How Fox News destroyed the Republican Party

Sierra

Sierra

Verified User
This sums it up nicely.

Until the advent of Fox News, the GOP was center-right. Now, it’s Tea Party hard right and it’s going ever further towards the brink, despite what the establishment has done in their attempts to stop it. Fox News and their hardcore viewers forced Mitt Romney so far to the right in the primaries that he could never adjust back to the center in time to win the election. I believe that all along, they knew Mitt was in serious trouble and could not admit to it because it would hurt ratings and the imminent victory narrative they were feeding viewers. They could not concede that Romney’s campaign was in serious danger and get voters to the polls because it would contradict the story of Republican inevitability they had been telling for over a year.

The core GOP establishment overall isn’t necessarily all rabidly racist, xenophobic or intent on shrinking government to where it can be drowned in a bathtub. Just like Fox, they’re interested in money and power. That’s their only real common ground and ironically, common kryptonite. The combination of for profit media and politics has always been a toxic marriage. Going forward, if the GOP continues to rely on Fox and other right-wing outlets to be their media mouthpieces, they are doomed to political irrelevance sooner than later.

Fox cannot continue to make ratings by talking about bipartisanship and finding reasonable solutions to the problems we face as a nation. It cannot promote anything that contributes to the long term viability of the GOP because it is so concentrated on ratings and advertising money now. It is not in the interests of Roger Ailes to attract minority viewers or a serious chunk of the younger generations, which are the only hope for the future of the GOP, because it would alienate the Tea Party faithful that make up the majority of their audience.

The GOP absolutely cannot survive as a party by relying on Fox News viewers because that demographic is dying off. At the same time, they find themselves in a short-term Catch-22 situation by not continuing to pander to the faithful early evening viewers who believe Obama is the Anti-Christ Muslim Fascist Communist sent by Satan himself, because if that voting bloc does not show up, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. They sold their party’s soul to the Dixiecrats and the religious right and it’ll be a long, hard road out of hell to make the trip back to relevance.
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Sierra said:
This sums it up nicely.
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Agreed. Right wing media has gone a long way towards alienating centrist/moderate voters. When I first became a Republican they were the party of smart government and smart business but even at that time, as the author pointed out, they were in the process of selling their soul to the Dixiecrats and religious right.

The GOP is far from dead and as long as disproportionate political representation is given to property owners they are far from being irrelevent. Conversely they have a long ways to go before they can position themselves to build a governing coalition that can win at the national level.
 
Topspin said:
I luv fox
Democrats are so weak, I cheer the dumbing down of the already trailer trash.
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You are right. Democrats lack of moral courage in pointing out that the King is naked in fear of losing the "angry white guy" vote is the only thing stopping them from stomping all over the GOP.

As far as Fox News goes. I agree with you....if a person doesn't have the wit the recognize propaganda from news (and the same applies to MSNBC) then they're on of the dumbed down trailer trash you're talking about. In the short term that's good for you and me as that means less competition for us but in the long term that's hardly good for the country.

Oh well......what was it H.L. Menken said? "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
 
Sierra said:
This sums it up nicely.
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Sad, but true. Romney remains one of my favorite public servants; watching as he was forced to shift to the far-right to win the nomination -- and then have his ass handed to him in the election -- was almost unbearable. The Faux News/Tea Party/Religious Reich thugs did the same thing to McCain in '08. Until they are stopped, they will continue to destroy the party until its only reliable bloc is 65+, white, bigoted men.
 
Imagine how things would be if McCain had secured the nomination in 2000. I wonder what a study of Republican voters would show if they were asked a question along this line.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
You are right. Democrats lack of moral courage in pointing out that the King is naked in fear of losing the "angry white guy" vote is the only thing stopping them from stomping all over the GOP.

As far as Fox News goes. I agree with you....if a person doesn't have the wit the recognize propaganda from news (and the same applies to MSNBC) then they're on of the dumbed down trailer trash you're talking about. In the short term that's good for you and me as that means less competition for us but in the long term that's hardly good for the country.

Oh well......what was it H.L. Menken said? "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
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You got all that from what he said!!
 
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