It’s not as easy as it might seem to be steadfastly obedient to the right-wing doctrine of Fox News and Republican Trumpism. Considering all of the blatant hypocrisy and flip-flips of Donald Trump and his Foxian Pharisees, their befuddled cult followers should be forgiven if they fall off the wingnut wagon every now and then.

An example of this inadvertent heresy occurred during an interview of GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn on Fox Business Network. She was asked by Trump-fluffing host Stuart Varney about the current state of the coronavirus in America. That inquiry led to this exchange:

Blackburn: What we have to realize, the left is desperate to continue the pandemic until the 2022 midterm elections, and we’ve got to find ways to say, ‘Oh no you don’t.'”
Varney: You think he’s trying to continue the pandemic, extend the pandemic. I would have thought he’s losing ground because of his not great understanding or performance with the pandemic.
Blackburn: Well, you’re right.

Curious… was told that the pandemic would be over as soon as Trump was gone, because the media wanted it that way. https://t.co/JIPz2D86y2

— David Weigel (@daveweigel) October 21, 2021

First of all, Biden’s performance with the pandemic is responsible for getting nearly 80% of the nation’s adults vaccinated. That said, Blackburn’s initial commentary was clearly a departure from rightist orthodoxy. They have been insisting for over a year that Democrats were being too aggressive in fighting to end the pandemic and return the nation to some semblance of normalcy. Now Blackburn is asserting that Democrats want the pandemic to persist.

Not only has the right accused Democrats of over-hyping COVID, but Trump has repeatedly claimed that the pandemic was a hoax that Democrats were temporarily exploiting for political purposes. He insisted that “on November 4th everything will open up.” He said that the shutdowns were “only being done to hurt the economy” until after the election when “the talk will be how low the death rate is.”

“On November 4th” pic.twitter.com/dsL0xF22Ko

— Bad COVID-19 Takes (@BadCOVID19Takes) December 4, 2020

So obviously Blackburn was off script with her claim that Democrats want to hold on to the pandemic. And Varney told her so in no uncertain terms. She had to be quickly steered back into the conservative corral where Biden was a “failure” for not waving a magic wand and making the virus disappear. And it had to be done on the air where everyone could witness it. After which Blackburn immediately straightened up and conceded that Varney’s take was the correct one, without acknowledging that she had just said the exact opposite.

This is an object lesson in how Fox News disseminates its propaganda. They have pre-approved ideological mandates that must be adhered to by every faithful follower. Even if they change from day to day, or hour to hour. It’s how they justify attacking Biden’s vaccine mandates, even though Fox News imposes mandates that are even more strict. Or how Tucker Carlson can criticize the White House parental leave policy, while ignoring his own colleagues who enjoy the same policy at Fox. Or how Trump can whine that his free speech is being abridged as he calls for banning free speech. It’s just how Fox News operates and, fortunately for them, their viewers are too dimwitted to notice.

NOTE: Twitter suspended the News Corpse account after 11 years without giving a reason. So if anyone wants to tweet articles from my website, please feel free to do so often and repeatedly. Also, Be sure to visit and follow News Corpse on Instagram. Thanks for your support.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.