The Republicans are setting all of the groundwork for a repeat of their failed 2012 presidential bid. The plan back then was to leverage the conservative powerhouse of Fox News to catapult their candidate to the White House. It backfired though, as the candidate, Mitt Romney, fell too far into far-right rhetoric to ever appeal to moderate American voters.
Now Donald Trump and Ben Carson are taking to the fear-filled waters with ease. Their respective brands of hatred and racism connect with Fox’s conservative audience. But will it connect with voters outside of Fox’s wheelhouse? It seems unlikely and the party had far better success before it signed on with Fox News.
As Salon explains:
Please note Fox News wasn’t running Republican primaries in 2000, which meant GOP frontrunners were given room to roam politically, like Bush actively reaching out to black voters. Instead, the hallmark of the Republican primary has become adherence to far-right rhetoric. It’s the kind that envelops mistrust and morphs into birtherism and Islamophobia.
Partnering with Fox News may have been the worst choice the Republican Party has made. Let’s hope it lasts.
For more, on this, read the article from Salon titled: “Fox News is sinking the GOP: One network’s ratings boom is a political party’s election doom.”
