More on the Trump / Fox News mishmash
Bring the popcorn. The lead -up to the caucuses is getting interesting
We started out with the presumption that Donald Trump’s challenge — if Megyn Kelly was to be a moderator in the Fox sponsored Iowa debate (the one and only) he would not participate — was as others have characterized it as “just working the ref. ” The purpose being to intimidate the network and its moderator into favorable calls or goading them into overreacting in the hopes of exposing their bias.
But then with his standing in the polls and perhaps some behind the scenes stuff the public was unaware of, he figured he was immune from any downside and justified to drop out, period. The alternative fund raiser thing for vets he is putting on is a gambit to try to shield him from the negative responses. That part is as transparent as can be and unfair to Iowa caucus voters and veterans. He could just as easy write veterans a check.
So Donald says no to Megyn. Fox says she stays. Donald says no again and on the heels of that Fox issues a snarky response instead of staying focused on more solid ground of “independent journalism” or whatever. The ref attacked and Donald has something to point to.
Perhaps Trump was aware initially that Fox had added some Youtube dweebs, an illegal resident Hispanic and a fearful Muslim to add drama and pathos by having them ask some questions. Perhaps that foreknowledge was as much a part of Trump’s objection. But the thing is their shtick is to antagonize all or most of the Republicans as they are trying to outdo one another on restricting immigration. Forewarned is forearmed. What kind of debater cannot prepare for such questions in advance and probably look effective as a result?
If Trump was aware of that feature of the debate he should have not allowed the matter, as is his ample ability to do, to appear to be a cat fight between he and Megyn.
Then as Breitbart reports: “Adding more fuel to the theory that Fox is operating in full “get Trump” mode, was the news that one of Fox News’ top newsmen is the father of Sen. Marco Rubio’s press secretary. “Interestingly, Bill Sammon – FOX News’s vice president of News and Washington managing editor – is the father of Brooke Sammon, who is Rubio’s press secretary,”
That raises the implication: What’s next at FOX, Rachel Madow as anchor?
It does seem that the “fundamental transformation” of FOX News is well underway and is likely to accelerate to warp speed in time for the November election.
The snarky statement issued by FOX referring to Putin and Xi likely to “treat Trump unfairly” was indeed laughably unprofessional and inappropriate for a respected media institution, which appears to be on its way to NOT being much “respected”. (Admittedly the statement is something like we at Veritaspac might issue in satirical good humor but then we are somewhat less than half the size of the multi-$billion FOX empire.)
As is a custom of your Veritaspac editors, we make daring predictions from time to time. And, once again, we are willing to step out and make an uncharacteristically less daring and most obvious prediction regarding FOX:
With Roger Ailes’ imminent retirement (we believe) and the ascension of the Murdoch “children” (in every sense of the term), we foresee FOX News veering so sharply to the left as to be indistinguishable from CNN or MSNBC. How soon? If the “children” can make it happen, before November. To meet that timetable, however, some significant personnel changes must first occur since the network has employed some very competent and honorable news people…ie., in our opinion, Neil Cavuto, Brett Baier, Catherine Herridge…to name a few. It is, in our opinion, unlikely that these personalities, and a few others, will stay around to be part of the dissolution of a once great news institution.
As for the particular results of this imbroglio we see it as softening support or growth of support for Donald some, but probably not much because of Fox actions and the fact even the RNC disallowed a network from sponsoring a sanctioned debate. Still Trump’s “refusal to debate” is an exploitable thing he handed up to the others.
Crux will likely benefit the most from what can be obtained by this by issuing the challenge to Trump to debate one-on-one, prior to the caucuses at an already arranged site with either no moderator or ones mutually agreed to. A super pac favoring Cruz upped the ante by offering to contribute 1.5 million to veteran charities if trump will agree to debate Cruz one on one. Good move.
Fox loses more than anyone — money for sure and some prestige with conservatives.
Enter stage left-off
Now we see that Santorum and Huckabee are going to appear with Trump at the event he has scheduled in Des Moines to rival the prime-time Fox debate. They pretty much had nowhere else to go anyway. So these guys who have been lambasting Cruz especially, a constitutionalist, a concept and a person they cannot fathom as they transition to anybody but Cruz mode as he is the preeminent risk to the establishment and their next gig. Of course when push comes to shove, doing the establishment bidding is what Santorum does and Huckabee does so as well (see here and here). His roll seems to be to try and consolidate the evangelical vote for delivery to the GOP establishment, failing that, stop Cruz.
More reading, including differing opinion:
What Trump’s Cut-And-Run From Fox Debate Doesn’t Mean Mollie Hemingway writes:
Donald Trump is, for now, promising to boycott the next debate. No, he’s not copying the RNC and this doesn’t spell the end of conservative media critiques.
And regarding Fox’s cutesy idea to bring an illegal alien to question the candidates there is this inarguable point by Michelle Malkin via Breitbart:
When Open-Borders Media Are in Charge of Debates, Voters Lose
Malkin points out that while someone who entered the country illegally will be represented in the Fox News debate, American citizens harmed by the nation’s open borders immigration policies are unlikely to be represented.
“Illegal alien & Muslim activist get key roles at FoxNewsGOP debate. Victims of illegal alien crime & jihad shut out,” Malkin tweeted.
DLH and R Mall
