Fox News gives fake candidate regular segment

A prominent birther with a show on a rival network will be given free airtime to promote himself every Monday

Published April 1, 2011 9:45PM (EDT)

An awful, unamusing clown
An awful, unamusing clown

Fox News has decided to give a ridiculous man who is pretending to run for president as a publicity stunt designed in part to promote his television show that airs on the flagship network of one of Fox's primary corporate (and cultural) rivals a regular segment on their morning program. They are even promoting this segment, because they are proud of their decision to give this man a regular slot, each week, to smirk and mumble idiocies. The man is known for being "outrageous" by saying incredibly ill-informed things, all the time, while pretending to be a much more successful "businessman" than his actual history suggests. The things he says are designed to make you unsure if he is actually breathtakingly dumb or merely incapable of shame.

Fox recently fired some of its regular contributors, because it was apparent that they were running for president. This man, though, will be on Fox each Monday solely because of his "presidential campaign." Even if his "presidential campaign" becomes an actual presidential campaign, and he forms committees and files with the government and all that, Fox says he "will be permitted to continue making the regular Monday appearance... since he is not a paid contributor."


By Alex Pareene

Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @pareene

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