Roger Ailes
And sooner or later
Everybody’s kingdom must end
And I’m so afraid your courtiers
Cannot be called best friends
“The King Must Die”
Elton John
Roger harassed Megyn. He’s soon to be gone.
Sources: Megyn Kelly Told Murdoch Investigators That Roger Ailes Sexually Harassed Her
This is what happens when you think you’re bigger than the game, that the rules don’t apply to you, that if you just circle the wagons and fight hard enough you’ll make it through. The end comes when you least expect it.
Gretchen Carlson realized you win in the court of public opinion, that if you’ve made it to the courtroom you’ve already lost. Which is something the music business could learn, it’s shaming the well-liked YouTube and its inane efforts to change the law are just that, crazy and ineffectual.
When you’re the top dog, people are gunning for you. And your best chance for success is to be nice to those below you. Because the same dudes you abused on your way up you might meet up on your way down (thank you Allen Toussaint!)
On one hand Ailes established the new paradigm, one the Democrats and celebrities have still not adjusted and adhered to. You don’t apologize, you don’t show weakness, once you grant an opening the public will pour through, and most people were never on your side to begin with. Fox News might win in cable news, but that’s barely better than winning the Little League World Series. You see not that many people watch. But the left can’t stop pointing out the bias, playing right into Ailes’s hand, making his outlet ever more powerful. Donald Trump used this same game to win the Republican nomination. You might be laughing that Melania cribbed her speech from Michelle, but so far no one on Trump’s team is admitting it, and his fans cannot be swayed from their belief in him, the same way Swifties believe Taylor is always right.
So what happens now?
The only band to survive the loss of its lead singer is Van Halen. And despite record success with Sammy, most fans prefer the Dave iteration. Sure, Genesis called Phil Collins up from the drums to replace Peter Gabriel, and now oldies acts like Foreigner are touring with faux frontmen, but the truth is individuals make a difference, especially in the United States, the land of the rugged individual.
Apple is a shadow of itself without Steve Jobs.
And if you expect Fox News to survive in its present incarnation you think there’s a Red Rocker of news.
It’s possible, but probably not.
Life is a long game. You do your best to outlast your enemies.
But if you want to kill them along the way, you’ve got to go for the jugular, you’ve got to play rough.
No one condones sexual harassment, no one condones rape. Prove it and you’ve got an instant correction factor.
You want your opponent to touch the third rail and die instantly.
And that’s what Gretchen Carlson did.
So, so long Roger Ailes. A fat cat from the past who thought brains trumped behavior. Politics might be show business for ugly people, but not every entertainer is entitled to a lifetime career.
And so long Bill O’Reilly. No one’s got your back. There are no wagons to circle. Like a superstar deejay fired from the clear channel station you’re gonna find you’re expendable, the institution is bigger than any individual. And America abhors a bully.
So long blond bombshell anchors showing their legs on camera. You’re gonna have to appeal with your brains as opposed to your looks.
And so long Fox News. It’ll exist in name, but the Murdoch brothers won’t tolerate its present agenda, they’re lefties, they want a mellower version at best, one that puts out trial balloons as opposed to employing a scorched earth policy.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Yesterday “New York” printed that Ailes was history and the Fox people denied it. Today, “New York” doubled-down, they said not only was the station’s star Megyn Kelly harassed, but Ailes would step down by August 1st.
Republicans have lost control of their own party. And now their house organ has taken a huge hit, news is up for grabs.
This is a correction factor. Not only will it aid women in the workplace, it demonstrates they have power, that they can play the game as well as the boys.
This is a victory for truth, justice and the American Way.
The king is dead, the king is dead
