Fox News pushes GOP positions while Fox polls show Americans support Democratic policies

Fox is still conservative.

Dominion beat Fox News like a drum — that was just a warm-up. Next up is Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion suit against the shameless fabulists. And for an amuse-bouche, Abby Grossberg is suing the network for allowing a hostile, sexist, and anti-Semitic workplace.

I suspect that Lachlan Murdoch, FOX Corp’s CEO, and Suzanne Scott, Fox News’ CEO, are working late to rein in the excesses that have led to this financial kick in the groin.

However, do not expect Fox to break with tradition and embrace honesty. The channel did not fire Tucker Carlson for his racist, white nationalist fascism. They axed that carbuncle because his staggering ego, and his conviction he was untouchable, unleashed a putrescent ad hominem campaign against his fellow workers and Fox’s management. Who in turn smacked him across the nose with a rolled-up newspaper like a dog who shat the carpet.

In fairness, I should add that Grossberg’s suit is a reaction to her time on Carlson’s show. So maybe that had something to do with Carlson’s ouster — especially if you consider that Fox also fired Tucker's producer Justin Wells, a co-defendant in Grossberg’s suit.

The point is that Fox will not stop riding the conservative tide that has generated its champagne profits. Fox does not have to worry about public opinion because the public does not watch them. They only have to keep the MAGAs happy. To do so, they will keep pushing conservative policies even though their own polling shows Americans prefer Democratic positions.

Here’s a synopsis.

Abortion

A Fox News poll shows that 65% of Americans believe the abortion pill, Mifepristone, should be legal, while only 30% believe it should be banned.

‘Choice’ is supported by Americans. However, I have not heard that Fox’s opinionators have become any less rigid in their anti-choice rhetoric. Democrats must hope (politically) that Republican state legislatures keep up their attack on American women. An attempt by reliably red Kansas to ban abortion turned the state blue (by 18%) for one pro-abortion vote. And the GOP’s callous overreach in denying women reproductive rights was a significant reason the 2022 red wave never materialized.

Assault Weapons 

The gun lobby will have you believe that assault weapons are as American as apple pie and forced motherhood. Real Americans disagree.

A majority say ban war weapons. A minority think more guns are the answer — which means even some people who think more guns are the answer believe the law should ban assault weapons.

Note: one absurdity favored by gun nuts is that people who know little about guns should have no business deciding gun laws. Codswallop. Most people do not understand how car ABS work, but no one says they should not have an opinion on car safety regulation.

Schools

Most Americans (60%) say schools banning books is a "major problem." Once again, putting Republicans on the wrong side of public opinion. On the other school issues — race, parental rights, transgender policies — the country is more evenly divided.

Note: I suspect that some people were confused by the questions. For instance, do people say that “too much focus on race” is a problem because conservatives are keen to whitewash racism or because liberals want more taught about it in school? Either way, there is no evidence of majority support for Republican positions.

Americans also have a mixed reaction to trans issues. Most (57%) say attacks on families with trans members are a "major problem." However, a majority (54%) say that trans athletes are also an issue.

It could be that trans is not an issue many people have thought about much. On the one hand, they believe Republicans should stop beating up on people for being who they are. On the other, there is a sense that cis women suffer discrimination if forced to compete against trans women with height and muscularity advantages due to early testosterone exposure.

However, whatever the solution, I think most people agree that the characterization of trans athletes by conservatives has been hysterical rather than productive. And that anti-trans rhetoric is designed to appeal to the base’s bigotry rather than express a genuine concern for cis women athletes. (Especially as conservatives have no love for minority or lesbian sportswomen)

Federal Deficit vs Spending

A full 78% of Americans worry about federal deficits. Half (50%) say they are a "major problem." Another 28% go further and call them a "crisis." That sounds bad, except those numbers are lower than they were. In 2011, 88% said the deficit was a worry, with 47% calling it a crisis.

However, as bad as those numbers are, Americans overwhelmingly (71%) prefer that Medicare and Social Security remain untouched and not cut to reduce deficits — an even higher number than in 2013.

What conservatives will not tell the congregation is that the vast majority of Americans think Congress should raise taxes on the rich (82%) and corporations (83%).

Conclusion

Fox News knows its chief source of eyeballs is the conservative base. Although, the channel does attract a significant liberal viewership. To keep those guys happy, Foxers will neither stray from ultraconservative orthodoxy nor moderate their breathless hyperbole.

Some telegenic right winger with enough conspiratorial zest to inflame the easily scared will replace Carlson. However, they will not have the erstwhile host's toxic narcissism. The company will also tell their talking heads to lay off attacking companies who can sue them for billions — cutting off a lucrative pursuit for the victims of Fox’s smears.

However, do not expect the Murdoch philosophy to change much. Fox News will continue to lie, bury the inconvenient, and promote conspiracies. And it will ignore its own polls showing it caters to a minority of voters.

The only thing that would convince Fox to change its stripes is if the Murdochs became convinced that there was more money in honesty than duplicity.