Via court document filed by Dominion Voter Systems we have now learned that Tucker explicitly stated within private text message his deep hatred for Trump…
… In his private messages, Mr. Carlson, who generally provides strong support of Republicans on the air, repeatedly showed contempt for Mr. Trump and some of his closest aides….
To give you a flavour, here are some direct quotes cited by Katie Robertson’s NYT deep dive into this …
On Trump’s Business History
As votes were being counted in the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Carlson texted with his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, fretting about viewers turning away from Fox News after the network called Arizona for President Biden.
Alex Pfeiffer:Trump has a pretty low rate at success in his business ventures.
Tucker Carlson:That’s for sure. All of them fail. What he’s good at is destroying things. He’s the undisputed world champion of that.
On His Interactions With Trump’s Team Over Sidney Powell, a Trump Lawyer
Mr. Carlson texts with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham about Sidney Powell, a lawyer for Mr. Trump and one of the biggest promoters of the unfounded election fraud claims.
Carlson:I had to try to make the WH disavow her, which they obviously should have done long before.
Laura Ingraham:No serious lawyer could believe what they were saying.
Carlson:But they said nothing in public. Pretty disgusting. And now Trump, I learned this morning, is sitting back and letting them lose the senate. He doesn’t care. I care.
On His Desire to Move On From Trump
Mr. Carlson texts with members of his staff, two months after the 2020 election and two days before the insurrection at the Capitol building, about looking forward to not having to cover Mr. Trump.
Carlson:We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait.
Carlson:I hate him passionately.
On the Aftermath of the Capitol Riots
After the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Mr. Carlson texts with Mr. Pfeiffer about Mr. Trump’s culpability in the insurrection and how to deal with viewers who still support him. It was two weeks before the inauguration of President Biden.
Carlson: Trump has two weeks left. Once he’s out, he becomes incalculably less powerful, even in the minds of his supporters.
Carlson: He’s a demonic force, a destroyer. But he’s not going to destroy us. I’ve been thinking about this every day for four years.
Pfeiffer: You’re right. I don’t want to let him destroy me either. [REDACTED]. The Trump anger spiral is vicious.
Carlson:That’s for sure. Deadly. It almost consumed me in November when Sidney Powell attacked us. It was very difficult to regain emotional control, but I knew I had to. We’ve got two weeks left. We can do this.
To the folks on Twitter who claimed that all this, along with many more examples, have been faked, well sorry, but I have bad news for you. These are from official court documents that contain the internal communications that Fox News has been legally obliged to provide. The source here is Fox News themselves.
That oder you can detect is the sacrificial burnt offering of truth and integrity that Fox News has made to the God of ratings. If you have ever thought that Fox News was a credible source for anything, then know now that you have been successfully played as a useful idiot.
It confirms what we all know, Fox don’t do News.
It also gives us a fascinating insight. Fox does not set the agenda, but instead they simply follow the batty beliefs of their viewers and pander to that for ratings.
Personally I have my fingers crossed for the five week case that will officially commence on April 17, 2023.
Moving on, below you will once again find my usual selection of some truly bizarre and extreme claims that have popped up during the last 7 days. Each is laced with my snarky commentary. With my usual hat tip to my various sources, let’s dive in.
Enjoy.
Christian Nationalism
Lance Wallnau asserts that “transgenderism” is “a psychological disorder that has demons that get attached to it”: “Satan has taken ’em over with crazy talk about them being in the wrong bodies.”
- For Lance the dark ages was not some historical long ago period. Instead it is an inspirational goal.
- Whenever Lance is faced with anybody or anything that is not an exact clone of himself, he has just one “explanation” … demons.
- Lance, as usual is dispensing hatred and whipping up a mob to go burn “them” … just like Jesus would … right?
- He also claims “20% of Gen Z identify as Transgender“. That’s literally what we call an “alternative fact“.
Lauren Witzke doubles down on her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin: “My God is the same God that Putin has, and people that oppose him are opposing the same God, like serving Satan.”
- (Raises hand) I volunteer to help her pack, and I’ll also give her a ride to the airport so that she can go and be with her beloved Putin in his (*check notes) “Godly” nation. I’m sure she will be only too delighted to flee this Satanic hellhole we have here to be in Putin’s paradise.
North Carolina’s Christian nationalist Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says that while he’s probably going to run for governor next year, he doesn’t “want” to be governor but will do so for the good of the nation, just like those who served at D-Day.
- Well of course, sitting at a desk guzzling pizza all day while filling out dull paperwork is just the same as storming Utah Beach on D-Day. Absolutely no difference at all.
- Here is an idea, if he doesn’t ‘want’ to be governor, then don’t run for governor. It’s quite simple. Just don’t do it … for the good of the nation.
Christian nationalist Jason Rapert reports that he is currently “meeting with legislators” in Florida and is “prayerful” that they will pass legislation outlawing abortion from the moment of conception: “When you do that, you will be doing exactly what the Bible instructs us to do.”
- If Florida is going to do absolutely everything the Bible instructs, then this could become a rather fascinating reality show. Interestingly enough, banning abortion is not in the bible at all.
- Do you think he is perhaps not aware that the bible contains explicit instructions on how to correctly conduct an abortion?
OK, so let’s finish off this subsection with a glorious tweet from Nick Fish …
Guns
Rep Nancy Mace (R): “Last week a member of the state legislature in South Carolina filed a piece of legislation that would execute women who have abortions. To see this debate go to the dark places, the dark edges where it has gone on both sides of the aisle has been deeply disturbing.“
- One side wants to “execute women,” and the other side wants them alive. There is no “both sides” going to dark places here, just one side is.
Whacky Conspiracy Claims
Lauren Witzke, yes she gets a second entry this week, claims to have fallen deathly ill after being around someone who had received the COVID-19 vaccine, asserting that they had “shed” the “bioweapon” onto her: “I’m not crazy.”
- Proceeds to describe all the COVID symptoms then claims, “I didn’t catch COVID” – yet not all that long ago she was telling people that she did get COVID.
- Quote: “I’m not crazy.” … Yes yes, we all believe you (backs away slowly).
- Quote: “I’m not as sharp as I used to be” … er … not too sure that any of us can see a “before” and “after” difference. The previously “sharp” Ms Witzke was a strong QAnon advocate. Oh, and let’s not forget that the “sharper” before version also claimed that the earth was flat.
- I must admit, it is really cool that being vaccinated now appears to bring me the distinct advantage of not only repelling COVID, but also repelling Lauren Witzke.
Fascist Fetish
Dalton Clodfelter can’t believe that he and other white nationalists were kicked out of CPAC just because “we love Hitler.”
- When you are too fascist for CPAC, then you really know that you are a hardcore fascist.
House Oversight Democrats asked their Republican colleagues to sign a two-sentence statement that plainly rejects white supremacy, white nationalism, and the far-right great replacement conspiracy theory. All 26 Republicans have signaled they will not sign the statement.
- I do truly understand why they refused. Why would they condemn their family members, their co-workers, their donors, and the person they see in the mirror every morning?
- So yes, I know. After reading this I can now paint you completely unsurprised.
Jesse Kelly, who once boasted that he’d eagerly support an authoritarian “monster” who would terrify and round-up Democrats, now complains that “people call me a fascist” because they’re “trying to turn me into an enemy of the state so they can legally send the FBI to my door.”
- Hey here is an idea for him, if he stopped acting like a fascist then people might actually stop calling him one.
No means Yes
Some typically terrible advice from virulent misogynist Jon Miller: “Women often say the opposite of what they mean. That’s why when a woman says ‘no’ you should try anyway.”
- Just three words – No means No.
Josie Glabach (aka “The Redheaded Libertarian”) says that women shouldn’t be allowed to vote because they are “emotional trainwrecks”: “If only women voted [in 2016] there would have been 458 electoral votes for Hillary Clinton. That is insane. This shows that we cannot be trusted.”
- “Trump” vs “Hillary” … if ever there was a test of critical thinking and rationality, then there you have it. If only women voted, the world really would be a far far better place.
- The context here is that she is arguing that the 19th amendment was a really really bad idea.
- Yes, the irony is not lost on me. Woman makes statement explaining that nobody should take women seriously or listen to them… yet expects us all to take her seriously and listen to her.
- If indeed this “libertarian” wishes to not vote, then I do indeed support her making that personal choice. What she does not get to do, especially as a “libertarian”, is to impose that choice upon others.
Homophobia on Steroids
Scott Lively declares that Pride parades “are literally celebrations of martial power in the tradition of conquering armies flaunting plunder taken from defeated foes.”
- Least you can’t guess it from the above, Scott Lively is a guy who has devoted his entire life to vigorously hating gay people.
- He generally manages to hit the radar when he come out with yet another utterly bizarre claim such as the above
Outraged about an Arizona school district’s decision not to renew its contract to accept student teachers from an anti-LGBTQ Christian college, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins and right-wing pastor Steve Riggle call on Christians to take over local school boards: “God has dominion over everything.”
- Having a go at letting religious fanatics rule has already been tried. History refers to that time as the dark ages for a reason.
- “God has dominion over everything” Translation: “We want to dictate and impose our batshit crazy beliefs upon everybody else“
- For context if you are not aware, the Log Cabin Republicans is a group that represents the interests of gay Republicans.
- Given her latest outburst, I’m thinking that they might wish to seriously reconsider their previous decision to name Isabella Riley Moody as one of its 2023 class of Outspoken Ambassadors because I’m not exactly convinced she is doing all that good a job for them. (Ah wait, they have, she has been taken off the list now – Gosh, I wonder why).
- With today’s GOP being very homophobic, I do feel rather astonished that the Log Cabin Republicans as a group actually exist. What exactly is going on in their heads that enables them to endorse Republican candidates who advocated new limitations on the legal rights of gay Americans?
Hypocrisy
Truly Bizarre
Kari Lake believes that Steve Bannon is “a modern-day George Washington”: “I call him the patriotic stud muffin.”
- So basically what we have learned here is that Kari Lake has a Hobo fetish
A deep insight from Steven Franssen: “The more babies a woman has, the less Luciferian she is.”
- Is he claiming that all nuns are Luciferians?
- Side note: I had no idea that having babies would reduce your desire to be a follower of the fourth-century bishop Lucifer of Cagliari.
The False Profit$
- He claims that Trump is currently “president of the world”, yet also suggests that having a revolution would be appropriate. If indeed Trump really was “president of the world”, then who exactly would he be having a revolution against?
- It’s utterly astonishing that he can seriously promote these mutually exclusive beliefs as “truth”.
Christian preacher Kent Christmas (yes, that really is his name) says Christians should give their money to churches instead of putting it in banks.
- Why does the Creator of the Universe need money?
- Running a con where you just tell all the marks that you want all their money and then then rush to get their checkbooks, is an olympic class gold-medal winning con.
- The is no denying that he is actually running a public service by effectively collecting a tax for stupidity.
Jim Bakker went on social media and was dismayed to discover that people were mocking him for selling survival food buckets in preparation for the End Times: “I believe it’s satanic.“
- One thing that has always confused me is this. He sells food buckets for “Christians” to be prepared for the end times. These are of course that same people who believe that God will rapture them BEFORE things get bad. Do those that buy his food buckets have doubts and think that that they are not making God’s cut, what exactly is going on inside their heads?
- NPR once bought some of his seriously overpriced survival food and gave it to a chief to review. I just love this quote from that, “They taste, he says, like, “paper-mache,” “a bathroom at a bar at the end of the night in a college town,” and, simply, “one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten in my life.“
- As for the people mocking him for running a con, well its not as if he has even been sent to jail for running a scam … oh wait.
Interesting Articles
- Kelly McClure @ Salon: “I am your retribution,” says Trump in his CPAC speech.
- Alex Griffing @ Mediaite: Trump’s Former ICE Director Tells CPAC He Doesn’t ‘Give a Shit’ if Families Are Separated at Border.
- David Badash @ The New Civil Rights Movement: Marjorie Taylor Greene at CPAC Serves Up Hate in Anti-LGBTQ Religious Rant.
- Laura Jedeed @ The Soapbox: The Cult of the January 6 Martyrs.
- Mack Lamoureux @ Vice News: A Neo-Nazi Troll Network Is Making Money Abusing Jews
- Josephine Lee @ The Texas Observer: The New Children’s Crusade: Recruiting for America’s Culture War.
- Michael Luciano @ Mediaite: Tucker Carlson Airs Jan 6. Footage to Rewrite the History of the Capitol Riot: ‘They Were Sightseers’.
- David Edwards @ Raw Story: ‘A mistake’: Mitch McConnell tears into Tucker Carlson’s ‘depiction’ of the Capitol riot.
- Chris D’Angelo and Christopher Mathias @ HuffPost: GOP Congressman Matt Rosendale Poses With Neo-Nazis.
- David Badash @ The New Civil Rights Movement: Anti-LGBTQ Bills Filed in States This Year Rapidly Approaching 400 – Already More Than in All of 2022: ACLU.
- Creede Newton @ Hatewatch: CPAC Hosted Convicted Sex Offender Amid Calls To Protect Children.
- Josh Israel @ The American Independent: Republican lawmakers show off their awards from anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council.
- Igor Derysh @ Salon: “I hate him passionately”: New lawsuit texts show Tucker Carlson admit Trump era was a “disaster.”
- Colby Hall @ Mediaite: Trump Calls for House Select Committee Members to be Tried for Treason Following Tucker Carlson Whitewash of Jan 6th.
- Matt Shuham @ HuffPost: Wild Bribery Allegations Are Tearing The Arizona GOP Apart.
- Kaila Philo @ Talking Points Memo: Election Denier Mark Finchem Sanctioned By Judge For ‘Groundless’ Midterm Challenge.
- Megan Squire and Michael Edison Hayden @ Hatewatch: ‘Absolutely Bonkers’: Inside Infowars’ Money Machine.
- Bob Smietana @ Religion News Service: Old-school Christian nationalism’s avatar of racism, antisemitism and conspiracies.
- Tess Owen @ Vice News: The Boogaloo Bois Are Plotting a Bloody Comeback: ‘We Will Go to War.’
Statistic of the week
If you ever thought, “It takes a lack of education to be able to support Trump“, then yes, you may be on to something. The data does appear to indicate that is indeed a factor …
Some Jaw Dropping stuff …
OK, so I’ve got to know. When Gov McNally commented “loves twink bussy” under a very suggestive post by a 20 years old gay man, should we simply assume that he was reaching out to voters to discuss his stance on the public transportation infrastructure?
To be clear, the issue here is not that the Gov is secretly gay, but rather his gross hypocrisy. He recently passed multiple bills that target LGBTQ people and culture. In the context of that, spotlighting this is oh so appropriate.
For those that want a bit more detail, here you go …
LOL
Excellent News: She really has kept her promise
Sen Machaela Cabanaugh (D) promised this: “If you want to inflict pain upon our children, I am going to inflict pain upon this body,” Cavanaugh said. “I have nothing, nothing but time. And I am going to use all of it. You cannot stop me.”
The ace card that she has as part of the minority in the Nebraska Legislature is that it takes 33 votes to end a filibuster and there are only 32 elected Republicans.
When you are the minority party you can still do meaningful stuff. We needs lots more people like her.
Meanwhile …
Well yes, you knew in your heart of hearts that they would have been there, and yes, they really were …