I guess there are some things that the extremes on our political spectrum can agree about. See the title above.
On his podcast, Tucker Carlson recently hosted Nick Fuentes, whom media outlets describe as a “White Nationalist” and antisemite. This appearance gave Fuentes a huge platform to espouse his views. I won’t go into detail about what Fuentes said on Carlson’s podcast, except to note that he declared that he is “fan” of Joseph Stalin, castigated the outsize influence of “organized Jewry” (if you’ve ever been at Thanksgiving dinner in a Jewish house, you’ll question that characterization), and generally spouted his hateful nonsense–without a whole lot of pushback from Carlson.
Various Republicans, including Ted Cruz, were really unhappy about Carlson giving Fuentes such a huge audience for Fuentes’ extremist views. Then, Kevin Roberts, the President of the Heritage Foundation, the highly conservative think tank that coordinated Project 2025, chimed in. (By the way, Russell Vought was Vice-President of an affiliate of the Heritage Foundation.)
In a video posted on X (formerly known as, what was that name again?), Roberts said that America should prioritize its interests over those of Israel (okay, sounds right, but who’s disputing that?) and, along with saying various “Christian” things, insisted that Carlson is and remains a friend of the Heritage Foundation. Roberts also asserted that it’s wrong to “cancel” Fuentes for his awful views.
Of course, some might question whether, if Carlson had declined to give Fuentes a giant megaphone, that would amount to “canceling” him. By that logic, the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and every media outlet and podcast in the country (with the possible exception of The Bulwark (345,000 views so far!)) has “canceled” me by not publishing me or inviting me to appear on their shows or podcasts.
Anyway, Roberts’ video, in turn, prompted a reply from Mitch McConnell on X (still can’t recall the old name, but I think it had to do with a bird or bat). McConnell’s response bears quoting in full. He wrote, “The “intellectual backbone of the conservative movement” is only as strong as the values it defends. Last I checked, “conservatives should feel no obligation” to carry water for antisemites and apologists for America-hating autocrats. But maybe I just don’t know what time it is…”
This response is heartbreaking in its own way. It’s also sadly (and unintentionally) ironic — a self-own — because it’s clear that Mitch actually doesn’t know what time it is.
You’ve been passed by, Mitch. You’ve been left at the station. With your Supreme Court nomination hijinks and your relentless lust for power, you helped unleash a monster, and that monster is ugly and frightening, and may very well consume you.