The never-ending question about conservatives and Republicans in the age of Trump is: Do they actually believe all these lies, or are they simply okay with them in order to advance their political agenda? My hunch is that most (but not all) Republican members of Congress understand that the so-called Deep State is not a real thing and has not tried to undo Trump’s presidency. Yet Republicans remain quiet because they know those types of lies might help the movement politically. (Or, they're simply too afraid to publicly fact-check Trump.)
As for everyday Fox News viewers, there's no question most of them believe the torrent of untruths that they're fed all day. They believe that recently released text messages from U.S. diplomats discussing the planned quid pro quo for Ukraine in exchange for Biden dirt wasn't really a quid pro quo. They believe it's fine for the (Republican) president of the United States to ask foreign governments to interfere in American elections. They believe the Ukraine whistleblower is a "traitor." And they believe Democrats are trying to pull off a "coup."
And yes, this is new—and it's dangerous. Consider the last time this country dealt with impeachment. In 1998, Fox News had just been born when Bill Clinton faced the Monica Lewinsky scandal. And while the Republican leadership and the conservative media were often wildly disingenuous about Clinton's actions, neither was peddling nonsensical conspiracy theories 21 years ago. There were no claims that U.S. intelligence agents, for instance, were secretly working with foreign governments in order to protect the Democratic president. There was an obsessive hatred of Clinton, but Fox usually tried to disguise their partisan pursuit in legal and fact-based terms. That's all now out the window.
In the 21 years since Clinton’s impeachment, Fox News has transformed itself into a dangerous threat to democracy in the way it willingly—almost gleefully—lies and undermines our key institutions.
And let's be clear: What's happening in this country is brainwashing on a very large scale. I understand some folks, particularly in the D.C. press, still roll their eyes at that phrase in connection to Fox News, and they dismiss it as hyperbole. But it's the truth, and countless families across the country have suffered through the pain of losing a loved one to Fox News brainwashing. It's not even in question at this point.
"I love my dad with all my heart- nothing will ever change that," SquireForYou recently wrote in a Daily Kos diary. "But to see what Fox News has done to the man I once knew was more than a body blow; it was a blow to my heart and soul."
"It’s truly become a war against civility that has poisoned families and divided our country in a way that it has not been divided since the Civil War, and it’s because of the concerted effort by right-wing media over the last 30 years to mislead and divide people," wrote Jen Senko, who lost her once-thoughtful father to Fox News and made the 2015 documentary The Brainwashing of My Dad. "I hate what that channel and conservative talk radio did to my funny, compassionate dad," one family member recently lamented. "He spent the last years of his life increasingly angry, bigoted, and paranoid."
That's the backdrop for the unfolding impeachment crisis. Except it's not just everyday aunts, uncles, and grandparents suffering from the Fox News effect: It's the entire Republican Party.
Eric Boehlert is a veteran progressive writer and media analyst, formerly with Media Matters and Salon. He is the author of Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush and Bloggers on the Bus. You can follow him on Twitter @EricBoehlert.
This post was written and reported through our Daily Kos freelance program.
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