No one saw this coming, except almost everyone.
For reasons I have articulated here several times (but probably not enough), after October 7 Tucker Carlson has devolved into non-stop normalization of antisemitism and neo-Nazism. He takes the worst people in the world and launders their noxious ideologies through tongue-bathing interviews, while himself regularly accusing people like Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin and Israel supporters in general of dual or disloyalty.
When Tucker promoted Nick Fuentes in a softball interview it was the culmination of two-years of Tucker’s Information Jihad against the Jews, and people who tried to ignore it no longer could.
But for some reason, Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, deemed it necessary to chime in by pledging eternal loyalty to Tucker.
That video defense of Tucker caused an earthquake in the conservative movement and its leading think tank, Heritage, with resignations and severed relationships. It’s unclear how deeply it has damaged Heritage long term, but it sacrificed its dignity at the alter of Tucker.
Roberts responded with a milquetoast-level apology and condemnation of antisemitism, but not criticism of Tucker.
So how did Tucker repay that loyalty? What thanks did Tucker give for Roberts risking Heritage in defense of Tucker?
Tucker just lashed out at Roberts and Heritage.
[Emphasis added below]
KEY EXCHANGE around 16 min mark:Carlson: There’s a man called Kevin Roberts, who I knew and really liked, took over the Heritage Foundation a couple of years ago, and I thought and—and that’s the biggest foundation in Washington, and I thought that he could steer it into a positive direction. I think he certainly wanted to. He tried. Um, and in the end, 10 days ago, he got—he was completely destroyed by this —by this fighting within the within the Republican party and the conservative movement. Very very sad. And and you know, I think the Heritage Foundation will—and I say this, again, with sadness because there are smart people there. They have a ton of money. They should be a force for good. But I don’t see how they ever will be.Dawson: Not after that.Carlson: Not after that.Dawson: Absolutely cannibalized him.Carlson: Yep. And he allowed it. He was—he was weak. he decided he wanted his job more than to tell the truth. And that’s a, you know, that’s a—a moment that I think every man faces inevitably in life. And, and I understand the fears. I mean, I’ve certainly been there a lot. And um, you know, not wanting to lose your job. I get it. I’m not judging. But you have to choose the truth because if you don’t, you’ll never recover. It’ll break you. Like Winston Smith at the end of 1984 who has been broken. You know, they’ve—they’ve shown him his greatest fears and something snapped inside of him. I can’t handle. he reached the end of his, his ability to to withstand uh the terror and the punishment and he gives in. But unfortunately, when you do give in, you know, it’s, it’s you’re, you’re done. You’re dead in a way. And so, just don’t do that. Just resolve not to do that.
The reactions summed it all up. From Rod Dreher who considered Tucker a friend:
And from many others.
Tucker is dragging down not only the MAGA movement but will eventually his political project, JD Vance.
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