Tucker Carlson has a long history of flirting with White supremacist ideologies, and it's starting to get noticed more and more.
As advertisers shy away from his show, where he regularly expresses views too extreme for them to handle, Carlson's producers reached out to Berkeley City Council member Rigel Robinson for a guest appearance.
Robinson declined the invitation in the most epic way possible.
Robinson came to Carlson's attention by co-sponsoring a Berkeley bill to remove any gendered terminology from the city code ("manhole" becomes "maintenance hole" and so on).
@thehill 💖Berkeley https://t.co/jo1bENMGAI— Encinitas99 Ⓥ (@Encinitas99 Ⓥ)1563498485.0
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, however, Robinson had some strong feelings about appearing on Carlson's program:
"Unfortunately I won't be able to come on the show. Tucker Carlson is a dangerous, xenophobic, racist, white supremacist goblin who I am not interested in engaging with."
Twitter made it clear they agreed with Robinson's assessment.
@TuckerCarlson A goblin. He's right. Goblins have no substance in that they are just full of nothing. It fits.— Al Smith (@Al Smith)1563548816.0
https://t.co/pv1vVo4dja I LIKE IT !!!🤣🤣🤣— Andy Anderson (@Andy Anderson)1563548502.0
@thehill 😂 That he is. 👍— r/Sino (@r/Sino)1563534836.0
Tucker stokes the flames of racial resentment on a nightly basis and deserves to be called out on it.
@TuckerCarlson Quote: Tucker Carlson is dangerous, xenophobic, racist, white supremacist goblin who I wont engage w… https://t.co/lnm4fQI9xK— Stephen McKenzie (@Stephen McKenzie)1563548459.0
Looks like "Goblin" just entered our political vocabulary to stay... https://t.co/W6hZ8iQSMb— Paul Saffo (@Paul Saffo)1563550187.0
Many people praised Robinson's decision not to validate Carlson's perspectives by appearing on the show.
@RigelRobinson Kudos for public action & comment. Carlson is deplorable. S/B fired. Robinson wrote, per the San Fra… https://t.co/Pm6eJ4KCl9— Kevin O'Brien (@Kevin O'Brien)1563539004.0
@thehill *hobgoblin— Ceasar8675309 (Jenny changed numbers) (@Ceasar8675309 (Jenny changed numbers))1563534356.0
Sadly, many Goblins may take offense to what they've been compared to.
@thehill Please don't insult goblins :(— Julia Ashton-Sayers (@Julia Ashton-Sayers)1563536974.0
@thehill Tucker Carlson https://t.co/48JO5TABaV— Cypher 3 (@Cypher 3)1563535372.0
It's time politicians stopped treating Carlson like a serious figure.
@thehill Very objective and accurate assessment. As opposed to what Tucker does.— Marc Horton (@Marc Horton)1563498401.0
@thehill Kudos to the City Council Member! He sure did not lie with his assessment!— Anita Wills (@Anita Wills)1563498924.0
Robinson isn't alone in his recent criticism of Carlson's race-baiting.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, after being attacked by Carlson as a "living fire alarm" warning of the dangers of immigration, called for an advertiser boycott against the program.
Fox News is now giving a nightly platform to white supremacist rhetoric. It’s dangerous. Advertisers should not be… https://t.co/6jgZLsow3P— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar)1562780950.0
Oh lord! “immigrants-might-criticize-us reason” is the latest reason we need strict vetting of immigrants accordin… https://t.co/TiechHzaTd— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar)1562786502.0
Though Carlson claims to be presenting both sides of any given issue, those who study his program know his White nationalist rhetoric has been becoming more and more extreme.
The book The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine, available here, explains how Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch used Fox News to spread their message.
Carlson's views, like those of any goblin, have no place in modern mainstream culture.
I wrote about Tucker Carlson's nightly incitement to violence for @newsweek #IStandWithIlhan https://t.co/tDDttavq1X— Madeline Peltz (@Madeline Peltz)1563475924.0