As the mouthpiece for the GOP right wing, Fox News is always au courant with whatever is hot, hot, hot in the whacky world of the GOP right. The newest, hottest right wing meme is the "bracket" diagram, set up by a Nebraska GOP senatorial candidate, which mimics the NCAA brackets; but rather than college teams, it lists a bunch of stuff which Ben Sasse thinks are violations of the Constitution by Pres. Obama. On Saturday, the Fox friends had a good laugh about these categories which they validated as Fox fact. Sunday, reliable right wing mouthpiece Jon Scott, guest hosting on Fox & Friends, hosted self proclaimed "Christian politico with a sense of humor" Caleb Bonham for a real yuck fest (pun intended) over these brackets which, according to Bonham, are generating a huge response from college students. Bonham is with right wing "Campus Reform" so we know right there that he's credible, right?
Sporting a great big grin, Scott reported that "March Madness" was hitting college campuses "but not in the way you think." Video was shown of Bonham asking students (at George Mason - not noted) for their picks for the anti-Obama brackets. Naturally, he presented the categories as facts. Scott followed this with "college students are now weighing in on the scandal ridden White House." (Note how he states, as Fox Fact, that the White House is "scandal ridden.")
He tossed to Bonham who appeared on Fox, back in September, to validate Tucker Carlson's message that black on white crime is "fashionable." Carlson showed video of students who, according to Bonham, were really saying that black on white crime is acceptable. (Not what the students were saying but who needs facts when there's a right wing meme to be pushed). Bonham also did a sexist and offensive video, "Bro-Choice," in which he interviewed several students about abortion in order to make them agree that abortion makes it easier for men to have sex - and in so doing, advance the right wing meme that access to abortion turns women into rampaging sluts.
Scott laughed as he showed the brackets. Bonham said it "was a sad state" that he could compile all these scandals into a March Madness style format yet still have scandals that didn't make the bracket. He noted that students at the Leadership Institute are angry about the scandals which, of course, they would be because the Leadership Institute is a right wing organization which founded Bonham's group, Campus Reform, to "smash left wing scum." It launched such luminaries as James O'Keefe and Ralph Reed. He listed the "scandals" with an emphasis on the IRS "targeting" of innocent conservatives - an allegation not born out by the reams of information that we have from an abundance of congressional hearings. Scott grinned as Bonham cited Obama's promise about keeping your doctor.
Scott played more of the video with students, unquestioningly, picking brackets. (Of course we don't know if these are right wing "ringers") The chyron stated as Fox fact "Lying vs. Spying." Bonham claimed that his information made students realize that Obama has reneged on the "promise to my generation." (Of course, his generation will stay on the parent's healthcare until they're 26 but ssshhh....) He continued to blither about the "lie" about keeping your doctor. More video, of the "scandals" sheet reaction, was shown." Scott interjected "so much for hope and change."
Propaganda with a touch of humor. Pretty slick stuff. Of course Bonham didn't ask the students about real issues like immigration reform, voter suppression, and the attempts to make birth control and abortion unavailable to American women. Bonham, who doesn't like the ACA, also didn't seem to have an alternative proposal for those of his generation who will be without health care if the ACA is repealed. What was also interesting is that Bonham seemed to be taking credit for the "brackets" when these categories were devised by a GOP Senate Candidate.
Memo to Bonham: The GOP lost young people big time in 2012. These "brackets" aren't going to win them back.