On this week’s Aggressive Progressives, Jimmy Dore is joined by Stef Zamorano and Steve Oh. They discuss the Washington Post’s new edict to their employers, more Wells Fargo fraud cases uncovered, and the misunderstandings people against Colin Kaepernick have. Jordan Chariton skypes in to talk about his arrest.
Comments
Apologies for the lateness of this reply, John. I spend little time here (eventually, none).
Dear John: you are like the Me of the past. Perhaps you will also become the Me of the present and future, as TYT further betrays your trust and the trust of its members.
So yeah, there are four investments by four diffferent venture capitalist firms, and yes they have invested differing amounts of money, not equal amounts.
All this seems rather immaterial. Who cares whether Katzenberg made the largest investment or not? The fact remains that all these Wall Street corporates have a stake in TYT now, they all have something to hold over TYT now. They are all corrupting TYT: if not yet right now then further down the line when it really matters (say, during primary season) and if not openly then certainly subtly, by exerting their pressures in less visible and more effective ways.
May I remind that Steve Oh has the balls to say the following in this video (and I quote):
In other words, Steve Oh is either admitting that they should not have taken the corporate investment (and he doesn’t care), or he’s so stupid that he doesn’t realize how his own statements completely contradict the actions of TYT.
> Don’t abandon ship now.
I abandoned ship on the day that the venture capitalists arrived. Why should I donate money (i.e. my membership fees) to help these any of these wealthy a$$holes turn a profit and/or expand their media empires? They can have TYT but they’re not getting me.
How does one run a so-called “non-corporate” and so-called “independent” media outfit under these conditions? Put simply, one does not.
@robertjordan18 You broke the reply chain. No big deal. I’ll start from here.
Re-read my super essay ’cause I broke down the history.
You’re talking about corporate media & that you abandoned ship on the day the venture capitalists arrived.
That day was 2010 at the earliest. 2011 at the latest.
In 2010, Cenk Uygur took the money from his MSNBC deal & funded that new black & gray set that you see from November 2010 through November 2011. MSNBC was COROPRATE & ultimately owned by Comcast.
In 2011, TYT made the deal with Current TV which was created out of a Canadian network by Vice President Al Gore; Joel Hyatt (Zylberberg), a Democratic funder; & Ronald Burkle, A VENTURE CAPITALIST.
They HAVE ALREADY BEEN invested in by corporate investment. BEEN done, robert.
And 2014 has former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer with his PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM Roemer, Robinson, Melville, & Co. invest in TYT.
PRIVATE EQUITY = VENTURE CAPITALIST.
And no one is bringing up TYT’s quiet Angel Investors like the one they had in 2015.
The 2015 investment is probably how they were able to hire Jordan Chariton.
So if your stance is aversion to Corporate Investment & Venture Capitalists, that ship sailed with the Niña, the Pinta, & the Santa Maria.
ANCIENT HISTORY if THAT’S what you’re getting at. Done LOOOOOONG ago.
2010 at the earliest. 2011 at the latest. And numerous investments in-between since then.
So your only beef can only be with the AMOUNT of investment & I understand your aversion.
Some people probably left when they were seeking to get on MSNBC back in 2009.
Some people probably left when Cenk got the MSNBC deal in 2010.
Some people probably left when they got the Current TV deal in 2011.
Some people probably left when they got the Buddy Roemer deal in 2014.
And some people like you may be leaving because of this $20 million deal in 2017.
And that’s fair. I’m not gonna tell you you’re wrong for not being comfortable with this.
It’s itchy. I totally get your stance.
It’s so easy to get mired in that quicksand even if you think you’re being careful.
This deal with the devil MAY take TYT’s soul. That’s the risk they took.
But just understand that it’s not new. This is not unprecedented in anything other than the dollar amount.
And THAT’S why I’m not so pessimistic about TYT’s intentions.
They have been here before but DID NOT shift viewpoints.
Current TV was created to pretty much to fuel Al Gore’s & the Democrats’ comeback after his quitting at the 2000 Election steal.
And STILL TYT let Obama & the Democrats know about their candy asses just like Cenk did when he had that MSNBC contract when they told him they didn’t like his tone.
They STILL shit on Buddy Roemer’s party, the Republicans.
They STILL shit on Hillary Clinton even after making that TV deal with Haim Saban’s Fusion.
Hell, The Humanist Report—part of the TYT Network—just did a video calling out Facebook’s bullshit with that so-called “free internet” scam even though TYT has a deal with Facebook on those Rundown videos.
If these guys have as much control as you THINK they do, then THE ENTIRE NETWORK would be policed for “tone” & “content”. Just like you see on CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, & all other controlled outlets.
Jeffrey Katzenberg LOVES Hillary & then Jimmy Dore rips Hillary a brand new asshole every time he comes onto the TYT set on an episode of Aggressive Progressives.
Because of the REALITY of MEDIA CONSOLIDATION since Bill Clinton’s passage of 1996 Telecommunications Act, I know we don’t have much room to pivot.
They’re about to control ALL major independent voices.
TYT made this itchy deal in order to make their megaphone louder & their influence stronger before it’s too late.
ONLY BECAUSE of past behavior with TYT & their investors, do I give them the Benefit of the Doubt.
They straddled that fine line all these years without losing their foundation of truth-telling.
So I’m gonna let them prove me right one more time.
Keep in mind that Current TV had Comcast as a shareholder like I said in my earlier reply to you.
TYT is racing against time to shift the axis so we can all free these chains.
I understand how outnumbered we really are so I understand why TYT made this deal.
But I don’t blame you for being distrustful.
If you have to leave, that is quite alright.
Fight The Machine in YOUR way. In the way that YOU see fit.
And maybe down the line, you may see that TYT didn’t betray their integrity after all.
You always reserve the right to change your mind.
John Lucas
Apologies for not replying to all of it – or perhaps more accurately, to only a small part of it – but you’re kind of pushing the message length almost every time, John! I know that I can get wordy myself but you’re taking it a whole new level. :) Time permitting, I’ll get back to you.
@robertjordan18 EXTRA NOTE. Just thought of this.
Escaping Corporate Influence in our system IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Let’s keep in mind that The Young Turks have built their company off of YouTube.
YouTube owned by GOOGLE now known as Alphabet.
When TYT gets paid with YouTube ad money, they’re getting paid by CORPORATIONS even if indirectly.
And understand that when TYT was homeless, they had to set up shop in YouTube Space LA studios.
YouTube makes no money for Google. It is subsidized by Google.
So TYT dealt with Google money/Alphabet money when they worked in those studios.
TYT doesn’t get on Hulu without dealing with its 4 owners: Disney (through Disney-ABC), 21st Century Fox (through Fox Entertainment once owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation), Comcast (through NBCUniversal), & Time Warner (through Turner Broadcasting System).
How can TYT make the deal with Facebook, Inc. & challenge the corruption of its founder & CEO, the slimy Mark Zuckerberg?
How can TYT makes those tweets on Twitter Inc. & call out the corruption of Disney (& its holdings) where Twitter co-founder & CEO Jack Dorsey is a member of the Board of Directors as well as being part of the Board of Directors of the Berggruen Institute, a think tank designed to shape social & political institutions?
There is no way in HELL you can get your voice out on a broad scale without dealing with AT LEAST *ONE* of these behemoths. IMPOSSIBLE.
Indirect or Direct you gotta deal with ’em.
The best you can do is take the tools of the Machine to work AGAINST the Machine.
We’re ALL in this damn Matrix.
But that’s OK. The only thing you own for sure is your voice.
So your best bet is to get it out there as loudly as you can to create the tidal wave you need to short-circuit this machine.
As bad as Comcast is, Google is actually worse.
And indirectly TYT & ALL people on this New Internet Media are working for Google AKA Alphabet.
The whole purpose of YouTube TV & the YouTube Adpocalypse it’s using to attract Legacy Media at original YouTubers’ expense is for Google to end up buying out Comcast’s holdings (NBC), Disney’s holdings (ABC), Fox’s holdings (Fox), Time Warner’s holdings (Turner: CNN), National Amusement’s holdings (CBS & Viacom).
Hahahahahahaha!
You didn’t know that, did you?
►•MEDIA CONSOLIDATION•◄
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_cross-ownership_in_the_United_States
Google is the KING of the WORLD WIDE WEB.
And we’re ALL in trapped in that web by this spider who spits the Alphabet to infinite numbers (like a Google).
They own ALL the information on you like Skynet from the Terminator.
We only use them to keep the other behemoths at bay. But given enough time, Google will control it all.
You have no idea what we’re up against, robertjordan18.
EVEN I didn’t realize that “6 Companies That Own The Media” story was already outdated.
It’s 5! WOW! Learned that as I was typing.
I thought CBS & Viacom were still their own independent companies. Ha! Nope!
And it’s not gonna end with 5. Like Highlander, There Can Be Only One.
So if you’re worried about Katzenberg, you REALLY better be worried about Eric Schmidt, the creepy Executive Chairman of (Google) Alphabet. This guy doesn’t believe in people’s privacy.
He’s a CIA-style spook in the worst way. Silicon Valley is JUST as dangerous as Wall Street.
The Surveillance State has voluntarily-given information & Google knows all of your 1-2-3’s & A-B-C’s.
What happens when this behemoth eats up all the other behemoths in media?
What happens when one company controls all that you hear & see?
What happens when Jeff Bezos’ Amazon & all of its terrifying holdings gets eaten up by The King of the Web?
Might end up with a company that controls all that you hear, see, taste, smell, touch, AND buy?
The Spider is crawling & you can’t escape its Web.
And here’s little TYT fighting Establishment Media to provide a free voice through Internet Media.
Only in the end to find out that their host is ultimately using them to trap ALL Media in its Web.
One day TYT will have to fight the owner of YouTube. One day TYT will have to fight The King of the Web.
So it’s best to build up this megaphone NOW while we still have a chance.
And if that means taking $20 million from Katzenberg & a few others to do it, I don’t blame them for making that Deal with those Devils.
They got to be ready for when the REAL Devil starts to strike.
John Lucas
> Escaping Corporate Influence in our system IS IMPOSSIBLE.
I think it’s difficult but not impossible. Plenty of progressive outlets succeed at it. TYT was succeeding at it relatively well, until recently.
> Let’s keep in mind that The Young Turks have built their company off of YouTube.
That’s a very good point. I have always said that this was one of their weaknesses, but at least they were never exclusively reliant on Youtube. And especially in recent years, they have diversified away from Youtube (they have a presence on what, a half dozen different digital platforms now?)
> When TYT gets paid with YouTube ad money, they’re getting paid by CORPORATIONS even if indirectly.
True, but with corporate advertisers at least there is somewhat more transparancy about what they’re getting in return for their money, namely, the advertisers get to show their ads. At least we know (to a certain extent) what the return for the advertiser is.
With corporate investors, you know less because you don’t know 1) the details of the agreement – and there is a very explicit agreement – or 2) in what form or at which time the returns are going to be provided. You can’t rule out the possibility that the returns will be provided as editorial control.
> TYT doesn’t get on Hulu without dealing with its 4 owners: Disney (through Disney-ABC), 21st Century Fox (through Fox Entertainment once owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation), Comcast (through NBCUniversal), & Time Warner (through Turner Broadcasting System).
Fair point.
> How can TYT make the deal with Facebook, Inc. & challenge the corruption of its founder & CEO, the slimy Mark Zuckerberg? How can TYT makes those tweets on Twitter Inc. & call out the corruption of Disney (& its holdings) where Twitter co-founder & CEO Jack Dorsey is a member of the Board of Directors as well as being part of the Board of Directors of the Berggruen Institute, a think tank designed to shape social & political institutions?
The problem with that particular argument is: I don’t think you really need a “deal” to have a presence on Youtube, Facebook or Twitter. They conduct themselves as “open” platforms where anyone can put their content, and to a certain extent this is accurate. Those platforms are just as open and non-committal to TYT as they are to you and me (I have a Facebook account, albeit a pseudonymous one). I think TYT is getting exposure and advertising dollars on those platforms in the same way as most everyone else is (i.e. without striking a special deal with those companies, but simply by being on them).
And since there is no special deal, it’s within TYT’s leeway to say what they want about Zuckerberg etc. In short, I think it’s preferable (though not desirable) to have corporate advertisers over corporate investors.
Jimmy I love you taste in movies! Steve hates us for our freedom to watch oldies lol!
Let Steph talk!!!
This is now just becoming a complete rehash of The Jimmy Dore Show. I don’t need to subscribe to both to hear the same thing twice. TJDS is soooo much better because there is no Steve-Oh-Shit-I-Have-No-Business-Being-On-This-Show, who doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body.
Also, TJDS has its own patreon. Most of us are already patrons of it.
Ergo, you no longer need to appear on TYT in order to make a living, James. Or to grow your audience.
TJDS has a loyal and large following of ordinary citizens now. Those people will both financially support the show, as well as spread the word further. One of those people is Julian Assange.
It should be easy to terminate TJDS’ connections to TYT, because it is already a very loose association. My guess is that either side can terminate the agreement easily and at any time.
@robertjordan18 One more message before I go.
The Jimmy Dore Show began in 2009 on KPFK Radio.
KPFK is part of Pacifica Radio of the Pacifica Foundation started by pacifist E. John Lewis & Lewis Hill.
PFK = Paci-Fi-Ka.
Jimmy Dore’s performances on his podcast Comedy and Everything Else as well as his appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live & his Comedy Central specials caught the attention of former TYT producer Tom Hanc.
Tom wanted to introduce amazing Jimmy to The Young Turks because of like minds.
Jimmy had ALSO watched The Young Turks & liked the commentary he heard on there.
It was a match made in heaven & Jimmy meets TYT founder Cenk Uygur on the old famous gray-panel set on March 26, 2010.
◄Comedian Jimmy Dore Joins TYT In-Studio►
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DbEKLXPfMI
Jimmy Dore becomes one of The Young Turks that same year & soon you see him & Cenk talking politics on MSNBC.
Jimmy becomes a frequent regular on the set even when they got that sleeker black-tabled set in late 2010.
He fits right in like he has always been there from the beginning.
Still, he does his independent radio & podcast show, The Jimmy Dore Show, separate from TYT.
Jimmy’s comedy on the TYT set was so hilarious that TYT wanted to bring The Jimmy Dore Show to their growing TYT Network.
It would be a video show instead of just an audio show with limited video overlays.
TYT now with the backing of Current TV had the resources to get decent production quality & could really make Jimmy’s show shine.
The 1st video version of The Jimmy Dore Show is placed on the grab-bag channel granted by YouTube called the TownSquare. The TownSquare hosted a number of TYT shows including The Point, a discussion show.
On June 12, 2012, “The Jimmy Dore Show – Episode 1” is put on YouTube.
Most people miss it since the channel’s name has been retitled “The Point with Ana Kasparian” since she took over The Point partway through the show’s life.
Jimmy’s 1st TYT version of his show has Jimmy standing up on stage on a seemingly live set.
It feels more like some late-night talk show except Jimmy’s telling his jokes to a laugh track.
But he has a cool theme song & intro with those famous graphics that title his show.
Jimmy was too good & it wasn’t long before they had to showcase his talents all to themselves.
On December 5, 2012, Jimmy announces that his show is leaving the TownSquare & moving to TYT Comedy.
“Join Jimmy Dore at TYT Comedy” was the title of the clip & you had to be AMAZED that they built a whole channel around him. TYT Comedy joined TYT Sports & What The Flick?! as some of TYT’s breakout shows.
Jimmy didn’t have the channel ALL to himself at first. He shared the channel with Lee Camp initially but it wasn’t long before his popularity shot right to the top.
Demand for Jimmy’s videos were so high on the channel, that they had to put that famous TJDS graphic in the corner of the thumbnails.
It was inevitable that nobody would be calling this channel TYT Comedy anymore.
And TYT admits it when they make the promo video simply titled “The Jimmy Dore Show” on June 5, 2013.
Jimmy’s style evolves as this show grows with the TYT Network.
The late night talk show motif became a sit-down roundtable comedic discussion with guests.
And when Current TV ended & Jimmy no longer had the fancy set, he did more serious green screen bits called American Minute where you begin to see that rant power he would become known for.
Eventually he went back & forth between using the 2014 era TYT set & that unknown small room with him & the radio mic. He settled on the radio mic.
Now it’s just him & the unknown unseen voices talking & laughing with him on the video.
The most famous laugh being that of his wife, ‘The Miserable Liberal’ Stef Zamorano.
As the 2016 Election Season gets underway in 2015, TYT finally unveiled their new crowdfunded studio.
Rebel HQ FINALLY had a permanent homebase & you couldn’t talk about the election madness without bringing Jimmy Dore along. Jimmy’s commentary & performance during TYT’s coverage of these debates raise his profile considerably. He had only been with TYT for 5 years but he seems like he was there from the beginning!
The union of TYT & Jimmy Dore brought both of them to greater heights.
Jimmy bolsters TYT. TYT bolsters Jimmy Dore. One hand washes the other.
They even promoted his latest book “Your Country is Not That Into You”.
Jimmy powered by this spotlight & feeling a BERN of a different kind says it’s time to really get serious on his Jimmy Dore Show. Time to take it to another level.
The show on the channel once remembered as TYT Comedy was heavy on the comedy bits.
No one could get enough of Mike McRae’s funny dead-on impressions & everybody loved the humorous banter with Jimmy’s friends. But things are getting serious for 2016 & it’s time for Jimmy & Co. to use their power.
“Don’t Freak Out!” Jimmy said on the TYT set powered by the hope Bernie Sanders brought to “The Left” when he took the challenge to entrenched & protected Hillary Clinton.
The battle cry made on TYT’s Primary coverage became the fuel which powered The Jimmy Dore Show’s rise on the TYT Network. “Gimme A Break,” Jimmy said as he mocked the pathetic Jeb Bush, the momma’s boy.
And then the DNC kept screwing Bernie & this powerful movement he gathered together.
Jimmy with his TYT mic in hand had seen firsthand the hope & energy Bernie’s campaign had created.
TYT sent Jimmy live on the scene to capture this history & it no doubt strengthened Jimmy’s resolve to see this movement win no matter what.
The remainder of 2016 sees Irish Jimmy’s ire & fire blaze higher & higher.
Epic Rant after Epic Rant come out of The Jimmy Dore Show in ways not quite seen before.
Hard-hitting soul-stirring commentary go hand-in-hand with the comedy the channel was built for.
If Bernie fails to get past the DNC blockade, would Jimmy support Hillary to stop Trump?
No, Jimmy can’t do it. Jimmy WON’T do it. He has seen what can be & can take nothing less.
The Democratic Party & their crooked games has finally torn it with Jimmy Dore & he Demexits along with his wife, ‘The Miserable Liberal’ Stef Zamorano.
His apparent stance of Bernie Or Bust is shared by others within the The Young Turks.
Others are not keen on taking that strong stance & you see a strong split in opinion within TYT.
Will THESE Young Turks fracture into factions just like those original Young Turks did a century ago?
How do we resolve this impasse? By SHOWCASING the difference in opinion not hiding it!
Here comes The Aggressive Progressives starring Jimmy Dore & Steve Oh!
Cenk brings back this old tandem he used in his 2010/2011 MSNBC days & applies it to the fierce Jimmy Dore & Steve Oh who’s ALSO on the Bernie Or Bust train.
Those angry at the TYT hosts who reluctantly back Hillary get to see the TYT hosts who are staunchly Bernie Or Bust, Jill Not Hill. And Jimmy’s a star so he can drive membership to power TYT beyond the election.
It doesn’t matter who you support in The Young Turks Network just as long as you support them.
And why wouldn’t you? What other company allows public disagreement with the boss?
Then Election Day happens & the obvious conclusion takes place.
Hillary COULD NEVER beat Trump & the reasons why will fill a library.
Jimmy Dore Was RIGHT. Jimmy was right all along & he sees Cenk & the others who went for Hillary shake off that fear & resolve to FIGHT. THEY were Aggressive that night.
A UNITED FORCE that can’t be stopped. It’s what Alex Jones & his InfoWars freaks found out when they crashed the TYT set at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Jimmy STILL gets the trolly comments about him spitting in Alex’s face to this day!
But that’s what happens when you mess with Jimmy’s family.
You mess with the Turks, you mess with me.
Family may fuss & fight but when it’s all said & done, family will UNITE.
About that Pacifica Radio I mentioned at the beginning.
The one with station KPFK, a home of The Jimmy Dore Show.
Pacifica Radio, radio home to Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now!, is being attacked & weakened from the outside & within threatening the future of Pacifica altogether.
This network & organization started by peace-lovers all the way back in 1946 with the oldest public radio archive of grassroots political/cultural/artistic movements & personalities could soon be out of business.
And you want Jimmy to splinter The Young Turks???
You REALLY want to play into the infighting that has been seeped into Pacifica???
Do you realize that you have no other giant strong “Left” media outlet remaining???
Do you realize that if TYT falls, you have no major independent “Left-Wing” megaphone LEFT???
And you DO realize that without a Media, you can’t get Change, right???
Remix the hope back into your cynicism.
You’re getting sucked into the negative campaigning against the Turks.
The Powers™ are coming after ALL of them. ALL the independent “Left-Wing” voices.
I reply to so many of your messages because I know you’re a good dude & have been riding with TYT for a long time. I hate to see you fall for these new propaganda routines.
They WANT you to splinter. Divided & Conquered you will fall.
Jimmy definitely understands this.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to terminate the agreement. He’ll never do it.
TYT is his home. TYT are his friends. TYT is his family.
No matter how much family fusses & fights, when it’s all said & done that family UNITES.
And so in 2017, the aftermath of the election, Jimmy’s crew improves the graphics on The Jimmy Dore Show.
Moving from a nice blue background to a motion-sensing digital curtain that moves randomly.
He gets extra cameras to finally show the faces of those unknown unseen voices in the studio.
We get to see Graham Elwood ‘The Political Vigilante’. We get to see Ron Placone “Howdy Howdy!”.
And we finally get to put a face to that famous laugh when Stef Zamorano says “I’m Miserable!”
The Epic Rants go harder, the comedy hits stronger, the content gets better & better.
And Jimmy’s subscriber count rises like the weed he loves to smoke.
Jimmy’s union with The Young Turks has done wonders for The Jimmy Dore Show.
He’s making history with the Draft Bernie movement.
He’s pioneering a new form of sit-down standup comedy at the comedy clubs.
He’s emceeing events with profound activists around the world.
He’s even getting props from Wikileaks’ Julian Assange!!
Jimmy could have easily made his money in mainstream TV & that’s exactly where he was headed.
But instead he decided to grind it out with The Young Turks & REALLY make his mark on the world.
Only a fool would break up such a beautiful partnership.
Jimmy Dore IS TYT, Forever & Always.
John Lucas
It’s time to go solo, Jimmy. You have outgrown TYT, and TYT is not moving into the right direction.
An illustration of how much he has grown: yesterday Julian Assange retweeted one of James’ videos ( a Jimmy Dore Show video about Jeff Bezos, that is). https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/920371609856290818
I didn’t agree with the people tweeting “hashtag FreeJimmyDore” when that hashtag was first launched (during the general election campaign) but I have evolved on the subject and I do endorse that message now.
@robertjordan18 I’m posting to you a lot today. Wow.
Be careful falling into that dissension trap.
TYT is under siege from multiple directions right now.
The “Right-Wing/White Dominion” set, The “Democratic Establishment/NeoLiberal” set, & even some should-be allies from the “Left-Wing/Green” set.
They don’t want Jimmy Dore to break from TYT to make him stronger.
They want Jimmy Dore to break from TYT so both get WEAKER.
The 1st & 2nd groups are pushing for this the most since it can set the stage for the TYT platform’s collapse & silence. The 3rd group is an unwitting accomplice fooled into tearing their own team down.
Watching all that has gone on within the 2016 Election & its aftermath in 2017 has shown me these new levels of attack. It’s not just the predictable Alex Jones freaks & Dave Rubin/Sam Harris groupies anymore.
Lots of Correct The Record operatives on high command from Hillary & the NeoLiberals themselves are trying to split wedges between us.
And even some Green/Socialist allies are being manipulated to tear down the biggest & most effective megaphone for “Left” causes.
The campaigners are coming from all kinds of angles these days.
I almost got sucked in myself before I caught on to it.
Before I thought I was good at sniffing out disingenuous comments from real ones.
But I had to go back to school & learn these new tricks.
Knowing history, enemies will try to infiltrate a united force & split them into fractions until they’re no longer a threat. It happened in the 1960s to the powerful movements of those times.
The campaigners are working OVERTIME to shut down TYT & all its influence.
If they have to spread paranoia to the audience to do it, so be it. It works.
There is no separation between Jimmy Dore & TYT, robertjordan18.
Jimmy Dore IS one of The Young Turks.
Just because they don’t agree on a topic doesn’t mean they’re not on teams.
“Free Jimmy Dore” is a campaign designed to split the TYT team & destroy TYT’s platform.
And by doing that, “The Left” loses its strongest voice & influence.
Remember what happened LAST TIME paranoia captured the minds of a group called The Young Turks.
A bunch of people got destroyed & the mission those rebels undertook was tarnished.
A Progressive Movement degenerated into feuding factions that undid the whole point of their movement.
In the Chaos of Revolution, robertjordan18, don’t lose your head. Keep your Eyes on the PRIZE.
You’re smack dab in the middle of an INFORMATION WAR.
John Lucas
Steve: “Whether it is actual policy or not…there are subtle pressures. It’s hard to talk badly about a company that is giving you money. That is why you have to NOT take money from them.”
Good advice, shame TYT doesn’t follow it. Since TYT has taken $20 million from four Wall Street venture capitalist firms, one of them owned by Jeffrey Katzenberg.
@robertjordan18 Robert, who’s Peter Paul F. de Vries?
3L Capital is the Lead Investor Group not Katzenberg’s WndrCo.
And this Netherlands guy Dr. Peter Paul F. de Vries is the founder of 3L Capital Holdings.
I don’t know what kind of Doctor this guy is & I damn sure don’t know what the ‘F’ stands for but this is the Big Kahuna you’re looking for not Katzenberg.
Seems like there’s a bunch of 3L Capital sub-companies that must branch off of the main one in the Netherlands.
And it seems like this 3L joint is just one marble in the marble sack of financial companies for this de Vries cat.
The sub-branch TYT made the deal with was founded by Dave Leyrer & Shawn Colo.
See I did research myself when this deal came out.
The American press is natural to go on & on about the most famous American character in the deal.
Katzenberg, Katzenberg, Katzenberg, Katzenberg, Katzenberg!
But his company WndrCo was only the 3rd player in this 4-player set.
You missed the #2 player Greycroft Partners.
You said nothing about their founders Alan Patricof, Dan Settle, & Ian Sigalow.
At least I could figure out their background a little easier than that #1 partner.
These guys at least have a Wikipedia page so I can see where they were born & where they grew up.
Dana & Ian are relatively young but Alan is an old veteran of finance & yes he’s a big Democratic Party funder.
This e.ventures player is the 4th & last of the players but I see ANOTHER Dutch connection with this outfit!
Well, Deutsch. Dutch Deutsch, basically the same thing. The Germans, I’m talking about.
This firm used to be called BV Capital & was founded in 1997 by Jan Henric Buettner along with a pack of other characters.
This company seems to be connected to the German conglomerate Bertelsmann which founding roots lead all the way back to 1835 as C. Bertelsmann Verlag, a publishing house started by Carl Bertelsmann.
The company originally published Bible stuff & Carl was part of this BIG religious revival going on.
‘Verlag’ means ‘Publishing House’ in German so now you know what the BV stands for.
So you got this mysterious Dutch Doctor P.P.F. de Vries, an old investing master with Democratic connections Alan Patricof, a media mogul with Democratic connections Jeffrey Katzenberg, & some German outfit started by a German guy whose first & middle names would be John Henry if translated to English…
…And TYT STILL shits on Hillary for her stupid bullshit! Hahahahahaha!
Well, if these guys invested in TYT to get them to shut up, it ain’t workin’!
You’re right to be vigilant, robertjordan18, but I don’t believe TYT will compromise their voice.
Dem Cronies wouldn’t be doxxing Nomiki Konst & getting her page deleted on Wikipedia if these investors truly put the collar on TYT.
You wouldn’t see them promote the movements of Bernie Sanders & Jeremy Corbyn if TYT was muzzled by that money.
Stay on them, robertjordan18, but don’t fall for the various multi-sided campaigns trying to tear TYT apart & silence this powerful voice for “The Left”.
They have not been bowed, robert. And you’ll realize that as 2018 gets underway.
The fighting has just begun towards TYT. Don’t abandon ship now.
The Information War is ON.
John Lucas
Apologies for the lateness of this reply, John. I spend little time here (eventually, none).
Dear John: you are like the Me of the past. Perhaps you will also become the Me of the present and future, as TYT further betrays your trust and the trust of its members.
So yeah, there are four investments by four diffferent venture capitalist firms, and yes they have invested differing amounts of money, not equal amounts.
All this seems rather immaterial. Who cares whether Katzenberg made the largest investment or not? The fact remains that all these Wall Street corporates have a stake in TYT now, they all have something to hold over TYT now. They are all corrupting TYT: if not yet right now then further down the line when it really matters (say, during primary season) and if not openly then certainly subtly, by exerting their pressures in less visible and more effective ways.
May I remind that Steve Oh has the balls to say the following in this video (and I quote):
In other words, Steve Oh is either admitting that they should not have taken the corporate investment (and he doesn’t care), or he’s so stupid that he doesn’t realize how his own statements completely contradict the actions of TYT.
> Don’t abandon ship now.
I abandoned ship on the day that the venture capitalists arrived. Why should I donate money (i.e. my membership fees) to help these any of these wealthy a$$holes turn a profit and/or expand their media empires? They can have TYT but they’re not getting me.
How does one run a so-called “non-corporate” and so-called “independent” media outfit under these conditions? Put simply, one does not.
Er, no. TYT does lots of advertising for Aspiration bank. Who are they? Aspiration Bank is Radius Bank, basically.
Oh, they have some “creative” structure worked out between them, but it’s fair to say you would really be entrusting your money to Radius, not to Aspiration. That is because Radius is a real bank (with FDIC insurance) whereas Aspiration is not a real bank. And Radius’ digital platform is what you’d be using to administer your account. In short, it’s abundantly clear that without Radius, Aspiration would not exist.
So who are Radius Bank? https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/10/06/radius-bank-turns-private-equity-investors/qmqWopIkthXY784W2kiyAP/story.html
Radius began in 1987 as a carpenter’s union which developed its own pension fund slash community bank for its members. Then Dodd-Frank made it more difficult – for very good reasons!)- for anyone to be both a bank and a pension fund (many pension funds like to gamble with their customers’ pensions and make risky investments – or this pension fund certainly does, at any rate).
So the pension fund sold off its bank to four private equity firms: Patriot Financial Partners LP of Philadelphia, BayBoston Capital of Newton, and GCP Capital Partners and Endicott Management Co., both of New York.
So Aspiration is mostly Radius, and Radius is the above. Aspiration wants to paint itself as being all charitable and noble and exceptional; but you have to be realistic and look at the private banking/financial sector as a whole. That particular private industry is just one giant, oppressive, unsustainable mess, and a real blight on the earth. It basically caused itself to explode in 2007/2008 through its own greed, malfeasance, and destructive urges. It was bailed out by the taxpayer at that point but it certainly was not radically changed, or “fixed” in any fundamental way (Dodd-Frank is mostly cosmetic measures). Meaning, it will cause itself to explode all over again, that is just a matter of time, perhaps even very little time.
Private initiatives like Aspiration can never fix any of these systemic problems. They cannot deliver on their high-falutin’ promises, cannot sustain themselves, and they are not the genuine exception to the industry that they claim to be. Only the state has sufficient power (potentially) to fundamentally fix the banking/financial industry.
Bottom line: I think that you would be crazy to entrust your money to Aspiration. It’s not going to do the industry any good and it is not going to end well. You would be better off trying to keep your money as local and as “tangible” as possible: invest it into the physical community around you, or in physical things that retain their value.
Don’t sign up with any “charitable private bank” (which is really a contradiction in terms) that is still just an extension of a horrific industry.
Since I am as old as dirt (c.1965), I will now add to the Steve-pile from his “pre-1980s movies suck” comments.
I won’t go into all the greats or their best work (many already mentioned, Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup, Twelve Angry Men, etc.) How about Chaplin’s The Great Dictator(the globe scene alone is fantastic)?
In honor of Halloween, I will just mention 2.
Cabinet of Dr.Caligari(1920) and Nosferatu (1922). Both Silent films & both German expressionism films.
I re-watch them every year. In the dark, late at night, they are every bit as creepy & weird as some of the schlock that passes for a horror film today.
Another fav is Carnival of Souls. Weird & wonderful at the same time.
Nope. You’re 100% wrong. Every movie before 1980 is awful and every movie after 1980 is amazing!
I’m kidding!!! Mostly. Of course there were good movie before 1980 and bad ones after. My point is that movie-making and television-show making largely got better over the years b/c like any craft, craftsmen get better at it over time. Of course I’m fully aware that financial pressures make studios put out blockbuster garbage, but generally speaking, there are MORE folks making movies, MORE technology available, MORE choices of movies for viewers, MORE diverse actors and voices, etc. All of this means that there are MORE good movies today. The corollary may be true too: there may be MORE bad movies today.
Buy direct from the merchants. Consumers love Amazon and the lure of ease that they offer. Merchants however, see Amazon as a necessary evil, they need Amazon’s reach to the consumer. Amazon has got them [merchants] boxed in. Please when you can buy direct from the mercant’s website.
Yeah, Amazon’s model is basically the same ugly model as the one Walmart has used for decades (only in digital form): put all the pressures and burdens with the suppliers. Achieve low prices through the worst possible, least ethical means.
I almost want a violent revolution, sooner or the people are going to get so fed up they won’t just want accountability, they’re gonna want blood.
Oh Steve! (Pun intended)
You are one of my favourites on TYT but your view on old movies is crazy!
Sure many don’t age well but I was born in 1975 and my favourite movie is the original Planet of the Apes!
As a kid I also loved a lot of old comedies from America and UK (I am British) including the Marx brothers as Jimmy said.
Films like Jaws and Rocky will still be classics in 50 years time!
Keep up the good work anyway guys!
Marvmark, let me return the favor. As an American, I remember my introduction to Monty Python’s Flying Circus. A piece called, “The Twit Olympics.” Hilarious physical comedy! Oops, that’s not a movie, but their success led to The Holy Grail and other films. Also, Hammer Films did a great job reviving the horror movie genre, giving us Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing!
Did you notice that Jimmy’s Marx Brothers’ reference, Duck Soup, is an anti-war parody! Also, the Marx Brothers’ movies have plenty to say about the deplorable conditions we live under today. In their first movie, The Coconuts, Groucho refuses to pay his hotel employees because of his philanthropic desire to prevent them from becoming wage slaves! The character could have been named Bezos!
Finally, if you enjoyed the original Planet of the Apes film as much as I did, I recommend reading Pierre Boulle’s novel, La Planete des Singes, upon which the movie was based.
Oh, and, ah, thanks for the pun!
Steve’s view on TYT advertisers was appreciated. I would like to apologize for any aspersions caste in the past (regarding untapped advertising dollars). It is nice to hear his take on Aspiration Bank and I will give then a second look.
Now, regarding his take on American Cinema (the look on Steph’s face mirrored my feelings) was so jarring, I was left longing for the wisdom and wit of Ben ‘cinephile of the gods’ and his always amusing bitch slaps to the tragically uninformed.
You would be right to maintain instead your earlier sceptical and concerned attitude towards TYT advertisers, my friend. See my research on Aspiration Bank, above.
Robert, it took some time, to get it through my addled brain and appreciate TYT’s aversion to advertising dollars.
My nod to A.B. was my left-handed-lame apology (for some of my more goofy advertising suggestions)….Anyway, I read your comment above (thanks) and doubtfully would have put in the research you have.
If talk of race shames you, it’s because you have too much pride. I am glad that white southerners are speaking up, no matter how off putting some language and views may be from time to time. America has a lot to talk about, and I can’t pretend we will all be settled and well after all is said; but we will surely be better off. Keep coming back, it gets easier.
jeff bezos is definitely not a nice guy. he’s a sociopath and an absolute asshole to work for. amazon, last i checked, has THE worst BBB ratings of any tech company to work for, even at the admin level. i used to live in seattle, i know a lot of people who worked for amazon under bezos, every single one of them has nothing but terrible things to say about the guy. he’s notoriously evil.
@lars b amble Lex Luthor it is then. I thought he was as much. He already looked the part.
John Lucas
I’m glad that Steve Oh’s bigotry is restricted to movies. The opinion that “cinema sucked before 1980” is laughable. I’d suggest 12 Angry Men, Modern Times, Apocalypse Now, and the documentaries of Frederick Wiseman (e.g. Hospital & Welfare) as possible introductions to older films. They are all quite political, in English language, and easily accessible. The Apartment, which Jimmy mentioned, also spring to mind. Great comedy and critique of alienation and decay in corporate culture.
Ditka is an old, coufused dumbf*ck football player, and he was a damn good one, with a big mouth and a microphone — but don’t give this guy too much credence — pretty sure Ditka knows not what his mouth says but he’ll say it loud and proud … no excuses but that may be one of those it is what it is things
Dolwphin, I wanted to compose a response to Steve Oh’s myopic view of pre-1980s cinema, but I read your post prior to doing so. You said the magic title: 12 Angry Men (1957)! Now I do not have to, you have done it for me. It is an amazing movie, and it featured a great supporting cast for Henry Fonda. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) is another old movie that can be enjoyed on different levels. He could also look again to the 1950s to find parallels to today, such as A Face in the Crowd (1957).
Poor, Steve. I hope his eyes get better soon.
Speaking about how hard it would be to spend billions, watch the movie “Brewster’s millions” with Richard Pryor. Good stuff.
Yes, Brewster’s Millions was a fun movie. Richard Pryor did some great stuff in his lifetime. Unfortunately, this does not answer the musical question, “What do you buy with $80 billion dollars?” The answer, my friend, is, “The world!”
I <3 AP, but have to be honest. With all the main shows including post game and others going off without a hitch, it seems like AP is just a cast of that often attracts less effort by the network. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it feels a lot like TYT (dems) are throwing breadcrumbs at AP viewers (progressives).
Maybe we could stop talking about race, Asian people don’t let the system stop them, they even have to work harder. We are beginning to sound racist against black people. Let’s just keep it about social injustice, rich vs working class.
Economic injustice, sorry.
There’s no way to edit.
Eval1979, my fear is that if economic injustice is ameliorated, then institutionalized racism will still exist.
During the time period between World War II and the end of President Carter’s administration there was a thriving middle class, but there was also plenty of racism, both institutional and personal.
Given this country’s history or slavery, Jim Crow, the War on Drugs, etc., race needs to be part of the conversation for correcting economic injustice. Coed.com estimated Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett’s 2017 net worth at $22 million, yet, he was detained at gunpoint by Las Vegas police 07 Sept 2017.
@Studezilla EXACTLY. That’s what broke down the New Deal Coalition in the FIRST place.
Part of the reason anyway (other part is the Military-Industrial Complex & Cold War hysteria).
You cannot talk about LABOR without talking about that ORIGINAL LABOR, the African Slaves.
The African Slaves who BUILT this foundation everybody else eats from.
As soon as we got traction matching ECONOMIC Justice with SOCIAL Justice in the 1960s, The Powers That Be™ broke it all down using Racism as the wedge (among other wedges).
Whites after World War II were just satisfied so long as all the gains went to them alone.
Blacks didn’t HAVE a paradise in the aftermath of FDR. We were trying to get a PIECE of that goddamn pie!
And when we went to get OUR slice, we got our hands slapped down. That dessert was not for us.
1968 was the beginning of the end of putting these movements in Perfect Sync.
When Martin Luther King Jr. & Robert Kennedy were assassinated with Richard Nixon taking over with the new Southern Strategy, the New Deal was lost right then & there.
EVER SINCE that time, like Wal-Mart there’s been a sure & steady Rollback® of those concessions that the Socialist Movement put on Franklin Delano Roosevelt that created the New Deal.
And when former New Dealer now anti-New Dealer Ronald Reagan got elected in 1980, the seal was permanent.
It only accelerated more & more from that time whether we got a NeoConservative Republican in office or a NeoLiberal Democrat in office.
All those Rollbacks® led up to where we are now in 2017 in the aftermath of the 2016 Election Shock.
In many ways politically we have returned to 1968 from reverse.
We’re currently deconstructing the Confederate Southern Strategy (the Black President was a good booster shot to get this process underway).
We defeated the Nixon of the Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton (will Rodham be the new Milhouse?).
We had our own “Watergate” through the Wikileaks revelations.
We’re dismantling Third Way, NeoLiberal/NeoConservative, Clintonian, ‘Reagan Democrat’ politics.
And now we have a chance to realign the politics of Economic Justice AND Social Justice.
Much like the Birmingham Church Bombing of 1963 accelerated the fervor for change killing those girls, the Charlottesville Car Ramming of 2017 accelerates the fervor for change as it killed THAT girl.
As it was before in the 1960s, Ku Klux Klan & other racist groups were wide open with their destructive rhetoric & violence displaying them for all to see on the TV screen.
Hell, we even have sports stars making profound political gestures & statements when you compare Colin Kaepernick with Muhammad Ali and Tommie Smith, John Carlos, & Peter Norman at the 1968 Olympics.
And just like Gil Scott-Heron reflected on wax, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”.
It will be live…streamed on the Internet though.
And THAT’S the difference between that old 1960s & THIS one.
THAT’S why it won’t be derailed this time.
We get another chance to get it right.
The Blacks in America are the ORIGIN of LABOR Movement in this nation.
The Blacks in America are the FOUNDATION of ECONOMIC Theory in this nation.
YOU HAVE NO CHOICE but to include us in the conversation of Economic Justice & Social Justice.
That Black Power Fist you may have seen from the Black Panthers & tribute groups on TV like the Nation Of Domination is one & the same with the Solidarity Fist of the Industrial Workers of the World.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCs_ZULqRjk
The Socialists. The Grassroots. Workers of the World UNITE.
Goes together like Peanut Butter & Jelly. You can’t separate one from the other.
Do like the logo for the Democratic Socialists of America does & have that White hand shake that Black hand as BOTH hold the Red Rose TOGETHER.
John Lucas
Great episode. I would just like to AGAIN point out how this is class warfare. The other billionaires will not support your projects if you embarrass them by treating their labor ethically. Him being the richest hoarder is only by promotion.
Fantastic episode!
Well, he IS a nightclub comedian! :-)
So was this Steve Oh’s audition for What the Flick
@Agnosticgod Steve should make those sunglasses part of his look.
He looks pretty cool in ’em. Amazing how a pair of shades makes people look so badass.
John Lucas
I love Aggressive Progressives and the Young Turks, but please do not take money from Coca-cola. They have a record of undercutting and undermining any progressive food legislation. Coca-cola;
– Paid $1,047332 to the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association PAC to lobby against Washington State G.M.O. labeling Imitative 522 ( Failed to pass; 51% voting against it)
– Paid $1,700,000 to lobby against the GMO labeling initiative; California Proposition 37 ( Failed to pass; 51.4% voting against it)
– Along with the American Beverage Association; $22,000,000 in donations and advertising against New York State Governor Paterson’s 2008-2010 sugar tax; $400,000,000 that could have been spent on public health programs.
– Manufactures 12 billion single use plastic and cans, releasing 5,320,000 metric tons of CO2 in the atmosphere per year.
@Nerdtritious I agree with you.
I don’t even need all those details to say why it would be a bad idea to take money from Coca-Cola.
Those things you listed only underline & reinforce why it’s a bad idea.
But taking money from these big corporations & elites is a slippery slope.
If you take from one, it makes it that much easier to take from another one & another one & another one.
Depending on the business you’re running, it may not be a bad thing.
But TYT is in the Truth-Telling business & if too many corporate sponsors get their hooks in you, you won’t be telling the truth anymore.
Once you become dependent on those funds & you have staff that has to paid, you start making compromises.
You make compromises more & more until you ARE compromised as an organization.
This is why some members & observers are troubled by TYT’s recent $20 million cash infusion which Elite Mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg is a part of among other less known bankrollers.
Long-time member ‘robertjordan18’ has been all over these comment boards & even on Reddit voicing his concerns over this deal compromising TYT.
And I can’t say he’s wrong in what he’s posting.
TYT is at a crossroads where they’re the Big Kahuna on the internet but the Underdog to the CNNs of the world.
They want to be on a much more powerful plane by the time they get to 2020.
They want TYT Network to make a giant impact on the narrative that election.
And they could do the slow & steady build from member contributions like they mostly have been doing…
…But they need that growth FAST & are tired of their financial limitations.
They are no longer the little underground upstart with a skeleton crew you can count on your own two hands.
Now they have a solid staff to support & promote. People with bills to pay & families to feed.
And they have giant goals they want to reach & NEED to reach to make all of it easier.
That first big cash boost happened in late 2011 with the Current TV deal.
Look at TYT before then & it still looked like the gritty amateur show run on heart & small money.
Cenk started TYT in his living room on his dining room table, then they moved to a small cramped radio office, then they moved to a small studio that becomes the setting for their internet debut.
When we first see them on YouTube in late 2005, they have that big brown table with blue curtains in the back, & cheap TV screen with the logo as the set.
Then they move in 2006 to the famous gray panel set with the little monitors showing different logos & graphics.
Then in late 2010 with much success as The Little Internet Show That Could (as well as Cenk’s MSNBC advance), they have the sleek black tabled set with staging, sound panels, & logos on walls as well as TV sets.
Even at this late stage, you can still tell the show was run on dreams & modest means.
AFTER the move to Current in December 2011, you see the production quality of the show rise significantly.
They finally left behind that old little studio they had been in for the past 6 or 7 years.
The fledgling TYT Network formed in 2010 with a handful of shows was now able to expand with new staff to expand that network far past its previous limits.
And because of these expansions & exposures, they were able to build much more audience that enabled them to build even more audience in a perpetual positive vortex.
Then Current fell apart in the middle of 2013 & TYT was homeless since the old little studio is long gone.
YouTube being thankful for TYT being one of the most instrumental drivers of their platform gave them quarters in YouTube’s home studios until they got a new HQ—briefly in that “late night talk show” set with the skyline then the spacious ‘Big Blue’ set with the overgrown desk & banner-sized monitors.
During those Big Blue years of 2013-2015 as TYT ran the $250 thousand Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to build their new HQ, they get the $4 million boost from Republican Buddy Roemer’s firm Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co.
This was the shot in the arm needed as they made their next evolution.
You see them in the odd gray room with Japanese shoji screens right before they reveal their new HQ.
Then in June 2015 right as the 2016 Election Season begins, here comes the deluxe super-powered set we see today. Cenk is losing his mind over the multi-screen backdrop & makes his ill-fated predictions with his Freak Sixteen of Republican Presidential candidates (boy did he miss on Donald Trump!).
But now with the boost, TYT is prepared to take advantage of the 2016 Election Season for massive growth.
This is what allowed them to hire their 1st Field Reporter, Jordan Chariton, & hit the campaign trail as well as cover those major stories like Standing Rock & Flint.
You can’t say that the $4 million boost had no impact on how they did for 2015-2016.
They reached an entirely new level as prominent Presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders & Jill Stein show up on the set for interviews & town halls.
That set the stage for them to run that $2 million Watchers On The Wall crowdfunding campaign that brought them all those reporters & commentators.
Those ‘Watchers’, those reporters/commentators in turn push the company to new heights.
What heights will they now be able to reach with this $20 million?
But what do they give up when they take this $20 million?
So it’s a tricky balance you have to strike.
You need big money to grow faster but you need to stay independent from entrenched corporations & powerful elites before they control you.
I would advise against making deals with Coca-Cola JUST BECAUSE of their corporate might nevermind their bad corporate practices.
Even if you personally use and/or enjoy their products, it’s not a good idea.
I notice that TYT uses a lot of Mac laptops. STILL don’t make deals with Apple.
The truth is ALL of us are dirty & complicit. It’s only a matter of degree.
We ALL partake in this corrupt system in many ways.
The computer I type this message on was built by exploitation.
Exploitation of the Africans who mined the materials that compose the machines.
Exploitation of the Chinese who manufacture the machines.
The foods that you eat & the clothes that you wear.
The shampoo on your head & the droz on your ass.
We are ALL complicit.
The only thing you can do is ATONE through positive actions to reduce & eliminate the exploitation.
Use items built from corruption to destroy corruption. That’s what we can do.
The moment you spend a dollar or a cent of a dollar, you have participated in this dirty system.
Hell, the moment you were CONCEIVED & were fed nutrients through your mother who ate from this system, you have participated in it even if indirectly & involuntary.
We are all bound by this Money System & it compromises you BEFORE you were born much less after.
That’s why it’s so hard to fight corruption. Because we all prop the system up to some degree or another.
TYT has done an excellent job keeping the puppet strings to a minimum.
They have done a very good job staying as independent as they can—accountable to us & the truth.
And we must let Steve know that there are better ways than to get tied up with corporations like Coca-Cola.
John Lucas
Totally seconding your motion!
hear! hear!
That is quite an impressive comment you left here! Very much accurate and extremely comprehensive. As you’ve said, it’s impossible to remain “pure”. I eat beef, which is terrible for the environment, I drive a car, buy cheap products manufactured in questionable places around the world, etc.
That said, there is no way we will ever sell out!!! No way!!! To be clear, what that means is we will never allow anyone to impact our coverage or influence our commentary or analysis. Never.
Agreed. I think many of the critics of the latest cash infusion don’t know the difference between venture capital and revenue.
> I think many of the critics of the latest cash infusion don’t know the difference between venture capital and revenue.
With respect, the difference is purely academic in a Chomskian sense. Steve Oh himself admitted, in this very video, that “there are subtle pressures. It’s hard to talk badly about a company that is giving you money. That is why you have to NOT take money from them.”
In other words, it doesn’t matter whether it’s venture capital or revenue. The pressures are real.
@Steve Oh FUCKING STEVE OH!! YES!!!! Thank you for replying, my brother! WOW!!!
Steve, as you can see I have been following you guys for a very long time.
I have seen your evolutions every 2 to 4 years. Minor ones every 2 years. Major ones every 4 years.
I’m not as easy to get caught up in a hysteria like others who mistake a disagreement with a host’s opinion with that host selling out.
The paranoia is certainly justified but ultimately misplaced.
People have a hard time trusting media when so many have betrayed them before. It’s understandable.
But I have seen the way you guys carry yourself & I know my instincts about your intentions are correct.
That’s why I was able to break it all down like that. Your integrity shows in your content & your actions.
I understand the Art side as well as the Business side of what you’re doing.
The Art deals with what you produce & how it impacts people.
The Business deals with maximize the potential of those productions & that impact.
It’s like anything in any media—music, illustration, spoken word, whatever.
You can do the greatest work on Earth artistically but if no one sees it then it makes no difference.
You can gain the greatest riches on Earth financially but if it doesn’t benefit society then it makes no difference.
How many “left-wing” organizations went out of business not understanding this dichotomy?
Air America Radio had lots & lots of powerful content but couldn’t stay in business & couldn’t continue broadcasting those voices.
Current TV had loads & loads of looming potential but couldn’t stay in business & couldn’t continue broadcasting those voices.
Somehow TYT has been able to balance the ART with the BUSINESS & that has impressed me very much over the years.
Steve, your company TYT reminds me of Nintendo, the playing card/toy/game maker.
A small staff with outsized impact belying their size. I think of them as a mom & pop corporation. Hahahaha!
How do you think Nintendo has survived all of these corporate giants that compete with them from every angle all these years? They’re currently fighting off Sony, Microsoft, Apple, & Google all at the same time across 2 different market realms. And the only things they sell are cards, toys, & games. WHAT?! Wow.
Like TYT, they’re sometimes a little rough around the edges in execution.
It’s because their staff is small compared to the others like yours is to your rivals.
But the reason they maintain is because of that Art & Business BALANCE much like you guys.
And they also hold a strong connection with their audience like you do as well.
So while I was concerned when I first heard the announcement of the $20 million deal, I soon realized that you have not changed. And if there’s any chance you DO, you know you will be accountable to US.
TYT has no power if it’s not connected to the people & I know you guys take that to heart.
The deal was not about selling out, the deal was about maximizing TYT’s impact for the next coming years.
The staff at TYT want to be powerful enough to sway opinion stronger in the 2020 Election than they did for the 2016 Election. And they want to make big impact in all the stories & politics in the years leading up to that time.
We CANNOT have another fiasco like we did in 2016.
This is what I believe is part of the motivation behind the deal. Correct me if I’m wrong, Steve.
When Ajit Pai (Johnny Pie is better Ajit Pai) threatens to kill Net Neutrality, TYT wants to be able to put out a message that puts enough pressure on Ajit & the FCC to back off.
TYT wants their words to rain down like THUNDER when they speak.
They make the video & then action happens on the ground in mass numbers.
THAT’S what they’re looking for, the way I’ve been seeing things.
When those lameass Democrat Establishment Cronies pull their bullshit routines, TYT wants to be able to put out a message that rallies Progressives & put the fear of GOD in those cronies for fucking around.
TYT wants to see that & WE want to see that. But we only get that with the proper funds to build that Thunder.
NOBODY’s clean & I had to spell that out for my fellow TYT Army members.
The only thing we can do is Atone. It almost sounds like the theory of Original Sin from Christianity, right?
Everybody has sinned. Hahahahahahahahaha!
It’s what we do with those tools & products that matters.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Steve, and let ALL of the staff on-screen & off-screen know that we MOST DEFINITELY appreciate them & their work. You got our backs & we got your backs.
Like The King said, ♫ Keep On With The Force DON’T Stop, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough! ♫
John Lucas
P.S.: The glasses don’t look that bad, man. You should bust them out more often just for kicks.
> TYT has done an excellent job keeping the puppet strings to a minimum.
I have to disagree. They have already gone too far with the puppet strings, in my opinion.
I was all for building an independent media project on the backs of Members and donators, but not for doing it for the benefit of venture capitalists.
> The truth is ALL of us are dirty & complicit. It’s only a matter of degree.
In a very general sense, sure. But that’s far too easy when applied to the media industry. Plenty of progressive media outlets are able to survive without taking millions from Wall Street. Yeah, they’re small, but they are surviving and they are making a difference.
Hell, TYT itself used to be a piece of evidence that it is possible to grow to a certain point (“1st news show on the web” etc.) without making too many compromises and without selling out completely. Until they chose otherwise and until recently, anyway.
@robertjordan18 Hello robertjordan18. Thanks for replying. Let’s break it down point by point.
__________________________________________
►robertjordan18 says:
“I have to disagree. They have already gone too far with the puppet strings, in my opinion.
I was all for building an independent media project on the backs of Members and donators, but not for doing it for the benefit of venture capitalists.”
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This deal is really bothering you, I see.
We definitely disagree on this point even though I feel where you’re coming from.
But if this TYT deal irritates you, then you should have been JUST as irritated when TYT made the deal with Al Gore’s Current TV back in late 2011.
Al Gore is one of the NeoLiberals or at least was.
•And Al Gore, that former Vice President under Bill Clinton, founded Current TV with…
•Joel Hyatt (Zylberberg)—co-founder of Hyatt Legal Services, Democratic Party player, & entrepreneurial investor.
•Ronald Burkle—founder of Yucaipa Companies (a private equity firm), part-owner of NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, & venture capitalist SUPREME.
In 2004 Al & Joel with Ronald’s help bought Newsworld International (NWI), a cable/satellite TV network founded in 1994 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) & the Power Corporation of Canada (a public utilities company turned conglomerate).
When those guys bought NWI, it had already been sold to USA Networks in 2000 which was shortly after bought out by Vivendi Universal even though the CBC still operated NWI.
Al, Joel, & Ronald bought it more for its cable/satellite coverage spread than its existing programming.
They focused the channel on youth/young adult oriented liberal programming knowing that advertisers would be hostile to it. And they knew that with media consolidation rapidly sucking up media companies left & right (because of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that Bill Clinton passed), they had to get a foothold quickly.
Al & Joel got the idea to start a liberal news network right after Gore’s controversial “loss” in the 2000 Presidential Election.
This was the foundation of how NWI became Current TV in 2005.
When TYT made the deal with Current TV in late 2011, Current TV already had Comcast & DirecTV as shareholders. Yes, THAT Comcast. The Comcast that owns MSNBC.
The Comcast that had already bought out the conglomeration of NBC Universal in 2009.
Yes, THAT Universal which had long bought USA Networks under the Vivendi Universal tandem—the very tandem Al, Joel, & Ronald had bought Newsworld International FROM in 2004…
…the Vivendi Universal tandem which in 2009 was bought by General Electric & merged into NBC Universal, the conglomeration that Comcast ultimately bought out. Yeah…THAT.
I go through all of those mind-numbing details for a reason.
It’s a game of ‘Giant Company eating/fusing with Giant Company’. It was already tremendously bad at the start of the 2000s but by the end of the 2000s & the start of the 2010s, this kind of stuff was absolutely INSANE!!
THIS is the environment TYT was faced with as Rebel HQ fighting The Machine in 2011.
They knew they could only go so far with the small money they had.
Even the late 2010-2011 set was possible because of Cenk’s MSNBC cash advance.
They had already lost the deal with Sirius Satellite Radio by this time & Air America Radio was long dead & buried. They needed a partner to get them the necessary boost to a higher level.
Making the deal with Al Gore & Current TV allowed them to have MUCH more impact & growth.
And if you can’t tell that Current TV invested in TYT, you’re blind.
Go back & look at those late 2010-2011 clips with the modestly-funded black-tabled set then look at the TYT clips from December 2011 onward after the Current TV deal.
It’s like night & day. Their production quality went WAY up.
You can tell they had better cameras & better resources. Better numbers in staff & exposure.
The graphic displays were better. The set was better. The lighting was better.
While it was still funded by memberships & YouTube ad money, there’s no mistaking that there were other funds building this company.
They already HAD venture capitalists get involved & they were among the founders of Current TV.
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►robertjordan18 said: “In a very general sense, sure. But that’s far too easy when applied to the media industry. Plenty of progressive media outlets are able to survive without taking millions from Wall Street. Yeah, they’re small, but they are surviving and they are making a difference.”
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By breaking down the Current TV situation above, I have proven that venture capitalists have ALREADY been associated with TYT. Whether indirectly or directly, they have already rubbed elbows with the money men.
And don’t get me wrong, robert. You’re right to be cautious about the $20 million deal .
We don’t want to lose this outlet to The Machine like so many others.
I had mixed feelings about it myself when I first heard about it.
But what kept me from getting entirely cynical was recounting their history & evaluating their output.
These items mixed with the context of the times (2016 election fiasco & looming corporate control over Internet) made me understand their goals & the speed they need to reach those goals.
They have to get bigger & bigger FASTER to have more impact.
That impact will help them get Perpetual Positive Vortexes of influence & finance.
That way they can reward their staff better, grow their audience faster, get more tools/venues to deliver their message broader, & maintain their independence STRONGER.
They really don’t have time to play the slow & steady route, robert.
Too many Goliaths are out there for this David to fight. David needs more than that slingshot.
The better they secure their financial stability, the better they will be able to grow & broadcast that Rebel Message not only to America but the rest of the world which America affects.
A media company is INEFFECTIVE if it stays small.
The entire purpose of media is to influence as many hearts & minds as it can.
Surviving is not the goal. THRIVING is the goal.
Remember that complicated ownership breakdown I wrote earlier with Current TV?
Giant media CONTINUES to consolidate & buy up any emerging independent outlet it can.
TYT is racing against time to stay alive.
“Left-Wing” Media Outlets are ALWAYS fighting uphill because Corporate Interests are OPPOSED to “Left-Wing” ideology & politics.
All those “Right-Wing” freaks that took over AM Radio & further transformed the politics of this country…
…those channels & outlets are subsidized by Wealthy Elites & Corporations even if those outlets lose money.
It’s not about the little bit of money those stations lose. It’s about the message they put out that influences the National Narrative. The message that brainwashes the citizens & screws up the politics.
The “Right-Wingers” will ALWAYS outnumber the “Left-Wingers” in media because they’re propped up to squelch the “Left-Wing” voice.
You hear Cenk go on & on in Post-Games about how Hugh Hewitt with his ridiculously tiny audience base consistently gets featured on major TV networks while Cenk & other TYT staff are barely considered.
Even though TYT is THE BIGGEST Online News Network on Earth.
Ask yourself why we can never keep a large prominent & influential “Left-Wing” network in business.
Democracy Radio dead in 3 years time (2002-2005).
Air America Radio dead in 6 years time (2004-2010).
Nova M Radio dead in 3 years time (2006-2009).
Current TV dead in 8 years time (2005-2013).
Al-Jazeera America dead in 3 years time (2013-2016).
Any others are either small & scattershot in audience and/or impact or on the verge of getting killed off.
They’re weakening Alternet right now as we speak. And they have already partially weakened Pacifica Radio which promotes Amy Goodman’s Democracy Now!
You need BIG media to get BIG audience to make BIG changes.
“Left-Wing” Media is actually fighting off 2 maybe 3 fronts.
They’re fighting the explicitly “Right-Wing” Media (#1), the so-called ‘balanced’ Corporate “Centrist” Media (#2), the NeoLiberal False “Left-Wing” Media (#3).
Examples of #1 are Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones’ InfoWars, Breitbart, National Review, New York Post.
Examples of #2 are CNN, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, Newsweek, Washington Post, New York Times.
Examples of #3 are DailyKos, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Real Time with Bill Maher, Mother Jones, Gawker Media now Gizmodo Media (Jezebel).
You see all this you’re fighting? Obvious enemies, sneaky “neutrals”, & sneakier “friends” is what TYT has to contend with to stay alive & free as a company.
And then add in YouTube’s demonetization games & it gets EVEN MORE desperate.
Oh, you think TYT didn’t get affected by the YouTube Adpocalypse too???
It probably compelled them to find a deal faster!
If they DIDN’T make deals like these (Current TV, Buddy Roemer, & this $20 million infusion), they COULDN’T make the differences they need to.
This Little Engine That Could has done amazing things to shift the axis in this country.
But they can do EVEN MORE amazing things to secure that shift. Keyword: SECURE.
TYT is not out of the woods, yet. The Corporate Goliaths are breathing down their necks.
David needs more weapons. Better weapons. Use this baby money against their big money.
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robertjordan18 said: “Hell, TYT itself used to be a piece of evidence that it is possible to grow to a certain point (“1st news show on the web” etc.) without making too many compromises and without selling out completely. Until they chose otherwise and until recently, anyway.”
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I have well established in this novel of a post TYT’s history & growth.
Between 2002-2006, TYT got its money from supportive family & friends as well as the “pay” from Sirius Satellite Radio.
Between 2006-2010, TYT got its money from “pay” by Sirius Satellite Radio/Sirius XM Radio, Air America Radio, member subscriptions, & cuts of the ad revenue from YouTube’s 2007 Partner Program.
Between 2010-2011, TYT got its money from member subscriptions, YouTube ad revenue cuts, & Cenk’s MSNBC contract funds.
Between 2011-2013, TYT got its money from member subscriptions, YouTube ad revenue cuts, & investments from Current TV.
Between 2013-2014, TYT got its money from member subscriptions, YouTube ad revenue cuts, & investments from Buddy Roemer’s firm as well as other quiet investors.
Between 2014-2017, TYT got its money from member subscriptions, YouTube ad revenue cuts, partnerships with other platforms (like Hulu, Facebook, & Fusion), & investments from public & private investors.
That includes this latest $20 million deal for the public investors part.
So is it the dollar amount that bothers you about this or the simple fact that there was an investment?
If it’s the latter choice, you’re years too late for that.
They have MORE investors than Buddy Roemer’s team even if the amounts are smaller.
They have had them for a long time. This is not a new development just a new scale.
TYT has a deal with Facebook yet STILL puts out negative videos about Facebook practices.
They mention Facebook’s censorship algorithms in China as recently as November 2016!
They got kicked off of Hulu along with RT because the Democratic Establishment blamed them for making Hillary lose! Hulu’s owned 4-way by Disney-ABC, Fox, Comcast’s NBC Universal, Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting. You KNOW they’re salty about Hillary’s defeat.
You got full fledged Democratic Socialism with the Red Rose being promoted on TYT Network even though the NeoLiberals don’t want to relinquish power!
That would include NeoLiberal backers like Jeffrey Katzenberg, by the way.
I know you fear the worst but keep watching what they’re doing.
Look at the Big Picture AS WELL AS the Details.
TYT’s trying to establish their bedrock. Once they do, THEY’LL be the ones who set the deals.
They can’t do that at 2009 levels. They have to get BIGGER.
The TYT Staff will NOT let us down. Too many hands have built this Force.
That $20 million is not a leash, it’s a WEAPON.
John Lucas
> Long-time member ‘robertjordan18’ has been all over these comment boards & even on Reddit voicing his concerns over this deal compromising TYT.
And I can’t say he’s wrong in what he’s posting.
I genuinely appreciate this aside, John. I take no pleasure in voicing any of this, but – whether I like it or not – I just feel responsible towards other Members, and concerned for how they may be taken for a ride. I cannot simply go away without educating them about the facts.
@robertjordan18 No problem, man.
As you’ll see all over your inbox with all the comment board replies I wrote (if you enabled e-mail notifications, that is), I consider you an earnest & honorable cat. You’re coming from the REAL & I dig that.
TYT is supposed to be an open book & above board platform.
They’re responsible to us, the TYT Army, and we have the right to discuss their direction & their decisions—either positive or negative.
Lay it all on the table so everybody can view & consider the facts for themselves.
There are no secrets here. No secrets at all in this Surveillance State no way.
It’s the Internet Age. It’s the Information Age. Share the information.
Even if you leave TYT, I would like to keep correspondence with you.
We can probably have some interesting discussions! Let me know how to contact you.
Take care, man.
John Lucas
I’m no good at one-on-one correspondence, liking the public eye too much (to the extent that a message board even counts as ‘public’, haha). But I’ve been trying to breathe life into boards on Reddit like the TYT Network board (though now I’ve abandoned that one) and the Jimmy Dore board, while spending time at the Way of the Bern (https://www.reddit.com/r/WayOfTheBern/) so you can always find me there. I am even the moderator of the The Humanist Report board, though that one is extremely quiet for now.
You’re a most well-meaning member, you deserve better from TYT too. I mean, even these very boards to which you commit your writings are shit as they have no features whatsoever, no moderators and no oversight. I never understood why TYT rolled back the attempted move to the infinitely superior Disqus boards (roughly two years ago). I know that the video part of the move failed but the Disqus part was working fine and anyway, it should have been technically/financially possible to move only the comments to Disqus and keep them there.
Every person here is paying for the privilege of commenting but giving these small-time financial supporters a decent message board is unmistakably a low, low, low priority for TYT.
Thank you, Nerdtritious!
Not to mention, their unfettered water consumption and siphoning has created public health crises. http://bit.ly/2yj1u1u
Appreciate the effort Steve Oh but not even the glasses hide that bad boy.
Taxi Driver is better than any cgi shitfest out today.
When Joe Peschi slams Frank Vincent’s head with the car door in Raging Bull was boring? lmao
Not nearly as good as Goodfellas!
Agreed, but Mr Vincent’s revenge in Casino tops them all! I’m a big fan of the dialog in those 1970s movies, that came out when I was too young to understand them lol , the way Robert De Niro and Cathy Moriarty bicker back and forth in Raging Bull is hilarious. I understand where you’re coming from though, a lot of those old movies are like watching paint dry, but you gotta admit, a majority of the movies to come out in the 1980s all seemed like 90 minute commercials for some new toy line, with their generic soundtracks, and movie poster art that was better than the movie itself
Jimmy has natural talent to captivate a crowd even when the topic discussed aren’t so interesting.
@jrsthebest The talents of jagoff nightclub comedians know no bounds.
Yeah, you HAVE to know how to keep a crowd going being a comedian.
It’s part of the job description. I loved that movie banter with Steve.
How can Steve hate so many good movies?!! AHH!!
John Lucas