38 Comments
Feb 10Liked by Ben Norton

Ben, you are on my short list of brilliant and brave!!!!

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Feb 10·edited Feb 10Liked by Ben Norton

Brilliant analysis as usual, Ben.

Even more brilliant than usual because so few people have even a clue, let alone a clear understanding, of the role Tucker Carlson plays in the global right-wing's "populist" agenda, Donald Trump's campaign, and the Bannon faction's strategy to preserve American hegemony.

Illuminating "Tucker's" motives at the height of both progressives' and Trumpists' fawning adulation for him is a huge journalistic achievement.

Thank you, Ben! You have demonstrated once again that you are one of the most insightful and important journalists of our time.

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The danger is his alliance with forces such as Glenn Greenwald and Jimmy Dore. How they can think Tucker has anything for humans to offer is to me, incredible.

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Feb 10·edited Feb 10

I am more inclined to call it their superficial reading of his positions than "his alliance" with them. Dore in particular, who comes across to me as a highly opinionated shallow thinker.

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@Monsoon, I don’t disagree.

But I do feel there will come a time hopefully quite soon, where the puppet govts and media operatives will wake up and recognize their only viable option will be to join reality as genuine pilgrims on the BRI & BRICS path :)

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Yes, you framed it better than I did. Dore woke up a few years ago and now is an expert on everything. You are right, he is a shallow thinker.

But if this is depressing, think of the millions of youth that follow him.

It does not seem strange to me that we are ruled by ineptitude and greed.

and the hyper individualism of American capitalism leads people to look for super-heroes.

Binary thinking, all the way.

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Either way, Tucker interviewing Putin can be a learning awakening for any truth seekers with integrity, who may have been still gullible about anti-China US-proxy policy against Russia-- that is if there are any who actually have the wherewithal to really listen carefully to the whole thing! Perhaps including Tucker himself?! Especially IF he is not deep down fully mired up as a deepstate operative. There’s hope. Yet whether or not... his seeming attempt to trip up Putin certainly (and predictably imo) has utterly failed! No wonder Tucker is now being branded as a traitor by Hilary-et-all!

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Hillary is a cnut.

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Yes, any transparency in the age of surveillance is helpful. Of course what is 'said' and what is reality can be quite different.

But Tucker is an operative and now, one can be one without any repercussions.

He certainly did fail to trap Putin for at heart he is an adolescent, coddled and pampered from youth.

But he has an audience and hopefully more analysis like this will appear for Tucker is aligned with some very peculiar people, both fascists and so-called leftists.

He is the generational card that the dying Empire needs, much like, as I stated regarding libertarianism and right wing capitalists in Latin America.

And of course that is where the US is. A de-industrialized, dying Empire of senile finance and corruption, endemic to capitalism.

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Great post! A nice reminder that just because Carlson got abuse from the media for interviewing Putin doesn't suddenly mean he's not still on Team War.

I think you're right that the establishment media with its black-and-white view on everything and everyone, will miss all of the little digs that Putin made on Carlson. Even if they notice them, they certainly won't draw attention to them the way you have!

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Feb 10Liked by Ben Norton

Thanks for opening my eyes.

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I knew most of this because I read/listen to independent journalists. I got rid of my television in 2012 and the NYT and WaPo are written largely by the CIA. But it was great to listen to a mature politician--Putin--who knows his history, is familiar with data and numbers and doesn't need to read anything off of a teleprompter or cue card.

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Thank you for the insights into Tucker Carlson whom fortunately I've never listen to. If Russia and China join forces, it can only be better for the world than the mess the hegemonic US has made.

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Let these so called progressive, life Dore and Greenwald to debate this. they are Tucker lovers and the danger is not new; it is historical.

The rise of post WWII fascism has deep, deep roots.

THIRD POSITION

The Third Position is a set of neo-fascist political ideologies that were first described in Western Europe following the Second World War. Developed in the context of the Cold War, it developed its name through the claim that it represented a third position between the capitalism of the Western Bloc and the communism of the Eastern Bloc.

Between the 1920s and 1940s, various dissident groups presented themselves as part of a movement distinct from both capitalism and Marxist socialism.

This idea was revived by various political groups following the Second World War.

The rhetoric of the "Third Position" developed among Terza Posizione in Italy and Troisième Voie in France; in the 1980s, it was taken up by the National Front in the United Kingdom.

These groups emphasize opposition to both communism and capitalism.

Advocates of Third Position politics typically present themselves as "beyond left and right" while syncretizing ideas from each end of the political spectrum, usually reactionary right-wing cultural views and radical left-wing economic views.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

https://archive.is/mAuFI ARPANET WUB

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Give the guy a break. Has he been railing against China since leaving fox? If not , why continue trying to nail him to a past position he may not longer hold? If I'm wrong, sorry, but he has given us a valuable improvement of the hope that Ukrainians and Russians stop being killed for something as wretched as neocon Nuland.

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Seriously, how had Tucker “given us a valuable improvement.” That is a ludicrous claim.

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You weren’t listening to Putin as you were gazing into Carlson’s innocent cherubic face, maybe.

Putin: THERE IS NO ONE TO NEGOTIATE WITH.

Before, during, and after this interview, Carlson has no standing to do anything about it, and Putin knows that!

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You are aware of the hullabaloo the interview provoked? You should not let your prejudice and/or russophobia blind you to the valuable improvement in the debate, whatever else you might think. John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs have been struggling with incredible bravery to get demonising imperialists to get over their false self constructions and listen. Had they done so, what tragedy might have been avoided! Only fools with rotting brains like Killary Clinton and her demented ilk think that Hitlerising all over the place explains or helps resolve anything, as if Hitler acted alone, says this gruesome accomplice to the murder of Gaddafi.

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I expressed an opinion above, that’s all. You decided to manipulate my words to mean—your meaning. It’s a sign of deep ignorance on your part.

I have publicly challenged the collective west’s actions and intentions towards Russia since the beginning of the SMO, calling on anyone who would listen to listen to John Mearsheimer’s argument re: Why Ukraine is the West’s Fault. And I wrote to him at the beginning of the SMO to use his standing to counteract the insanity of the collective west posturing. Were you doing that? I have been called Putin’s Puppet, etc. because I immediately pleaded for Diplomacy and Neutrality. Were you doing that? I called it a Proxy War before I heard that from anyone else. And I have the receipts for ALL of this. Were you doing that?

You really need to find a better way to communicate. You express yourself like a naive high school student.

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It was very interesting to read the short history of the Carlson family, I smiled at the fact that Carlson's father was the main leader of the notorious instigator Voice of America ! Well, after your information, I will pay attention to Mr. Tucker Carlson's work with slightly different eyes ! :) Not to mention that Mr. Putin's words and references were seen in a slightly different light in the interview !

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I watched it and printed out the transcript for further study. Putin was brilliant, spoke honestly, is sharp and knowledgeable and makes American politicians look like idiots. Which they are. By the way, there is material in the transcript that was not in the video. They say the interview took 2 hours but the video was only about an hour and 20 minutes, give or take. I'm no fan of Carlson, but this interview did the world a favor. The U.S. government censors so heavily that the true state of the world is invisible to millions of people who believe what their televisions tell them. More fool them.

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I hate to put on the tinfoil hat, but if his dad worked for Voice of America, it seems crazy to me that Tucker does not have any CIA connection.

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That's as may be. But he went to the source, which is more than any of the collective west is doing, either the media or western governments. Americans are the most propagandized people on earth and the U.S. has a president with actual dementia, whose acolytes are the ones making the decisions.

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If you think US media outlets of any stripe aren’t trying to get interviews with Putin on the regular, I think you’re wrong. It says a ton that it was this personality who got the time over any actual journalist.

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Tucker has made inroads with all the important people surrounding Trump. As an oligarch due to his Swanson Trust fund, can now serve plutocrats. And that is what he does.

Swash buckling into fascist Hungary was his first foray into the growing international fascist movement.

After praising the dictator Orban he then managed to grow his base for Orban is a theoretical Catholic fascist.

The Council for National Policy, little known but now not secret anymore is part of this international fascist whirlwind Tucker plans.

As Europe goes fascist, Tucker will be there promoting both fascism and global war.

It is important to keep in mind fascism is a global project underway in Italy, Holland, France, Africa and of course south America.

But it important to emphasize that this fascist global movement is organized, interconnected from nations and well funded by billionaires.

Tucker is not a journalist he is both stenographer and part of the Society of the Spectacle

In Latin America the generation card is being used to fight socialism. Noboa of Ecuador is 34. Buekele of El Salvador is 40. More and more the plan is to use the generational divide to fight socialism.

Tucker would be a perfect candidate but even as a Butler for Trump he does his job.

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It really seemed to me that Putin used Carlson for whatever it was worth to Putin. I don’t know.

Carlson, however, tried to extract a win over Putin at the end of the interview with his ‘release the falsely imprisoned American journalist into my custody now, dictator’ performance. It rhymed with another elitist American scion of great wealth Bill Gates, who struts around on world stages with world leaders as if he were an equal, by birth, not democracy.

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Exceptionally written piece! The Swanson’s poltroon should remain on Russia, to kiss the tuchas of Putin daily, until Putin grows weary of such a smarmy dolt, and finds an open window!

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Your Russophobia is repulsive.

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Why this mania about enemies? Its looks to me that there are many opportunities for co-operation. Is someone making their fortune on promoting war and hostility?

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Any policy that is inspired or influenced by the late Kissinger should be tossed directly into the garbage heap. Without further debate or consideration.

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Maybe yes, maybe not. What bothers me about all commentariats - black and white framing, depending which side you are on. It is a pity.

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