3 months ago, we arguably got the most hate mail we ever received for taking a run at Tucker Carlson.
But last week Tucker Carlson said something so outlandish, we, as a free speech website, feel compelled to address it.
"Barack Obama Enjoyed Smoking Crack and Having Gay Sex," according to Tucker Carlson.
I don't believe it, but let's start there.
I say, "Barack Obama didn't smoke crack or have gay sex." That article might get 20-30 hits, if I'm lucky. If the fine team at WhatFinger liked my article, it might catch fire and be viewed by a couple of thousand individuals. Tucker Carlson has 9.9 MILLION followers on Twitter (X) alone. If Tucker Carlson is wrong, what is his penalty? Number of views does not necessarily make his statement the truth.
Obama can say to himself "I never smoked crack and had gay sex. Hmm, what are my options?"
1. Ignore. Problem with that response? Critics will feel empowered. "See, he's ducking the question."
2. Deny. Problem with that response? Now you have re-introduced the charge into the next news cycle, even if false.
3. Sue. Problem with that response? Time and energy. Even if the charge is false, it takes lawyers to prove slander. And then there's the high threshold of proving Carlson not only lied, but knowingly lied with intent to slander.
4. Escalate. Problem with that response? Do you really want to wade into the sewer? Let's just say that Obama is seething, even a week later, and calls a press conference. The ex-President then walks up to the microphone, knowing he never smoked crack and had gay sex, and puts Carlson on blast, "I have never smoked crack and had gay sex, but you know what I did do? I did have interracial sex with Tucker Carlson's Mom on his grandparents' grave." Then he gives the camera a wink, drops the mic, and wrangles out the door. Can you imagine what the press would do with THAT?
Now let's say Tucker Carlson is spot on. He broke the biggest story of the year.
What happens now?
Obama isn't president anymore, hasn't been for a long time. You can't put him in jail for either of those 2 charges over a decade later. You can't strip Obama's name from the history books. If Tucker Carlson wanted to embarrass Obama, this country collectively yawned. According to Opindia, "Tucker Carlson asserted that the media withheld reporting on the charges put up by Sinclair in the past, out of fear of losing access to the top politician. Nobody reported it not because they were squeamish about sex or drugs but because the Obama campaign said anyone who reports on this gets no access to the Obama campaign."
I also find that hard to believe. True Conservatives or Libertarians weren't getting access to the Obama Campaign anyhow and they knew it.
But this whole rigamarole posits a much bigger question: Why don't smarter people run for political office?
On a day where the Headline at the Drudge Report reads: Biden vs. Trump — the sequel. You may not like it, but it grows more likely by the day, you have to wonder to yourself, "are these the best twp options America really has for itself?" Let's say you love Donald Trump. Do you really think Joe Biden is America's second best choice? And inversely, do fans of Joe Biden really think Donald Trump is this country's second best offering.
After the Obama Blast, Partisan Tucker Carlson doubled down and said he feared a possible Trump Assassination from his enemies. Within days, I expect a partisan hack like Dean Obeidallah at CNN or Rex Huppkie at the USA Today to write about fearing Biden Assassination from the Radical Right.
Listen, traditionally there has always been the possibility of political assassination in America.
In June of 2020, we ourselves wrote: What if Biden dies?
One month later, we ourselves wrote: What if Trump dies?
Again, maybe Tucker Carlson was half right.
Maybe Obama enjoys gay sex, but not crack.
Or maybe he enjoys crack, but not gay sex.
But to me, Tucker Carlson is desperately reaching for straws.
And for those who accuse me of Tucker Carlson-hate, Right-Winger Carlson is more principled than Populist Donald Trump.
Maybe he should run for office if Trump is barred. I hear he's between jobs.