08x05 - Tucker Carlson

[bunniefuu]

Hi there!

Welcome to the show.

Still, unfortunately,

Taking place in this blank void.

Tomorrow is actually

The void's birthday.

So, happy one year, void!

I've never said this to

A one-year-old before,

But I sincerely hope

You stop existing soon!

It's been a very busy week.

We marked the anniversary of

Chet hanks telling us his

Parents were "not trippin" over

Their coronavirus diagnoses, a

Bidder spent nearly $70 million

On a jpeg created by an artist

Called beeple... A string of

Words that apparently make sense

...and last sunday,

Meghan markle and her unemployed

Husband opened up about

Racism in the royal family.

It was an interview so shocking,

It merited not one, not two, but

Three dramatic oprah "what?" S,

And of all the idiotic responses

...from megyn kelly calling

Markle defenders

"Paternalistic wokesters" to

Piers morgan walking off set...

This was perhaps the boldest.

I would put it to you:

Nobody in the world, in history,

Has done more for people of

Color than the british

Royal family.

Wow.

The word "for" there is the

Absolute worst preposition.

Almost any other would be

Better.

"Nobody in the world has done

More to people of color than

The british royal family?"

Sure.

"Nobody in the world has done

More through people of color

Than the british royal family?"

Absolutely.

Even "nobody in the world has

Done more above people of color

Than the british royal family"

Would make more sense, and to

Illustrate that, I'm simply

Going to present this picture

With no further commentary and

You can tell me whether that

Sentence stands up or not.

I would say that was the most

Ridiculous claim made this week,

But here in new york,

Governor cuomo responded to

The growing number of women

Accusing him of harassment...

Including a new incident that's

Been referred to police... By

Calling a press conference

To deny those claims, and

Speculating about why many

In his party have called

For his resignation.

Part of this is that I am not

Part of the political club.

And you know what?

I'm proud of it.

Yeah.

That's the former hud secretary,

Former new york attorney

General, current chair of the

National governor's association,

And son of a three-term

Governor, claiming he's not part

Of "the political club."

It's like hearing

David miscavige say he's

Not a part of the scientology

Club.

Yes, you are.

That's obviously false,

We know where his heart is,

Which is a lot more than we can

Say about his wife.

Where's shelly, david?

Where's shelly?

I'm sure she's fine.

But the biggest news this week

Was the passage of the

$1.9 trillion american rescue

Plan.

The passing of it is a very big

Deal, as it involves... Among

Other things... Direct payments

Of $1400 to many americans.

Which is why it is so strange

That the communications chair of

The dnc decided to celebrate it

By tweeting this.

Oh, hi.

No.

There is simply no thematic or

Conceptual reason to use that

Scene.

Start with the fact that the

Video was posted on march 10th,

And depending on which direction

You're going, that's either



After christmas.

Also, why would either of these

People care about the stimulus

Bill?

They live in london!

And who are they even meant

To represent in regards to it?

Are we supposed to be

Kiera knightly?

Is this guy nancy pelosi?

And if so, who is the husband in

The other room we're supposed to

Be hiding this interaction from?

I mean, yeah, I'm pretty

Confident the elected official

Hounding a staffer is

Andrew cuomo,

But other than that, nothing

Makes sense here.

And the thing is, the content

Of this bill is really worth

Knowing about.

Because while it doesn't contain

A $15 minimum wage and the

Stimulus payments are only

$1400 Instead of $2,000,

There is still some good stuff

In here.

There's money for schools and

Cities to handle the pandemic,

Extended unemployment benefits,

And for most parents, there's

This.

Maybe most critical in here

Is the child tax credit.

It's a guaranteed income

For the year for

Low-income families.

Regular direct deposits

From the government instead of

A lump sum at tax time.

Yeah, it's up to

$3600 Per child, which is huge.

It's currently just for the

Year, but it really should be

Permanent... Experts say if that

Happens, it could actually cut

Child poverty by more than half.

It's potentially one of the most

Significant gains in the bill

And it's going to be a huge

Boost for parents, who frankly

Deserve it after

Spending the past year stuck

In the same place with their

Kids 24 hours a day.

I'm just saying, you try being

Body shamed by a five-year-old

Who keeps asking you why your

Arm hair grows all funky.

It just does!

I don't know!

It grows that way!

You're making me

Self-conscious about it!

And while the passing of this

Bill might now seem inevitable,

Because it passed, and had



People, it only happened because

The democrats won georgia and

Now control the senate.

And even then, they had to get

Parts of it past

Diet republicans joe manchin and

Kyrsten sinema.

Because republicans themselves

Were heavily against this.

This isn't a rescue bill.

It isn't a relief bill.

It's a laundry list of left-wing

Priorities.

It is a trojan horse for

Socialism.

It is everything democrats have

Wanted, wrapped and branded in

Coronavirus so that people are

Scared into voting for it.

This is a waste of money and

A complete waste of time.

I think this is actually

One of the worst pieces of

Legislation I've seen pass here

In the time I've been in the

Senate.

What?

I know you've been in the senate

For 600 years, but giving

Struggling americans barely

Enough rent money after a year

Of a f*cking pandemic is one of

The worst pieces of legislation

That you have ever seen?

Are you sure about that, mitch?

Not the knee-jerk

Post-9/11 panic passing of

The patriot act,

Or the 1986 drug bill

That made a 100 to one

Sentencing disparity between

Crack and powder cocaine?

Or even the joint resolution

In 1987 designating a

"National catfish day."

That was a total disgrace!

f*ck you, catfish!

Which are you... Cat?

Or fish?

Pick a lane, you whiskery

Assholes!

And look, it is not news that

Republicans would oppose this

Bill.

What's slightly more surprising

Is that some have had the gall

To do things like this.

Shortly after the bill's

Passage, republican

Senator roger wicker of

Mississippi tweeted,

"Independent restaurant

Operators have won $28.6 billion

Worth of targeted relief."

Yet wicker was one of



Voted no on saturday.

Yeah, he did that.

And you don't get credit for

Something that everyone knows

You didn't want to happen.

This exact same reason that

Prince charles doesn't get to

Tweet "great interview, oprah,

You tell them, meghan,

#Marklehive."

The fact is, this bill is going

To help millions of americans,

And it's worth remembering

That every single republican

Opposed it.

And if any of them ever come

Back around trying to take

Credit... To put this in the

Form that I guess political

Messages are delivered now...

The response has to be simply

This...

Christmas music, please!

And now...

Local news bothers 100-year-old

Women on their birthdays.

Do you have any advice?

Advice?

Don't take any baloney.

You are 100 today.

Don't eat vegetables?

I don't eat much candy.

Well, I used to eat a lot of

Candy.

No more now.

Eating correctly and behaving

Ourselves.

And a little better bourbon

On the side, right?

Oh, yes.

Just be yourself.

If they want to laugh at you,

Laugh back at them.

Is there anything that you

Are looking forward to in this

Next century of life?

Breathing.

You say you are a little

Tired this morning.

Is that right?

I am tired.

Are you excited for your

Party?

Not one bit.

Moving on.

Our main story tonight concerns

...i'm sorry to say...

Tucker carlson.

A man who gives "tuckers"

An even worse name than they

Already have.

This week, as he seems to every

Week, tucker set off a bit of

A firestorm.

So we've got new hairstyles

And maternity flight suits,

Pregnant women are gonna fight

Our wars.

It's a mockery of

The u.s. Military.

While china's military becomes

More masculine, as it's

Assembled the world's largest

Navy, our military needs to

Become, as joe biden says, more

Feminine... Whatever feminine

Means anymore, since men and

Women no longer exist.

What are you talking

About, you performatively

Outraged wedge salad?

He's packed a lot in there...

From transphobia, to weirdly

Extolling the masculinity of

China's navy, to his completely

Misplaced outrage at joe biden

Over those flight suits, which

Were part of an initiative

That started when trump was

President, and also included

Ensuring that body armor

Actually fits women service

Members, which is obviously

A good idea.

Those comments sparked an

All-too-familiar cycle of

Condemnation, defensiveness, and

Hype.

And it seems like every week,

Tucker has another one of these

Mini-controversies.

Last week it was the dr. Seuss

Bullshit.

And look, I'd love nothing more

Than not to play into his wildly

Offensive shtick.

You might even be thinking,

"Why give him the attention that

He's so clearly trolling for?"

But the fact is, we're not

Giving tucker any attention he's

Not already getting a lot of.

The night he made those flight

Suit remarks, he was the most

Watched show on cable.

He averages over three million

Viewers a night, and does well

In the key 25 to 54 demo...

Meaning young people are

Watching him, as well as the

Normal fox audience of retirees

And their sad, imprisoned pets.

He's so important to the

Network, they're expanding his

Presence... Launching a new

Video podcast and long-form

Documentary series.

And if that wasn't enough,

Tucker's also been floated as a

Potential future presidential

Candidate, which should be

Seriously alarming, because of

All the things tucker is...

A conspiracy theorist, a

Misogynist, islamophobic,

A troll... One of

The most dangerous is that he is

The most prominent vessel in

America for white supremacist

Talking points.

And I already know what tucker

Will say about this, because

Whenever the topic comes up,

He has the same reaction:

What does that even mean?

White nationalism.

Let's be literal for a minute.

What is that exactly?

I don't even know what

White nationalist means and

I'm not gonna go down that

Rabbit hole with you now.

Why doesn't anyone ever

Define white supremacy?

What is white supremacy?

Can somebody tell us

In very clear language what

A white supremacist is?

"Very

Clear language" seems like a

High bar to clear for a man who

Spends 85% of his time making

The befuddled face of a



About bitcoin.

And I promise, we're actually

Going to give tucker a pretty

Clear definition of white

Supremacy later in this piece.

And he seems to need one,

Because whenever he tries to

Define it himself, it tends to

Be self-servingly narrow.

This show was not on the air

For six months before there was

An organized and highly

Aggressive campaign by prominent

Democrats to denounce us as

White supremacist.

The first time it happened,

The people who work on this

Show, many of them kids, were

Shocked and horrified by that.

White supremacists?

What's worse than that?

The phrase evokes images of

Burning crosses and lynchings.

It's awful.

Okay, first, I'm so

Sorry, tucker.

I didn't realize your show was

Staffed entirely by children.

I never intended for them to get

Caught up in this.

So my sincere apologies,

You tiny little rascals.

But "I don't burn crosses or

Lynch people, so I can't be a

White supremacist" is a pretty

Weak argument.

It's like saying "I can't be

An anti-semite because I didn't

Do the holocaust" or I can't

Be a sexual predator

Because I didn't produce

"Good will hunting."

There is more than one way

To be a terrible person.

And tucker... Conveniently for

Him... Doesn't fit neatly into

A lot of people's perception of

"White supremacist."

Especially if they share his

Definition, that it must

Require burning crosses,

Klan hoods, and a name tag

That says "hello, my name is

A r*cist."

You might even have friends who

Think, "tucker can't be r*cist.

I've never heard him say the

"N-word," as if that is the

f*cking bar.

White

Supremacists themselves

Seem to be big fans of what

Tucker's been doing.

Just listen to derek black, a

Former white supremacist whose

Father started stormfront

...the oldest, largest white

Supremacist site on the internet

...talk about just how much his

Family likes tucker's show.

My family watches

Tucker carlson's show once and

Then watches it on the replay

Because they feel that he is

Making the white nationalist

Talking points better than they

Have.

And they're trying to get some

Tips on how to... How to advance

It.

Yeah.

They watch it

Once to enjoy it, and a second

Time to learn from it.

They watch tucker the same way I

Watch "the drew barrymore show."

First time for fun, second to

Figure out how she can

Successfully pull off a segment

In which a child makes a

Shirley temple while

Stanley tucci quietly drinks an

Entire glass of wine on a screen

In the background.

I don't know how you work your

Magic, drew, but I want to

Learn.

You're advancing this form!

So given that tucker

Has the admiration of

White supremacists, and the ear

Of millions of your relatives,

Coworkers, and elected

Officials, we thought, tonight,

It'd be worth talking about him

...where he came from, what his

Tactics are, and why what he

Represents is so dangerous.

And let's start with some

Back story.

Tucker grew up in la jolla,

California, where his dad

Married an heiress to the

Swanson tv dinner fortune.

Which is already interesting.

Because if tucker's got sad

'70S single man frozen food

Money, that means he's been

Doing groundbreaking shows like

"Cuckolding is when a humiliated

Man watches his wife have an

Affair" for the love of the

Game.

To hear tucker tell it, he grew

Up in a simpler, better time.

He once wistfully claimed,

"Racial solidarity wasn't

A working concept in my

Southern-california hometown.

Most people barely had last

Names, much less ethnic

Identities."

Which is a pretty weird thing to

Say if your full name is

Tucker swanson mcnear carlson,

And your ethnic identity can

Best be described as

"My brother's name is

Buckley swanson peck carlson."

The only way he could get any

More ethnically white is if he

Jizzed mayonnaise.

As a child, tucker was sent to

Boarding school, where he

Promptly did two things:

Fail to impress any number of

Prestigious universities and

Start dating the headmaster's

Daughter, a headmaster who in

Return, arranged to get him

Into trinity college.

He then became a print

Journalist, reportedly after his

Father told him that journalism

Will "take anybody."

Which, to his dad's credit,

Did kind of turn out to be true.

Tucker's leap to tv, though,

Came as an accident...

Supposedly, back in the '90s,

Dan rather's show called

The magazine where tucker was

Working, looking for somebody

To talk about the o.j. Trial.

And the receptionist there told

Him, "everyone else is still at

Lunch.

Can you do it?"

Which might be the single

Whitest origin story I have ever

Heard.

"Hey, you!

Yeah, you with the skin and

Face!

We've got an extra career lying

Around.

Are you interested?"

But despite his total lack of

Preparation, tucker was almost

Immediately hitting on themes

That he'd be echoing for the

Next 25 years.

Because here's one of his very

First tv appearances, in the

Aftermath of the o.j. Verdict.

Let me ask you, mr. Carlson,

Do you think we're honest with

Each other?

Oh, no, of course not.

I mean, you know, everybody is

Terrified of... Of one thing.

You know, whites are, of course,

Terrified of being called a

r*cist.

Blacks are terrified of being

Belittled.

Of course.

I... I... I think we need...

Actually probably less

Conversation about race.

I think it might do us good

Were we to ignore the subject

A little bit and treat each

Other as if there were no color

Boundary separating us.

I think that might be helpful.

I think we talk about it in some

Ways too much.

Okay, first, I'm pretty

Sure black people are less

Terrified of being "belittled"

Than of being k*lled, jailed,

Economically exploited, or

Indeed, denied access to

Healthcare after their heads

Literally explode from hearing

Someone in a bow tie and plaid

Blazer suggest being called

r*cist is as bad as actually

Experiencing racism.

Although, I do want to quickly

Come back to that specific

Bow tie.

Because, look, I'm not knocking

Bow ties in general.

They're perfectly fine for

A child attending his first

Communion, or a hanna-barbera

Animator who can't draw necks...

But that bow tie is too small.

Either commit to it or

Don't, tucker.

Don't just put on a tiny one and

Hope no one notices.

Now, from there, tucker bounced

Around a bit, with canceled

Shows on both cnn and msnbc.

Although in his time at cnn, he

Did manage to produce... And I

Don't say this lightly... The

Most 2003 clip of all time.

You worked with pepsi

For a long time.

Candidly, just between you and

Me, how much pepsi do you think

You drink on an average day?

I really do like pepsi.

Really?

I really do.

What's your favorite kind?

My favorite kind of pepsi?

Pepsi's pepsi.

Well, you don't drink

Diet pepsi or...

No, just... Just reg... Just

Reg... Regular pepsi.

Look, I cannot stress

Leave britney alone!

Don't do gotcha journalism about

Her pepsi consumption... Not

Only has she been through a lot,

She's a stone cold legend.

She's the definitional diva of

The 2000s, and I guarantee you:

There isn't a human being on

Earth who doesn't perk up when

That violin hook from "toxic"

Comes on.

Exactly!

Put some m*therf*cking respect

On her name, tucker, and... Of

Course... #Freebritney.

And while tucker eventually

Failed upwards into

A primetime fox show in 2016,

The fascinating thing is,

If you go back and watch his

Earlier clips, you can see him

Learning the tricks of his

Trade, right in front of you.

Watch him talk about

Pat buchanan... The republican

Fire-brand and noted

Anti-immigrant crusader... And

Break down one of buchanan's

Go-to moves, with the precision

Of a dedicated student.

I mean, pat does raise issues

That I think are important.

Unfortunately, pat buchanan

Raises them in a way that I

Think is discredited and when

att*cked, he can always fall

Back on the line, "well, the...

You know, the tiny cabal that

Controls american politics

Doesn't like me because I speak

Truth to power."

This is actually incidentally

Almost verbatim what he said the

Other day, "that I offend the

Plutocracy, that I'm a wanted

Man by the inside the beltway

People," and in every sense,

Cast himself as a... As a victim

Who was sort of a karen silkwood

Of politics, someone who's so

Truthful that he's being hunted

Down by the... By the conspiracy

That runs washington.

I mean, it's all a bit much.

Yeah, you're right,

Tucker... It is!

And that is actually a pretty

Salient point, it's just

Incredibly hard to take,

Given who's making it.

In the same way it would be hard

To listen to a lecture on g*n

Safety and overall life choices

From tekashi69.

I don't care how good your

Advice is.

I'm not taking it from you.

Because "the tiny cabal that

Controls american politics

Doesn't like me because I speak

Truth to power" is now tucker's

Signature move.

He does it all the time,

Whenever he's criticized.

A few years ago, he lost

Advertisers after saying, and I

Quote, that immigrants make our

Country "poorer and dirtier and

More divided."

And this is how he fired back.

Those who won't shut up get

Silenced.

You've seen it a million times.

It happens all the time.

The enforcers scream, "r*cist,"

On twitter until everybody gets

Intimidated.

It's a tactic, a well-worn one.

Nobody thinks it's real.

And it won't work with this

Show.

We're not intimidated.

We plan to try to say what's

True until the last day.

And the truth is unregulated

Mass immigration has badly hurt

This country's natural

Landscape.

Oh, f*ck off, tucker,

You relentlessly indignant

Picket fence.

How did you go from criticizing

Pat buchanan for that precise

Tactic to basically imitating

Him?

It's all... To borrow a phrase

..."A bit much."

But that technique gets to the

Absolute heart of tucker's show:

So often, he positions himself

As someone just asking the hard

Questions... The ones that

"They" don't want you asking.

Questions like, "is affirmative

Action r*cist?"

And "should america be selective

With immigrants?"

And "has the democratic party

Become anti-white and

Anti-male?"

Just asking questions, while

Heavily implying that the answer

To those questions is yes.

But when, in turn, anyone

Questions him, they're not just

Censoring free speech, they're

Launching an attack on the

Foundations of our democracy,

And the vast working class who

This humble tv dinner

Prince somehow represents.

And the most telling thing about

Tucker's framing of himself as

The scourge of the elites and

The hero of the common man is

That, for tucker, who

Constitutes "the common man" is

Very selective.

Take ilhan omar.

Just watch him lose his shit

Over a clip he's about to play

Of something she said.

If anyone should love

America, it's ilhan omar.

This country rescued her from a

Squalid kenyan refugee camp and

Made her a national figure,

Quite an ascent.

But ilhan omar is not grateful.

She hates us for it.

Watch omar tell us it is time to

Dismantle our country.

As long as our economy and

Political systems prioritize

Profit without considering who

Is profiting, who is being shut

Out, we will perpetuate this

Inequality.

So we cannot stop at criminal

Justice system.

We must begin the work of

Dismantling the whole system of

Oppression wherever we find it.

Dismantle the american

Economy and the american system

Of government, institutions that

Generations of americans built

Over hundreds of years.

All right, there is

Already enough there in the

Sneering condescension that

Ilhan omar should be quietly

Grateful her entire life because

She was granted asylum when she

Was a child.

But let's just consider the vast

Distance between what you just

Heard her say and what he seemed

To hear.

Because according to tucker,

Dismantling the system of

Oppression means dismantling

The entire american economy and

System of government.

Now, did he inadvertently make a

Nuanced point about how systemic

Oppression is definitionally

Baked into every level and facet

Of that very same system?

Yes, yes he did.

Am I going to give him credit

For doing that?

f*ck no!

Especially not when this is what

He said next:

The problem is, there are

Many of us here who do like this

Country.

We live here.

We don't want to destroy it.

We have every right to fight to

Preserve our nation and our

Heritage and our culture.

Wow, "preserve our

Heritage and culture."

That is direct.

In fact, his pre-written caption

There... "We have to fight to

Preserve our nation and

Heritage" drew a lot of

Comparisons to the

"Fourteen words," the famous

White supremacist slogan that

Says, "we must secure the

Existence of our people and

A future for white children."

And when you put the two

Together, there is, y'know,

A slight similarity there.

I'm just saying... If you typed

Tucker's quote into a blank word

Document, nine times out of ten,

Clippy is going to ask "are you

Trying to recite the fourteen

Words?"

Of course, clippy's been asking

That a lot more ever since he

Started spending so much time on

Youtube.

Careful how much time you spend

On there, clippy, it's turning

You into an assh*le.

And if you're thinking, "well,

Come one, that seems like a

Stretch.

You can't know what tucker means

By "our heritage and culture,"

You should know that he hasn't

Always been that disciplined

About messaging.

In the late 2000s, he used to

Call into a radio show hosted

By shock jock bubba the love

Sponge.

And in those calls, the thin

Veil covering his racism would

Occasionally thrown off, in

Moments like this.

Iraq is a crappy place filled

With a bunch of, you know...

Yeah.

Semi-literate primitive

Monkeys.

But I just have zero sympathy

For them or their culture.

A culture where people just

Don't use toilet paper or

Forks.

Okay.

That isn't just incredibly

Offensive.

It's also the kind of fact-free

Cultural hot take that is

The essential tucker carlson

Experience, because while it is

Clearly by no means the most

Important thing there, for the

Table forks were

Apparently first used in the

Middle east and byzantine

Empire, and were still

"Conspicuously absent" in europe

Until centuries later.

In fact, when the niece of a

Byzantine emperor brought a case

Of forks to venice for her

Wedding feast in the eleventh

Century, she was "roundly

Condemned by the local clergy

For her decadence," with one

Saying, "god in his wisdom has

Provided man with natural forks:

His fingers.

Therefore, it is an insult to

Him to substitute artificial

Metal forks for them when

Eating."

Which is absolutely fascinating.

Because it's not just a full

Refutation of tucker's lazy

Racism, it's also a very fun

Fork fact.

Fork fact!

Fork facts are fun!

The point is, when you know how

Tucker speaks when he speaks

Freely, the filter through which

He processes the world for his

Audience becomes painfully

Apparent.

Because he's smart enough not to

Openly say into a camera that

Certain races are more deserving

Of scorn, or less worthy of

Respect.

He will just heavily imply that,

Depending on who he's talking

About.

Take the capitol riots.

Tucker said that he deplored

The v*olence, but repeatedly

Compelled his viewers to try and

Understand where the people

Demonstrators were coming from.

On january 6th, we had a riot

At the u.s. Capitol.

Why did that happen?

It happened because millions of

American voters were convinced

That the last election was not

Fair.

Where did they get that idea?

Well, it wasn't simply because

The last president told them so,

You're hearing that now as if

They are animals who take

Commands and do what they're

Told, but they're not animals.

They are people.

They are american citizens who

Can see what's happening and

Come to their own conclusions

About it.

They saw the radical increase in

Mail-in voting, millions did,

And it corroded their faith and

The public's faith in our

Systems of election.

Okay, hold on.

People didn't think the election

Was rigged because they saw an

"Increase in mail-in voting."

They thought that because people

Like you repeatedly told them

The election was rigged.

And that plea for understanding

There is especially hard to take

When you contrast it with how

He reacted to last summer's

Black lives matter protests.

People like this don't bother

To work.

They don't volunteer or

Pay taxes to help other people.

They live for themselves.

They do exactly what they

Feel like doing.

They say exactly what they

Feel like saying.

They spray paint their opinions

On buildings.

On television, hour by hour,

We watch these people,

Criminal mobs, destroy what

The rest of us have built.

They have no right to do that.

They don't contribute to the

Common good.

They never have.

Yet, suddenly they seem to have

All the power.

Well, that's quite

A different tone.

And it is interesting to see who

Gets to be "american citizens

Who came to their own

Conclusions," and who gets to be

"Criminal mobs who destroy what

The rest of us have built."

And it does seem like the

Dividing line for tucker on that

Question is, "how easily can you

Sunburn?"

And look, my point here isn't

That tucker is inconsistent, in

Addressing two violent protests

In vastly different ways.

It's that he's actually

Incredibly consistent, because

In both instances, his clear

Takeaway is that white people

Should be terrified at the idea

Of any situation where they

Aren't in power.

The main narrative of tucker's

Show is that power is being

Taken away from "you," his

Viewer... And that this needs to

Be resisted.

He's run segments... Just asking

Questions, remember... Like,

"How exactly is diversity our

Strength?"

And has argued not just that it

Isn't, but that it's a "threat

To our existence as a cohesive

Country."

In fact, he'll often call to

Resist that threat with an

Interesting choice of phrase.

Western civilization

Is our birthright.

It makes all good things

Possible.

Undefended, it collapses.

And so we've got to fight

To preserve it.

It's a w*r, with one side

Trying to erase all remnants of

Its opponent.

In this case,

Western civilization.

Is the culture into which

They're coming, the western

Civilization we're talking

About, superior to the culture

That these immigrants are

Bringing?

Do you think it's possible to

Move a large muslim population

Into the west and successfully

Integrate them into western

Culture?

Have you seen that anywhere?

Yeah, for tucker,

It seems western civilization is

Somehow both the mighty and

Essential bedrock on which all

Modern human existence is built,

And also, a delicate house of

Cards that will collapse if you

So much as look at it wrong.

And again, he'll be careful not

To verbally link race and

Civilization, like he's calling

In to a love sponge's radio show

In 2006.

But he will occasionally dance

Incredibly close to it.

Let me just stipulate.

I am for getting along.

I am for colorblindness,

I'm for tolerance, 100%.

But I also think that if things

Radically change in your

Country, it's okay for you to

Say, what is this, and maybe I

Don't want to live in a country

That looks nothing like the

Country I grew up in.

Is that bigoted?

Uh, yeah.

Yeah, it is.

That's like saying, "I've got

Ten fingers and toes, a pointy

Face with a little pink rosebud

Mouth, a cat-sized body, a long

Weird tail, and I eat garbage.

Does that make me a possum?"

Yes!

Yes, it does!

That's the literal definition of

The thing you just described!

And that is the whole thing with

Tucker.

He might not say "black" or

"White," he'll insist he's

"For colorblindness," he'll

Build in deniability by phrasing

Things as a question... Like,

What does racism look like?

While kind of embodying the

Answer.

But when you put all of this

Together, the pattern is clear:

He's scared of a country that

"Looks nothing like the one he

Grew up in," because diversity

Isn't our strength, immigrants

Make our country poorer,

Dirtier, and more divided,

And any attempt to change that

Culture is an attack on

Western civilization.

All of which is a long way of

Saying that when tucker asks,

"What is white supremacy?"

The answer is basically that.

It's a belief that, in a country

Where white people are dominant,

That's all down to their natural

And innate abilities, and any

Effort to change that is an

Affront to the natural order of

Things.

So it's frankly no wonder that

Guy's family watches tucker

Twice a night.

Of course tucker's been endorsed

By white supremacists.

James allsup... A far-right

Activist who marched in

Charlottesville... Once said

This to a conference room full

Of fellow white supremacists.

An example of someone

Engaging in very effective

Rhetoric is, of course,

Tucker carlson.

Tucker is helping mainstream

Conservatives change the way

They think about politics and

Causing a massive swath of

Trump voters to look deeper

Into many of the issues that

We already talk about.

The left is aware of what he's

Doing and he's aware of what

He's doing, so it works

Phenomenally.

Oh, that might be the

Single worst laugh I've ever

Heard.

And I say that as someone who's

Almost forgotten what human

Laughter sounds like.

I've been stuck inside casper's

assh*le for 12 long months now,

And I'm so desperate to hear the

Response of a live audience,

But if it's neo-n*zi chuckles,

Pingponging off the walls of a

Hotel ballroom,

I think I might be out.

And look, if everything I've

Shown you somehow still isn't

Enough... Let's hear from a

Literal former grand wizard of

White supremacists, david duke.

He's not only tweeted

Approvingly about tucker in the

Past, saying, "tucker is right!"

And "can't cuck the tuck!"

...which, as all tucker viewers

Know, refers to when a

Humiliated man watches

His wife have an affair.

Duke even has a podcast,

Where he sometimes just recaps

Tucker's segments from the night

Before.

Last year, when endorsing trump

For president, he even suggested

That tucker carlson should be

His v.p., Explaining tucker's

Value to the white supremacist

Cause like this.

He doesn't use the word

"White" very often, but that's

The underlying message that he's

Showing.

And he shows that there is

Massive racism in america

Against white people, while at

The same time saying there's no

Systematic racism.

But people get the message.

Yeah, people do get the

Message.

Although, to be fair, it's not

Like it's written in a complex

Code.

It's a walking yacht club

Scrunching his face up for an

Hour every night and saying to

A conservative audience "they"

Are coming for "you" in

Modulating tones.

We're not exactly in riddle of

The sphinx territory here.

And all of this is why... As

Tempting as it is to dismiss the

Controversy that follows tucker

Every week as one more artifact

Of our outrage culture... It's

Important to remember that what

Tucker is saying is f*cking

Outrageous.

Because no one in their right

Mind would sit down, pop in

Their headphones, fire up

David duke's podcast and think,

"Hey, I'm not

A white supremacist."

But millions of people watch

Tucker on tv every night,

Spouting well-laundered versions

Of pretty much the same talking

Points, and there is real harm

In that.

Because while white supremacy is

Clearly dangerous when promoted

By self-avowed white

Supremacists, it can actually

Be even more dangerous

When it isn't.

And what tucker carlson's show

Sells... In addition to utterly

Terrible pillows... Is very

Seductive.

It's the idea this country is

Fundamentally color-blind, that

Anyone who mentions race is just

Trying to start trouble, that

Historic oppression is no longer

Relevant, and that in fact, you,

His viewers, are the ones

Currently being oppressed.

And if he can sell his audience

On his white identity politics,

If he can persuade them that

The big existential threat to

America right now is diversity,

It sort of doesn't matter if he

Says aloud what his preferred

Solutions to that might be.

And while it's bad enough to

Hear that white supremacist

Families gather round to watch

Tucker twice, the fact is,

Millions of viewers a night

Watch him once, and once is

Already more than enough.

And now this.

And now...

A look back at one year of tv

News with pandemic precautions.

You may have noticed

Something a little different

About tonight's newscast.

Like many of you, everyone at

Cbs 17 is practicing social

Distancing.

We are standing 6 feet apart

On the set.

Social distancing.

This is 6 feet right here.

It feels like I have to shout

Out you know.

I know.

We have microphones and we

Don't.

I'm coming to you live this

Morning for my own home.

You look great sitting there

Set up at a studio at home.

What's happening?

Olivia is calling.

Somebody answer olivia.

We can say hi.

Were going to go ahead and

Apologize.

My alexa is going off.

Alexa come off.

The downstream effect is

Playing out across the system.

I'm sorry, you are hearing my

Dog bark at the mailman.

It's been a week, this is the

Cat, that's the perks of working

From home.

The maps aren't going to move

Because he whacked the computer

With his head.

Let me verbalize the forecast.



We'll talk about the storm.

He walks now, guys.

I've lost all control.

Sorry.

Yeah.

You can have biscuits.

Sorry about that.

Run to the supreme court as

They have indicated, clearly,

That has failed.

They have refused to interview

And ultimately those ballots

Will be counted.

That's our show.

Thank you so much for watching.

See you next week.

Good night!