Differ We Must
Welcome to Differ We Must—a quote from Lincoln, the title of my forthcoming book, and an approach to democracy and life.
I’ll hold myself to four hundred words, and will start with a divisive figure: Tucker Carlson.
Before he became the biggest Fox star, he was a mainstream conservative commentator, and a guest on NPR. He visited our studio in Cleveland, Ohio during the Republican convention that nominated Donald Trump. He later came in to NPR headquarters, and though we were on the radio at 5:30 AM he wore a suit and tie, and was always cheerful and courteous.
Those 2016 interviews show similar politics but a comparatively measured tone. We asked about a mass shooting in Louisiana. Carlson said race was a factor, that it gave people “the sense the country is fraying,” and “the candidate who represents change may have the advantage.” Donald Trump.
During the GOP convention, Carlson invited two colleagues and me to a dinner at a Cleveland restaurant. Along with conservative journalists, the crowd included Roger Stone, the political hitman who eventually received Trump’s pardon, and Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who would later be found guilty of defamation.
Carlson seemed different from them—even seemed like someone you would ask about them: Do you think they believe what they say? But then Fox fired its prime-time star Bill O’Reilly over harassment allegations, and replaced him with Carlson, who leaned into conspiracy theories and grievances. Now he, too, has faced judgment, or his network has: a $787.5 million settlement for promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
My colleague David Folkenflik says Carlson was “not a straight down the line” backer of Trump, but a “vicious attacker of any critic” of Trump. He offered “one of the purest forms of political extremism” when he promoted the Great Replacement Theory. He said immigrants were not coming to America to contribute to this country, but were being imported by the left as “obedient” voters to “dilute” the votes of the people Carlson wanted to stay tuned to him.
He’s a uniquely talented performer but not a unique political figure. Many people come across differently at different times. It depends on which issues are prominent, and also depends on the incentives.