Roger Ailes

The United States today is polarized like it hasn’t been since the Civil War.  The most outlandish falsities are taken as true by millions of people.  Americans are fearful and paranoid.  They believe there is voter fraud with no evidence.  They believe Obama was born in Kenya.  They think global warming is a hoax.  

Moderate Republicans have gone the way of the dinosaurs.  Reputable newspapers and television reporters are distrusted and accused of being enemies of America.  Race relations are probably worse than they were 30 years ago.

Suppose you had to name ten people who are responsible for this sad state of affairs.  Certainly Roger Ailes, who began his career as a media advisor to President Nixon, would be on that list.  His Fox “News” traded on fear and hatred, and it made lots of money.  We could add Rupert Murdoch to that list; his money gave Ailes his platform.  

I’d include Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly in that Group of Ten as well.  These are men, and they are all men, who hate American ideals and are or were doing their best to divide the country, all in the pursuit of profit.

Alec Baldwin said we should not celebrate Ailes’ death because he has children.  Ailes was already disgraced because of  his predatory sexual behavior toward employees.  He was an evil man.

P.S.:  I know some of my readers check this blog every day, and you are probably wondering why I didn’t post last night.  I was in Lambertville, New Jersey, watching a film about resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline.  

And one more thing.  Yesterday’s Times quoted Trump supporters claiming the “deep state” would soon be accusing Trump of dementia or Alzheimer’s.  I never thought of myself as part of the so-called deep state, but you read that accusation here first.  I’m what you call prescient.