an audience that any advertiser dreams of.

  26. 26.

    Jim Appleton

    The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.

    And they should remember what he isn’t obligated to deal in: the truth.

    This is true.

    But how does it happen?

    How do those “should”s become “lo, it came to pass that lappers of yapping taintcrust rejected him”?

    If Putin loses in Ukraine or, better, loses to internal factors, I can see a large part of his audience confused at least.

    At this point that’s a big if.  The positive developments Adam cites are encouraging.  But it’s too soon to draw comfort.  Just as likely that Putin reacts poorly if cornered or indifferent.

    It would also be helpful if TV Dinner Heir gets fair coverage.  Though his core audience won’t notice, cautious advertisers, publishers, guests, maybe even the media elites who secretly adore him will think twice.

  27. 27.

    MomSense

    I still say that the best description of Tucker Carlson is that he “looks like a dog who has seen a vagina for the first time”. He can say whatever he likes because that is how I see him now.

  29. 29.

    Citizen Alan

    The millions who tune in to Carlson every night to get their outrage on should remember what their favorite host traffics in: bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation.

    Point 1: 90 percent of the people who tune in to Carlson every night would be unable to spell all the words in that sentence.

    Point 2: 99.9 percent of the people who tune in to Carlson every night do so expressly for bloviation, demagoguery and unrighteous indignation because without those things they would wither away to nothing and blow away in a stiff breeze.

    I’m really, really tired of people who want me to feel sorry for those poor deceived wretches who watch Fox News all day, as if they weren’t doing so BECAUSE they actively seek out lies that comport with their bigotries.

  31. 31.

    Alison Rose

    @Yarrow: Nah, I’m 100% convinced his wife is just as much of a shithead as he is. But even so, jeez lady, really? She must get tired of having to wait till he conks out so she can get herself off.

  33. 33.

    Viva BrisVegas

    There’s not much we can do about Fox News, at least until the old man finally croaks and his kids decide it’s too much of a social liability

    Lachlan Murdoch who will be the one in charge, is all in on the crazy. The sane son, James, was pushed out last year.

    Also, Rupert’s mother lived to be 103, just saying.

  34. 34.

    geg6

    Can we Santorum him with taintcrust? We can do it! I know we can. Let’s make that the first thing the Google spits out. He’d go insane. It’ll be fun!

  36. 36.

    geg6

    @pajaro:

    I think Zelensky has been simply amazing.  I am surprised and humbled by his courage and leadership.  The whole of Ukrainian leadership has been a real inspiration.

  39. 39.

    different-church-lady

    Said it before, I’ll say it again: why am I not surprised Tulsi was the second option for so so many of the Bernie Folk?

  40. 40.

    Anomalous Cowherd

    Yeah, Putin never called Tucker Carlson a terrorist. Vlad refers to people like him as “полезный идиот” aka “useful idiot.” Tick tock, Brother Tucker, karma’s a bitch.

  41. 41.

    Sloegin

    $2 from your monthly cable bill goes directly to FOX whether you watch it or not.  That’s how they keep this degenerate on the air.  Unfortunately, the only way to currently combat this is to be a cord cutter.

    It’s what I’ve done, but I know it’s not for everyone.  What should be for everyone is contacting the cable companies and demanding they offer a no-FOX option.

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