Tucker Carlson backlash tells us something important about some Trump supporters

[marmar]

(CNN) Traitor. Globalist. Sellout.

Those weren't the insults reserved for a CNN or MSNBC anchor on Friday. No, those were the insults aimed at conservative media darling Tucker Carlson. In what feels like the most severe moment of backlash since his Fox News show premiered in 2016, Carlson is fielding criticism from the right.

Carlson angered some of his audience Thursday when he called out Sidney Powell, President Trump's attorney who has peddled wild conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Carlson was careful not to deviate too far from the party line, opening his show with deference to the fraud claims presented by Rudy Giuliani. He also offered up reasons his audience should trust him. He explained to his viewers that he had reached out to Powell for supporting evidence with an open mind. And he pointed out his coverage of the Russia probe and how he never rules anything out — even UFOs.

....(snip)....

A dose of reality

Now I don't bring this up to suggest that Carlson deserves accolades for acknowledging the truth of the matter on his program. Injecting a dose of reality into one's coverage shouldn't be cause for praise. And that's not what I'm getting at.

But what is remarkable is that, ever since he called out Powell, Carlson has been the subject of denunciation by some on the right. His mentions on Twitter have been flooded with disappointed viewers saying that they feel betrayed by him. Right-wing websites have homed in on the controversy. And pro-Trump internet personalities have criticized him for having the nerve to challenge Powell. .......(more)

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/21/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news-traitor/index.html

[redstatebluegirl]

1. After lying to people since the network began you can't just put the genie back in the bottle.

I think Murdock realizes that he has put democracy at risk, but he doesn't know how to get his people to stop lying and not lose his entire audience.

[catbyte]

2. LOL.

[abqtommy]

3. I've spent a lot of my life hearing about tRUMP and added in with the last 5 years I don't

think we have anything new to learn about tRUMP/reThugs and cultists. Didn't we just
vote them all off the island? That shows that we've learned very well...

[jimfields33]

6. We voted trump off the island. Not sure who else.

A few senators. We needed a lot more to shut them up.

[underpants]

4. Something tells me this has a lot to do with her getting fired

Tucker is really close to Trump.

[BComplex]

5. Then the right needs to double-down and stay on message that some conspiracy theories are so

far out of reality that nobody can go along.

Republicans are very much sheep, when it comes to wanting to belong to the herd. If they keep hearing the same things from several points of influence, eventually they come around to the herd.