Would the GOP base be less insane getting news only from Fox News?

[Greedo punched first]

Fox news is not fair and balanced. But would the GOP base be slightly less insane if they only got their news from Fox News; without WND, Breitbart, and Infowars?

[HisGrace]

The questions are different. Obviously they'd be less crazy without Breitbart and Infowars. As far as only getting their news from Fox, I really don't know. Depends on what percentage of Republicans read Breitbart/Infowars vs ones who supplement Fox with MSM sources, even if they're still generally conservative (like The Wall Street Journal or even The National Review or something). The second group would probably become more crazy if they only watched Fox.

[Greedo punched first]

The questions are different. Obviously they'd be less crazy without Breitbart and Infowars. As far as only getting their news from Fox, I really don't know. Depends on what percentage of Republicans read Breitbart/Infowars vs ones who supplement Fox with MSM sources, even if they're still generally conservative (like The Wall Street Journal or even The National Review or something). The second group would probably become more crazy if they only watched Fox.

Would they be less crazy watching Fox News only; without Breitbart, Infowars, WSJ, or National Review?

[Sumner 1868]

Conservatives read this stuff because they want it. Since things like "Sagebrush Rebellion" and "Clinton Chronicles" happened before these outlets were established we must assume something else would have come along eventually.

[RINO Tom]

Who is the "GOP base," and who on Earth is defining it?  It seems even in the last 2 years alone, the term has come to describe literally opposite people.  The "GOP base" - by all objective accounts - opposed Trump through all of the primary, or at least strongly favored Cruz ... yet now it is synonymous with his most loyal supporters, even if they're literally registered independents or even Democrats, LOL.  The other strange thing about "the base" is that it seems you just simply can't be well off and a part of "the base."  The lower-middle class construction worker who only shows up to vote if he likes the candidate and thinks Paul Ryan is a "RINO" for some inexplicable reason?  GOP base, for sure.  Hedge fund manager who donates to the GOP and is an active voter in all local party primaries and all of that?  NEVER considered "part of the base."  LOL, who is the base?

[IceSpear]

Who is the "GOP base," and who on Earth is defining it?  It seems even in the last 2 years alone, the term has come to describe literally opposite people.  The "GOP base" - by all objective accounts - opposed Trump through all of the primary, or at least strongly favored Cruz ... yet now it is synonymous with his most loyal supporters, even if they're literally registered independents or even Democrats, LOL.  The other strange thing about "the base" is that it seems you just simply can't be well off and a part of "the base."  The lower-middle class construction worker who only shows up to vote if he likes the candidate and thinks Paul Ryan is a "RINO" for some inexplicable reason?  GOP base, for sure.  Hedge fund manager who donates to the GOP and is an active voter in all local party primaries and all of that?  NEVER considered "part of the base."  LOL, who is the base?

The base is the people that always or almost always vote Republican. Almost all of these people voted for Trump and still support him, because he has the R if nothing else. If someone voted Bush/Bush/McCain/Romney/Trump it doesn't matter if they're still registered as a Democrat or independent in name only. I could register as Constitution Party if I wanted, it makes no difference.

[Mr. Smith]

Given Fox's track record? Absolutely not.

[Young Conservative]

I think threads like this contribute nothing and are ridiculous. RINO Tom is right: the GOP base backed Cruz in the primary. They do not watch Infowars or read breitbart.  I have never even heard of that other acronym. In all likelihood, GOP base voters primarily watch Fox, read National Review, and listen to talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Laura Ingram (although she is more populist).

[HisGrace]

The questions are different. Obviously they'd be less crazy without Breitbart and Infowars. As far as only getting their news from Fox, I really don't know. Depends on what percentage of Republicans read Breitbart/Infowars vs ones who supplement Fox with MSM sources, even if they're still generally conservative (like The Wall Street Journal or even The National Review or something). The second group would probably become more crazy if they only watched Fox.

Would they be less crazy watching Fox News only; without Breitbart, Infowars, WSJ, or National Review?

I don't think there's too much overlap between the WSJ/National Review crowd and the Breitbart/Infowars crowd. Fox is kind of the middle ground buffer between the two. So like I said, WSJ/National Review crowd is more crazy with just Fox and the Breitbart/Infowars crowd is less crazy with just Fox.

[HillGoose]

hell yes. I wish we would kick all the 9/11 truth, anti-vax moron conspiracy theorists out of the party. They're too poor to do well as their own party. Who the hell is going to vote for those fedora virgins to run America if they aren't under the cover of the successful people in the Republican party?

[Statilius the Epicurean]

I think threads like this contribute nothing and are ridiculous. RINO Tom is right: the GOP base backed Cruz in the primary.

Going through the primary polls "very conservative" voters (which is what I suppose you mean by 'base') split more like 50/30 Cruz/Trump depending on the state. I guess that does count as winning but Trump had broad-based support from across the Republican electorate.

[RINO Tom]

Who is the "GOP base," and who on Earth is defining it?  It seems even in the last 2 years alone, the term has come to describe literally opposite people.  The "GOP base" - by all objective accounts - opposed Trump through all of the primary, or at least strongly favored Cruz ... yet now it is synonymous with his most loyal supporters, even if they're literally registered independents or even Democrats, LOL.  The other strange thing about "the base" is that it seems you just simply can't be well off and a part of "the base."  The lower-middle class construction worker who only shows up to vote if he likes the candidate and thinks Paul Ryan is a "RINO" for some inexplicable reason?  GOP base, for sure.  Hedge fund manager who donates to the GOP and is an active voter in all local party primaries and all of that?  NEVER considered "part of the base."  LOL, who is the base?

The base is the people that always or almost always vote Republican. Almost all of these people voted for Trump and still support him, because he has the R if nothing else. If someone voted Bush/Bush/McCain/Romney/Trump it doesn't matter if they're still registered as a Democrat or independent in name only. I could register as Constitution Party if I wanted, it makes no difference.

This wasn't a post about ancestral Democrats not changing their registration yet; it's about us lazily saying "Trump voters" = GOP base.  If the GOP base is "the people that always or almost always vote Republican," then we are mischaracterizing them.  Trump brought tons of new voters into the primary system, and a huge chunk of GOP primary voters did not support him.  Are they supporting the Republican President now?  Of course, just as they did Bush and would have Rubio or Cruz.  The other point is that this idea that the "base" must have a sort of blue collar feel is incredibly off-base.  The private practice doctor living in Williamson County, TN who held his nose and voted Trump and has never voted Democrat in his life is absolutely a part of "the GOP base," but he wouldn't be characterized that way because he's educated, affluent and probably doesn't show up to Charlottesville-type protests.

[IceSpear]

Who is the "GOP base," and who on Earth is defining it?  It seems even in the last 2 years alone, the term has come to describe literally opposite people.  The "GOP base" - by all objective accounts - opposed Trump through all of the primary, or at least strongly favored Cruz ... yet now it is synonymous with his most loyal supporters, even if they're literally registered independents or even Democrats, LOL.  The other strange thing about "the base" is that it seems you just simply can't be well off and a part of "the base."  The lower-middle class construction worker who only shows up to vote if he likes the candidate and thinks Paul Ryan is a "RINO" for some inexplicable reason?  GOP base, for sure.  Hedge fund manager who donates to the GOP and is an active voter in all local party primaries and all of that?  NEVER considered "part of the base."  LOL, who is the base?

The base is the people that always or almost always vote Republican. Almost all of these people voted for Trump and still support him, because he has the R if nothing else. If someone voted Bush/Bush/McCain/Romney/Trump it doesn't matter if they're still registered as a Democrat or independent in name only. I could register as Constitution Party if I wanted, it makes no difference.

This wasn't a post about ancestral Democrats not changing their registration yet; it's about us lazily saying "Trump voters" = GOP base.  If the GOP base is "the people that always or almost always vote Republican," then we are mischaracterizing them.  Trump brought tons of new voters into the primary system, and a huge chunk of GOP primary voters did not support him.  Are they supporting the Republican President now?  Of course, just as they did Bush and would have Rubio or Cruz.  The other point is that this idea that the "base" must have a sort of blue collar feel is incredibly off-base.  The private practice doctor living in Williamson County, TN who held his nose and voted Trump and has never voted Democrat in his life is absolutely a part of "the GOP base," but he wouldn't be characterized that way because he's educated, affluent and probably doesn't show up to Charlottesville-type protests.

Trump brought in some new voters. Just as any candidate brings in some new voters. The lion's share of his support was from people that already supported Romney, McCain, Bush, etc. I'd also consider that doctor part of the GOP base, but he's always been outnumbered, and that's only become more apparent in the age of Trump.