Can’t Believe Matt Taibbi Sold Out

Zooey,

Is that in reference to Taibbi being paid by Musk to lie to Americans about the non-existent corporate bias against conservatives — on Twitter and elsewhere? Or has he added something new to his shilling?

Personally, I don’t take his shilling and lies as any sign we’re doomed. It was to be expected, as far as I’m concerned. Far too many fake-leftists/progressives have shown their true colors since Trump hit the political scene in full force. Greenwald is another recent example.

(Basically, propertarians in sheep’s clothing. Just follow the money, etc.)

And even those who honestly think it makes sense to join forces with the alt-right to take down “corporate Dems” were always playing a fool’s game. At best, they must have figured “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” while forgetting the enormous difference in literal firepower and money behind the alt/far-right. As in, any leftist who thought a coalition of the real left and the far-right would eventually lead to a more progressive nation — because corporate Dems would supposedly be wiped out — truly doesn’t understand the power dynamics in America. It’s beyond obvious that the far-right is doing the using in this case, not those woefully naive leftists. As soon as the Dems are gone, the far-right will take out the real left next, entirely, and America will be completely fascist at that point.

Again, the most logical coalition for we leftists, currently, is with the Dems, as distasteful as that may be. There isn’t a single issue in which the GOP is preferable right now, and there is absolutely zero chance that the Republican Party is amenable to progressive, much less leftist persuasion. We all know they’re fighting each other to be the most Trumpian, the most far-right, and they demonize and despise us with every breath they take. They flat out hate us. Why on earth would any sane leftist think it’s logical to join forces with them?

I’d say this to Taibbi, if I could. In a nutshell: by all means blast the Dems when they deserve it. Question all authority, and go after any and all abusers of power. Go after the rich and the powerful, regardless of party, with ferocious intensity and the truth. Be fearless in the process. But never let the far worse of the two major parties use you to change the subject and play the victim, which is all Jim Jourdan (and Musk) and his despicable “weaponization of government” hearings do.

He’s not trying to reform the Intel community, the FBI, the CIA, etc. etc. He and the GOP have no record of actual concern for government overreach unless the political right and Republicans are the perceived victims. All they want to do is to make sure they’re never held to account, and they’ve decided the best way to do that is to claim eternal victimhood and persecution by “the left.”  They hope that shuts down all further inquiries.

If Taibbi can’t see how he’s being used . . . or worse, just doesn’t care, eff him.

Quick side note, Zooey. I noticed on your twitter feed — which is a good one, btw . . . that you had a run-in with someone spouting BS about Nader giving us Bush.

It was actually more than 300,000 registered Dems who voted directly for Bush in Florida in 2000. Can’t blame that on the Green Party. Nader may have pulled roughly just 24,000 potential Gore voters away from him, total. At most. Folks need to do the math.

Plus, as you know, our presidential elections never come down to just one state. Florida couldn’t have “decided” the election even if Nader had wanted that to happen. Gore ran a lousy campaign, the country had Clinton fatigue, and he lost his own home state, and 29 others. It didn’t come down to just Florida. That’s like saying a basketball game comes down to the last shot in a 115 to 114 loss. As if all the missed shot and turnovers and various other botched plays meant nothing leading up to that last shot, etc.

Far too many Americans are math and logic averse.