Tucker Carlson teed up Ron DeSantis to complain about federal assistance, vis-a-vis President Joe Biden, amid Hurricane Ian and its catastrophic impact on Southwest Florida. But the Florida governor did not take the bait and instead focused on optimism of collaborative governance during a time of such dire emergency.
The harmonic convergence may be upon us.
DeSantis appeared on Fox News prime time while the eye of Hurricane Ian traveled across his state. As the interview wound down, Carlson seemed unable to resist seeking a political hit on the Biden administration.
“When a natural disaster like this strikes the state, it is common; I think it’s always the case that the state receives federal aid,” Carlson noted. “Given how politicized things are at the moment, are you confident you’re going to get the federal support Florida needs?”
It is a deeply cynical question suggesting that President Biden would keep aid from suffering Floridians because of “politics.” And yet, that very idea is inserting politics into disaster relief. Carlson appears to be doing the very thing that he is preemptively complaining about with Biden. Shocker.
DeSantis’s answer was refreshingly thoughtful and, well, not bait-takey.
“So I actually spoke with the president. He said he wants to be helpful,” DeSantis replied, echoing thoughts he shared on Hannity the previous night. “So we did submit a request for reimbursement for the next 60 days at 100%. That’s significant support. It’s a significant storm.”
“So we haven’t heard back from it. I’m actually cautiously optimistic that we do,” he added. Overnight, President Biden approved the major disaster request DeSantis referenced.
Overnight, @POTUS declared that a major disaster exists in Florida, and ordered his team to mobilize additional Federal resources to help the people of Florida recover from Hurricane Ian, including through assistance for temporary housing and home repairs. https://t.co/z4TZTLKRAG
“As you said, Tucker, we live in a politicized time, but when people are fighting for their lives, when their livelihood is at stake, lost everything, if you can’t put politics aside for that, you won’t be able to,” DeSantis added. “I’ll work with anybody who wants to help the people of southwest Florida and throughout our state.
This is bad, even for Tucker. Here at the house, when Trucker Carlson comes on, we switch it to either BBC or local news. There was a time, when Tucker Carlson was a decent person to listen to. That time, I am afraid, has long passed.
Tucker Carlson’s audience is booming — and so is chatter that the popular Fox News host will parlay his TV perch into a run for president in 2024.
Republican strategists, conservative commentators, and former Trump campaign and administration officials are buzzing about Carlson as the next-generation leader of Donald Trump’s movement — with many believing he would be an immediate frontrunner in a Republican primary.
“He’s a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs he’d be formidable,” said Luke Thompson, a Republican strategist who worked for Jeb Bush’s super PAC in 2016.
While practically every Republican eyeing a 2024 presidential run is professing loyalty to Trump the person, Carlson has become perhaps the highest-profile proponent of “Trumpism” — a blend of anti-immigrant nationalism, economic populism and America First isolationism that he articulates unapologetically and with some snark. At the same time, he’s shown a rare willingness among Republicans to bluntly criticize Trump when he believes the president is straying from that ideology.
In another twist, Carlson has established a friendship with Donald Trump, Jr., according to a source familiar with their relationship. Trump Jr. has drawn his own share of presidential buzz.“Tucker Carlson Tonight” is currently the most watched cable news program in history, according to the second quarter ratings released this week. And on Fox News’ YouTube channel, Carlson’s segments from the past quarter have drawn well over 60 million views and are among the most popular videos in the eight years since the network began posting on the platform.
His popularity with the base would instigate a debate over the future of the party — essentially whether Trump was an aberration or a party-realigning disrupter — a fight that will be all the fiercer if Trump loses in November.
“Let me put it this way: If Biden wins and Tucker decided to run, he’d be the nominee,” said Sam Nunberg, a former top political aide to Trump who knows Carlson. But Nunberg said he doesn’t believe Carlson will run because “he’s so disgusted with politicians.” — Source: Tucker Carlson 2024? The GOP is buzzing – POLITICO
Now here is why this would never work. Tucker is an ideologue and he is quite hardcore with his beliefs. He would never appeal to anyone ever remotely anywhere near the center. I personally find his commentary and speaking style horrifyingly annoying. Personally, I think he sounds like a smart aleck rich kid, who thinks he knows everything. Don Imus summed him up, by calling him a “bow tie wearing faggot.”
In reality, Don Imus was not referring to his sexuality, he was referring to what he was, which was and still is, an entitled white rich kid, who is a bit of a smart aleck. The problem with that perception of him is, that the perception of him is rooted in reality. See here from Wikipedia:
Carlson’s mother was artist Lisa McNear (née Lombardi). He also has a brother, Buckley Peck Carlson (later, Buckley Swanson Peck Carlson), who is nearly two years younger.[7]
In 1976, Carlson’s parents divorced after the nine-year marriage reportedly “turned sour.”[7][8] Carlson’s father was granted custody of him and his brother. Carlson’s mother left the family when he was six, wanting to pursue a “bohemian” lifestyle.[4][9] She eventually split her time between Beaufort County, South Carolina and Cazac, France, where she had little contact with Carlson’s family and later married artist Michael Vaughn.[10][11][12][13]
Dick Carlson was said to be an active father who had a specific outlook in raising his sons:
I want them to be self-disciplined to the degree that I think is necessary to find satisfaction… you measure a person on how far they go, on how far they’ve sprung. My parents, the Carlsons, they instilled a modesty in me that, at times, gets in my way… I know it’s immodest of me to say it, but it’s difficult sometimes when you want to beat your own drum and say what you really think.
In 1979, Carlson’s father married divorcée Patricia Caroline Swanson, an heiress to Swanson Enterprises. Swanson is the daughter of Gilbert Carl Swanson and the niece of SenatorJ. William Fulbright.[4][14] This was the third marriage for Swanson, who legally adopted Carlson and his brother.[12][14]
So, to say that he was typical kid from the city; would be a very bad statement to make. To be absolutely clear, I do not hate Tucker Carlson, I just happen to know that he is simply a product of his environment, as am I. We could have some very different outlooks on life, the World as a whole and so forth.
So, in closing, let me say this; While Trucker Carlson might be good for the Conservative wing of the Republican Party, he would be a disaster in an general election. I just hope that Tucker or some of his people, and someone from the GOP reads this.
One of my many gripes with the liberal media, as opposed to the Conservative media is the utter hypocrisy of the entire thing.
What I talking about?
This:
It seems that one of Tucker Carlson’s employees ever at The Daily Caller got himself into some hot water over some so-called “Sexist Tweets.” Progressive blog Talking Point Memo has the back story on it. Now, I am not saying the guy was right or wrong; in fact, I could honestly care less about what he wrote. However, I have to point something here; utter hypocrisy!
Now here’s my beef with this whole thing. Tucker Carlson had actually apologize for his employee’s tweet. Now, do you honestly think that Rolling Stone magazine is going to have to apologize for its contributor’s Anti-Semitism? I think not. Which brings me to the point of this posting.
The point is that there is a horrific double standard in the liberal media. If a liberal progressive says something, like this douche-nozzle did; he gets off without any sort of repercussions. However, you let a Conservative say anything that is even remotely sexist, racist or even remotely anti-semitic and there is a utter media frenzy over it. Not to mention that the person who did it and his employer end up have to give an offering to the gods of political correctness.
Now to be clear here; I am not much into tossing around the Anti-Semite card, because I have been accused of that stuff myself. Which, by the way, is a crock of crap. However, I just find it quite amusing that the liberal progressive left; does not live up to the very standards that they like to set for others, who happen to disagree with their political beliefs and personal worldview.
The bottom line is this: If you are going to preach political correctness and are going to insist that we on the political right to conform to some sort of idiotic politically correct code —- at least try to live up to the code yourselves. Otherwise, do not preach to us on the right who decide that we want to say something that does not live up to your idiotic standards.
The House science committee is demanding the White House explain why top administration officials are using secret e-mail accounts and other techniques to conceal their taxpayer-paid activities from public oversight.
The evidence of officials’ efforts to evade transparency laws includes EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s use of the fake name “Richard Windsor”, and hidden e-mail accounts, according to a Nov. 16 letter sent by the committee to several White House officials, including Jackson.
The committee’s letters justified their startling statements with evidence published in The Daily Caller. The Caller’s report was based on an investigation by Chris Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the author of a new book “The Liberal War on on Transparency.”
“The use of these [hidden] accounts could seriously impair records collection, preservation, and access, therefore compromising transparency and oversight,” said the letter, signed by committee chairman Rep. Ralph Hall.
Hmmmmmmmm….
I seem to remember another Party that did this, while they were in power in the White House and in the Justice Department.
Unlike this woman’s article, this is a very serious article.
Tucker Carlson’s “The Daily Caller” which is rapidly becoming the next “WorldNetDaily” of Conservative media; allows one of its writers, under the guise of so-called humor, to take a rather cheap swipe at Mitt Romney’s five sons.
Writing in her piece about the Romney sons, who are all very happily married; she writes the following:
Choosing between these five handsome men was tough but the results are in. Although all the Romney boys are married, don’t lose hope: With the exception of one, all of the sons are Mormon so you could potentially be wife number two, three or four depending on whether or not you are into that sort of thing.
Now folks, I have a sense of humor and I have been known to be funny on this blog from time to time. However, this is not funny, it is not even close. It is nothing more than an underhanded slam of the Romney’s and their family. You see, I know the Tucker Carlson is a Mormon himself; but you see, Tucker Carlson is also a libertarian conservative, of the Barry Goldwater stripe, and Carlson also happens to not to be too fond of Romney. Carlson’s gripe is that he believes that Romney is a statist and not nearly conservative enough for his taste. Therefore, because of this and because of the fact that Carlson himself is Mormon, he allows this stuff to be published on that internet rag that he owns.
Well, I happen to be a strong supporter of Mitt Romney for President of the United States of America. Because unlike the likes of Tucker Carlson; I realize that this Country needs a true leader, someone who knows how to run a business. Unlike that community organizer that we have in the White House now; Mitt Romney knows what it takes to be a leader, and will make the tough decisions to get this Country back on track. Furthermore, unlike Tucker Carlson; I happen to know that the Libertarian Party will never have a chance in hell of ever picking a President that will ever be elected. This is because Americans simply reject ideological extremism. The Libertarian Party’s platform is extremist and on foreign policy is totally disconnected from reality. Not to mention that the Libertarian Party’s policy on immigration is totally abhorrent and quite frankly, Anti-American in nature. This is why I dropped my support of Gary Johnson.
I believe that Tucker Carlson owes the Romney family, and his supporters a huge apology or risk his online publication becoming the “Infowars” of the internet in short order. Tucker Carlson’s Mormonism does not justify this sort of behavior by his writers. Furthermore, I find it very humorous, that Tucker Carlson would have a woman doing his bidding and insulting the Romney sons, instead of doing it himself. I guess it is true what Don Imus famously said about Tucker Carlson and his bow ties.
Update: Blogs4Mitt links in, Thanks Rusty! I believe this is an important issue. Like Patti said in the comments; if the left had made such a comment, we would be all over it. But because Tucker is supposedly on the right; nothing gets said, it is not fair to Romney. I know not everyone likes him, but this was just a cheap shot, period. This is why I am raising the flag on this one and calling “FOUL!” I mean, having concerns about Romney’s Statism is one thing; but making a comment like that, it is just uncalled for. It would be like calling President the N-Word, to me. It is the same thing. It is bigotry and it needs to stop — on all sides.
I really dislike having to point out and criticize the blatant stupidity on our side of the political fence. But, there are times than even I cannot ignore the stupidity.
Mark Skousen who is the producer of “Freedom Fest” writing over at Tucker Carlson’s Daily Caller writes, “Why I’m giving my Social Security checks away — and why you should too.” In it, Mr. Skousen yowls on about his gripes and complaints about social security and how it is a horrible scam and such. Now, to be fair; I do sort of agree with his assessment of Social Security and how it will be most likely be bankrupt, by the time I am old enough to collect it, if I am even able ever able to collect it.
However, that is where Mr. Skousen goes off of the rails and really wanders off into whacky-land, at least in this writers opinion. First of all, Mr. Skousen publicly gloats about how well off he is financially:
I have always tried to live up to the words of Benjamin Franklin, who taught us the virtues of industry, thrift, and prudence in his booklet “The Way to Wealth.” By following Franklin’s trinity of virtues, I’ve been able to build up a sizable net worth and multiple sources of retirement income (company pension plan, IRAs), so that I don’t really need Social Security to live off of.
Which is fine, I have no problem the the fact that the man worked hard, and was able to save and invest through IRA’s and such. I am not someone who resents people who have done well. Good for him. However, this is where he goes off the rails:
It got me thinking: Can Social Security payments be used for a good cause?
I thought back to something my wise old uncle Cleon told me when he turned 65 in 1978. He said he could use the extra monthly income of $650. After all, he had earned it during his working years. It had been deducted from his paycheck and set aside for him (theoretically at least) in the Social Security trust fund. It was his. So he went down to the Social Security office in Salt Lake City and signed up.
But instead of spending the money on daily living expenses, he signed over the monthly check to his favorite cause, The National Center for Constitutional Studies. He loved teaching Americans about the Constitution and how to preserve it. Through NCCS, he traveled the country giving constitutional seminars to patriotic Americans, and used the Social Security checks to pay for some of his expenses.
Following in my uncle’s footsteps, I’ve decided to sign up for Social Security. Since I don’t need the money to live on, I’ve decided to invest my monthly government check in a variety of good causes. Based on my past earnings, I should receive a check of around $1,800 a month, automatically transferred into my bank account. From there, I’ve instructed the bank to send a check or wire every month to my various causes. It’s that simple.
Many of you may have heard about Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge, where billionaires have pledged to donate the majority of their fortunes to charity.
I’ve come up with a similar idea, except this one applies to more people and is something you can do when you are alive: the Social Security Pledge. If you are wealthy enough, you can invest part or all of your Social Security proceeds in a favorite charity, foundation, church, synagogue, or other good cause. You don’t have to limit yourself to giving to non-profit organizations that are tax deductible. You can give your Social Security check to any organization, public or private, or to individuals. You can donate it to your favorite political party. You can give the funds to a student scholarship — for your grandchildren, for example — or to somebody who has a medical need. Or you can invest your government check in free enterprise. Buy shares in individual stocks or mutual funds. Or, better yet, fund inventors who could use the money to advance their work.
There are lots of possibilities. Be creative and have some fun with it. Don’t let the money sit there. Put it to good use!
[…]
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, once gave a popular talk called “The Sermon on Wealth.” According to Wesley, if you take the following three steps in life, you will be eminently successful:
1. Work all you can.
2. Save all you can.
3. Give all you can.
Notice he didn’t say, “Spend all you can.” Too many Americans have gotten in financial trouble by overspending and getting in over their heads in debt, so that by retirement time at age 65, they need Social Security because they haven’t saved enough in their company pension plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Or they have to keep working to survive.
As retirees, we can make a difference.
Okay, here is my gripe with this opinion column; for one it says that people should follow his example and give away their social security. Which, if you can afford to do so, is fine. However, there are many people, who worked hard for that money for all of their lives and paid into it for many years and that will the ONLY sort of income that they honestly will have; and to tell them to give it away, is absolutely asinine.
I am not saying that this would happen, but it could; what if some older person, who simply loves his Country, feels guilty for taking a social security check and starts giving away his check and then has to live in poverty? I know it sounds far fetched; but there are people that are quite impressionable out there and would do such a thing, because some idiot, who is very well off, told them to do it.
My friend, if you have come here from a search engine, after searching for “Mark Skousen,” and you were thinking of following his advice; please, don’t. You have worked your entire life for that money. You are entitled to it. Even if you do have an company pension and/or an IRA —- and especially if you do not —- keep your money and use it to live on, you worked for it, keep it! If you want to make a reasonable donation to a charity, then fine, do so. But to squander all of your hard earned social security away, because someone said to do it, is foolish.
I am very highly concerned about the fact that Tucker Carlson, who is the very public figure that he is; and with a website of that caliber, would allow such tripe to be published on it. But, yet, someone like me; who tends to see himself as a common sense minded Americanist, cannot even get published on that site or anywhere else for that matter. I believe it speaks to the condition of the right in this Country. The article quote above was not Christian, Conservative or even libertarian opinion; it was crazy opinion! Anyone with a ounce of common sense would know this; but again, this is the so-called “right” anymore.
This is why I call myself a simple “Americanist” Because the crazy is out in full effect on the right anymore. Sorry, but telling people to give away their social security is craziness and I do not do crazy, some might scoff at that notion. But, common sense goes a long way; and it is sorely lacking on the right, and on a good part of the left.
A song that springs to mind:
How true that song is, when it comes to today’s politics.
