He did not win because of Fox viewers

[edhopper]

Yes, Fox poisons the dialog and is a force for evil. But the people who watch Fox were always going to vote for Trump.
Fox viewership is around 2-3 million, a tiny percent of the 76 million votes he got.
Make no mistake, Fox has been a terrible influence on our nation. But the voters who put him over are the ones who don't watch Fox or any News. Who vote on vague, not thoughtful impressions of the candidates. "He's a billionaire who was on TV" is not a valid reason to make someone the President, neither is come gut feeling. Or thinking you don't like how things are, so just change it up, without a scintilla of understanding what the agenda will be.
These are the folks that gave him the win.
Fox is a problem, but not why we lost.

[mopinko]

1. faux is only 1 part of a rw ecosystem. THAT is y we lost.

they arent even the worst now. but they set the talking points that get picked up by talk radio and all over online.
they even get picked up in msm. even if it’s reported negatively, it’s still an echo in the chamber.

there just 1 part, but they r the center of it.

[Callie1979]

2. Its not the same 2-3 million watching all day long though.

EVERY SINGLE trump voter I know watches Fox. And where I live, I know a LOT of them. Not to mention the clips that get spread on twitter & Facebook etc.
They're NEVER exposed to other FACTS from other sources.

[edhopper]

3. I am saying

the voters that put him over the top are not exposed to anything. They ignore politics and then vote on vague thoughts and feelings.

[Wiz Imp]

21. Other facts from other sources?

Since when are they exposed to ANY facts on FOX?

You should have said "They're NEVER exposed to other FACTS". Period..

[doc03]

29. I seen that several times. That may be a snapshot

in time but mnay more millions watch in a day. I live in red red Ohio every MAGA I know watches Fox every day. There are probably that many TVs tuned to Fox in various businesses.

[Callie1979]

37. Yep!

[Think. Again.]

4. I disagree...

...fox is one part of a large propaganda media collaboration.

The B.S. these people "think" is not stuff they would come up with on their own in large numbers.

They are spoonfed these lies and this point of view, and foxnews is a major contributor to that spoonfeeding.

[kentuck]

5. You can't just count the FOX viewers alone.

They set the standard for all other right-wing outlets.

They have families and friends that think like they do.

And there are Republicans that vote for their Party before FOX came into existence.

But I think they were the difference.

If FOX had been considered a political opponent from the beginning, I think the Democrats would have been better served.

[walkingman]

6. As you said, Fox is not the reason we lost but it is a part of it.

The real problem is that both parties are slaves to corporate greed in America. The economic issues that affect all Americans are controlled by corporate America. The wage disparity is obvious, the propaganda machine is corporate. Social media, radio, TV, State government, local government, our justice system, all controlled either directly or indirectly by the oligarchy that controls this nation.

Seldom is a word mentioned by Democrat or Republican parties about how they will improve people's lives, so this leads to a discussion of culture, immigrants, religion, gender, elites.

Tackle predatory capitalism and that party will win the voter.

[LiberalFighter]

9. Democrat Party and candidates don't mention how they will improve people's lives?

What are you watching or reading?

The candidates mention it many many times.

[walkingman]

15. I hear generalities...government spending? tax credits? a chicken in every pot?

[Sugarcoated]

34. Democratic Party

not Democrat Party. That's a right-wing slur. When you parrot the slur you're doing the work for them.

[Biophilic]

7. People talk to each other even if not everyone watches fox.

They talk at the office, in the shop, in the employee break rooms, at the grocery store and over the fence with neighbors. The important thing about that kind of talk is the more exciting your information the more attention you get. Gossiping happens everywhere and sound intelligent doesn’t get the same response as exciting or appalling or just plain weird.

[stopdiggin]

8. you have a point, BUT ....

then again - overall viewership of Fox is way, way more than 2-3 million. AND - there is also tremendous overlap with people that are getting their news (info) from talk radio, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts ... So the idea that many voters are living in an information vacuum - without any sort of solid core, ideas or philosophy ... Is, in my opinion, something of a stretch.

Somehow these same people don't have any trouble getting 'informed' and all worked up over Taylor Swift, or Deadpool, or Diddy.

[Wiz Imp]

22. You say "overall viewership of Fox is way, way more than 2-3 million"

which is correct, but it is also way way less than 76 million. Way more Trump voters get their info from the other sources you mention: talk radio, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts.

Twitter, talk radio & right wing podcasts are the biggest source of disinformation and misinformation in the world.

[yardwork]

10. Fox News influences more than 3 million

It's on everywhere - armed forces, hotel lobbies, gyms, car repair shops. It's everywhere and does influence a lot of people, I think.

The thing about Fox News is that it's horrible to watch unless you're already a racist, sexist, resentful fool.

I can't watch 5 minutes of it without feeling sick. So who is watching it? A lot of people who already agree with the lies. It wouldn't work, otherwise.

[CrispyQ]

11. There were some conversations on a couple of FB feminist pages I follow & I had to leave before I exploded.

One commenter claimed that all Trump did was give abortion back to the states & that's what Roe v Wade did so what was the big deal?

There was zero critical thinking. No questioning if Roe actually did that why would Trump have to re-do it? And of course, zero connection to the horror stories we're hearing today about women being denied healthcare in just some states to the fact that abortion is now back in state hands.

Wait till they siphon all educational taxes to charter & religious schools. We have a dark ages administration & congress, just in time for major climate chaos. Going backwards is easy & happens so fast.

[Mariana]

12. Christian churches are a much bigger influence than Fox News.

63% of Protestant Christians and 58% of Catholic Christians voted for Trump. Most non-Christians voted for Harris. We really need to figure out why Christianity influences so many people to vote for Republicans.

[TBF]

13. We moved to Texas many years ago

for my husband's job, and it was eye opening to me.

I grew up in the Midwest and then lived on the East Coast for several years. Texas is the third place I've lived for at least 15 years. When I was growing up in a small town a lot of social life was focused around the churches, but it wasn't as in your face as it is today. Now religion has become political (which does have origins many decades ago but is full-blown now).

"Why Christianity influences so many people to vote for Republicans" -- republicans wisely courted this group and it has been a long haul but has paid off for them. A lot of it is coming from certain billionaires who are religious and have been convinced that republicans alone will give them assurances that their faith will be promoted. This is the part that really gets to me - they can't just be religious and leave the rest of us alone. They have this desire to convert/control everyone, not just their fellow parishioners.

And I believe you are correct - it is the churches that delivered this victory for Trump.

[walkingman]

16. I agree - actually sometimes forget about them. Not sure how because the air

in Texas is permeated with religious BS (and toxic chemicals).

[The Revolution]

17. One big reason

Is that Republicans and Trump cater to Christians, while many on the left openly attack them.

It's hard to get someone to vote for you if you keep telling them you don't want their vote.

That said, a ~60/40 split is not insurmountable. We could make inroads here with a little work. Trump is not a Christian, and many of his policies don't reflect Christian ideals. Even conservative leaning Christians realize this, so there is an opportunity there.

I would caution too that there are really a couple groups in play here:
-Christians: people who have accepted Jesus as their savior
-"Christians": people with a political identity that don't really understand what Jesus is even about

The first group is more persuadable than then second.

[Mariana]

18. "...many on the left openly attack them."

Please point out the parts of the Democratic Party Platform that are hostile to Christians or to Christianity. Please quote anything that VP Harris said that was hostile to Christians or to Christianity. Please quote any Democratic candidate telling Christians that they don't want their votes.

[The Revolution]

25. There isn't any

The party is not doing those things. That's why I say "people on the left" versus "Democrats".

Unfortunately, Democrats often get saddled with this stuff. Whether it is "defunding the police", "open borders", etc. The party doesn't advocate these things, but we are treated as if we do.

[Mariana]

31. Would you give some examples of "many people on the left"

openly attacking Christians and saying their votes aren't needed?

[walkingman]

19. Not to beat a dead horse but...

If you put a Trump bible in every classroom or teach "bible stories" in K-5 classrooms - which type of Christian does this appeal to? Are you sure that Christians and "Christians" are not one and the same?

[Wiz Imp]

23. "Christians", not Christians

Anybody supporting the policies of Trump is supporting the complete opposite of the teachings of Jesus Christ. They may call themselves "Christians", but they clearly don't follow Jesus Christ. Their "savior" is Donald Trump

[Mariana]

30. Do you have any idea how to get more of them to vote for Democrats?

I don't think just insisting they aren't Christians is going to accomplish that.

Also, you know that most non-Christians reliably vote for Democrats, right? There's no need to insult all of them them by implying that only non-Christians could be so shitty as to vote for Trump.

[Wiz Imp]

32. OMG Do you really think I was saying that?

Nowhere did I ever imply that " only non-Christians could be so shitty as to vote for Trump". If that is what you thought I said, you need a lesson in reading comprehension. People like atheists, people who do not ascribe to any organized religion or a religion other than Christianity, are not going around calling themselves Christian. It should be clear that my problem isn't with those people - the non-Christians. the problem is FAKE Christians - people who call themselves Christian while do everything but following the teaching of Jesus Christ.. And to be clear, I insulted nobody (except maybe Fake Christians who deserve to be insulted).

To be honest with you, I don't want FAKE Christians to vote for Democrats. I want them to understand that they have been brainwashed and are not following the teachings of the religion they pretend to be a part of. We need to get more of these people to return to following true Christianity. Jesus, if he was a real person as depicted in the Bible, would have been the greatest liberal who ever lived. Real Christianity naturally aligns with the aims of the Democratic Party in the US.

[Mariana]

33. Someone is either a Christian or a non-Christian.

"Fake Christians" aren't Christians, by definition. If they aren't Christians, they must be non-Christians, by definition.

[Wiz Imp]

35. Yes, you have reading comprehension issues.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[The Revolution]

14. Yes, we focus on Fox News too much

I'm not saying it has no effect, but a lot of it is catering to market demand. People with right-wing views want those views validated and reinforced, so they watch Fox News to get that. Fox gets viewers by telling them what they want to hear.

In the 2020 election, Fox viewers got angry with them for calling Arizona for Biden and initially not saying the election was stolen. If Fox viewers were simply the zombies many think, then wouldn't they just blindly accept what they were told? No, they wanted to hear about stolen elections. That's why Fox started losing viewers to OAN. Because OAN would tell them what they wanted to hear. Then Fox started pushing the same lies to get the viewers back.

Same thing happened under W when they tried to push immigration reform. Fox viewers didn't want to hear about it, despite the network's attempts to promote the plan on behalf of the administration.

The viewers are driving the narrative as much (or more) than the narrative is driving the viewers.

[Wiz Imp]

24. This! Other sources like talk radio, twitter and right wing podcasts are much more influential

and much more destructive at this point (not that FOX isn't destructive)

[Celerity]

20. The 'politically disengaged most of the time' population (by far the majority of Americans), on balance, do not give a

rat's red arse about MSNBC, CNN, Fox, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or The Washington Post.

This is especially true for the under 40yo population.

Social media plays a far bigger role than many here seem to think.

[viva la]

26. I am sorry to say -- we lost because

CNN and MSNBC viewers and others who don't like Trump stayed home.

[Bettie]

27. Media pretending he was normal

while sending the message that Harris was somehow not quite good enough, that everything he said was not a lie, while nitpicking every word (she said and when she should have said or...) and every freaking R ad regarding the election being all about trans poeple.

Puppet Meeks here in Iowa ran ads constantly with, like 9 year old girls, talking about 'men playing on their sports teams as girls".

Then there is the racism and misogyny.

[andym]

28. he won because of right wing populism and joe biden getting blamed for high cost of living

Joe's favorability polling hovered about 40% and under since Nov 2021. Kamala as part of the administration inherited some of this. She would have needed to differentiate herself if she was to have a strong chance.

As for Fox News, it's a center of coordination of right wing bias and talking points which get amplified through other modalities.

[yaesu]

36. Everyone underestimates the power of brainwashing very stupid AKA low information voters. nt