Friday, November 11, 2022

Some relevant tweets about the Trump problem





Update:   Erik Wemple at Washington Post provides the usual caution that some seem to be forgetting:  Murdoch press has attacked Trump before, but Fox News continues the tongue bath:

All these examples yield an important lesson about the federalism that prevails in the Murdoch media empire. It’s apparently just fine that the mogul’s print publications adopt one stance toward Trump while opinion hosts at his most influential outlet, Fox News, promote an entirely different one. For while the newspapers have attacked Trump, Hannity has given the former president airtime in softball interview after softball interview. He also played a central role in boosting Trump’s midterm agenda, presiding over puffy events and interviews with multiple Republican candidates.

Now, in the midst of all the Murdoch murmuring, Semafor reporters Shelby Talcott and David Weigel report that the Hannity-Trump alliance might be foundering. Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz lost his Pennsylvania campaign against Democrat John Fetterman despite Hannity’s strong and persistent advocacy for Oz. Trump emerged from election night “upset” with Hannity, according to Talcott and Weigel.

Let’s put that in context: Prime-time anchors at Fox News have extraordinary autonomy to say and do what they want. Hannity has used that latitude to boost Trump rhetorically as well as crossing over into political activism on his behalf. This behavior has persisted ever since Trump has been at the center of national politics.

On Wednesday night, in his first show since the Republicans’ disappointing midterm showing, Hannity steered away from discussing the former president, focusing instead on the Republican candidates who won and the pitfalls of those who “overpromise” and “under-deliver.” After seven years of praising Trump, Hannity is unlikely to shift gears just because others in the Murdoch empire have written some critical editorials. If Trump’s fortunes keep sliding, the host might one day embrace alternatives.

One day.

And make no mistake: A Hannity breakup with Trump — which might just entail a revolt among Hannity’s core viewers — would be the greatest spectacle in cable-news history.

Yes:  unless Hannity and (more importantly, I think) Tucker Carlson stop supporting Trump, there is no hope of a "civil" transfer of leadership power to DeSantis, or anyone.   

 

2 comments:

  1. They created Frankenstein and now they cannot control it.

    They dump Trump and lose viewers. fox never had great cred amongst the punters.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was obvious after the 2020 election loss that Trump was done. His supporters keep clinging to the rotting corpse. At least now his narcissism is so obvious even former supporters acknowledge it.

    ReplyDelete