Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Credit: Getty

For decades, Fox News’ programming has revolved around the need to identify and target Democratic demons, who are then used to frighten Republican viewers. And for most of the network’s existence, Hillary Clinton has served as a perennial rogue, depicted as a villainous, criminal scoundrel who can’t be trusted with America’s future. With Clinton now receding from public life, Fox News has seamlessly transferred its vile attacks onto a new generation of Democratic women, led by Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

“Fox News needs an opponent, a detractor, an enemy to add conflict and edge to its broadcasts,” noted the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple. In other words, Fox is in the business of scripted entertainment—under the guise of “news”—and needs long-running characters that it can return to again and again. It crafts targets of hate who rile up viewers and keep them tuned in to the different storylines.

For Fox, Clinton, Omar, and Ocasio-Cortez represent perfect targets in terms of riling up […]