On his "Fox News" show Monday night, well-known white supremacist Tucker Carlson said --
“Why do I care what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I'm serious. Why shouldn't I root for Russia? Which by the way I am.” You can watch the video here. I don't intend to embed it. How bad was this comment? (And yes, I know pretty much every rational person knows it's really bad, but this is how worse it is.) It was SO awful that even Tucker Carlson himself know it was disastrous and later in the same 60-minute show retracted it!!! “Before we go," he said, "earlier in the show I noted I was rooting for Russia in the contest between Russia and Ukraine,” Carlson told his "Fox News" viewers, after outrage had broken out on social media. “Of course, I’m joking. I’m only rooting for America—mocking the obsession many on the left have. Ha!” Imagine how much "social media outrage" there'd have to be for Carlson to not only backtrack his words -- remember this is a man who recently said that he thought white supremacy wasn't a real thing and didn't backtrack that!! -- but to backtrack them during the same show!! Keep in mind, too, that in his backtrack he claimed he was just joking -- yet in his original words, he said, and I quote, "I'm serious." Moreover, he shows how actually serious he is by first-saying that he doesn't care at all about Russia and Ukraine, yet then contradicts himself seconds later to make clear he really truly does care and hopes Russia, our enemy WHO CYBERATTACKED US wins. And why on earth would he "root only" for America and not for our allies?? Especially those who are actively fighting in a war against our enemies that we -- America -- are supporting and just gave $391 million in military aid to? Why isn't he hoping that they, our ally, would win which only helps keep us safe?? Moreover, I'm still trying to figure out what the "joke" is he's making. Among other things, I write jokes for a living, and I can't even begin to divine it. He says it's "mocking" the obsession that the left has, but leaves out what that obsession is Doe he mean Trump's phone call extorting the Ukraine president that is getting him impeached? Even if that is something he wants to "mock," saying he hopes our enemy Russia beats our ally isn't mocking that in the slightest. So, this magical "joke" is...what??? (By the way, this "Making a sick statement in support of Russia" and then retracting it when there is a massive public outcry is wearing thing. First, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) does so, insisting that, ooops, no I didn't really mean Russia didn't try to hack the U.S. election, even though I said it, I, er...misheard the question. And now here's Tucker Carlson the next day, oops, I didn't mean I seriously hoped Russia won, even though I said it, but I was just...er, um, joking.) Again, to be clear, Tucker Carlson does not have a record of apologizing or correcting his most outrageous statements, including those on white supremacy. In fact, he tends to double-down on them. For him to walk back these comments -- and to do so only minutes later within the very same show -- demonstrates how profoundly wrong and bad they were, not just a mere joke. (Again, he has no record of backtracking on "jokes.") And how likely-terrified he was when his producer came running in, hair on fire, shouting, "We have a really major problem" -- seeing the list of sponsors that has dwindled from his previous comments drop down to almost nothingless, putting the existence of his show at risk. Make no mistake, this wasn't a "walk back," this was a desperate flare he was shooting in the air for help to be saved. In all honesty,despite all the public outcry, I don't think people should boycott Tucker Carlson – and further, I don’t think people should stop buying products from the few remaining sponsors of his show. However, I don't know why in the world a company would want to be associated with a TV host who supports America's enemy that literally CYBERATTACKED US. And who wants our ally to lose in a war where 14,000 of it’s citizens have died, killed by that same enemy of America?? This is the mindset that Republicans in Congress are willing to follow off the egg of the cliff.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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