Trucker Carlson is a white weasel who is in the business of peddling hate. Stephen Maher writes:
Canadians should expect a restless night on May 1, because that’s when Fox News superstar Tucker Carlson releases his latest project: a special film called “O, Canada.” The program argues that the US should “liberate” Canada … with military force.
Carlson, known for sharing white nationalist conspiracy theories with 2.5 million Americans five nights a week, just dropped twotrailers that portray Canada as an authoritarian hellhole where citizens are jailed for protesting against the government. They highlight interviews with a constellation of figures featured on Rebel News, a far-right Canadian outlet that depicted anti-lockdown protesters as victims of Liberal stormtroopers.
The scenes include two pastors who were locked up for violating COVID public health laws. Populist leader Maxime Bernier, who was arrested for attending a rally that violated pandemic gathering restrictions, and Rebel News broadcasters Alexandra Lavoie and David Menzies all claim to have been roughly treated by police.
But the star of the film appears to be Lauren Southern, a telegenic 27-year-old documentary filmmaker from Surrey, B.C., with a long track record as a white-nationalist provocateur. Southern is shown shooting in the wilderness, lamenting Canadian gun laws (we have bears in trees, she points out). In a sit-down interview at Fox’s California studio, she tells Carlson that the situation is “absolutely maddening.”
“We’ve just found out our elections were almost entirely rigged by the Chinese government,” she says, referring to the recent scandal over Beijing’s alleged election meddling. “Canadians are living in a state of absolute fear of our government, and we’re not even sure if our government is controlled in Canada or overseas.”
“Whether your democracy is real or not, of course, that’s a familiar feeling to Americans,” says Carlson.
As usual, there is nothing subtle about Carlson's approach:
The trailers feature unflattering images of Trudeau – including a Hitler-esque rendering of his face – and clips of American leaders announcing military strikes in Iraq and Libya. The implication? That the US should consider a shock and awe campaign in Ottawa.
The premise, of course, is laughable, and about as absurd as Fox’s attacks on Dominion Voting Systems, or Carlson’s 2022 special, which promoted testicle tanning. Canada’s lifesaving COVID restrictions were imposed by democratically elected governments and backed by a majority of voters.
“It's not representative of Canada,” says John Wright, executive vice president of Maru [a pollster]. “It's propaganda. It's falsehoods. To suggest that this is a country on the verge of revolution ... You're gonna get somewhere between 9 and 17% of the public, depending upon what avenue you want to go down, that feels that way.”
As insane as this is, there could be consequences:
If Carlson convinces voters that Canada is an authoritarian dystopia, politicians may act on that impression. Wright points out that a small number of MAGA Republicans in the House of Representatives can exercise disproportionate influence because GOP leadership needs every vote, as we saw in the many rounds to select a Speaker.
It doesn't take much when you have a split House like this to have consequences if they decide that this is part of the rhetoric,” Wright adds.
Carlson’s inane special will also give an enormous boost to Rebel News personalities who are typically on the margins of Canadian public life. Research shows that American outlets, especially Fox, supercharged “Freedom convoy” content in 2022, helping turn a niche protest into a mass movement that paralyzed Ottawa and blocked border crossings.
Pandemic restrictions are gone, and the leadership of the movement is divided and dispirited, but Carlson is about to give them a huge jolt of energy.
Just a heads up.
Image: Forbes
14 comments:
I have often pondered the idea of an American invasion of Canada undertaken to save us from ourselves. Whether an annexing of British Columbia as a security risk alleviated by reuniting Alaska or a takeover to secure water rights to the great lakes."Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting" comes to mind and let us not forget they do control the "tap" at lake Michigan. We have had a long understanding with our American partners in the Great Lakes but if we don't see eye with the American exceptionalism idea we will need to be brought onside. It all seems farfetched but I have seen first hand in my four years in Illinois how the whole concept is possible. As I had mention previously I have had conversations regarding Trudeau the communist, dictator, anti rights, locking down religion and confiscating property from concerned citizens etc.. This has always been a nation who don't even know where Canada is let alone what type of Governance we have but as soon as Fox news takes an interest well everyone is an expert or has an opinion. i think it all designed to get the morons thinking about something other then their own retched state of confusion and decline.
Carlson wants to switch the subject, zoombats. So he's turned his viewers' eyes to the north.
Sorry to repeat but it's worth it.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/canadian_bacon
TB
Personally, Owen, I feel far too much attention is paid to this buffoon. Canadians should ignore him; his insane fear-mongering is best left to his ignorant American adherents.
I loved the movie, TB. It called Carlson a buffoon before anyone knew he was one.
Let's hope the anti-vaxers here don't watch his show, Lorne.
Owen it is really difficult getting the facts when the loons dominate the airwaves. As for the young woman from Surrey, she is just on a vanity tour, ala Marjorie Taylor Greene. RG
The loons are all about vanity, RG.
Ever since I discovered that Eisenhower sent troops into a foreign country (Guatemala) to overthrow its government for the sake of a banana plantation I have understood that Americans would have no reservations about storming Canada for either oil or water. They long ago surveyed British Columbia for diverting water via the Rocky Mountain Trench. NAWAPTA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power_Alliance
My other nightmare of Bubba, Jethro, Billy Bob and their cousins, all fueled up with whiskey and/or cocaine, armed to the teeth, decide to do an Ethan Allen and storm across the border. The nightmare element is knowing that Canada is not equipped to stop them.
We've always assumed, Toby, that if we don't make noise they'll leave us alone. But we don't need to make noise. All that's necessary is for people like Carlson to make lots of noise.
Re
The nightmare element is knowing that Canada is not equipped to stop them.
I think that the Americans have become war weary having lost just about every confrontation since WWII.
Not even Fox News ! can fool all the people all the time.
Something has to give in the US; exactly what I do not know but it will not end well . It's possible it , the USA , will be one of the shorter lived empires of history.
TB
They're certainly on a downward slope, TB.
Carlson is simply attempting to find a new hobby horse to ride to maintain some sort of presence in the media.
It isn't likely the Americans will invade Canada any time soon. Well if they get desperate enough to want our water, but it might not work. First they need a President/Congress to go along with it and an armed forces to go for it also.
There is no country which could withstand an all out assault by the U.S.A. give the amount of weaponary they have. however they may find Canaadians would not welcome them and they are faced with another Vietnam, etc.
At the rate things are going in the U.S.A. they will be too occupied with violence and political issues to give much attention to Canada. The only invasion of Canada by Americans I can see coming is if things continue as they are in the U.S.A. we may start to see Americans applying for refugee status.
Carlson is trying to switch the channel, e.a.f. He wants Americans to forget about their own horrendous problems.
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