Glenn, since I rarely have time to watch the shows, it’s great to have these transcripts. I look forward to them everyday. Please continue! It’s real value-added for subscribers.
Agreed about the establishment Democrats: little diversity of views, and where there are it is generally regarding transitory or vague issues (rhetorical only, in effect).
However, Glenn here makes some huge assumptions.
Here:
"When Trump vowed to drain the Swamp, he didn't just mean Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, but he also meant Mitch McConnell, the hordes of neo-cons long-running Republican Foreign Policy, the Bushies and the Cheneys, the U.S. security state itself. And they knew that — those institutions did — which is why they became so strongly opposed to Trump and so determined to subvert his campaign and then his presidency."
"He meant?" The journalistically accurate language is "he implied." At best.
Given that Trump preserved the swamp, appointing to agencies the same corporate goons (but worse) that Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc. did -- embraced Wall Street -- embraced the MIC -- etc., suggests to me that Trump is EXACTLY THE SAME as all the others but for marketing.
In fact, as Glenn accurately notes, it is this marketing that made the Democrats' ability to shift its base onboard with CIA love affairs ("Most of this was due to the emergence of Trump…" -- i.e. Trump made this possible).
So why assume that there are any parties at all? Maybe getting Dems to back historically conservative agendas was Trump's function in a uni-party world? The "two parties" are bankrolled by the same industries, largely, and back the same broader agendas (as Glenn also notes, "The Democrat v. Republican theater is designed to hide and distract your attention away from the real power dynamic in Washington, where both parties are generally on board").
Maybe the two parties are all PR? Maybe Trump exists as the villain for some...."Boo! Hiss!" ... and Pelosi the villain for others .... "Boo! Hiss!" But we get the same bullshit over time. Does the fact that the Democrats are now the advocates for the things they ostensibly opposed in the 1970's really mean anything on a partisan level? Or does the "left-wing" push today toward authoritarianism that was once "right-wing" simply represent a single broom pushing the public from two different directions over time, into the same limited corner?
Seems irresponsible to ignore this possibility given the large amount of evidence that both parties have their strings pulled by the same forces over years and the paltry amount of evidence that suggests there is genuine ideological differences among the used-car-salesmen that actually serve as our partisan representatives in Congress. Seriously, can anyone say with a single bit of confidence what Schumer/McConnell/AOC/Pelosi/Rubio/whoever actually believe?
"For instance, free speech. Now, if you're for free speech, you're considered right-wing. I go in comedy clubs in Los Angeles every night, and I'll see comedians, almost once a night somebody will say something about free speech and how it's now a right-wing thing."
What happened was that Team D got the whip hand. After that, the folks skewering sacred cows, calling out The Emperor for being buck-ass naked and speaking outrageous truths all are on the Right these days, while the Left have transformed into defenders of established institutions and sour and priggish moralists who make The Church Lady look like G.G. Allin by comparison.
This is not because of any inherent puckishness on the Right, rather, this is a function of the relationship to power.
It’s another interpolation of Tolstoy’s observation about happy families.
The happy little Democratic ducks all lined up in rows are the most frightening sight in Washington. Unfortunately their lack of insight and curiosity doesn’t make the other side any better, except perhaps by contrast. At this playground there are no good guys, and having just reread ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold’, it’s clear there never were.
The only hope is in those who never stop questioning, aren’t afraid to be wrong, and know how to apologize when they are. Thanks guys.
220 million Americans let the U.S. government inject chemicals into their bodies. With more and more information about the dangerousness of the injections leaking out everyday, now, they're:
either scared that what happened to Damar Hamlin is going to happen to them; or, their egos won't let them admit that they were 'punked' BIG Time!
"…if you really believe that you're now in a historic battle to vanquish the new Hitler and his Nazi party I suppose it makes sense that you would reject any attempts to argue amongst yourselves or defy orders from the army you imagine yourself part of."
This is why Trump has proven incredibly useful to the establishment wing of Team R and especially Team D, as a Scary Enemy that can be used to squelch dissent.
"What they see, seemingly all of them, including the vaunted Squad who got elected by promising to aggressively challenge and subvert Democratic Party leadership — what they look at and see is an embarrassing mess, some disorderly refusal to submit to authority, and a kind of distasteful and gauche failure to snap into line and march in lockstep behind party bosses as they so willingly and successfully do."
That the much hyped Squad refused to use what little leverage they had is most instructive.
It’s more than a little ironic…that the theatrical rhetoric/narrative that Trump was some extreme threat to humanity and the “far right” GOP was one of the most “dangerous” groups ever, was disseminated by none other than NOAM CHOMSKY, and is now being rightly criticized as ridiculous and disingenuous by Glenn Greenwald.
Really not liking the seeming abandonment of Substack as a platform... We all owe Substack a huge debt for giving rational discourse a solid home when many others failed. Bari and Glenn both seem to have little regard for that - albeit they are going in slightly different directions.
Glenn, of all people, should know that platform matters - having seen his own Intercept turn on the very principles of its founding. I hope Bari does not have the same experience.
I have nothing against Locals, but I have no faith in it, either. Diluting something that has been as powerful as Substack at raising the bar (in as hostile an environment as we face) seems ridiculous.
Thank you for all your efforts -- for decades now. Highly professional, with the highest integrity, witty and thoughtful. One of many, many reasons why I respect and admire you for decades:
"Animals are beautiful, complex, majestic and fascinating -- including the ones we've been taught to fear or dislike. Along with humans and natural beauty, they're what make this planet so spectacular. Like all life, animal life is sacred and they deserve compassion and kindness."
It would be great to have a place that would permanently save your daily tweets - witty and probing. They would be an invaluable chronology of US social topics and corrections of planted misinformations....
Looks to me like the Dems are doing a Mitch McConnell…being the Party of No…instead of caving to the Republicans, as they do…too often.
To repeat myself, it was really BAD that Trump became POTUS in 2016, and really GOOD that Clinton didn’t. In 2020, it was really GOOD that Trump lost, and really BAD that Biden won.
The delusion Greenwald continues to show is alarming. Trump was rhetoric and nothing more. He talked over and over about draining the swamp and only made it worse, putting forward in government roles an endless parade of individuals that only cared about enriching themselves. And there’s not much to say if anyone thinks positively about Marjorie Taylor Green - a conspiracy minded nut who should be an embarrassment to the country and party, but almost no one has any shame. Don’t hold your breath waiting for her to investigate any Republican wrongdoing if he heads up the Oversight Committee.
Good to have Jimmy Dore here -- in the first one-fifth or so of his interview, he's more impressive than Greenwald often is. (Though I wish Dore wouldn't misuse the word "gaslighting" like some people do -- if you broaden the meaning of "gaslighting" that much, people will start reflexively using it against good-faith critics of the status quo.)
Glenn, since I rarely have time to watch the shows, it’s great to have these transcripts. I look forward to them everyday. Please continue! It’s real value-added for subscribers.
Agreed about the establishment Democrats: little diversity of views, and where there are it is generally regarding transitory or vague issues (rhetorical only, in effect).
However, Glenn here makes some huge assumptions.
Here:
"When Trump vowed to drain the Swamp, he didn't just mean Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, but he also meant Mitch McConnell, the hordes of neo-cons long-running Republican Foreign Policy, the Bushies and the Cheneys, the U.S. security state itself. And they knew that — those institutions did — which is why they became so strongly opposed to Trump and so determined to subvert his campaign and then his presidency."
"He meant?" The journalistically accurate language is "he implied." At best.
Given that Trump preserved the swamp, appointing to agencies the same corporate goons (but worse) that Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc. did -- embraced Wall Street -- embraced the MIC -- etc., suggests to me that Trump is EXACTLY THE SAME as all the others but for marketing.
In fact, as Glenn accurately notes, it is this marketing that made the Democrats' ability to shift its base onboard with CIA love affairs ("Most of this was due to the emergence of Trump…" -- i.e. Trump made this possible).
So why assume that there are any parties at all? Maybe getting Dems to back historically conservative agendas was Trump's function in a uni-party world? The "two parties" are bankrolled by the same industries, largely, and back the same broader agendas (as Glenn also notes, "The Democrat v. Republican theater is designed to hide and distract your attention away from the real power dynamic in Washington, where both parties are generally on board").
Maybe the two parties are all PR? Maybe Trump exists as the villain for some...."Boo! Hiss!" ... and Pelosi the villain for others .... "Boo! Hiss!" But we get the same bullshit over time. Does the fact that the Democrats are now the advocates for the things they ostensibly opposed in the 1970's really mean anything on a partisan level? Or does the "left-wing" push today toward authoritarianism that was once "right-wing" simply represent a single broom pushing the public from two different directions over time, into the same limited corner?
Seems irresponsible to ignore this possibility given the large amount of evidence that both parties have their strings pulled by the same forces over years and the paltry amount of evidence that suggests there is genuine ideological differences among the used-car-salesmen that actually serve as our partisan representatives in Congress. Seriously, can anyone say with a single bit of confidence what Schumer/McConnell/AOC/Pelosi/Rubio/whoever actually believe?
Great interview with Jimmy! Thanks. His perspective on the Covid fiasco is really important.
"For instance, free speech. Now, if you're for free speech, you're considered right-wing. I go in comedy clubs in Los Angeles every night, and I'll see comedians, almost once a night somebody will say something about free speech and how it's now a right-wing thing."
What happened was that Team D got the whip hand. After that, the folks skewering sacred cows, calling out The Emperor for being buck-ass naked and speaking outrageous truths all are on the Right these days, while the Left have transformed into defenders of established institutions and sour and priggish moralists who make The Church Lady look like G.G. Allin by comparison.
This is not because of any inherent puckishness on the Right, rather, this is a function of the relationship to power.
It’s another interpolation of Tolstoy’s observation about happy families.
The happy little Democratic ducks all lined up in rows are the most frightening sight in Washington. Unfortunately their lack of insight and curiosity doesn’t make the other side any better, except perhaps by contrast. At this playground there are no good guys, and having just reread ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold’, it’s clear there never were.
The only hope is in those who never stop questioning, aren’t afraid to be wrong, and know how to apologize when they are. Thanks guys.
It seems to me this is where we are:
220 million Americans let the U.S. government inject chemicals into their bodies. With more and more information about the dangerousness of the injections leaking out everyday, now, they're:
either scared that what happened to Damar Hamlin is going to happen to them; or, their egos won't let them admit that they were 'punked' BIG Time!
"…if you really believe that you're now in a historic battle to vanquish the new Hitler and his Nazi party I suppose it makes sense that you would reject any attempts to argue amongst yourselves or defy orders from the army you imagine yourself part of."
This is why Trump has proven incredibly useful to the establishment wing of Team R and especially Team D, as a Scary Enemy that can be used to squelch dissent.
"What they see, seemingly all of them, including the vaunted Squad who got elected by promising to aggressively challenge and subvert Democratic Party leadership — what they look at and see is an embarrassing mess, some disorderly refusal to submit to authority, and a kind of distasteful and gauche failure to snap into line and march in lockstep behind party bosses as they so willingly and successfully do."
That the much hyped Squad refused to use what little leverage they had is most instructive.
It’s more than a little ironic…that the theatrical rhetoric/narrative that Trump was some extreme threat to humanity and the “far right” GOP was one of the most “dangerous” groups ever, was disseminated by none other than NOAM CHOMSKY, and is now being rightly criticized as ridiculous and disingenuous by Glenn Greenwald.
Absolutely priceless
Really not liking the seeming abandonment of Substack as a platform... We all owe Substack a huge debt for giving rational discourse a solid home when many others failed. Bari and Glenn both seem to have little regard for that - albeit they are going in slightly different directions.
Glenn, of all people, should know that platform matters - having seen his own Intercept turn on the very principles of its founding. I hope Bari does not have the same experience.
I have nothing against Locals, but I have no faith in it, either. Diluting something that has been as powerful as Substack at raising the bar (in as hostile an environment as we face) seems ridiculous.
Personally I love how the Democrats are screaming to just shut up and fall into line. The 'party flip' is complete!
Thank you for all your efforts -- for decades now. Highly professional, with the highest integrity, witty and thoughtful. One of many, many reasons why I respect and admire you for decades:
"Animals are beautiful, complex, majestic and fascinating -- including the ones we've been taught to fear or dislike. Along with humans and natural beauty, they're what make this planet so spectacular. Like all life, animal life is sacred and they deserve compassion and kindness."
It would be great to have a place that would permanently save your daily tweets - witty and probing. They would be an invaluable chronology of US social topics and corrections of planted misinformations....
Looks to me like the Dems are doing a Mitch McConnell…being the Party of No…instead of caving to the Republicans, as they do…too often.
To repeat myself, it was really BAD that Trump became POTUS in 2016, and really GOOD that Clinton didn’t. In 2020, it was really GOOD that Trump lost, and really BAD that Biden won.
Yes! JD is the man and is rightfully vindicated on Force The Vote
Brihanna Joy Gray was in magnificent form on this subject at The Hills's "Rising" program.
The delusion Greenwald continues to show is alarming. Trump was rhetoric and nothing more. He talked over and over about draining the swamp and only made it worse, putting forward in government roles an endless parade of individuals that only cared about enriching themselves. And there’s not much to say if anyone thinks positively about Marjorie Taylor Green - a conspiracy minded nut who should be an embarrassment to the country and party, but almost no one has any shame. Don’t hold your breath waiting for her to investigate any Republican wrongdoing if he heads up the Oversight Committee.
Good to have Jimmy Dore here -- in the first one-fifth or so of his interview, he's more impressive than Greenwald often is. (Though I wish Dore wouldn't misuse the word "gaslighting" like some people do -- if you broaden the meaning of "gaslighting" that much, people will start reflexively using it against good-faith critics of the status quo.)