17 Comments

Along with Murdoch, there's Charles Koch who is now claiming that the hundreds of millions of dollars that his empire has sunk into the Republican election machine was a mistake. The Koch Brother's dark money was such a major cause of our partisan politics over the past thirty years. Now at the age of 85, after he saw brother David pass, Libertarian Charles is having a come to Jesus moment? He saw what the Frankenstein monster that he helped sew together has done to our democracy so now he's offering a mea culpa? If he really wanted to make a difference and show he's truly sorry for his sins, he needs to come out and say without equivocation that Trump is a malignancy that the country must turn away from. Koch wouldn't divulge who he voted for which of course is his right. However, if he really wants forgiveness for all the pain the Koch money has wrought, he'd have shown the courage to denounce the narcissist and chief directly. And for good measure, how about donating a billion or two to help fight global climate change that his corporation helped to create.

Expand full comment

I can’t even read those Charles Kock mea culpa’s...too infuriating

Expand full comment

*Koch

Expand full comment

Perhaps an appropriate Freudian slip :)

Expand full comment

I you read his mea culpa you would see that he doubled down on his extremist libertarian ideology. He clearly doesn’t really regret anything except for how it has damaged the Koch’s image.

From a Nov. 14 Vanity Fair article “ In fact, according the Daily Beast, on Wednesday, Americans for Prosperity Action, a super PAC affiliated with Koch, spent $440,000 on digital ads and canvassing in support of Senator David Perdue’s Georgia runoff bid against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Perdue, like numerous Republicans, has not acknowledged that Biden won the presidential election and, along with Senator Kelly Loeffler—who’s bragged about an endorsement from a QAnon conspiracy theory-floatingracist— demanded that Georgia’s Secretary of State resign over his supposed failure to deliver “honest and transparent elections.” ”

Smoke and mirrors.

Expand full comment

I think you give Murdoch too much credit. Perhaps he's afraid of a new "Trump TV" network taking viewership, and sponsors, away from Fox News. It's certainly not for the "good of the country". That is why Fox News has changed its tone, and that alone explains it.

Expand full comment

and I think this tiny reprieve was strictly for the post-election bc Murdoch didn’t want to support it. But yes, Fox is still awful

Expand full comment

I agree. Murdoch like to back a winner and he is smart enough to see that Trump is clearly not one. Murdoch donates to Democrats if he thinks they will win because he needs to keep government off his back.

I read that Murdoch has secretly offered Trump $100 million book deal to encourage him to go quietly. He denied it but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. Murdoch owns Harper Collins as well as a slew of other influential businesses.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/06/11/what-rupert-murdoch-owns/71089066/

Expand full comment

Fox is hungrily awaiting 4 years of Biden bashing, and Murdoch is probably relieved to be able to remove Trump as de facto assignment editor. By the way, Eric, many thanks for the Tesky & Grunwald video. What a treat!

Expand full comment

so true, Fox loves to play offense and can't wait to lay into a Dem WH.

and glad you liked the video! such a great album.

Expand full comment

I have a suggestion. How about a forum every weekend for your subscribers to post media outrages of the week — like the recent nauseating WaPo article about how excited the “Washington aristocracy” is that schmoozing may return. I would bet that Peggy Noonan was one of them.

People could also post their favorites media moments of the week. A great example this week would be Halle Jackson’s interview with Senator Cramer of North Dakota. She was having none of Cramer. Cramer’s statements show that he clearly knows that Biden won but wouldn’t say it outright. Instead of letting him slide Jackson pushed back hard on his cowardly statements such as “one of these two men will be sworn in in January”.

https://www.msnbc.com/hallie-jackson/watch/full-interview-sen-cramer-potus-ought-to-continue-legal-challenges-96521797848

This is how it should be done.

Expand full comment

This, fox works better as a money machine when it is oppositional.

Expand full comment

But they have to know that their core audience is a dying demographic and not the one most prized by advertisers. Although pharmaceutical companies love to advertise to seniors. Sooner or later Fox will have to change their model if they want to survive. Too bad Lachlan is in charge instead of his more moderate brother James.

Expand full comment

Do they though? It seems that it is always unclear who the marks with Fox, is it the viewers or the advertisers, case in point, the my pillow guy. It like Rush’s show, there is always some sucker willing to buy gold coins...

Expand full comment

Oh please he left a sinking ship that all. He wants to be in good with the new administration so he can get more media consolidation under his odorous armpit.

Expand full comment

Yes, but. How many of the people in question actually watch Fux Noise for daytime news and how many actually are watching while TucKKKer KKKarlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham are lying on a nightly basis?

Expand full comment

Peggy Noonan is the last person I would have expected to have a firm command of the obvious.

Expand full comment