Most of the news today will be about Minnesota Gov Tim Walz becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate. Still, there are other goings on that we should make a note of. Sort of write it on a Post-It Note and stick it on the wall behind the desk because they could turn out to be significant. Today’s ‘Keep an eye on this’ note is once again Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News is floating an anti-Trump trial balloon. One of the three hosts of Fox’s key evening lineup, what I like to call the Three Hour White Power Hour has gone and punched Trump in the nose. Laura Ingraham, host of the Ingraham Angle has publicly said Trump is employing a “Loser’s strategy.” That friends will surely have gotten Trump’s attention!
It’s not a surprise, at least to me that Murdoch chose Ingraham to front whatever the hell message he’s trying to send to Trump. She is after all the only woman in Fox’s vaunted evening lineup. She’s been used this way before as Fox’s (and Murdoch’s) messenger to call out Trump. I (and I’ll bet you too) have no doubt she fervently wants Trump to win, that if now and then she’s taken a whack at him it’s a “love tap” (as my Drill Instructors would call certain acts meant to emphasize a point) and for his own good. Not to mention the GOP’s and therefore Fox News’ good. But again, there’s no claiming her message got garbled in the translation from 1930s Hitler German dialect to modern English. Ingraham has directly said Trump’s employing a LOSING strategy. It’s not a stretch to put it in blunt, MAGA good ole boy terms as in ‘Dude, you’re acting like a LOSER. Keep it up and you WILL be a LOSER come November!’
Newsweek has an article describing her comments on her show during a conversation with someone from the Hoover Institute:
The pair were discussing Trump’s rally in Atlanta on Saturday, in which he attacked popular Georgia governor and fellow Republican Brian Kemp by accusing him of doing a bad job running the state and alleging that Kemp wanted him “to lose” his bid for the White House. Ingraham said Trump’s attacks were a poor way to campaign and that the strategy was “not going to work” with the Republican voters he needed to attract.
It’s unsettling to find myself agreeing with someone as awful as Ingraham but this is one of those few times when she’s spot-on. (That eerie, strange sound you hear is hell freezing over) Still, the ‘money quote’ is what’s got Trump trying to get in direct touch with Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch demanding Ingraham be fired:
Laura Ingraham says Trump ripping Brian Kemp at his GA rally “is a loser’s strategy. That’s not going to work.” pic.twitter.com/saYN3j2Zu0
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 6, 2024
“And then, you know, some of it became about Brian Kemp, the Republican governor. And I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again: Shooting inside the tent right now of the Republican Party—that’s a loser’s strategy.” That’s not going to work.” Wow. It doesn’t get more blunt than that. More importantly is that Ingraham would never have made such a blunt statement without approval from the boss (Lachlan Murdoch) and HIS boss, his father Rupert. Naturally one wonders how Fox viewers will take this but some commentary suggests this wasn’t for Fox’s general viewers but for one specific one:
Several X users suggested Ingraham was not addressing the audience, but in fact was trying to get a message to Trump himself.
One X commentator wrote: “This is intended for an audience of one. If she weren’t trying to get Trump to stop sabotaging himself she’d never call him out like this.” Another added: “She’s not providing criticism, that’s campaign advice.”
I suspect that might be true. That once again Fox trotted out Ingraham to fire a warning shot across the bow of the Trumptanic. It only becomes an actual “shelling” of Trump/MAGA’s boat if at least one of her fellow evening hosts Jesse Waters or Sean Hannity joins in. Should that happen then it’s truly over for Trump. We aren’t at that point. Of that I’m certain. Trump is being given a message by the network who’s support is his lifeblood – ‘Get your sh*t together and stop shooting up fellow Republicans! Focus on Harris and Democrats dumbass!’ Trump has been devolving and it seems with increasing speed. It remains to be seen if he’ll get, and more importantly, apply the sound advice (I know, I can’t believe I just wrote that either) Ingraham was sent out to give him.
Hey, she is after all if not a full blown ‘childless cat lady’ but she never had children. I rather doubt she’s ever had a cat – she’s more like someone who’d have attack-trained German Shepherds or Dobermans. Ok, she DOES have three adopted children but has never been married. She’s been a (Horrors!) single mother. By J.D. Vance standards and pretty much the GOP these days she’s not a real mom. When Trump, Vance and others take shots at Harris for not having born one or more children and ‘only being a stepmom’ why the hell don’t they ask about Ingraham? Just wondering…
Personally I feel bad for those three children she adopted. Check out her bio and tell me someone like her would raise a child with actual inspirational American values. I sure as hell don’t. Nope, whether she wanted to be a “real” mom and had fertility issues or simply chose not to bear children of her own (she came from a well to do background and has had a lucrative career so money was never an issue) it’s a good bet Ingraham did all she could to raise three little Nazis to become three adult American Nazis. Hey, I just thought of something: If I’m wrong and there is a heaven and hell, then here’s a shout-out to Rush Limbaugh roasting down there in hell – You want to talk ‘FemiNazis?’ I’ve got two words for you – Laura Ingraham! Don’t forget that despite this current direct criticism of Trump and some strong criticism in the past Ingraham has remained a staunch supporter.
Well, this is maybe only an interesting reminder that the GOP isn’t exactly united these days. News Outlets had all those ‘Dems in Disarray’ storied ready to run and it’s only in the last few days they’ve been able to rework some of them. I’m referring to their attempts to paint a portrait of Democrats at each other’s throats over Harris’ VP pick. They aren’t letting go either. There seems to be a determination even on MSNBC of all places to hype a ‘Shapiro was subjected to a coordinated attack campaign from liberals over his views on Israel’ narrative. We can only hope Shapiro buries that hatchet in journalist’s heads this evening at the rally trotting out Walz as the VP pick.
The fact remains there is real, widespread grumbling bordering on dissension in the GOP these days. I don’t need to go into why. You already know multiple reasons for it. The point is that the Trump campaign is in trouble and their strategy of trying to STEAL a win via their large, coordinated “refuse to certify votes” is now getting increasingly regular attention. Hence Murdoch’s/Fox’s message to Trump sent via Ingraham – ‘Get your sh*t together because if you don’t you’ll LOSE.’
Why do I have this funny feeling that Trump’s response will be to attack Ingraham and Fox?
Of course he will – that’s all he knows how to do. (And btw I’ve solved the equation: the Ingraham Angle is…Obtuse)