Fox News Attributes McCarthy's Downfall To The Same Far-Right Group They Created/Promoted

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Fox Figures Attribute McCarthy's Downfall To The Same Far-Right Group That They Created And Promoted

Nick Fernandez

Media Matters

After Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) dropped out of the race to be Speaker of the House, sending Republicans soul-searching, Fox News figures were quick to attribute the sudden turn-of-events to the powerful House Freedom Caucus and its Tea Party movement roots. What Fox News has chosen not to mention, however, is its own role in creating and fostering the movement that has caused such dysfunction in Washington.

House Majority Leader McCarthy Withdraws From Race For Speaker Of The House Under Pressure From The Far-Right Wing Of GOP

New York Times: McCarthy Withdraws From Speaker's Race, Sending House "Into Deeper Chaos." On October 8, House Majority Leader and presumptive front-runner for Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, dropped out of the running to succeed John Boehner:

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California abruptly withdrew on Thursday from the race to succeed Speaker John A. Boehner, blindsiding his House Republican colleagues and throwing their already tumultuous chamber into deeper chaos with no clear leader in sight just weeks before a series of high-stakes fiscal battles.

[...]

"I am not that guy," said Mr. McCarthy, with his wife and family by his side, according to members who were in the room. Moments later, Mr. Boehner, who learned of Mr. McCarthy's decision only minutes before he announced it, declared the vote postponed and the meeting adjourned even though there were two other candidates in the running, underscoring the weakness of the field. [New York Times, 10/8/15]

Rolling Stone: "Meet The Right-Wing Rebels Who Overthrew John Boehner." In an October 6 article, Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson noted the strong ties between the Tea Party movement and the House Freedom Caucus:

The Republican civil war has claimed its biggest casualty yet. The revolution that toppled John Boehner was carried out by a group of intransigent conservatives who had made the speaker of the House's job hell ever since the Tea Party wave of 2010 elevated him to power. It is only in recent months that this disruptive force in American politics even has a name: the House Freedom Caucus.

Composed of nearly 40 of the most committed ideologues in the House, the Freedom Caucus has a simple mission: to get GOP leadership to deliver on the extreme, anti-government and social-conservative rhetoric that nearly all Republicans spout to get elected. [Rolling Stone, 10/6/15]

Reuters: "Tea Party Wave That Lifted Republicans Threatens To Engulf Them." In an October 8 article, Reuters explained the connection between the Tea Party movement and the House Freedom Caucus:

Since 2010, Republicans have harnessed the anti-establishment energy of the Tea Party movement to win control of Congress and recruit a deep field of candidates for the November 2016 presidential election.

Now that insurgent fervor threatens the party's ability to govern effectively and win over new voters, strategists warn. While many Americans share Republicans' skepticism of government, they also need to show they are capable of handling power responsibly - or else face punishment from voters next year.

[...]

Like Boehner, McCarthy faced skepticism from a group of 40 or so Tea Party lawmakers in the Freedom Caucus who viewed him as too willing to compromise with Democratic President Barack Obama.

It was a surprising fall for McCarthy, who had been quickly amassing power amid Tea Party successes.

[...]

"They've elected an entire generation of members who have little idea how to actually run the Congress they preside over," said Joe Brettell, a Republican strategist and former House staffer. "They are out of ideas, out of candidates and soon, they will be out of time with voters," he said. [Reuters, 10/8/15]

Fox News Attributes Influence Of House Freedom Caucus To McCarthy's Decision To Leave Race 

Fox's John Roberts Says McCarthy's Withdrawal From Speaker Race "Demonstrates How Much Power The Freedom Caucus Has." On the October 8 edition of Fox News' Outnumbered, Fox's Bret Baier agreed with Roberts and noted that "they have a lot of power now for being, you know, a relatively small block of the whole majority":

JOHN ROBERTS: I just - I think everything is up in the air right now. I think what this demonstrates - what I wanted to ask Bret, too, was -- how much power the Freedom Caucus has now. They were seen by leadership and by the moderate wing of the Republican Party as being those annoying 40 or 42 people who stand in our way and don't let us get anything done. Well, they took down Boehner and they've taken down McCarthy, so Bret, how much power are they going to have going forward when it comes to either deciding who the new Speaker is or when the new Speaker eventually is elected, how much power they will get in the committees and on the agenda?

BRET BAIER: Oh, that's a great question. I mean, they have a lot of power now for being, you know, a relatively small block of the entire Republican majority and now with McCarthy stepping down, I think they have an outsized effort, outsized, more power than they will, and they may in those committee spots. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 10/8/15]

Fox's Chris Wallace Says "Part Of [McCarthy's Decision] Was The Freedom Caucus." On the October 8 edition of Fox News' Happening Now, Wallace explained the influence of the House Freedom Caucus in compelling McCarthy to withdraw:

CHRIS WALLACE: Certainly, as he said, the remarks about the Benghazi committee didn't help and it raised the issue - is he ready for prime time? Is he ready to lead the party if he goes on in his - before he's even gotten the job and he makes a statement that was so damaging to the party as to suggest the Benghazi committee was all about politics. Remember, the Benghazi committee was the one that discovered Hillary Clinton's private emails, so they've done some serious work here. But, absolutely, a lot of it was on the part, particularly, of the the Freedom Caucus - those 40 or so hardliners saying 'look, we didn't push to get rid of Boehner to get somebody who's a Boehner-lite or Boehner 2.0.' They want somebody who is more effective - somebody once said to me -just very briefly - there are two kinds of Speakers. You can either have a hardline-type guy who can crack the whip and get the votes. Or you can have an intellectual leader and a hardline leader might be somebody like Tom Delay, the hammer he was Majority Leader, not speaker, but that's the role he served in the leadership. And then an intellectual leader, somebody who is just brilliant and can lead the fight. Somebody like Newt Gingrich. There is some feeling, specifically especially among the conservatives that Boehner and McCarthy didn't fit in either of those roles and they want somebody who's either going to be able to bring everybody together and get the votes or somebody who, at least rhetorically, can fight the fight and, you know, try to persuade Republican voters - conservative voters, you know, "We're up here trying as hard as we can to win the argument even if the president has the veto and they can filibuster in the Senate." [Fox News, Happening Now, 10/8/15]

Fox's Juan Williams Says "The Freedom Caucus ... Conducted This Coup." On The October 8 edition of Fox News' The Five, Juan Williams explained to his cohosts that it was "the Freedom Caucus, the group of 30 that has basically conducted this coup":

JUAN WILLIAMS: I think this, you know what we've seen today is a political earthquake. I mean, nobody saw this coming. The eruption is such that it is clear that there is a clear divide, as you said in the introduction, between rebellious Republicans and establishment Republicans. And Paul Ryan, by the way, is considered an establishment Republican. When he put forward a budget recently, the Freedom Caucus, the 30 -- the group of 30 that has basically conducted this coup, said 'no, that's not a good budget. We want more cuts and more this and more that,' and Boehner had to go along with them and undercut Ryan. So Ryan doesn't --remember, you got three weeks until more government funding issues come to the plate. There's no way to please that caucus and bring people together. Certainly not if you're McCarthy. [Fox News, Outnumbered, 10/8/15]

Fox's Bret Baier Says "This Freedom Caucus Is 40, 45 Members. There Are 247 Republicans. So, How Does This Happen?" On the October 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, Baier asked how the House Freedom Caucus wields enough power to prevent McCarthy from being elected Speaker of the House:

BRET BAIER: Can we just talk about what happened to Kevin McCarthy? I mean, we went through how we got there and the Benghazi statement and all of that. This Freedom Caucus is 40, 45 members? There are 247 Republicans. So, how does this happen, for somebody sitting on the couch at home? [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 10/8/15]

Fox's Sandra Smith Draws Direct Line Between 2010 Tea Party Wave And McCarthy's Withdrawal. On The October 8 edition of Fox News' The Kelly File, guest host Smith connected the Tea Party wave in 2010 to the "all-out meltdown on Capitol Hill today":

SANDRA SMITH (HOST): Breaking tonight, dramatic new fallout after years of pent-up anger and frustration boils over in Washington, leading to an all-out meltdown on Capitol Hill today. It's no secret that a segment of the voters have been angry for years. But something changed back in 2009, with the rise of the Tea Party and growing complaints about an out-of-touch government and presidential overreach. Voters gave the GOP the majority and sent increasingly conservative lawmakers to Washington. And their fights with the White House and their own leaders have become very public. Today, that struggle manifested itself in a shocking announcement: Kevin McCarthy, the top pick to replace John Boehner as Speaker of the House, bails from the race amid concerns he couldn't secure enough votes from within his own party. [Fox News, The Kelly File, 10/8/15] 

Fox's Sean Hannity Says "You Have Got To Admit, Once The House Freedom Caucus Said They're Staying United, Kevin Didn't Have A Path ... I Think This Is A Good Thing." On the October 8 edition of Fox News' Hannity, Hannity expressed his pleasure with the House Freedom Caucus derailing Kevin McCarthy's chances at becoming Speaker of the House:

SEAN HANNITY: Welcome back to Hannity. A major shakeup is taking place in the Republican Party after Congressman Kevin McCarthy earlier today dropped out of the race to be the next Speaker of the House. Here with reaction to that, from the Weekly Standard, Steve Hayes, from the Washington Times, Charles Hurt. Steve, you got to admit, once the House Freedom Caucus said they're staying united, Kevin didn't have a path to 218. Where do they go from here? And, by the way, I don't think this is a bad thing. I think this is a good thing. Democrats can say everything they want, but I think this will be a - out of this will be a stronger, more committed Republican Party that is going to fight harder. That's my guess and hope. [Fox News, Hannity, 10/8/15]

Fox's Peter Doocy Attributes "McCarthy's Failure To Advance In Leadership [To] The True Power Of The House Freedom Caucus." On the October 9 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Doocy reported on McCarthy's withdrawal from the race for Speaker of the House:

PETER DOOCY: And now, John Boehner, who said he wanted to go out on a high note after finally getting a pope to visit Capitol Hill, may be sticking around longer than he wanted to, explaining that, quote "I will serve as Speaker until the House votes to elect a new Speaker. We will announce the date for this election at a later date and I'm confident we will elect a new Speaker in the coming weeks." McCarthy's failure to advance in leadership shows the true power of the House Freedom Caucus, which is small but stubborn, much to the delight of Democrats watching down the street at the White House. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/9/15]

Fox Heavily Promoted The Tea Party Movement That Yielded The House Freedom Caucus

Tea Party News Network Director Thanks Fox News For Pushing Myth That Congress Got Obamacare "Exemption." On the September 19, 2013 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Tea Party News Network director Scottie Nell Hughes expressed her gratitude for Fox News' myth-peddling on the Affordable Care Act. [Media Matters, 9/19/13]

Sean Hannity Has Enthusiastically Touted Tea Party Ties. In an October 23, 2013 segment on Fox News' Hannity, the Fox host promised, "We'll have a big tea party out there, and we'll remind them why you were elected," in support of Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), founding member of the Tea Party Caucus: 

Fox News' Sean Hannity promised to throw a tea party event for Republican Senator Mike Lee (UT), a founding member of the Tea Party Caucus who was instrumental in the Republican-led government shutdown. Hannity and Fox News have a long history of questionable ethics when it comes to supporting tea party causes and candidates.

[...]

On the October 23 edition of his Fox News show, Hannity hosted Lee to discuss the Affordable Care Act and the government shutdown. At the end of the interview, Hannity told Lee, "I promise I'll do everything I can do -- we'll go out to Utah, we'll have a big tea party out there, and we'll remind them why you were elected." [Media Matters, 10/23/13]

Fox News Aggressively Promoted The Tea Party From The Start. Not Only did Fox News hold its own "FNC TAX DAY TEA PARTIES" on April 15 of 2009, it ran at least 107 advertisements in support. [Media Matters, 4/10/14]