Will Tucker Carlson become Michael Cohen? Right now commentators comment on the options Carlson has for his future. Some of the suggestions may be taken as tongue in cheek: no, he will not work for RT … although he could become a reporter for them! The problem then would not be disseminating his message in Russia but in the United States. If he does not care about his American audience then playing the Russian card seems legitimate. But Carlson is a young male by Don Lemon standards still in his prime so he may prefer something larger. As the great Yogi said, “when you come to the fork in the road, take it.” Carlson is now at that proverbial fork in the road.
ANOTHER NETWORK
Yes, there are other networks. Whether or not they can afford Carlson is another matter. Furthermore, another network will not give him the outsize presence in the American political arena he had with Foxhub. Does the name Chris Cuomo ring a bell? How about Bill O’Reilly? Or Glen Beck? At some point, Carlson’s slot will be filled. That person will be different in style and personality but probably not too much in politics and social values … at least those expressed on the air.
It is not as if the audience Carlson cared about in the texts revealed in the lawsuit will automatically follow him to wherever he goes. After all that audience already knows that Carlson cannot be trusted to tell them the truth or to respect their intelligence. It is hard to see how another network or even creating his own podcast will keep him in the limelight. Anyone who accepts his invitation to appear on Carlson’s show would be jeopardizing their chances to appear on Foxhub.
WORK FOR TRUMP
Another possibility is to work for Trump in some capacity during the campaign and then during the Trump administration. This option poses its own problems. Carlson is used to operating independently and not being supervised by anyone. While it is perfectly permissible for Trump himself to go off the deep rails secure in the knowledge that his flunkies will support him, the same cannot be said in reverse. Apparently some of Carlson’s shows surprised and angered the higher ups in the Fox business organization. If that happened in a Trump bureaucracy, then Carlson would not last long. How long could Carlson survive if kept on a tight leash? Imagining him as a Press Secretary brings shudders to everyone and his survival time would be limited.
BECOME A NEW TUCKER CARLSON
For now Carlson is facing his own lawsuit and who knows if there are more to come. If the charges prove true, then it is a whole new ball game. Then he has to become concerned not only with spreading disinformation, but with the consequences of his having created a toxic work environment that could lead to more lawsuits down the road wherever he is hired.
Strangely enough despite the rape trial and revival of the Access Hollywood tapes, there have been no additional charges for anything Trump has done in the last 15 years. It is probably the longest he has gone without any sexual and/or harassment charges being levied against him. Since he still is a person of no morals, the change is not because Trump saw the light. Perhaps his current wife lay down the law about what would happen if he is caught again. On the other hand, given his age, it is possible he just lost his mojo. Either way, the change in behavior is rather remarkable. So maybe Carlson’s next work environment won’t be as toxic. He could change.
BECOME THE NEW MICHAEL COHEN
One final consideration is to go straight and tell the truth. What does he have to gain by not telling the truth? Everybody knows now what he really thought about January 6 in contrast to his “documentary.” We have heard what he has had to say/tweet about the cast of characters and their “evidence” to overturn the results of the 2020 election. We know what he thinks about calling the election in Arizona. We certainly know what he has said/tweeted about the person who actually was trying to steal the election. So when Carlson is deposed to appear in the Federal investigation into the events surrounding January 6, what reason does he have to lie or to take the Fifth? Think of how much he knows about the goings on inside the White House and inside the head of the President.
If Carlson should decide to tell the truth, then the floodgates maybe opened. There are so many topics Carlson potentially could tell the truth about with even more coverage that Michael Cohen. Ukraine, COVID, COVID vaccines in addition to January 6. These are not areas where Carlson would be asked to violate his values. Instead all he would be asked to do is to tell the truth.
Carlson would then have the opportunity to explain the Dominion tweets which so rocked the non-Trump world. Michael Cohen does not hesitate for a moment to delve into the psyche and emotional immaturity of the person he calls DONALD. We already know what Carlson really thinks about Trump the person. One can imagine Carlson having counted the weeks, the days, the hours, and the minutes before he was rid of the demonic destroyer he passionately despises. Now here we are almost two years later with Carlson out of a job and Trump on the path to Presidential Election Round II. So why not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? He has no audience to lose and a place in history to gain.
At this point, no one knows for sure what Tucker Carlson will do. Even he might not know. His mind may be a swirl of emotions and roads to take. It may take time for it to settle down. In the meantime there will be more Trump indictments and possible subpoenas. Carlson had moments in his past when he wondered about his journey when things were not going well in his career. Now he is at the biggest moment of his life with the biggest fork in the road staring him in the face. Will Tucker Carlson become a profile in courage or will he continue to be the toxic person spewing disinformation wherever he goes for the rest of his life?
