That is, to pull the perspective of the MSM-watching nation LEFTWARD by initially positioning themselves as "right-wing"; thus allowing other MSM outlets to spew all-out radical leftism, while FoxNews gradually moves it's presentation toward the Left. With the net result that FoxNews is now as bad as the MSM HAD been (prior to the entry of Fox), and the rest of the MSM is now even farther Left. Thus, the perception of what is "middle-of-the-road", "main-stream", or "moderate" has been moved significantly toward the Left -- NOT the Right -- in recent years.
I think your analysis is spot-on. FOX makes me sick.
Fox was pulp fiction since the very beginning. A pseudo-conservative crap.