Fox News celebrated historic Republican victories in the midterm elections by applauding the party for answering calls for diversity, a celebration that overlooks GOP policies that harm women and minorities, policies the network has relentlessly advocated.
Republicans made history in Tuesday's midterm elections, electing a handful of younger and more diverse candidates to Congress. Mia Love became the first black Republican woman elected to Congress, and Tim Scott from South Carolina became the first black man elected to the Senate in the south since Reconstruction. Republicans Joni Ernst and Shelley Moore Capito became the first women to represent their states in the Senate.
The next day, Fox News pointed to these midterm victories as evidence that Republican policies are not harmful to women and minorities. On America's Newsroom, anchor Martha MacCallum wondered, “So what does this mean -- the election of a lot of women last night -- in terms of the war on women that we heard so much about in the last presidential election?” She asked whether these wins mean “that whole discussion is no longer relevant.” Later on Outnumbered, Andrea Tantaros applauded Republicans, saying the GOP has “finally responded to the call that they need diversity.”
Fox does not have a history of treating diversity as a virtue. Only days ago, Fox hosts advocated for an "older white guy appreciation day" and claimed that “the white Republican power structure is afraid of black Americans." This is the same network that has discouraged women from voting, denied the existence of gender pay inequality and white privilege, and argued that there has to be a downside to a woman president (such as women being too preoccupied with other things to run for office).
And although these Republican gains in diversity are a step in the right direction, they don't negate GOP policies that are harmful to women and minorities -- policies for which Fox has relentlessly advocated.
The network has not only defended strict voter ID laws that are racially discriminatory and disenfranchise minority voters, it has worked to kill a city's nondiscrimination ordinance that protects citizens from discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Fox figures have advocated against same-sex marriage, applauded legislation that dealt a devastating blow to women's rights and access to health care, and championed racially discriminatory stop-and-frisk policies.
Women and minorities remain woefully underrepresented in Congress, particularly among the Republican party. Although their victories bolster Republican diversity, Mia Love and Tim Scott will still be the only two black Republicans in Congress, and while women of color make up 20 percent of the population, they represent less than 5 percent of Congress.
Growth of female representation in Congress has been unacceptably slow as well. While Tuesday's election saw the count of women in Congress rise to over 100 for the first time in history, the number of new women elected is, at best, the same number elected in 2010. As The Washington Post noted:
The number of new women elected, versus incumbents, is also a figure that sheds light on the rate of growth. And this year won't set any records. The high water mark was 1992, when 24 new women were elected. In 2012, there were 19; and in 2010, there were 13. The 2014 count currently stands at 11 new women, though it could reach 13 depending on two races that are too close to call.
The Post also pointed out that the shift of power in the Senate from Democrats to Republicans decreases the number of women in leadership roles. Women made up 30 percent of the Democratic majority in the Senate before the elections, and thus fulfilled important leadership and chairwoman positions. But after Tuesday's midterms, there will only be six Republican women in the Senate, leading to “a loss” in female leadership.
Research Coordinator Ellie Sandmeyer contributed research for this blog.