Tucker Thoughts

Column #400 April 28, 2023

Everyone alive knows Tucker Carlson was unceremoniously shown the door by Fox Corporation (FOX) Monday morning, April 24, 2023. It was five days after the day FOX settled the Dominion lawsuit for $787 million and Tucker broadcast his Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. interview. That interview had a blistering introduction that tore into the unethical pharmaceutical industry. Then Kennedy’s straightforward, commonsense comments piled on and expanded to condemning our government which has become an evil “kleptocracy.” (Kleptocracy: a government characterized by rampant greed and corruption). It was an interview every American should watch—and maybe one that hit home at FOX.¹

A few days after interviewing Kennedy, on Friday, April 21, 2023, Tucker was a keynote speaker at the 50th Anniversary of the Heritage Foundation where he described the widespread moral decay across society, issued warnings about the future of Western civilization, and discussed the bigger picture of good and evil within our society by saying things such as: “But you look around and you see these people and some of them really have paid a heavy price for telling the truth and they are cast out of their groups whatever those groups are but they do it. Anyway, I look on at those people with the deepest possible admiration. It’s like I can’t have any opinion I want. That’s my job. That’s why they pay me. It’s not brave to tell the truth on a cable news show and if you’re not doing that you’re really an idiot, you’re really craven. You’re lying on television? Why would you do that? You’re literally making a living to say what you think and you can’t even do that, please.”²

Of course the evil he pointed to was the lack of willpower of so many people to resist herd instinct. “You look around and you see so many people break under the strain under the downward of whatever this is that we are going through. And you look with disdain and sadness as you see people you know become quislings. You see them revealed as cowards. You see them going along with the new, new thing which is clearly a poisonous thing, a silly thing,” he stated. “You know, saying things you know they don’t believe because they want to keep their jobs.”

Could Tucker’s Heritage Foundation speech hit way too close to home for FOX?

There seems to be numerous speculative reasons for Tucker’s dismissal. Bill O’Reilly, who himself was the number-one rated Fox News host before he “left” in 2017, said that it’s likely FOX feared several upcoming lawsuits and saw Carlson as a “lightning rod.” “There are a number of lawsuits going to be filed shortly against the Fox News’ board of directors,” O’Reilly added.

Dominion Voting Systems is suing several networks (including Newsmax and OAN) as well as Mike Lindell. Commentators say that after FOX settled, it remains to be seen if any independent network will survive their Dominion lawsuits in today’s court system.

There’s lots of speculation about why FOX settled the suit and fired Tucker. They include advertiser demands, blackmail, a desire to make FOX more appealing in a sale, shareholder concerns, Tucker’s religiousness, and management’s social/political beliefs.^{3 4}

Many of our nation’s biggest advertisers and influencers are as woke as they come. Meta, Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Google, Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks, AIG, Amazon, Apple, Bank of America, BlackRock, Dell, Estee Lauder, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Coca Cola, Harry’s Inc., IBM, Levi Stauss & Co., Merck, Netflix, Paypal, and the list seems endless since there are hundreds of them. Not too many businesses are willing to ignore their advertising might.⁵

Do you remember J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI. He routinely violated the FBI's own policies and the laws the FBI was charged with enforcing. He regularly used the FBI to harass and sabotage political dissidents, to amass secret files for blackmailing high-level politicians, and to collect evidence using illegal surveillance, wiretapping, and burglaries. Hoover consequently amassed a great deal of power and was able to intimidate and threaten political figures. His reward was to have the FBI headquarters named after him as a lasting testament to his service. Was FOX management blackmailed?⁶

There are rumors that the Murdochs want to sell FOX. Maybe they think that making FOX more like other MSM companies will increase its image, marketability, and price. As of now FOX’s demise is being grossly overstated. As of mid-day today, its stock price is down only 0.8% for the week indicating that being woke is not a concern for Wall Street, the MSM, or our government.^{7 8}

Is it possible that large shareholders have influenced FOX’s management to fire Tucker? This past week Dr. Robert Malone’s letter stated that: “Together, BlackRock and Vanguard own 18% of Fox (now almost 21%), 16% of CBS, 13% of Comcast—which owns NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, and the Sky media group, 12% of CNN, and 12% of Disney—which owns a number of subsidiaries. Media behemoths that may present themselves as rivals are, in reality, owned by the same company. Vanguard is not known for being woke, but BlackRock is for certain.

There is no question that FOX management has come under political pressure from both sides of the isle regarding Tucker. There’s a letter, dated March 1, 2023, that was sent by Charles E. Schumer Senate Majority Leader and Hakeem Jeffries Senate Minority Leader to Rupert Murdoch. “Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and other Fox News personalities knowingly, repeatedly, and dangerously endorsed and promoted the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election.”⁹

The two senators demanded that Murdoch must direct “Tucker Carlson and other hosts on your network to stop spreading false election narratives and admit on the air that they were wrong to engage in such negligent behavior.” Was this what Tucker was addressing in his speech at the Heritage Foundation?

From a Vanity Fair article: “Earlier this month, it was reported that Murdoch had called off his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a former dental hygienist who would have been his fifth wife. They were engaged for less than three weeks. Sherman reported at the time that Murdoch had called it quits because of Smith’s outspoken evangelical views and her thoughts on Carlson, who she reportedly believed was a ‘messenger from God.’”¹⁰

Tucker is NOT a Republican. He says he’s an Episcopalian. I’d say he is an independent Episcopalian. Most independents see Republicans as just foot dragging Democrats—which means both parties control the evil kleptocracy that governs us today. Yes, many Republicans are weak quislings. (Quisling: A traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.)

Our country is run by deep state actors. They are greedy beyond measure. To protect their wealth they will do anything and in so doing they are no different from cartel or mafia crime bosses. They know that maintaining the status quo is incredibly important. Therefore they must control the political machinery of a country and this is why censorship of speech and thought, gun control, and control over the country’s fiscal and monetary policies are so important.¹¹

Over the years of watching Tucker’s video clips I’ve found little to disagree with. Back in the O’Reilly days, I found O’Reilly downright irritating. For instance, when he interviewed Harry Browne (Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate) in 2000 it was a very disrespectful, insulting interview of a very honorable man. I had known Harry Browne personally for years. And what O’Reilly did to him was anything but civil. At times, O’Reilly did have something worthwhile to say. But I figured he was more for show than substance.

This brings us to the emails Dominion was going to use in the trial. According to the filings, Carlson texted a co-worker two days before the Jan6 attack on the U.S. Capitol expressing joy over Trump’s imminent departure from the White House: “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait.” He added later in the text exchange, “I hate him passionately,” and he confessed that he “can’t handle much more of this.”¹²

Another possible reason for Tucker’s departure is that the Murdochs are not Trump fans. They don’t believe there was election fraud. They believe Jan6 was an insurrection. They are not supporting Trump and prefer that his name be left out of the news unless he’s in trouble with the law. If so, Tucker’s interview of Trump on April 11, 2023, where Tucker said nothing derogatory about Trump and even praised his worldly views, might not have sat well with management. Or was that interview meant to show respect to counter the emails which FOX management claimed had been cherry-picked and presented out of context.^{13 14}

After Tucker released snippets from the Jan6 videos Trump came out and said Tucker Carlson "doesn't hate me, or at least, not anymore!” But we don’t know. Maybe Tucker hates Trump’s bedside manners and boastful nature, but for the most part likes his governance. I agree on that.¹⁵

It might be months or never before we find out the whole truth. For sure Tucker wasn’t popular because he had a prime time spot at a big corporate news network. He was popular because people wanted to hear his views “in spite of being on FOX.” And because of the emails, some folks must wonder what is Tucker’s true position. Is Tucker the man who gave the speech at the 50th Anniversary of the Heritage Foundation? Is he showman? He’s neither a Republican or a Democrat. My take is he’s actually an independent Episcopalian.¹⁶

For sure we’ll learn more on Tucker’s views during the coming election season. The left believes it will win the 2024 election with the same tactics that got Joe Biden and John Fetterman elected. That is keep the candidates under wraps, skip the debates, use MSM propaganda and weaponized courts, and just show feel-good videos. The Republicans will most likely go with Trump which will be quite a road show. But Republicans are very divided with many neocons and RINOs.

So, I’m looking forward to hearing more from a totally unfettered Tucker Carlson. Also, there are other possible candidates of which one is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. During the pandemic I recommenced his book over and over again. It was a heavy read, but it nailed Tony Fauci from day one and also Bill Gates. It also revealed that Kennedy is not an anti-vaxxer, but one who hates phoney drugs that maim and kill. He’s definitely the most anti establishment candidate running so far.^{17 18}

We certainly live in interesting times since there’s lots of questions about where our country is headed. Tucker’s short, two-minute video he released two nights ago indicates it will not be boring if he returns. When and where he surfaces is certainly something to look forward to. If you haven’t watched them yet, I strongly urge you to take the time to watch these four videos.¹⁹

The Complete Tucker Carlson speech at the 50th Anniversary of the Heritage Foundation on the bigger picture of good and evil within our society—April 21, 2023

Tucker Carlson Interviews Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—April 19, 2023

Tucker Carlson Interviews Donald Trump—April 11th, 2023

Tucker Carlson offers a two-minute 8PM monologue covering his thoughts on the media landscape, and his future—April, 26, 2023

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

For additional reading:

1. Tucker Carlson Interviews Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—April 19, 2023

2. The Complete Tucker Carlson speech at the 50th Anniversary of the Heritage Foundation on the bigger picture of good and evil within our society—April 21, 2023.

3. Five Theories That Are Swirling Around The Internet About Why Fox News Fired Tucker Carlson by Michael Snyder from End of the American Dream

4. Politicians and Pundits Weigh in on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News Departure by Ryan Morgan from The Epoch Times

5. Complete List of Woke Companies (UPDATED 2023) by Dave Seminara

6. J. Edgar Hoover from Wikipedia

7. The Worst People On Earth Are All Celebrating Tucker’s Ousting by Jordan Boyd from The Federalist

8. “Good Riddance”: Military-Industrial Complex Celebrates Tucker Carlson’s Fox News Exit by Paul Joseph Watson from Summit News

9. Political pressure from both sides of the isle. A letter from Charles E. Schumer Senate Majority Leader and Hakeem Jeffries Senate Minority Leader to Rupert Murdoch dated March 1, 2023

10. Report Suggests Tucker Carlson Was Fired Over Prayer Talk: 'Freaks Rupert Out' by Josephine Harvey from HuffPost

11. The Difference Between the Cartel and Mafia—(All You Need to Know) from All the Differences