Daytime talk show The View discussed the terrible news of the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on Monday. The shooting, where 10 people were murdered by a racist prick who seems to have been under the impression that white people are being replaced by people of color because … the Jews, has also resurfaced the national discourse around rhetoric and violent conspiracy theories being peddled by the majority of the Republican Party and their media scam artist outlets. The one in question now is a relatively old racist conspiracy theory that’s been referred to as the “great replacement,” or “replacement theory.”
Ana Navarro is a former Jeb Bush staffer and supporter. She, like many conservatives who are now considered “moderate” by today’s traditional media standards, has become a very vocal never-Trumper. On Monday, Navarro went in on Fox News, an outlet that has promoted and given a large platform to the white supremacist “replacement theory” ideology and concept. She also name-checked noted racist Rep. Elise Stefanik and former Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who sits on the Fox News board of bigots and has since 2019.
It is important to note that Navarro continues to identify as a Republican and as such has found a place for herself in the market on news shows and places like The View. And while being a “conservative” who isn’t an openly raging MAGA racist may be unpopular in the Grand Old Party these days, it is considered a plus for traditional media outlets that would rather not feature a screaming bigot who represents about 15% of the population. But she does represent a large swath of voters who really dislike the brand of the Democratic Party, even if they actually agree with most of what the Democratic Party represents policy-wise.
RELATED STORY: Buffalo supermarket mass shooting was spurred by racist theory regularly aired on Fox News
On Monday, Navarro called out the entirety of Fox News for being complicit in the relentless antisemitic, racist, and xenophobic propaganda that the shooter referenced in a long self-loathing narcissist’s screed.
ANA NAVARRO: Listen, if you are an advertiser, advertising on that station, you are part of the problem. If you sit on the board and are trying to be a “civilized person”—Paul Ryan my friend, I’m talking to you—you are part of the problem. If you’re a Republican donor tweeting about how bad you feel about this, but you are donating to people like Elise Stefanik, you are part of the problem. If you are a staffer working for them, you are part of the problem. If you are voting for them, you are part of the problem.
RELATED STORY: Rep. Elise Stefanik promoted 'great replacement' conspiracy cited by Buffalo terrorist
Will this get Ryan to step aside? I doubt it. But it might get through to some of the more conservative members of Navarro’s audience, who are on the fence about how destructive aligning oneself with people like Tucker Carlson is. Carlson has spent a large part of his career getting by on the fact that he doesn’t look particularly threatening. His whole look is that of a patrician clown. Maybe it’s the fact that he was never a serious person and never taken seriously that has helped turn him into such a heinous person—who knows. But having people connect the dots between dangerous rhetoric that is promoted as news and factual and real life domestic terrorism might convince some voters that enough is enough.
Maybe.
The Daily Kos Elections Team talks about how the MAGA civil war might be hurting the GOP in races across the country on The Downballot podcast