Tuckered Out

If only the stench he exuded could be so easily expunged

By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ

Tucker Carlson's downfall was sudden. It was unceremonious. And it was humiliating. 

Reporting suggests the bow-tied bomb thrower didn’t see it coming. One day he’s using the power of his perch to unleash vicious attacks on truth, justice, and the foundations of American government. The next day, his demise is splashed across every major news outlet in the country. 

After years of making millions of dollars for Fox “News” and being paid millions in return, Carlson was thrown out like a half-used carton of rancid milk. If only the stench he exuded could be so easily expunged. 

By any reasonable analysis, Carlson was a particularly noxious figure. That he no longer has a prime-time slot to spew his venom is cause for gratitude. But we should be under no illusions that it means the rot of Fox and right-wing media in general is destined to improve. 

Fox exists to make money by following a ruthlessly cynical but efficient business plan: Create a loyal viewership through demonization, divisiveness, and dissembling. Conspiracy theories, exaggeration, scapegoating, and often outright lies are its currency. The financial rewards have been monumental. It is a model that has proven to be much bigger than any single host. 

Remember Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly? They once ruled the roost at Fox until their time on the jukebox ran out. They now lob their bombast from the fringes. But Fox grinds forward with unrelenting precision. Sadly, it turns out that loudmouth demagogues are a dime a dozen. A new one will likely rise to replace Carlson just as he once replaced those who faltered before him. 

The exact reasons for Carlson’s termination remain murky. Our personal suspicion is that there is a lot more to this story than is now publicly known. But there is already reporting that the axing of Carlson had something to do with the embarrassing revelations from the Dominion defamation suit. And that makes sense, as far as it goes. Emails and text messages revealed what has long been clear to anyone who saw Carlson’s antics with even a modicum of detachment: He is a pompous performer who cares only about his pecuniary self-interest. 

If his riches came at the expense of America, the rule of law, truth and fairness, well, that was just the price of doing business; he embraced it without a hint of shame. Like many of his Fox colleagues, he reveled in wreaking damage. In Tucker’s case, the perverse glee seemed particularly acute and close to the essence of his being. As it is with most bullies, it was easy for Carlson to act tough when his audience consisted only of true believers. And the Dominion documents show that while he pandered publicly to his viewers about Trump and the Big Lie, he knew the truth. He just didn’t care. Cynical and hypocritical to the core.

Carlson is and always has been a reckless political flamethrower. But those instincts grew only worse in recent years, as he basked in the sneering rhetoric of Donald Trump. As long as Carlson’s destructive antagonism was directed at “owning the libs” and parroting Putin talking points, that was just fine with the owners of Fox. Even his frequent flirting with outright white nationalism didn’t result in censure. 

It became too much for his network overlords only when the Tucker flames started spreading too close to home. Rupert Murdoch’s message is clear: Go ahead, burn down American democracy. Just don’t come for my bottom line. 

In this way, Carlson came to perfectly exemplify the hallmarks of the modern right-wing movement — no truth, no guardrails to protect against the worst abuses, and certainly no loyalty. Sound familiar?

Like Trump, Carlson now will undoubtedly wallow in manufactured victimhood. He will be desperate for what Trump has already achieved: a comeback among his rabid followers. We will see if he can find another platform of any meaningful size to continue to purvey his poison. 

There are a few strategic-minded Republicans who must be pulling their hair out at what they are seeing. They know that political infighting could erode the chances of a Republican winning the White House in 2024. Carlson’s dismissal and the looming specter of Trump marching to the nomination portend a period of unsettlement that could turn off swing voters. At the same time, a majority of Republican voters couldn’t care less.

The ultimate manifestation of political movements allergic to logic, expertise, and verifiable data is that its adherents don't believe anything other than what their dear leaders say. Trump weaponized personal adulation to dominate the Republican Party. Carlson used his show to bask in and foment the Trumpification of American politics. 

For a while, both men seemed to be winning. Then one lost in 2020 and the other in 2023. They aren’t going away. Many struggles remain ahead for the soul of our nation, many structural, historical, and cultural chasms to cross. But this week a force that pulled us away from progress lost his megaphone. Hopefully history will show that we are well beyond the high-water mark of his power. Hopefully the floodwaters of hate that he released are receding. 

Hopefully.

We shall see.

At the very least, it's a victory to observe some measure of accountability.

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