WhatsappSubmission. That says it all. Tucker Carlson has undergone a massive ideological transformation in his early 50’s. Well, anyone who is that age or older knows that this rarely occurs. What probably happened is that Tucker has bought into (or has been bought into) the idea that the moderate angles of Islam must be the focus today in order to promote American isolationism. Tucker has submitted to something, perhaps Qatar funds, or perhaps a deep-seated resentment of the Jewish State.
The idea of focussing on closing the border and staying inside of America’s borders is very enticing. It plugs into some of the deepest beliefs of American exceptionalism. It connects with a healthy focus on one’s own before trying to dominate the morals of the rest of the world. And, yes, it connects with a normal and natural impulse to not lose the lives of thousands of American soldiers via wars on foreign soil as was done in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq.
Tucker Carlson’s isolationism is not all wrong. It is a correct idea that has been taken to a dangerous extreme. Father Coughlin’s isolationism in pre-World War II America found massive support because of the positive sides of the isoilationist impulse. But the anti-Jewish rhetoric was also part of the reason it was so popular. Carlson’s appeal is similar.
But the ideas behind this attitude also lead to an ostrich-like burying of our heads in the sand. Perhaps Donald Trump’s attitude of using economic carrots in order to back-up his willingness to use a stick is right on the money. But Donald Trump is clearly not one to make believe that Islamic terrorism is a non-issue. Donald Trump stuck with his conviction about not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He pulled the trigger and gave Israel the OK when it mattered. Tucker Carlson clearly sided with the idea that we need to appease Iran’s rush to build the bomb and work on a solution that does not include use of force.
Carlson may not appreciate this, but he has basically embraced the ideas on Neville Chamberlain who famously met with Adolf Hitler and believed that the paper that was signed actually had some value. Radical isolationists and appeasement supporters basically support the same foreign policy attitude, albeit from different angles. The sooner Tucker Carlson’s followers realize this, the better the world will be.
