Aggressive Progressives: November 30, 2017

In Aggressive Progressives - On Demand, Membership by Gigi Manukyan94 Comments

On this week’s Aggressive Progressives, Jimmy Dore is joined by Steve Oh and Stef Zamorano talk Matt Lauer, war crimes, Socialism’s popularity in the US, removal of the teacher’s union in Wisconsin and the outcome.

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  3. Correction: The complete stop of construction was in 2008 and it took about 6 years for firms, the ones that were left, to get back on their feet.

    In Seattle construction cranes were dismantled, construction sites abandoned.

    During that time, I visited Canada and was amazed how much construction was going on then found out Canada did not de-regulate their banks or prop up financial institutions. Canadians fared far better than we did during that time.

  4. And, by the way, no one could get loans for building and from that construction stopped completely in many states. This led to thousands of architects and contractors, along with associated trades and professions, losing their jobs around the country.

  7. When Obama bailed out the banks, it didn’t do anything for businesses. I was an architect for Costco warehouse stores and Costco could not get a loan for ANYthing although they had sterling credit. They couldn’t buy land for construction or pay for new buildings. From that. many people lost their jobs, me included. This was in 2005.

    At the same time people who were losing their homes couldn’t get any remedy from banks.

    Obama was bought and paid for by big money and just to let you know, I voted for him. What a disappointment he turned out to be.

  8. I also noticed the correlation of young women teachers having sexual relationships with students as a direct effect of lower teaching wages attracting younger, less qualified women to teaching positions.

  9. The Turkish guy Steve Oh is talking about that owns all those charter schools is Fethullah Gülen. This is the man that Flynn is being charge with in the kidnapping plot. Please dig into these charter schools- there is a HUGE, creepy story there. Check out the documentary “Killing Ed.”

      1. They can record live on Wednesdays, during the work day, but I wish they’d air it at 9:00 ET on Thursdays like they use to. They post it eventually, at least.

  12. There’s no more boss move than going out dressed like you don’t care about anything except being comfortable. Steve needs to step up his comfort game and do the show in his jams.

  14. The only jobs Matt Lauer is creating is new Lawyer jobs for all the sexual harassment suits that are going to be filed against him.

  15. I LOVE the co-op model. Been reading that author for a while. Check out the co-ops in the USA! I know there are some successful models in Cleveland and Chicago. This it TOTALLY the future! Thank you for bringing it to the masses! This is the only thing I know of that will encourage worker justice and save our economy.

  19. Its absurd to call cenk and tyt hypocrites for taking venture capital money to grow their business. To equate millionaire politicians getting corrupted by billionaires with tyt taking capital investment is a illogical argument

    1. It’s the same billionaires giving to both, like Jeffrey Katzenberg . You really think that they aren’t trying to influence politics with their business decisions, while simultaneously influencing their business returns through their political relations? Don’t be so naive.

      Katzenberg has used his political connections to further his business empire, and used his businesses to further his political connections. The one is the flipside of the other. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Katzenberg#Political_activities

      How are we supposed to take Cenk seriously whenever he says something like go ahead and vote for Hillary in the general election while TYT is also being backed by the Democratic establishment? You can’t that seriously.

      There is no firewall between “politics” and “business”. That’s the whole point. That’s what the Supreme Court (in conjunction with so many other political decisions) has gradually brought about, and if “money is speech” then of course giving millions to a politically relevant media entity like TYT is also speech. It’s also influence.

  22. Jimmy and I totally agree with Cenk on the goal of having a much more progressive society. Where we disagree is on the TACTICS to get there. All 3 of us want money out of politics, Medicare for all, free public colleges, the end of endless war, move to 100% renewable energy, and a much much saner tax policy.

    It’s easy to criticize Cenk if you disagree with him, but he works much harder than me or Jimmy in trying to get money out of politics so you gotta respect that.

    1. > It’s easy to criticize Cenk if you disagree with him, but he works much harder than me or Jimmy in trying to get money out of politics so you gotta respect that.

      Cenk doesn’t even understand – or refuses to acknowledge – that TYT taking 20 million from the very same venture capitalists and hedge fund managers who are pouring money into politics completely undermines Cenk’s so-called “progressive” rhetoric. You can’t just lazily go “oh, that’s just business, it is not related to politics”. Of course it’s related. Nor can you just go “I will never listen to those people who are giving me all that Capital”, because that’s the same excuse used by the politicians you’re attacking with the whole “get money out of politics” drive.

      I don’t respect that, I think that’s ridiculous.

      2. It’s also important to develop TYT, and you can’t do that without investment. I do acknowledge that it could have some influence on the business. However as long as it doesn’t influence the core values and motivations behind the company, and doesn’t leave management to insane predatory capitalists, it would be weird to turn down the money.

      3. Your comments are usually quite thoughtful so I’m disappointed by the shoddy analysis here.

        When corporations fund politicians, they do so to impact public policy that would benefit themselves at the expense of the public. The politicians purport to serve the public, but they serve the corporate donors. THAT is the essence of the problem.

        When VCs fund other companies, they do so for the purpose of making money. The receiving company uses that money to hire employees, buy equipment, and generally grow the company. In our instance, the VCs invested in TYT b/c they think they will ultimately make money. We took the money b/c we need it to grow our business. We are trying to expand beyond our YouTube channel and Facebook page. We are growing on other platforms, creating new shows, and looking to expand internationally. None of this is possible without investment from other companies.

        BTW, we’ve taken millions of dollars over the years from YouTube/Google/Alphabet. Are we corrupted b/c of that? We work with Facebook and therefore get money from them. Is that corruption? I’m working on deals with Verizon, Amazon, Comcast and other major companies to put our content on their platforms. Is that selling out?

        Is the only way to remain pure to do everything only on our own website and not work with any other existing media company?

        The investors have never once discussed editorial decisions with us. Not ever. What they care about is whether our views are up, if YouTube’s demonetization issues have been resolved, whether we need help to get our content on additional platforms, how they can help open international opportunities, etc.

        BTW, we’ve taken investments before. Was it an issue then? We’ve also turned down investments before b/c they wanted us to shut down Wolf-Pac. We’ve turned down huge sums from sponsors who we didn’t agree with (Big Oil and for-profit colleges).

        The notion that somehow this latest investment renders us compromised is absurd. If you don’t want to be a TYT member, that’s your prerogative. If you don’t like our content, that’s your opinion and you can do as you wish. Just know that those decisions should be based on your perception of our content, not on some fantastical belief that nefarious investors are pulling strings on our editorial behind the scenes.

        1. Questioning the editorial impact of a $20 million investment is hardly ridiculous. Folks tend to do the bidding of those that pay them.

          Responding with words like “shoddy,” “absurd,” “fantastical,” and “nefarious” is rather telling. If you want to make the point that you’re keeping a hard firewall between business and editorial then fine, make the case with evidence and transparency. But acting like longtime viewers are crazy for questioning what’s happening just reinforces our suspicions. Like with politics, the tricky part comes when the interests and desires of the wealthy few conflict with the interests and desires of the rest of us.

          If the content of the main show wasn’t looking more and more like MSNBC (Trump-Russia!!) and if Jordan Chariton wasn’t unceremoniously jettisoned because a sex panic might hurt the bottom line, there would be less distrust about the VC and the direction of TYT.

          1. Also, if getting capital from an a$$hole like Jeffrey Katzenberg is the only way you can expand – which, again, seems doubtful to me, actually – than I prefer CONTRACTION over growth, please.

            I don’t actually care that videos are uploaded two days late, or that the camera is not always pointed in the right direction, or that the desk is too cheap, or that TYT can’t employ as many as 200 people.

            That shit is just trivial shit. That’s all just vanity, and maybe Cenk’s salary. If it has to be done with 50 employees, then do it with 50 employees for god’s sake. I care much more about integrity, political consistency, and TYT living up to its boast about being “progressive” and “independent” news.

        2. > When corporations fund politicians, they do so to impact public policy that would benefit themselves at the expense of the public. The politicians purport to serve the public, but they serve the corporate donors. THAT is the essence of the problem.

          That is not the whole problem, Steve, that’s only one part of it. You’re leaving out all the more subtle and indirect ways in which corporations and corporate donors exert their influence and become intertwined, especially when it comes to the media. And TYT is part of the media, needless to say. TYT is more vulnerable to corporate influence than any other type of company is.

          Sorry but in order for TYT to live up to all its rhetoric about being a “progressive and independent” network”, it needs to behave/act differently than corporate news organizations behave, also on the financial side of things.

          Such a level of financial integrity is not too much to ask for members who have bought into the whole “progressive and independent news” rhetoric (as I have). Especially in a society which as a whole (not just its politicians, that is) is more corrupt than ever before. You’re constantly claiming you’re “diffferent” from the MSM, but this boast has to be backed up with actions, also with financial actions.

          It’s just like Jimmy Dore often says: “The whole of society is corrupt.” TYT has ended up proving his point and apparently it will take much more integrity and resolve than TYT has in order to surmount this. This is disappointing, because for a time I believe that it could be an exception.

          > We took the money b/c we need it to grow our business. We are trying to expand beyond our YouTube channel and Facebook page.

          And how were you expanding your YT Channel and your FB page before you took the $20 million? Seemed to be going pretty well, has been going quite well for many years in fact. You seemed to be doing fine without the Katzenberg capital. Are we supposed to believe that the Youtube presence and the Facebook would actually have gone into decline if you hadn’t taken the $20 million? Of course not. You were already experiencing slow but steady growth (which is more than good enough!) and there are no reasons for us to assume that this would have changed.

          > BTW, we’ve taken investments before. Was it an issue then?

          Of course it was an issue, just less seriously. Taking four million from an investment firm run by Republican Buddy Roemer was a terrible mistake. That already undermined TYT’s credibility. But I and others were still giving TYT the benefit of the doubt: because the size of deal was relatively small, because Roemer’s company did not get a seat on TYT’s board, and because we could at least hope that such mistakes would not be repeated and hopefully corrected in the future.

          I gave you the benefit of the doubt. And then you forced me to stop doing that.

          > BTW, we’ve taken millions of dollars over the years from YouTube/Google/Alphabet. Are we corrupted b/c of that?

          Yes, actually. Once again, this is a downside of TYT but one that could at least be minimized and excused. You’re referring to the ad revenue from Youtube, and luckily Youtube acts as a kind of firewall between TYT and its advertisers. If a Coca Cola ad gets haphazardly shown on a TYT channel, it doesn’t actually imply a direct relation between TYT and Coca Cola. Youtube advertising is a giant mixed-up pool of advertising content and Youtube acts as a useful intermediary between content and advertisers, creating some distance between the two.

          Again, Youtube advertising revenue is not great. In some ways it’s terrible. And it’s definitely inferior to being funded by your members, like me. But one could at least accept it as a necessary evil (which I did).

          > The investors have never once discussed editorial decisions with us. Not ever.

          1) You can’t actually factually prove this to me, and 2) even if true, you can’t guarantee that this won’t change at some point in the future, whether short-term or long-term, and 3) the investors don’t actually need to make explicit demands in order to have influence. Does anyone seriously believe that a million dollars doesn’t buy an investor at least a great deal of sympathy and at least implicit support for the investor? That would be extremely naive for anyone to believe.

          > Just know that those decisions should be based on your perception of our content, not on some fantastical belief that nefarious investors are pulling strings on our editorial behind the scenes.

          Noam Chomsky’s “Manufacturing Consent” is not a work of fantasy, it’s an analysis rooted in political economy. What I am doing here is rigourously applying all the lessons from “manufacturing consent” about the intricate ways in which Capital and Media have become intertwined. Ironically, when Chomsky wrote that, things weren’t nearly as bad as they are now.

          The content put out is never the whole story, and the content put out never tells the viewer everything the viewer needs to know. Ownership and corporate management are crucial factors that must be analysed alongside content. That’s political economy for you.

          1. Fair enough if that’s wat you believe. But let’s just politely admit that you have not yet backed up your beliefs with any factual substance, references or argumentation? Feel free to complete your initial thoughts.

    2. Steve, I had a question regarding an AP topic that would benefit from your legal background, but at the time other people were giving conspiracy theories, so it didn’t seem like a good time.

      Back at the end of August, when a neo-nazi opened fire on a protester in Charlottesville, he dropped an N-bomb to get his victims attention right before shooting. The footage was on AP on https://tytnetwork.com/2017/08/31/aggressive-progressives-aug-31-2017-2/ the video started at 36:50 and he said it at 37:02.

      I always thought that if anything was a possible hate crime, the investigation would then be rerouted to the federal level and would go beyond the system in Charlottesville. Do you have any idea why this didn’t happen, and who activists could pressure to improve chances of it happening next time?

      1. No, hate crimes are not automatically classified as a federal crime. Each state and locality has its own laws on hate crimes. The Feds can certainly step in and prosecute it if the state is not doing its job. Not sure what happened in this particular case so I can’t give a better answer. Sorry.

  23. burnodo, I think that since Thur @ 9pm EST is 6pm in California, it’s so the show can get “production” during traditional work hours. 100% supposition, but seems plausible.

    Popular show deserves facilitated staffing!

  24. Flannel shirts look like jammies.

    Steve looks very comfortable.
    Being an Aggressive Progressive … in his jam-jams.

  25. I remember high-waist women’s jeans in the 70’s.

    Never bought them. I would buy Levi’s student or mens, 26-27 waist.

    High-waist slacks, jeans, etc.
    ALL of them look terrible, unless you are built like a hanger.

    So do skinny jeans for that matter. They make your ass & thighs look huge, unless that’s what your going for.

  26. Jimmy giving the “double C.K.” to Hillbots and “Pragmatic Liberals” for as long as it is allowed on TYT!

  27. The abolition of private schools in Finland IS the reason they are good. Everybody, rich or poor, has a stake in the system. The president’s kid’s go to public schools. Its not that they don’t have private schools because the public schools are so good, but rather they abolish private schools so that public schools can be good. Can you imagine every member of congress and every Fortune 500 CEO having to send their kids to public school?

    Same reason why Medicare works better than Medicaid. Medicare is a program that covers everyone above a certain age, regardless of income. Medicaid is income based so it can be cut easier by politicians, the rich do not receive the benefits of the program. Medicare for all, if implemented well, will be much harder to cut by politicians and opposed by the rich, because the moderately to obscenely wealthy will be using the same insurance as the poor. That is one of the key functions of longevity of social programs; universality of income (and race gender etc., true universality). Social security is universal. And it has held on through attempts to privatize it.

  28. It’ll be interesting to have Cenk on your next live show, but in my opinion he doesn’t pass muster to share the stage with you. And, your fans might actually boo him… Controversial move, Jimmy. Yet, you’re always controversial. That’s why I love you.

    P.S. Can’t wait to see Susan Sarandon on The Jimmy Dore Show

    1. Cenk knows that his progressive credentials are becoming increasingly hollowed-out, and that his rhetoric has become more hypocritical and unserious.

      I guess he thinks that he can correct some of this – or at least win back some reputational points – with a live co-performance in front of the right crowd. And hey, he may not be wrong, Cenk has always been a strong public speaker.

    2. The tweet which announced Cenk’s upcoming appearance got lots of negative reactions, lol.

      Then that tweet was deleted, replaced with a similar tweet, and of course no one is bothering with writing those negative replies all over again. Bit of a naughty move, Jimmy! :) (Or whoever manages Jimmy Dore’s twitter account.)

      1. I thought Cenk was against censorship… He just lost some “America points.” (Nationalistic concept also unlike tyt pre-millions outside investment)
        I wonder how many tyt memberships have disappeared, or will be disappearing as membership payment periods end

        1. Just to be fair and accurate, I don’t think that Jimmy’s Twitter account is managed by TYT or Cenk (and it was a Jimmy tweet). He’s doing that himself but it’s very likely that Jimmy Dore Show producers also have access to it and make the announcements for upcoming shows.

    3. I must wonder if Jimmy will have the balls to call out Cenk on stage about the Russia bullshit? Sadly, I already noticed that neither Ron nor Steph take questions from live chat when they are livestreaming which ask (politely, even) about how Jimmy can credibly call out people from other media for the Russia hysteria when Cenk is making a fool out of himself on the main show and Jimmy just ignores that.

  30. Jeff Bezos is a low life human being i don’t use amazon and i stop shoping at Whole Foods because of Jeff Bezos he into slave labor all for him.

    1. Hello Jimmy,

      My son lives in Brooklyn NY and it has a food co-op. Each person puts $100. in to join (you get it back if you leave) and each person has to work about 2 1/2 hour a month. I’d say their food bill takes off at least 1/3 off food bill. The Co-op has about 16,000 people that joined. All jobs are done from people that joined. I think it’s a great market and a wonderful concept.

      1. Sounds like a great coop, but I’m guessing this was intended to be a new comment and not a reply? Might want to copy it.

        Also, Jimmy doesn’t read this board as far as I know. (Yeah, I for one address him all the time, but that is purely a device to make rhetorical points.)

  33. I’m skeptical of coalition governments. It’s not like that’s worked out particularly well for parliaments. If anything, experience shows that this tends to lead to large conservative pluralities. And worse, this has the whole “tail wags the dog” problem where extreme parties get disproportionate power. We see these issues in parliamentary systems across the globe.

    Our system is representative, rather than proportional. And while our representatives don’t represent us, that’s more to do with the fact that money has bought everything and easily crosses political boundaries. If that wasn’t going on, we would actually have representatives that represented us. And in many ways that preferable to representatives that represent parties or however parliamentary systems work.

  35. Jimmy isn’t really talking about Socialism. He is talking about State Capitalism. When the government takes over as the owner of previously private capitalist firms and enacts heavy regulations on private firms it is State Capitalism not Socialism.

    Socialists want to get rid of the owner class and let the workers democratically control the means of production.

    1. There is a broad range of “socialists”, just like there is a broad range of “liberals”, a broad range of “conservatives”, etc. The latter groups don’t agree on every single thing either but they’re still correctly grouped together.

      Socialism is an expansive philosophy same as all the other philosophies are, and you don’t have to agree with every single thing Karl Marx said in order to be termed a socialist.

      If you “just” want to get rid of – for example – the free market and owner class in health insurance (e.g. you want Medicare For All) then you’re a socialist IMO. And once someone has successfully nationalized health insurance, do you think that they would really stop there? I doubt that. The next logical step would be to nationalize our energy industries (also because global warming leaves us with no choice…the free market is absolutely useless when it comes to preventing/managing climate change.)

        1. Yeah, that’s a great socialist, and a good interview. But you don’t have to have agree with Wolf on everything in order to be a socialist. I don’t think that Wolf would expect every socialist to agree with his positions, either.

    2. All of this, I say as a socialist (in case that wasn’t already clear). The truth is that most of us here agree on the same populist goals, even if not all of us will go as far as to call those goals “socialism” (which is perfectly acceptable).

    3. Honestly he wasn’t even going that far. He was just saying more regulation and a social safety net. That’s just capitalism.

  36. Capitalism needs homelessness and poverty to function. Since workers don’t share in the profits they really have no reason to work other than to keep themselves from living in poverty. If we guarantee workers a decent living without working why would they ever want to work for a capitalist that exploits them?

    1. Have you lived off a fast food job?
      Have you raised a family on a fast food job?
      Or a Walmart job? Or working at an Oil Change shop? Or cashier at a gas station?

      Do you consider that “working poor” do not live AND work in poverty?

      Or is this a purely intellectual exercise, ala classroom discussion.

      Since “Capitalism needs homelessness & poverty,” at what point do they ever NOT want it?

      1. chetzmom,

        I have worked for min wage before and it was so terrible that I signed up for military service.

        My point: If we guaranteed unemployed workers inflation adjusted, perpetual, $2400.00 per month welfare checks half of America wouldn’t show up to work the next day. That is why capitalism needs poverty.

  37. The ‘red scare’ didn’t work so now this wave of unfettered “allegations” is what we are losing journalists to?

  38. You folks have been asking for Jimmy to comment on the Jordan situation. Which he has done – on the premium videos for JD Patreon contributers. I hope that he doesn’t mind my transcribing one part of that long commentary here, but 1) there is nothing very controversial in it IMO and 2) quite frankly, you guys deserve to get this information, especiallyif you’re subscribing just to watch Aggressive Progressives.

    James starts off by saying that he “recommends that people watch the videos” (i.e. the interview with Tim Black, etc.). From there he goes on to say the following:

    I don’t know what the Young Turks actually (did)…they said they didn’t fire him? And then I find out that they did fire him. And then they offered him to ( Jimmy trails of)…so I don’t really know the ins and outs. Honest to god, I wish there was a statement put out with a timeline of what happened, but there isn’t. There’s just a video. And they didn’t investigate the main charge. (long pause)

    So, you know, I don’t know how Jordan clears his name in something like this if no one does an investigation. … I thought that this is what happens in these situations, that if there is an accusation this serious, you hire a law firm and they investigate it and then you present their findings. But then, according to The Young Turks, they are not going to investigate that. So I don’t know how that works. I don’t know why you wouldn’t investigate that. Sure, the police do an investigation…but I don’t think that the woman has filed a police report. …

    What Jordan needs to clear his name is an investigation done by a credible third party. I don’t know if he has the money…but if he hires someone then they’re not going to be credible, if he’s paying them. Right? … That’s what was disappointing to me, that there was no investigation.”

    1. Thank you for letting us know about Jimmy’s stance on this, I’ve been waiting to hear it. Troubling news unfortunately…

      1. No problem at all, unfortunately I’m still pretty late in doing so. As you can tell, this was recorded before Jordan sued TYT. But Jimmy hasn’t said anything since, AFAIK, so this is all I can transcribe (minus the rest of the commentary, which was just Jimmy repeating himself or emphasizing that he knows very little, so I left it out.)

    2. Thank you for taking time to transcribe these comments. I’ve been having trouble playing back some of the premium content.

      1. Same advice as for this site here: try downloading it instead of directly streaming it. Near the Play button on Patreon should be a link to an .mp3 file, your web browser will ask where to save it (or else attempt to fully download it and then play it directly).

  39. Best show on TYT. Gigi, is it possible to upload AP show On-Demand on Thursdays earlier so it aligns with the old programming time (Thursdays 6 PM PST) especially for those of us unable to catch the live show on Wednesday afternoon?

    2. Author

      Hey Rory,
      I publish it as soon as it’s done being edited and process, etc. Our editors are already jam packed with assignments and Thursday being our busiest day, this is the best I can do until further notice. In the meantime, I’ll talk to the editors to see if we can get it up sooner!

  41. Love your work, Jimmy. Keep it up. You are regularly featured now on my favorite financial site http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com.au I sent him one of your vids and he now watches them all. This is a site you should visit too.. insight into the mess the financial fraud is.. this man is the MOST honest, thorough and moral person I have ever seen doing financial blogging.

      1. It is a nice site… honest and moral. I’ve learned a lot there and really adore the man. It was at his site, a few years ago that I encountered a short vid about psychopathy. It made sense in relation to the political sphere and also the personal. I discovered I was married to one. It helped me have the courage to escape the monster. I will be forever in his debt (Jesse’s real name is Arthur – Bless Arthur). This is the one that explained psychopath so well – Dr Frank Ochberg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hon3AzMO6vs&ab_channel=GiftFromWithin-PTSDResources and this is a whole page of articles Arthur has posted on the topic. It’s one that we all better learn about. These are the ‘people’ who run the world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hon3AzMO6vs&ab_channel=GiftFromWithin-PTSDResources

      2. Why are you a Former TYT Army member? Just curious why one would bother to continue to follow while divesting yourself of any support publicly. Of course you’re welcome to be here.

        1. I have already divested myself, all payments have been stopped. But since I’m on a yearly subscription, I retain access until March. Which I’m glad to have for a while yet, because I was never here for “premium content” or anything like that. I have always been here to support the network’s mission (when it still made sense) and to interact with fellow members (which makes as much sense as it ever did, even now).

          As for why? Right here: https://www.reddit.com/r/tytonreddit/comments/74mp3h/the_case_against_tyts_20_million_venture/

          1. Good response and yes, I feel uncomfortable with it in the extreme. I am concerned by this but not enough to back away from the original mission. JD is a great idea fostered by Kyle Kalinsky as well as Cenk ( and others I assume) but I think the Democrats are irreparably corrupted. Still it can’t hurt to give them a chance. 2018 is upon us. If your fears are substantiated then let the games begin. I’ll drop out as well. I’m on a fixed income and can do without the resource drain. However I believe in doing something and I like and have respect for Cenk’s drive and veracity. Time will tell. Good job, Jordan. Now if you can, tell me what happened to Wes Clarke and Michael Woods. Please use the the same solid research as you have here if you are able and wish to do so. Otherwise no worries. I liked both men, and Wes a lot but I also have a lot of familiarity with PTSD and the insidious influence of newly accepted religiosity on the rational mind. I am concerned for Wes.

            1. I believe in doing something. There is no shame in anyone admitting that maybe it’s better to be doing something else than they originally thought should be done.

              Unfortunately, it’s pretty much impossible to find out the full story about why/how Wes Clarke and Michael Woods left. I doubt that even the insiders know the full story. Wes seemed to suffer from genuine mental problems, so that’s at least part of the picture. Woods just seemed genuinely disgusted with how TYT manages its own organization (which I am now sympathetic to)

              2. Wes probably left because he went full-tilt conspiracy theorist. Read:

                https://www.facebook.com/WesClarkJr/posts/10154782845553715
                https://www.facebook.com/WesClarkJr/posts/10154801703228715

                The situation with Michael Wood is a bit murkier. He started attacking people on the left, Ana included, for suggesting people who commit acts of violence should serve time, regardless of how you feel about police brutality. He would also go on these weird rants about how “race isn’t real,” which is about as meaningful as saying Islam isn’t a religion. It adds nothing of value to the conversation, except to pad one’s own ego. Yes, I’m technically right. Yay me! There were also rumors circulating that the Standing Rock fundraiser had poor oversight. Michael didn’t do a very good job distributing money to those who needed it during the trip.

          2. Yeah, I start tuning out after seeing so much Trump-Russia! on the main show. And now, the way Cenk (with lots of power) has treated Jordan Chariton (with little power) is just wrong.

            I heard JD say that he pays TYT to have his show on there. WTF is with that? Is JD paying Cenk to appear at his live show?

            2. > I heard JD say that he pays TYT to have his show on there.

              Every show that is part of the TYT Network has to give up a small part of their Youtube ad revenue. That’s always been the deal. Mike Figueredo of the Humanist Report mentioned this once, and IIRC Mike said that it was 10% of the ad revenue.

              My (current) position on this is clear: just make the Jimmy Dore Show completely independent from TYT Network, even if you have to give them a one-time payment to do it. Even if it takes another fundraiser to do it.

  42. When we tried to ablolish slavery, the rich just turned us into economic slaves – and they want us to fight over the scraps they leave us – GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS – Wolf-Pac.com Love the show – so “woke”

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