Like so many other Americans, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) sounds fed up with the consistently incendiary Fox “News” host Tucker Carlson. Carlson has recently been ranting against Afghan refugees during his primetime show, suggesting (among other things) that the United States ought to establish “a moratorium on any new people coming in until we can sort out our own problems” — although that’s just not how it works. It’s a big world out there, and people are capable of handling two sets of developments — including dealing with domestic issues and helping refugees — at once. More directly, Carlson also warned this week of Afghan refugees “invading” the United States, which is simply atrocious rhetoric.
Kinzinger posted mockery of Carlson on Twitter this Wednesday, and although the immediate spark for the Congressman’s remarks wasn’t immediately clear — Carlson is so consistently repugnant, after all — the Fox host has recently been criticized over his comments on refugees. Kinzinger commented as follows:
‘Tucker Carlson is the most scared and frightened little man I have ever seen. Anger is a mask to cover being afraid.’
Tucker Carlson is the most scared and frightened little man I have ever seen. Anger is a mask to cover being afraid.
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) August 18, 2021
People enter and exit the United States every day, and Carlson’s ignorant narrative that Afghan refugees in particular are somehow going to formulate an “invasion” of the United States via simply seeking refuge like so many others have done is utterly ridiculous. During his show this week, Carlson ranted to his viewers that “if history is any guide—and it’s always a guide—we will see many refugees from Afghanistan resettle in our country in coming months, probably in your neighborhood,” and he added as follows: “And over the next decade, that number may swell to the millions. So, first we invade, and then we’re invaded. It is always the same.” Carlson’s reckless fearmongering sounds designed to reach Trump’s base — it’s buzzword after buzzword, devoid of substance but orchestrated to gloss over harm to those in need. Where is Carlson’s basic decency?
