What a difference a Democratic sweep of Virginia’s legislature has made to Fox News’ love for Glenn Youngkin, its Republican governor.
Yesterday, Fox & Friends held a blatant campaign pep rally for Youngkin’s quest to flip the state Senate, hold the House of Delegates, put the state on a glide path to more conservative policies and not so incidentally boost his presidential chances. Fox host Steve Doocy even dressed up like Youngkin! By wild coincidence, I’m sure, Rupert Murdoch reportedly hoped Youngkin would enter the 2024 presidential campaign.
To put it mildly, things did not work out the way Murdoch, Fox and Youngkin had hoped. Democrats held the House and flipped the Senate, thus tanking Youngkin’s agenda and putting a serious crimp in his presidential plans, too, at least as far as Fox is concerned.
The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona wrote that “the biggest takeaway” on Fox this morning about the good-for-Democrats election night was that the network “wanted it known that they were pulling the plug on Youngkin 2024 before it ever began.” In other words, Doocy won’t be wearing that vest on the set again any time soon, if ever!
This morning’s Fox & Friends was quite a contrast with itself from the day before. Tuesday morning, Doocy fist bumped with Youngkin. Today, his son, correspondent Peter Doocy, reported that Youngkin “had been telling voters they could have a 15-week abortion ban if they just gave Republicans unified control of the legislature - and voters yesterday did the opposite.” The younger Doocy called the results “potentially lethal to this theory that Youngkin could ride a red wave in Richmond to a last-minute presidential campaign as a dark-horse Trump alternative in 2024."
The burial of Glenn Youngkin on Fox News is in full effect.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) November 8, 2023
Peter Doocy: "This is potentially lethal to this theory that Youngkin could ride a red wave in Richmond to a last-minute presidential campaign as a dark horse Trump alternative in 2024." pic.twitter.com/UIKfT8TQyh
Baragona also noted this:
“What an epic failure by Governor Youngkin. It’s a huge loss for him,” Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade fumed, adding that this had destroyed any chance of him running for president in 2024 and “definitely ’28.”
However, should Youngkin somehow wind up as the Republican nominee either in 2024 or 2028, you can bet Kilmeade will be all smiles about the candidacy and Doocy will show up with the vest and roll up his shirtsleeves again, everyone acting as if this breakup never happened.
Self-styled Super-Duper Christian Ainsley Earhardt pretty much proved the point when she all but announced that political power trumps principles for her and urged viewers to adopt the same unscrupulous game plan:
EARHARDT: Republicans need to look at all of these numbers and really think about what's more important. Yes, most people that are Republicans are probably pro-life. And we love our babies. And I love being a mother. But what's most important? Republicans taking over.”
In case you were wondering how this TV goody two shoes could also be the “domestic bliss” partner of Sean Hannity.
You can watch Earhardt’s hypocrisy in action below, from the November 8, 2023 Fox & Friends.
“Republicans need to look at all of these numbers, and really think about what's more important, yes, most people that are Republicans are probably pro-life. And we love our babies. And I love being a mother. But what's most important? Republicans taking over” pic.twitter.com/UMmEhYSzCq
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 8, 2023
