RangerDave wrote:
David Frum - conservative, Republican, Bush speechwriter, National Review contributor, resident fellow at AEI - gives some insight into the relationship between the Republican party and Fox News:
"Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us. And now we're discovering, we work for Fox. The balance here has been completely reversed."
Meh.
Fox doesn't work for you. They work for themselves, and they pay themselves by getting ratings; catering to, and, yes, frequently inciting and sensationalizing their conservative viewers. You, by the way, should not be working for Fox -- you ostensibly work for the people.
The problem isn't that Fox is bossing you around. It's that Fox is the only source for the public to learn about what conservatism is because you have zero leadership, Republican party. Zero leadership, zero message, zero stands and ideology to lead with. You find yourself in this confusing situation in which you think you work for Fox News because in the vacuum of your leadership and direction, Fox is the only source out there for any direction and ideas about what it is to be a conservative. So it shouldn't surprise you that Fox, not you, are shaping the conservative movement (and thus the policy you find yourself having to support to keep votes).
If you want to change this, you need to find those core values and ideologies that resonate within you and within the conservatives of America, and go out there and talk about them. Get us excited about your direction again. Tell us about what you can make this country, and how you can make room for us to excel and be free again. Own your message, the one we need to hear. Shout it from the rooftops, get on Fox and tell THEM what conservatism is, on the air, so the people can hear. Teach us what it means to be responsible, to be ready for the future, to love our liberty. Teach us why spreading the wealth is bad, and show us that being wealthy doesn't mean being evil with private contributions and work. Explain to us that we can learn to plan for our own future, and be ready for the unexpected, without government; and that having the means to do that ourselves is better than being taxed so it can be wastefully and inefficiently done for us. And then follow through with your voting record. Lead by example, but don't neglect the battle in the arena of ideas. Lead your party.