Fox News’ new laughing stock: Cliven Bundy — and Stephen Colbert — will destroy Sean Hannity

[DonViejo]

Fox News’ new laughing stock: Cliven Bundy — and Stephen Colbert — will destroy Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity's done. Roger Ailes booted Glenn Beck when he became a liability. A Colbert clip might make it so

JOAN WALSH

I’ll admit, this brilliant Stephen Colbert piece made me wonder: Could Sean Hannity’s detestable role in making Cliven Bundy a right-wing folk hero, and his lingering embrace of Bundy despite signs that his Nevada stand-off would never end well, doom him at Fox? You’ll enjoy Colbert’s “Ballad of Cliven Bundy,” which falls apart because “unfortunately, nothing rhymes with Negro.”

Hannity is already in some trouble: Roger Ailes gave Megyn Kelly his ultra-prime 9 p.m. prime time slot and bumped him to 10 p.m. last year. And remember, Ailes dumped Glenn Beck when he became a laughing stock and a liability for the network, and for conservatism. Hannity has done the same.

Now, it’s not about Hannity’s politics, and it wasn’t about Beck’s either. I agree with Ailes biographer Gabriel Sherman, who argues that “Ailes is more extreme than Glenn Beck.” Sherman explained: “One thing that makes Roger Ailes a genius is he obscures his true agenda. Glenn Beck is transparent.” Beck’s sin wasn’t his increasingly extreme conservatism; it was damaging extreme conservatism by making one of its leading faces an unstable lunatic.

Hannity likewise damaged right-wing politics by making Cliven Bundy a hero. Now he and the entire network have to backtrack, but the travesty once again exposed the way racism so often goes along with right-wing ideology today. (Often, not always.)

more
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/25/fox_news_new_laughing_stock_cliven_bundy_and_stephen_colbert_will_destroy_sean_hannity/

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Hey, give some credit to Jon Stewart too ! nt

[WhiteTara]

4. Agreed! Stewart was genius! nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. Colbert is most excellent. I'm really going to miss the Colbert Report.

[Scuba]

3. Another excellent piece of work by Colbert.

"... like some kind of lucky dead seabird."

[bvar22]

5. "Hannity made Glenn Beck sound like the voice of reason."--- Jon Stewart

Stewart played a clip of Glenn Beck saying that he owned land, and leased Grazing Rights to other cattle farmers. Paying to graze you cattle on land you don't own is normal.