Is Mike Huckabee describing Fox News as a cult
Many wonder how Fox New is so capable of doing what it does. One should always remember that while democracy is more acceptable to most it can be rather messy. A dictatorship where the dictator is adored is efficient and is more effective at getting things done quickly.
I watched the Mike Huckabee exit speech when he decided to quit his Huckabee show on Fox News to possibly run for President (John Fugelsang has some thoughts on that). It was the standard exit speech except for one particular snippet that would make the blood of many run cold.
“Roger Ailes who is the Chairman and CEO of the Fox News Channel really is the smartest guy in the room,” Mike Huckabee said. “And it doesn’t matter who else is in the room. Roger Ailes understands that the success of an organization is that people in the organization feel bonded by a common goal. They share in an esprit de corps. And that each member of the team build each other up. Now the critics of Fox News will never understand that. But being here has given me the opportunity to serve with not only the most professional people in the business but without a doubt the nicest people in the business.”
Really Mike Huckabee. Are Fox News people the nicest in the business? Have you ever seen any personalities on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, or NBC attack guests who disagreed with them as do Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly or any other faux journalist on Fox News? Isn’t civility a form of being nice?
Worst however is the cult-like adoration of Roger Ailes for establishing a network that has a purpose. Everyone knows implicitly the purpose of Fox News. Many call Fox News the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. Fox News is much more than that. They are the propaganda arm of an ideology. Their insular nation enforces a narrative as designed by Roger Ailes as representative of the American plutocracy.
They ensure that the Republican Party toes the line. Not the other way around. Mike Huckabee’s exit statement is in fact probative. The question is whether we are listening.