
<p>Conservative activist Tucker Carlson ignited a controversy among Republicans and conservatives with his overly friendly interview with political influencer Nick Fuentes.</p>



<p>Fuentes is a political and intellectual Neanderthal (with apologies to the Neanderthals). ;  ;He:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Expressed his belief that <em>“America was founded by White Christians and should stay that way”. </em></li>



<li>Is a Holocaust denier, calling the deaths of six million Jews <em>“exaggerated”</em> and <em>“ridiculous</em>”. </li>



<li>Told Carlson that America must overcome the influence of <em>“organized Jewry”.</em></li>



<li>Openly supports fascist authoritarianism – and has expressed admiration for Hitler and the Nazis. Among his more infamous statements is <em>“We need to have dictatorship, we need to have a strong ruler, and we need to take away the rights of the people”.</em></li>



<li>Said the First Amendment <em>“was not written for Muslims or immigrants”</em>.</li>



<li>Claimed that <em>“Segregation was good. It was better for everyone. It kept things orderly.”</em></li>



<li>Holds extreme hateful opinions about women, declaring that <em>“Women shouldn’t vote. They’re too emotional and easily manipulated.”</em> And <em>“Women want to be raped. They want to be dominated. That’s just biology.”</em></li>
</ul>



<p>There is a lot more, but you get the point. ; The man is the personification of ignorance and unbridled hatred. ; He is among those I usually describe as nutcases. ; One can easily understand why Carlson got such blowback for giving Fuentes a platform.</p>



<p>But then there is Carlson himself. ; Never liked the guy – and have given my opinion of him in several past commentaries. ; I never liked his brand of commentary, even when he was just an occasional guest on the “FOX &; Friends”. ; I was surprised when he was rewarded with a prime time show, which I rarely watched – but enough to confirm my initial opinion of him. ; I was glad to see him booted into the shadow of commentary. ;</p>



<p>For me, it was a matter of substance and style. ; I often disagreed with Carlson’s controversial opinions and was put off by his mocking laugh and arrogant style. ; No &#8230; he is not as obnoxious as Fuentes, but still not a person on the fringe of the conservative movement with whom I can align.</p>



<p>Carlson and Fuentes belong in a category of fringe characters that includes such other nutcases as Alex Jones and Steve Bannon. ; For me they all have huge credibility problems – and seem to say the most outrageous things to get attention and following. ; And sadly, they do.</p>



<p>The Heritage Foundation got drawn into the Carlson-Fuentes controversy when the think tank’s president, Kevin Roberts, produced a video in support of Carlson and his decision to have Fuentes as a guest on his show. ; Roberts went full bore in his defense and praise of Carlson.</p>



<p>As a longtime fan of the Heritage Foundation – and a close friend of its founder and longtime president, the late Ed Feulner – I was more than a little disappointed in Roberts’ unnecessary and misguided public reaction. ; He referred to Carlson critics as a “venomous coalition” &#8212; which some took as a reference to Jews. ; The video resulted in a justified wave of criticism from the broader conservative community – including among Heritage donors and staffers. ;</p>



<p>Roberts offered a strong mea culpa – saying, <em>“I made a mistake, and I let you down, and I let down this institution. Period. Full stop.”</em> ; Adding, <em>“Leadership requires owning the moments where we fall short — then using them to reset, refocus, and recommit.”</em></p>



<p>With regard to the antisemitic interpretation of his remarks, Roberts said, <em>“We [the Heritage Foundation] will never, ever, ever stop fighting against antisemitism in all its forms.”</em></p>



<p>I would be naïve to believe that the aforementioned nutcases (excluding Roberts) &#8212; and others on the fringe of the conservative movement &#8212; do not have an impact on the public. ; They do gain a following that mystifies me – and at the same time they damage the principled conservative movement that has been handed down by America’s Founders in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. ; They are principles based on equality, maximum personal freedom and justice for all – not divisiveness and hate.</p>



<p>However, as a free speech extremist, I value the right of even the nutcases to express their opinions – and for free speech to be used to push back at their too often malignant opinions. ; And yes &#8230; I understand that this commentary will likely get negative – even ugly &#8212; responses from some on the extreme right-wing fringe, but that is their right, too.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

The Fuentes/Tucker Carlson Controversy is Part of Larger problem
