Fox News Admits That Many Conservatives Are Now Supporting Democrats

According to Fox News, the list of conservative Republicans who now say they will be voting for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections is getting longer, but they are clueless as to why this is happening.

In an article called “Divorcing Trump: Why some conservatives are now pushing Democrats (!)“ Howard Kurtz explores this puzzling phenomenon in depth as he attempts to come up with explanations.

Well, it’s actually not puzzling to most Americans, but it is certainly something that is not understood by the viewers of Fox News.

Kurtz does a good job of listing the very prominent (former) conservative Republicans who have become so disgusted by Donald Trump and his cult-like followers that they have now proclaimed their support of Democratic candidates.

The list includes:

All of these people are not only very prominent but also very visible in the media, denouncing Trump and his policies.

What’s interesting about the Fox News analysis is that it completely misses the point as to why these people are now rooting for Democrats to win. They understand something that Fox hopes people won’t recognize: that Donald Trump and his followers are a threat to democracy and to the very fabric of American society.

Here is what Kurtz has to say by way of explanation. Also note how he completely discounts the importance of this movement of Republicans away from Trump, saying it has no support among voters:

“The problem for those who have is that they have spent their careers warning that the Democrats are the party of big government, reckless spending, over regulation, social engineering, identity politics and weak foreign policy. To suddenly root for the Dems means these pundits are effectively embracing that which they have always denounced.”

“They would argue that it is the Republicans who have abandoned them on core issues, from immigration to free trade to Russia, in service of the Trump world view. So they are using a lesser-of-two-evils approach in switching their support to the other party.”

“Even as these pundits argue that Trumpism is ruining the GOP, the president is enjoying record-high support among Republicans. Bottom line: They aren’t bringing many voters along with them.”

It’s OK if Fox News and its viewers are in denial as to why so many former Republicans will be voting for Democrats this fall. It just makes the Blue Wave even more likely.

The “record-high support among Republicans” that Kurtz refers to doesn’t include the millions of people who no longer consider themselves Republicans. The only people left in the Republican Party are Trump supporters, and this simple fact is enough to spell doom for the Grand Old Party as it lurches toward extinction.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.