The long national nightmare for the Republican Party has come to an unexpected end: A conservative cable network will once again be included in the lineup of a prominent content provider. CNBC reported:
DirecTV said Wednesday it reached a deal with Newsmax Media to once again carry the right wing network in its satellite-TV and streaming packages. DirecTV had not carried Newsmax on its services since late January, when carriage negotiations broke down between the two companies. Newsmax had earlier alleged at the core of the dispute was “political discrimination,” with some politicians getting involved along the way, while DirecTV said it came down to economic differences.
At this point, it’s not altogether clear how the two companies resolved their differences — the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed — but the relevant players are saying nice things about one another.
“Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Christopher Ruddy, Newsmax chief executive, said in a statement. “DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with upcoming news networks, which is why we are pleased to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”
DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow added, “This resolution with Newsmax, resolving an all-too-common carriage dispute, underscores our dedication to delivering a wide array of programming and perspectives to our customers.”
The reference to an “all-too-common carriage dispute” was unsubtle: In the telecommunications industry, these financial disagreements are not unusual. Just as importantly, such corporate conflicts are not evidence of an elaborate conspiracy to silence conservative voices.
But in recent months, too many Republicans nevertheless characterized this business dispute as a matter of great national significance.
As we discussed a couple of months ago, Republican Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois characterized DirecTV’s decision as “an attack on members of Congress,” and she didn’t appear to be kidding. There were related complaints from Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York.
Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey went so far as to suggest such business disputes are generally only found in “authoritarian regimes,” which was every bit as odd as it sounded.
This went well beyond partisan chest thumping: A surprising number of GOP lawmakers raised the prospect of congressional hearings into the matter — and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer boasted that he was so desperate to get the conservative network back on DirecTV that he was in “constant contact” with the relevant corporations.
“We’re all huge fans of Newsmax,” added the Kentucky congressman, explaining why the Oversight panel was prepared to investigate the licensing fee dispute further. The apoplexy wasn’t limited to Capitol Hill. From his Mar-a-Lago perch, Donald Trump condemned the move as a “big blow to the Republican Party” — he apparently didn’t feel the need to maintain the pretense that Newsmax is an independent journalistic entity — “and to America itself.” He concluded that the “REPUBLICAN PARTY DEMANDS” Newsmax’s return to DirecTV’s lineup. The apoplexy was absurd. The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal explained that the GOP hysteria was misplaced, and DirecTV went into considerable detail while debunking Republican conspiracy theories. The partisan hysteria continued anyway. That is, until today, when the businesses reached a deal, leaving Republicans more free time to focus on Hunter Biden and their ongoing threats to crash the economy on purpose unless their undefined demands on the debt ceiling are met.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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