Rachel Maddow discussed what she believed was the strong impact Fox News has on Republican voters and Republican candidates during her show Tuesday night.
Maddow was referring to what she called the "Murdoch primary," which she described as Fox News ability to fall "ostentatiously in and out of love" with each non-Mitt Romney candidate that has surged in the polls. Maddow went through what she believed was the list of Fox News' previous media darlings.
According to Maddow, Fox News "loved the idea of a Donald Trump candidacy...the prospect of Texas Governor Rick Perry entering the race...and loved the idea of Herman Cain." Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, Maddow said, are less admired by the network. Maddow said that Gingrich's "wobbly" surge in the polls can be attributed to the fact that Fox News "has never seemed to like [him] much."
As for Paul, Maddow said that Fox News "really really [seems] to hate [him]." Maddow played clips of Fox News hosts Mike Huckabee, Greg Gutfield, Andrea Tantaros, and Dana Perino criticizing Paul. She added, "rightly or wrongly, Ron Paul is hated on the Fox News Channel, and if you can't win the Fox News Channel, it is hard to believe that a Republican candidate can win anything approaching the nomination. But without winning on Republican party TV, which is what Fox News is, it is very hard to sustain a lead with Republican party voters."
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