Would Vladimir Putin ever assassinate me using polonium? Yes, almost certainly. But he would never try to cancel me and I respect that https://t.co/J6HQR1I4Mk
— christoph (@Halalcoholism) February 23, 2022
I missed the “Does he eat dogs?” racist comment aimed at Asians.
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) February 23, 2022
By cutting out the stuff about Putin not calling him racist or cancelling him for speech– and also, the stuff about “causing a pandemic” and eating dogs (!), they made TC sound like he’s purely concerned with blue collar workers, a populist v war-monger elites. Stop doing his PR!
— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) February 24, 2022
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?
The irony of Tucker Carlson criticizing someone else as offering not an argument but “a lecture … delivered at high volume with signature freshman year self-righteousness.” https://t.co/o3tvWlXYRH
— Philip Bump (@pbump) February 24, 2022
Tucker and his apologists will deny this, but he said it himself. https://t.co/WZWEBdcd9q
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) February 24, 2022
Russia has absolutely tried to exploit our divisions for their own benefit with varying degrees of success, but the worst our political system has to offer is all home grown.
— Jort-Michel Connard ?? (@torriangray) February 23, 2022
An absolutely consistent series of statements saying he sides with Russia over Ukraine. That one time he claimed at the end of the show that he had been joking? It was a lie. He has said it over and over. Great work exposing it. https://t.co/6Sc8ggtJJy
— Patterico (@Patterico) February 25, 2022
Imagine the paroxysmal onset of self-doubt that must have struck Tucker Carlson when he realized that Victor Orban is condemning Russias invasion of Ukraine and standing with NATO. https://t.co/G2t9Oj8s5e
— David B. Larter (@DavidLarter) February 24, 2022
— Merlin’s Friend (@Conner1Brenda) February 25, 2022
I guess the only part I was wrong about was assuming “or” when I should’ve gone with “and.” This is his crew now.
— Centrism Fan Acct ? (@Wilson__Valdez) February 25, 2022
Opinion by Erik Wemple: How did Tucker Carlson turn into a Putin apologist?
— Mike Walker (@New_Narrative) February 25, 2022
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.
NEW: Historians called Trump’s remarks praising Putin unprecedented.
Tucker Carlson has echoed Kremlin talking points so closely that his sound bites, translated into Russian, have become a staple of Putin-controlled Russian state television. https://t.co/UCa1ceuWqr— Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) February 25, 2022
Read for free, no paywall, here: https://t.co/jglbT8EmfY
— Margaret Sullivan ? (@Sulliview) February 24, 2022
… 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.
War For Ukraine: Update 2
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.
germy
January 1942. Kerch Peninsula, Ukraine. “Parents find the body of their murdered son in Kerch. Photograph shows mother with arms outstretched, leaning back against husband while dead bodies lie at their feet.”
debbie
What’s with that impeachment poll in the chyron?
Benw
Yeah fuck this fucker
Miss Bianca
@debbie: I’m guessing it’s from the previous Ukraine Affair, the one involving Donald Trump’s impeachment.
RaflW
Has anyone checked on Rod Dreher since his BFF Orban turned on Putin?
Better yet, don’t bother. Shouldn’t give him clicks.
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.
RaflW
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.
debbie
@Miss Bianca:
Thanks. I know a few RWNJs are tweeting about impeaching Biden after the midterms.
Ken
I bet Tucker’s eaten more human spit than he imagines. He strikes me as someone who would piss off the restaurant staff.
Yarrow
@RaflW: This sort of thing isn’t going to help keep average Russian citizens on Putin’s side either.
SiubhanDuinne
Anne Laurie, you are priceless. Every mention of Tucker Carlson from here on out should begin with these three words.
Alison Rose
I can’t believe someone willingly has sex with this man.
Yarrow
@Alison Rose: “Willingly” assumes facts not in evidence.
Salty Sam
Damn AL, you’re workin’ Betty Cracker’s side of the street now?
trollhattan
@Ken: Surely, although perhaps it’s not spit.
SiubhanDuinne
@debbie:
The clip is from November 2019.
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.)
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.
delk
So Tucker, do you prefer racist traitor or traitorous racist?
NotMax
Even Tucker Carlson’s Lawyers Don’t Think He Should Be Taken Seriously
Fox’s Tucks* is neither cool nor soothing.
*ref.
Starboard Tack
@Yarrow: Someone shouldn’t have made that bet.
debbie
@NotMax:
How well did that work out for Alex, Tuck?
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.
Roger Moore
@RaflW:
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.
Jim Appleton
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.
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.
Starboard Tack
@Roger Moore: i think Fox makes most of their money from fees they charge cable companies.
Citizen Alan
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.
RaflW
@Yarrow: “has sex” assumes facts also not in evidence.
Might be why he’s such a dour and deeply unpleasant taintcrust.
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.
Eolirin
@Starboard Tack: It’ll be interesting to see how they navigate the slow death of cable in favor of streaming services.
Viva BrisVegas
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.
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!
Starboard Tack
@Eolirin: And the dying off of their viewers.
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.
btom89
Reminder to everyone: Rupert Murdoch is 90 years old.
different-church-lady
WaPo headline:
“Hey, she’s black! Let’s just be racist as ever!”
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?
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.
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.