Tucker Carlson not voting for Bush!

[julialnyc]

has hell froze over?

My boyfriend just got home from work. He commutes on the train from Connecticut and he read Esquire Magazine and he was telling me there was an interview with three conservatives. Andrew Sullivan, Tucker Carlson and someone else he didn't remember, Anyway, the article is on their feelings towards Bush. He said he was shocked reading Carlson's piece. He said he is torn between Bush and not voting at all....and he's leaning to not voting at all. Mind you he slams John Kerry, but Doug (my boyfriend) says his arguments against Bush are great. I'm so mad he threw the magazine out!

[Robbien]

1. That is because PBS had their arm twisted to hire Tucker Carlson

Carlson is trying to not go on the record as a Republican. Like Joe Scarborough, he says he is a centrist.

[President Jesus]

2. He doesn't try to pass himself off as a centrist.

Hell, the intro to Crossfire even says "from the left, Paul Begala; from the right, Tucker Carlson."

I've heard him almost daily label himself a conservative.

The fact that he might not vote for Bush is consistent. There were quite a few liberals that didn't vote for Gore in 2000 because he wasn't 'liberal enough', and I'm sure they'd be doing the same to Kerry if it weren't for the great unifier, Bush*.

[MissouriTeacher]

3. Are you sure...

it was Carlson? I know Andrew Sullivan has come out saying he won't vote for Bush.

On one hand, I'm glad these people are coming to their senses. On the other hand, I want to kick their asses for being so dumb in the first place and not seeing through Bush's B.S. in 2000 campaign.

[julialnyc]

16. He's in the same magazine

I know there are three conservatives interviewed in the September Esquire Carlson, Sullivan and someone else.

I need to go get this, I'm curious for their reasons (they're probably the best argument sot make with Republicans and swing voters)

[JSJ]

4. carlson another fascist mouthpiece who wants to be seen...

...as all things to all people- he is, after all, a performer on the cathode ray tube.

[julialnyc]

13. i agree, but

I agree with you.... and I can't stand Carlson, but I have listened to him for a while and he can be honest sometimes (I absolutely hate his taste and stance on issues).

Let's just say he reminds of relatives that I can't stand, but they are who they are (not like a Novak who I swear was created from an evil potion).

I will never like Carlson, but what he is saying is what I have heard frequently from Republican relatives (they just aren't going to vote.... which is great.... I think democratic turnout will be high)

They will do anything to win, that's why they keep pushing all the wedge issues (gay marriage, abortion, stem cell) because they know they are relying on the most religious extremists to show up.

[George_Bonanza]

5. Tucker doesn't really come off as a Bush fanatic on Crossfire

My gut feeling is that Tucker doesn't like Bush at all because he, in his heart of hearts, knows that Bush is a crappy president and candidate, and that the right wing could do much better.

[Lisa]

23. remember, Tucker's the one that Bush uttered "please don't kill me" to ...

He got to see Bush's face close-up, and his smirk as he made fun of that person he sent to be executed.

Even assuming that the prisoner was a depraved repeat-murderer who never repented (and actually, a lot of people seem to think that she did deserve a second chance) -- that would be horrible, for a so-called "compassionate" person like Bush.

[Poiuyt]

6. A lot of traditional conservatives don't like Bush

Fiscally irresponsible, huge deficits, imperialism, amnesty to illegal immigrants. There are lots of reasons for a conservative to not vote for Bush. I seem to recall Carlson saying how the Iraq war was such a big mistake.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

7. Carlson's a pain in the ass

and an intellectual poseur, but he's not a fascist. He's an apologist for big business because he's a corporate shill, and he's a right wing social engineering demogogue when that generates controversy, because that's what ays his salary. He's now roiling the waters complaining about Bush in order to get more buzz for himself. In other words, he's an opportunist, just like every talking head -- left or right -- on TV.

[flordehinojos]

8. Does Tucker Carlson have a brain?

I thought he was just an obnoxious script reader!

[saracat]

9. I met Paul Begala about a year ago and we chatted about Tucker.

He told me then that Tucker loathes Bush. He said to watch how Tucker"defends Bush". He will say 'How can you say that about Bush?" or he will criticize the speaker,but he will NEVER say, Bush is a wonderful president or Bush isn't what you say. He defends him through attacking others.He is always once removed so he isn't personally involved. Watch closely and you can see it.

[Guaranteed]

10. Neil probably beat up Tucker in high school nt

[union_maid]

11. Bush is good for NO ONE!

Even the corporate interests. No one is going to benefit from a Bush presidency in the longterm because his administration goes beyond wrong or even evil. It's stupid. It's shortsighted. It overreaches. There isn't an interest in the world that really benefits from that in the longterm.

The Bush presidency is responsible for a number of things that conservatives don't like and it's not just the deficit or even an unjustified and poorly planned war. To distill it down to one basic premise it's that if you play just to your base you will engergize the other side's base as well.

[Killarney]

12. here's the issue

http://www.esquire.com/
A Conservative's Dilemman by Tucker Carlson
The Case for Bush by Tom Junod
The Case Against Bush by Ron Reagan
Being Max Cleland by Charles Bowden

[julialnyc]

14. thank's for the link

He's still a total prick and hates Kerry,but from what my boyfriend tells me of this article it is great. He goes through really liking Bush to Bush becoming President and him wondering what happened to the guy he voted for. He also says that people say that Bush is a strong leader, but that he thinks it is exactly the opposite, that Bush is the weak puppet of a bigger machine behind him. My boyfriend said he gave the perfect arguement for Republicans and swing voters.

He will never like a democrat, but he says he's leaning to not voting at all..... a sentiment I hear allot of from family members who won't ever vote for Kerry, but have decided not to vote (I even heard him on a show once saying that maybe Republicans should focus on the getting Republicans in the Congress and Senate and wait to put a guy like McCain in the next time around).

[Cocoa]

15. it's a trick

he knows there are Bush supporters with doubts, so he's pretending to be sympathetic with these independent-minded folks. So when he comes out supporting Bush, he has more credibility with these people.

[julialnyc]

17. but he says he's not going to vote

He hates Kerry and never said he would vote for him...he says he's torn between voting for Bush and not voting at all.....and he's leaning toward not voting at all.


He puts up a really good argument against Bush, and how Bush isn't really a Republican and how Carlson thinks that it is not true when people say Bush is strong and has convivtions...he says he is a weak mouth piece for bullies behind him.

[yellowcanine]

18. Tucker is a weasel. He is just trying to extend his current 4 minutes of

fame into 5 minutes. Next week he will "discover" that Bush is Winston Churchill.

[julialnyc]

19. I can't stand him either

and he may change his mind....but it's out in a magazine for conservatives and independents to read, so for that I'm happy!

[Donna Zen]

20. With an opened mind:

Accepting that Carlson made the statement to Esquire, leaves one with the question: what next?

According to David Brock in "Blinded by the Right," Tucker flows with the money and will say anything that keeps him well paid. Tucker making these kinds of noises is curious, but not his final word. So, will he 1) use the position to recant and embrace the chimp at a later date? 2) continue taking an independent stance and turn on his masters? 3) say little else but continue to mouth the acceptable rightwing trash and the baby in new shoes?

I'm voting for #3, but will keep listening.

[ibegurpard]

21. Oh please!

More efforts to paint himself as a centrist so the infestation of "conservative" points of view can continue unfettered on PBS.

[julialnyc]

22. you're probably right about

PBS having an influence on why he's saying this, but quite frankly I don't care why he is saying this.....and he's pretty transparent in his conservatives argument (especially on PBS...either you agree with his point or you don't). But the one great thing about this article is that he puts up a pretty good argument for conservatives and independents on why Bush is bad (I can always refer republican relatives to this article....they all know and usually agree with Tucker).


This doesn't change him into someone I see as a good person, just someone who has helped with a good case against Bush.

[TSIAS]

24. Interesting

It might be influential if he talks about it on TV. I think he lives in Washington D.C., so his vote won't matter much either way.