Did the Feds Just Hand White House to GOP?

[thomhartmann]

[11cents]

1. Did Thom Hartmann just hand his conscience to Vladimir Putin?

[rhett o rick]

3. You don't like the message right? But can't actually refute it so attack the mes sanger. nm

[11cents]

5. I'm indifferent to the message. I have no connection or attachment to the Fed

The messenger in this case is a declared progressive who takes a paycheck from a criminal regime that's funding and promoting far-right parties throughout Europe, and which is now playing pattycake with Donald Trump. He's working for the propaganda arm of a far-right government. He should be deeply ashamed. He has no standing to speak as a progressive on anything whatsoever. If you work for the Putin regime, you're working for the fascist right.

[rhett o rick]

6. Progressives have a hard time finding corp-media that will carry their messages. Funny

how the conservative Democrats have embraced the corp-media propaganda machines. I am guessing they think the big brother corps will take care of them.

[11cents]

7. Oh horseshit.

There are progressives everywhere getting their message out, as can be seen by all the other sources cited here. He's selling his reputation and progressive credentials to the propaganda arm of a criminal far-right regime. Nothing justifies that, and the only thing that motivates it is money.

[rhett o rick]

8. All major media corps are conservative and broadcast almost completely voices of conservatives.

In Seattle we used to have a little progressive radio, now it's gone and we only have lots and lots of conservative radio. Even NPR is mostly conservative. RT gives Thom a place to have a show. Corp-Media doesn't.

[11cents]

13. Again, look at all the other sources cited here.

There are alternatives to working for RT or Stormfront if you're just interested in "getting your message out." And for God's sake, it's not as if the message in this case was something no one else was saying -- even in the mainstream media if you're counting (e.g., ) MSNBC, it was being voiced.

RT gives Thom "a place to have a show" because they want to draw his progressive listenership into their world of far-right propaganda. It's money for service: the Putin regime gives him money; he gives them his listenership, with his progressive reputation acting as a cloak for the agenda of the people he now works for. He's now a paid servant for the global far right. It's a corrupt transaction on his part which should make him a pariah on the left.
"

[newthinking]

24. Naw, there is no such thing as a non propagandized mass media outlet anymore

Until we either rebuild a mass media that is not corrupted by the MIC you have to use your head and pay attention to multiple sources. Including RT, which you can argue until you are blue. I would actually argue the opposite, that there is just as much, possibly more chance of the ideas of the progressives on RT spread the other way.

And I will also argue that RT, being one of the few places with the large set of progressive voices on a recognized media market, are doing a lot to keep progressive ideas out there.

I know that is difficult for cold warriors to get. If our own media was not so f*ched up then yes, there would be other avenues that might be better, but as it stands RT is no worse, and in fact in terms of the freedom of editorial interference it is a place where ideas can be put forward.

The argument you put forward reminds me of the short time I actually tried out an evangelical church. They would always say "the devil just wants to tempt you with something that looks OK, but he is sitting behind there ready to pounce on you at your weakest.
BWA-hahaha. Not

Hartmann et al will leave the minute should they try and editorialize the message. And so will the progressive audience.

[Chef Eric]

34. Thank you for your concern.

I had no idea that we progressives were so vulnerable to Putin's mind control.

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[bjobotts]

25. Its corporate media.Corporate propaganda

conservative indoctrination

[rhett o rick]

29. And the corps love to support HRC. Why? It should be obvious. nm

[stonecutter357]

11. +1

[Buzz Clik]

2. Yes. The election is over. Can we talk about something else now? Kittens? Atheism perhaps?

[zebonaut]

4. Saturday Debates are NO accident; and will result in the Dems losing the Presidential Election

Shoddy incompetence by the DNC

[SusanCalvin]

30. It is not incompetence, per se

It is an attempt at thumb on the scale. Well, an incompetent attempt...

[emulatorloo]

9. Thom I am a fan. But why associate with RT? I have heard they give you studio-space

as the reason for you affiliating yourself with them.

Couldn't you use a cable access studio instead for production, and distribute it yourself via the net?

Then you could put your own branding on it rather than RT branding.

I Apologize if you've explained this before, if you have a link to something that would be great.

[LiberalArkie]

12. Bandwidth is expensive.

[emulatorloo]

14. Yes understood. Yet afaik Ring of Fire and TYT don't display the RT logo

or rely on RT for production. I am sure Thom has good reasons, I'd just like to understand them better and maybe brainstorm other options if he,s interested.

[LiberalArkie]

15. I think he is on linktv and freespeech, but it may just come down to the glitz of the studio and the

production abilities etc.

[emulatorloo]

16. A tv production student w a Mac or PC can achieve pretty high production values

At any rate, you and I are just speculating. (Which is always fun!). Hopefully Thom or one of his staff will get a chance to weigh in.

[LiberalArkie]

17. Yea.. I don't hold anything against RT. The thing is everyone knows it is Russian.

When I was a 13 year old back around 1961, I listened to Radio Moscow, Radio Netherlands, BBC, Radio Havana Cuba and Voice of America. Of course everyone told the same story different ways. Between all of them and the regular national TV networks, I pretty well had a good idea of what was going on.

My parents just read the newspaper and watched the network and local news. Everything was fine in the world except for that communist King guy. The little battle with the communists trying to take over Viet Nam was going fine etc.

I knew different. I guess having the short wave radio is why I became a liberal.

Now people do not need the short wave radios, they have internet sites all of the world with an unlimited number of viewpoints of the news. People just have to learn to juggle all the different viewpoints to come out with reality (for them). One persons reality maybe anothers fantasy or conspiracy theory. Just have to juggle the sources.

Is there any wonder that the number of liberals and socialists are growing? To have that mindset a person can not be set in a fixed mindset. They have to be able brake on a dime and make a 180 deg turn in their point of view. Liberals and Socialists are thinkers. Always open for a different point of view that might be better than what they have now. Always trying to workout what is best for the majority of society, how to help the least of society. What may have worked in the past might need to be changed to better society. That is the reason for the famous quote " I am not a member of an organized party, I am a Democrat". Of course when that was said, the Democratic party was very liberal.

[emulatorloo]

18. Yes, was a big DX'er too! Listened to news/commentary on all those stations!

Helped open up my mind to lots of things. Am a big fan of Cuban Music, and the only place to hear it then was Radio Havana.

[elmac]

20. I like the music also and their perspective on the news of the day.

back in the day, during the height of the cold war, I talked to many hams in the USSR and Cuba, spreading international good will as we liked to call it. The communist country hams were very restricted on what they could talk about but any communications back they was a good thing.

[elmac]

19. That is how I got the news in the 70's

and I still turn on the shortwave to get the news from overseas stations. Tired of the canned corporate news in the US. I have nothing against RT or any network that gives progressives a voice. The corporate networks do not separate news from profit.

[maddiemom]

22. Yes! You have an open mind and the right idea.

And a truly open minded Progressive can watch RT and not come away some brainwashed, Putin-loving (is Rt where Trump got his admiration for Putin? I seriously doubt it) "Commie." (Booga! Booga!) . I can't believe Thom is getting flack over this. I've watched RT on and off for quite a while. I've never seen blatantly offensive left wing propaganda anywhere near the right wing stuff spouted on Fox.

[maddiemom]

23. Oh, and also:

Check Right Wing Watch's clip of Ted Cruz spouting his "Christian values" and call for the "90 Million" Evangelicals in this nation to rise up and vote to "save" the rest of us which was also on this DU page. Now THAT is REALLY scary propaganda!

[Bucky]

10. Agree with previous poster. Affiliating with a blatant propaganda instrument is shameful

RT is as bad as Fox. If you want a leader who isn't won over by moneyed interests, you should start by setting an example and be a journalist who doesn't affiliate with bad actors just because they have resources.

[DhhD]

21. There are millions of Americans that are forced to work for a Boss or Company that they hate

to work for.

Hopefully all of us repliers who are concerned about where Tom is working and will be helping him to relocate. And we will be in contact with him on the search.

[underthematrix]

26. PSYOPS

Here's the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_Operations_(United_States) PSYOPS are very effective on white working class (code word: blue collar) and poor peeps, particularly if they did not go beyond high school and are male. All the fear hate mongering racist memes you see on TV target this group because they are the most vulnerable.

[still_one]

27. RT, originally Russia Today, is a Russian government-funded television network

"RT has been called a propaganda outlet for the Russian government[11][12][13] and its foreign policy[11][12][14][15] by news reporters,[16] including former RT reporters.[17][18][19] It has also been accused of spreading disinformation.[20][21][22][23] The United Kingdom media regulator Ofcom has threatened RT with sanctions because of repeated violations of its rules on impartiality.[24] The network states that it offers a Russian perspective on global events.[25]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT_(TV_network)

Note: because the URL link truncates off the "RT_(TV_network) extension, you have to manually copy the link:

"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT_(TV_network)"

into the URL to jump to the citation

[SusanCalvin]

28. Thom, could you please include transcript or link to same?

I never watch videos when I can read, and often don't watch videos at all if read is not an option.

And I, like others, have questions re the source.

[Thinkingabout]

32. Wow, just wow, unbelievable.

[jberryhill]

33. Can thomhartman post a textual summary?

Apparently not.