I first remember seeing Tucker Carlson years ago before he went fully over to the dark side, if you will, and joined Fox News. I do not remember the name of the news show, but I do remember how Carlson wilted and exhibited out right fear when Rachel Maddow - who was in her pre-big time, prime time show of her own - would be on the show and literally destroy Carlson who lacked even a basis command of facts and statistics on a par with Maddow. Since moving to Fox News - Faux News on this blog - Carlson has increasingly embraced the white supremacist message of Der Trumpenführer and his hideous base. With Carlson now facing the loss of 17 advertisers (and counting) in the wake of his racist anti-immigrant commentary, it is worth remembering that Carlson is a homophobe as well as a racist. A piece in The Advocate looks at Carlson anti-gay history. Here are excerpts:
Tucker Carlson Tonight is the latest Fox News program facing the wrath of advertisers after spreading lies, hate, and fear — 17 advertisers have now pulled spots from TCT after the show's host defamed immigrants.
As Trump's presidency goes up in flames, Carlson has been working to distract and rile his viewers by denouncing the migrant caravan, where refugees are seeking asylum at the U.S./Mexico border. Instead of advocating compassion for these desperate individuals, Carlson slanders them. The talking head said mass immigration “makes our country poorer, and dirtier, and more divided.” Following initial criticism to that comment, Carlson said in another episode that “huge swaths of the (border) region are covered with garbage and waste … that degrade the soil and kill wildlife.
Corporations have wisened up to Carlson's dangerous dehumanizing of migrants. Ancestry.com, Bowflex, CareerBuilder, Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Card, IHOP, Indeed, Just for Men, Land Rover, Minted, Nerd Wallet, Pacific Life, ScotteVest, Smile Direct, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, TD Ameritrade, Voya Financial, and Zenni have all pulled their ads from TCT.
"There's no mistaking it: Tucker Carlson's words were ugly, inaccurate, and un-American, and advertisers did the right thing by ending support of him and his show," Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD's president and CEO, said in a press release. "Current and future advertisers must also remember Carlson's pattern of peddling misinformation about and frequent attacks on other marginalized communities, including LGBTQ Americans.
GLAAD reiterated Carlson's long history of attacking not only immigrants, but the LGBTQ community. Carlson has called transgender people "crazy," denied their gender identity, described gay people as "unhappy," requested Saturday Night Live "[make] fun of transgender bathrooms," claimed pro-LGBTQ school curricula is "weird" and indoctrinates children, said a gay man worshipped Hillary Clinton "like Judy Garland," called it "fascism" for a Christian baker to make a gay couple a cake, bragged about beating up a gay man, declared "transgender privilege" is real, dismissed the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" as a "sideshow issue," and declared Moonlight only won the Best Picture Oscar because of "political correctness."
Yes, I do not like Carlson. He embodies what's wrong with white, conservative America and advertisers are fools if they support talking heads like Carlson and turn their backs on the growing majority of Americans.
