John Stossel doesn’t mince words when asked why he left ABC News in 2009: “Because it sucked there.”
The bestselling author and Fox Business Network host spoke at The Heritage Foundation on Wednesday about his new book, “No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails-But Individuals Succeed.” The book reveals his rift with ABC and why Stossel approached Fox for a job.
Here’s what he said in an exclusive interview:
They were hostile to these ideas that have made us prosperous and I consider so important. I mean, they tolerated me for years. I got good ratings, so they put the stuff on. They sort of held their nose and put it on. But by the end, they were saying, ‘Ah, you’re predictable Stossel. You use libertarian economics all the time. I don’t want to watch that.’ … I was not offered a job by Fox. I went over and begged, ‘Please, hire me, I cannot stand it anymore.’
Stossel’s skepticism of government and his storytelling approach about free-market economics have made him a rock star in conservative and libertarian circles. He currently hosts “Stossel,” a one-hour weekly Fox Business Network show and other specials on Fox News.
The book is Stossel’s latest attempt to debunk the myths that government can solve America’s problems. He tackles everything from crony capitalism and federal regulations to teachers’ unions and gun control.
“Our instinct is to believe in the central planners,” Stossel said in the interview. “It was nuts in the Obama election. It was like he was a magic politician who was going to do these things.”
Yet despite government’s failures, the left never retreats. President Obama’s class-warfare rhetoric, Stossel conceded, is a current example of how liberals shape the narrative.
“I live in the shallow media world,” Stossel said, “and on a subject like that, shallow wins.”