Don't Become The Rage Mob

It’s very weird to work in an industry the people I know do television with varying degrees of regularity or host radio shows (self included) and wind up frequently in political headlines.

A handful are friends, even more associates, even more acquaintances. Some of the handful I “grew up” with, so to speak. We were babies in the movement in our late 20s. I sometimes feel at a disadvantage because I didn’t come up to where I am now through some elaborate or tony path; I started in street activism with a popular newspaper column and got to where I am because I work hard, I’m brutally honest with my audience whether it benefits me or not, and I absolutely do not care about popular opinion, particularly Washington’s. It’s won me some lifelong friends and made me even more enemies whose dislike, I like to think, increases my value.

I’m loyal to my friends. Tucker Carlson is one, and he’s one of the most genuine people in the business. He’s a smartass while maintaining perfect politeness, he’s brilliant and witty, he hunts, and he hates bureaucracy with the burning passion of a thousand suns. When he tells people to “stay in touch,” he genuinely means it. My heart sank when I’d learned that he parted ways with Fox. He reenergized the lowly political tv monologue and risked the ire of many when he shone the harsh light onto the dark places. We on the right are not so rich in effective communicators that we skip mourning this loss, though when he lands, there will be an earthquake.

I’m also friends with Brian Kilmeade. Brian is sharp and I don’t think he sleeps, instead preferring to sit upright and likely blink slowly. I’ve never met anyone with as much energy as Brian and if a producer didn’t give him notes he’d be just as informed with them as he is without them. He’s a consummate broadcaster and generous with his time.

Lawrence Jones is also my friend. I brought him to The Blaze when I did television with Glenn Beck (my long-running radio program has always been separate and predates my time with the NRA). Beck saw his talent and immediately offered him a job where Lawerence’s skill took him to new heights. Lawrence was unafraid to go into a crowd, to ask the tough question, to travel literally anywhere. After The Blaze he went to Fox and Fox smartly put him on air regularly. He hosts his own weekend show, tapes special packages for Hannity, and guests hosts when needed, like with Tucker’s hour.

Fox has a handful of guest hosts they’re rotating in the 7pmCT slot until they figure out what to do with what was once a powerhouse broadcast hour. Lawrence and others got a week-long slot on this rotation.

Last night a Carol Swain, with whom I’ve never had any issue, claimed that Lawrence got his guest-hosting spot because of affirmative action:

We can be upset over Tucker’s departure without defecating all over conservatives who have worked tirelessly over the years.

It was insulting because it is an insult. Lawrence is guest-hosting because he’s earned it. He’s been at Fox since long before CRT/DEI began. To suggest that Lawrence was put on air at 7pm because he’s black is either ignorance on Swain’s part regarding his experience or just plain maliciousness. It’s also further proof of just how poisonous and insidious the left’s affirmative action was — now people look at racial identity over merit regardless the merit.

Swain copped some irrationally sanctimonious attitude because continuing to flex in the face of hurtful mistakes is the hot new trend:

We rightfully call out those who falsely accuse innocent people of racism because to accuse a person of such a moral failing is itself a moral failing because it ironically relies on racism itself to complete the accusation. So, too is to ignore a person’s merit and claim that someone was chosen for a role outside of meritocracy for their skin color alone. Both are abhorrent.

Swain might have stopped and corrected herself and apologized to Lawrence, but the grace-killing virus of hubris that has long-infected the left has struck the right, too. I like reconciliation more than I like a reckoning, but life doesn’t always grant me what I want.

Whatever is going on with Fox and Tucker is entirely separate from suggesting that a lifelong conservative got into guest host rotation not because of his talent but because he’s black. Conflating the two to dodge responsibility for the progressive reasoning on the second won’t fly.

I know most conservatives are better than this but it shocks me nonetheless to see people who ought to be stalwarts attacking allies for an issue with which the ally had nothing to do.

Lawrence Jones didn’t cause Tucker to leave, Lawrence didn’t create the drama, Lawrence is just doing his job. Regardless Tucker’s absence, a shot at his former hour is an honor to a lesser known host and Lawrence isn’t undeserving — to point out that Lawrence is a good person and his experience got him a spot in the guest host rotation isn’t to also deny Tucker. Lawrence isn’t Tucker and he’s not trying to be.

I hate seeing good people, good conservative people, good Christian people, caught in a storm they didn’t create and waylaid for nothing. I don’t like seeing our side allow emotions to overtake our logic and reasoning capabilities. Running on emotion is what the left does, not what we do. We lose our advantage when we forget this.