Sad propaganda ronin Tucker Carlson has attached himself to the Russian shogun in the hopes of being viewed as valid, important, and not a fucking parasite in one of the most parasitical moves imaginable. He is going to serve us an interview of Vladimir Putin as if he were a western journalist who would do an even marginally tough job.
We know what has happened to Russian journalists who challenge Putin (look at the date of her death--see anything?). We know what can happen with legitimate western journalists. Tucker Carlson, however, is mostly safe (even if he broke with the desired narrative for the moment--of course western journalists want to interview Putin, but Carlson won an HONOR!) Actually, Russia media love Tucker Carlson so much. He's essential! He shows that even in the West, Putin is respected. And in return, Carlson carries Putin's message to Americans, who are, frankly, easily impressed and dumb as hell.
Hillary Clinton, who isn't brand new to any of this, calls Carlson what he rightly is: a "useful idiot." But she also delivers a fairly chilling coda:
It’s really quite sad that not just somebody like Tucker Carlson who has, as I said, been fired so many times because he seems unable to correlate his reporting with the truth, but also because it is a sign that there are people in this country right now who are like a fifth column from Vladimir Putin.
...
“There is a yearning for leaders who can kill and imprison their opponents, destroy the press, lead a life that is one of impunity and bound by any laws,” she continued. “There’s a yearning among certain people in our country for that kind of leadership. And I find that absolutely gobsmacking terrifying.”
Just so--Republicans have displayed a willingness to support a dictator in the form of Donald Trump, and support Putin because he supports Trump, while simultaneously pretending to believe that the "Russia, Russia, Russia" claims are false and that they still believe in a free country. You can't support a dictator and love liberty. You can't support Putin's puppet and claim to be "America First". (I'm looking right now at the GOP legislators who can't fathom why supporting Ukraine is in the national interest--what nation's goals are you looking at?)
And in the meanwhile, Tucker Carlson's demographic--HIS little fans, are the ones who are most likely to support the Russian propaganda goal of national division here in the US.
The most useful thing to do isn't to tune him out--it's to pay close attention to what lies we are all being asked by a foreign power to receive. I believe in staying ready, not getting ready. See, that advice? That's useful. And that this interview is happening now is no coincidence.
2 comments:
Cancel its' passport, leave it there ...
I would not care if Carlson had to live at the airport in Sheremetyevo for several weeks, just as an objective lesson in what it might be like to be a person without a country, having dubious loyalties. (He did meet with Snowden and Tara Reade in his travels abroad. Also, Putin made some fun at his expense because both of them know perfectly well what he is.)
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