When Rupert Murdoch, chairman of 21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, says “heads are gonna roll,” he means it. Bob Beckel, controversial co-host of the Fox News program The Five and old school Democrat, has been whacked from his comfy chair.
Beckel is well-known for his gravelly voice, unabashed dislike of most conservatives and their policies, crappy comb-over and frumpy suits. These factors have made him the clear red-headed stepchild in a sea of fashionable, and very attractive, Foxy news-ettes. His termination comes a few weeks after the Murdoch clan lined up Bill O’Reilly, a juggernaut of primetime advertising dollars, for their latest firing squad maneuvers. And just last summer, the recently deceased Roger Ailes (RIP and still above ground somewhere), chairman and CEO of Fox News was summarily removed for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Oh, boy, what sin did the lone liberal (unless you include Shep Smith in that column) at Fox commit to warrant the pink slip? A spokesperson for the news giant issued this statement this morning:
“We tried to work with Bob for months, but we couldn’t hold The Five hostage to one man’s personal issues,” Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. “He took tremendous advantage of our generosity, empathy, and goodwill and we simply came to the end of the road with him.”
Hmm. A liberal taking advantage of someone else’s generosity and goodwill? Unfathomable! But this is not the first time Fox had to raise their mighty hand and discipline this querulous old geezer. Beckel, who joined Fox in 2000, was fired in 2015 for “personal reasons,” which in this case is code for opioid addiction rehab. His conduct on air rankled the powers that be, as he flipped-off and swore at his co-hosts. But his latest abhorrent behavior was the final nail in his coffin; as a spokesperson for the network revealed, “Bob Beckel was terminated today for making an insensitive remark to an African-American employee.”
Well, that was just plain stupid. And bravo for the Murdoch boys for meting out Beckel’s ultimate punishment.
When Fox News Channel burst onto the twenty-four-hour news scene October 7, 1996 and immediately rose to the top, eclipsing the Clinton News Network and incurring the wrath of liberals far and wide, their success was unmatched, untouchable and the greatest threat the Liberal agenda. Fox demonstrated a new approach to news, and Americans, starving for ‘fair and balanced’ programming, flocked to the outlet. They have continually skewed the curve in cable news–even after the well-covered and undignified, albeit alleged, behaviors of their two greatest assets, Ailes and O’Reilly.
The seemingly perpetual scandals at Fox have taken a bit of shine off the penny and must be confronted, addressed and rectified in short order. If you listen closely, you will hear the sound of a jungle drum beating from the Manhattan skyscraper that houses our cherished Foxies—and it resonates change. Oh, yes, my friends, the Murdochs are unmistakably in the game, taking names and kicking crony butts, and you can darn well bet, Beckel won’t be the last knuckle-dragger to find himself outside of the safety of the cave. Fox News is being reworked, rebranded and redefined in real time. Buckle up, buttercups, the ride has just begun.
