Sometimes the media leaders are not the ones who lead.
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If Breitbart, Drudge, Hannity, Ingraham, and others were such powerful cultural leaders, why did they pivot on so many issues, and with such astonishing speed? You can search the archives for years before Trump, and you simply won’t find them clamoring for Trumpism (or Trump) as the antidote for the GOP’s electoral woes. Sure, there has always been a populist wing of the conservative movement, but until Trump, the path to modern Republican fame and fortune was through True Conservatism, not through protectionism, isolationism, and nationalism. So why did the former guardians of True Conservatism fall in line so quickly behind a know-nothing, old-school Democrat? It’s The O’Jays, baby.
To be clear, I’m not arguing that the talk-radio Right and Fox News had no influence, but I am arguing that people aren’t puppets, and the influence runs both ways. Sometimes leaders lead, and sometimes the people lead and the websites follow.
Over the last few months, I’ve been interviewed on more talk-radio shows than I can count, and almost without fail, those radio hosts who’ve been steadfastly against Trump tell me that it’s been hard. Many, for the first time in their career, find themselves in opposition to a great number of their listeners. Some worry about their careers. Others wonder why their ideas haven’t penetrated.
Unquestionably, some of the people who listened to talk radio, watched Fox, and read National Review absorbed and adopted specific conservative ideas. I meet these folks all the time. But there are also millions of people who viewed and heard the same media and have enjoyed the areas of agreement, used it to reinforce existing ideas, and basically discarded the rest. Then, in 2016 — when push came to shove — they issued their own emphatic statement: Join the revolution or die a political and commercial death.
Political attitudes are formed through a complex series of factors, and political thinkers and celebrities are but one piece of a complicated puzzle. Faith matters. Family matters. Geography matters. Life experience matters. Culture matters. And when sufficient numbers of people come together through a combination of these factors, they can exert power that dwarfs the political media.
We’re always drawn to the quick explanation and the easy fix. And while I think post-election accountability is important, not even a pundit purge will make a material difference in the culture. When one populist falls, another will rise in his place. If you wonder why, ask the O’Jays. There will always be someone out there ready, willing, and able to give the people exactly what they want. And, sadly, that won’t always be what they need.
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Talk-Radio Hosts and The Audience; Who Led Whom? https://t.co/Znnb3Cimd9 people aren't puppets. Trump isn't all or mostly talk-radio's fault
— David French (@DavidAFrench) October 26, 2016
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