Fox News host Tucker Carlson once again engaged in some thinly veiled dog-whistling on Thursday night, insisting that Democrats are trying to “get out the vote” by funding “race riots” or offering “mentally ill homeless” people “free cigarettes.”
Carlson, whose racist rhetoric and fear-mongering over Black Lives Matter has caused internal strife at Fox, kicked off Thursday’s broadcast of Tucker Carlson Tonight by saying the Democratic Party has always had problems turning out its voters. (Forty percent of the Democratic electorate is non-white, according to Pew Research.)
“On average, Democratic voters are much less likely than Republicans to vote,” the conservative host said. “Many of them can’t seem to make it out of bed in November. Democrats are also, surveys show, less likely to know much about the issues. They buy the bumper stickers, they don’t read the books.”
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After essentially describing the average Democratic voter as dumb and lazy, the Fox News star claimed it takes an “enormous effort” by the party to get its voters to come out on Election Day.
“Sometimes it requires financial incentives, like walking around money or giving free cigarettes to the mentally ill homeless,” he said, without offering evidence of his claims.
“Sometimes, under extraordinary circumstances, convincing Democrats to vote requires race riots and a nationwide fear campaign,” Carlson continued. “Unfortunately, that’s what we’re seeing right now. The only way to understand the last three months in this country is with the presidential election in mind.”
Calling the months-long protests over police brutality that began with George Floyd’s death “the most radical and ambitious get out the vote operation” in history, Carlson added that “politicians are are now saying and encouraging things” that could destroy America.
“Things that could fracture the nation, divide our people forever, turn this beautiful happy place into a permanent maelstrom of angry tribalism,” he said. “That’s happening now. Whether he is aware of it or not, Joe Biden is leading this effort.”
Carlson then devoted a lengthy segment to attacking Biden and his campaign for visiting the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times by police last month, sparking violent protests in Kenosha.
According to the primetime host, Biden was elevating anti-Semitism and hate by meeting with Jacob Blake Sr., the father of Blake. Recently unearthed social media posts show Blake Sr. expressing support for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has a history of virulent anti-Semitism, and making other comments disparaging Jews.
