Aggressive Progressives: December 21, 2017

In Aggressive Progressives - On Demand, Membership by Gigi Manukyan67 Comments

On this week’s Aggressive Progressives, Jimmy Dore is joined by Stef Zamorano and Steve Oh to talk what really happened in Alabama, Trump administration ramping up was with Iran, war crimes being committed in Yemen, Uber being regulated in Europe, Trump’s gift to fast food companies, and ex-CIA director on “Russiagate.”

0 seconds of 1 hour, 27 minutes, 42 secondsVolume 90%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
1:27:42
1:27:42
 

Comments

  1. While yes many do not vote because no candidate represents their interests the other reason is as you said most of us are poor. If you make 8 bucks an hour and have bills and shit its hard taking 3+ hours off work to stand in ridiculously long lines to vote. Elextion day should be a federal holiday’ hell put it on a weekend or something if it were actually easier to vote more people would do so

  2. I am getting back into watching AP again after being burned investing in a renewable energy paradise that turned into a nightmare. The level of the conversations was perfect to discuss the MIC and what is wrong with Murica. I appreciate most of the comments, and I have to admit I haven’t followed the main show for over a year. Cenk doesn’t like Trump, but people don’t pay enough attention to the mad generals behind the wigman. I just talked with a Canadian lady living here in Switzerland and she is amazed that everyone in Canada is talking about Trump and what he has done, just like the papers and TV shows in Europe. We just had an equivalent Category 2 hurricane hit Europe, and it will last for several days. The Jet stream has been crossing the North Pole and sending a Polar Vortex to freeze the US and Canada. Parts of the US used to get cold like that every winter. I remember a day in the 1970’s when Billings Montana was -22° during the day, and that was the warmest temperature for the entire state.
    I think Jimmy and Stef drive a Prius. Graham drives a Kia Soul EV, it would be nice to have him discuss the problems with the charging infrastructure for EV. I am still fighting for EV here in French speaking Switzerland, but Geneva is the home to the Oil Office and Saudi Arabia treats it like a colony. There are only 9 Chademo chargers for all of western CH, and even Tesla has not put in a Supercharger around Geneva and Lausanne. Swiss TV did a show and spit out lies about EV, nobody has answered my mails trying to correct the record. You should cover production of batteries, since wind and solar need to have storage to work. Did you know Tesla has installed solar panels and batteries on at least 9 hospitals in Puerto Rico, but you won’t see any news shows talking about that. Research it and start talking about it, it is a big deal.

  3. could not agree more about the MIC and the reality of what the US MIC does all over the world, it has sickened me since coming of age during Viet Nam. It is a national disgrace. The saddest part for me is how much so many americans blindly support our militaristic ways, no matter what. We have been so successfully propagandized that most no longer consider anything else possible.

    But there is, and this organization has laid that potential reality out, and I highly recommend y’all look into them and see what they are about, and find out how each of us can truly be active for Peace. http://worldbeyondwar.org/

    Peace is possible, and probably a better choice :))

  4. I love this show! Thanks for making this past year of membership so great. I gave up on Rachel Maddow and other shows a long time ago – they were just silly and I felt that we (the American masses) were being pitted against each other on stupid things while issues that mattered went by the wayside. Starting these silly battles and then standing back were our Congress as they have enriched themselves over the years while at the same time making life for the rest of us more and more difficult. I’m the generation that was in elementary school when Nixon resigned and we finally ended the Vietnam War. I believed in our press – the Washington Post is my hometown paper – and am totally saddened by what we’ve become. Steph – I have not knocked on 1,000 doors yet but I have been canvassing for local candidates this past summer and have much more work to do in 2018. Thanks again and Happy New Year to all!

  5. I absolutely love this show. I ESPECIALLY love when Steve is on–he is so smart, subtly witty, and a GREAT balance to Jimmy. Steve, PLEASE stop traveling so much in 2018 and maintain a weekly presence on the show. Aggressive Progressives is what brought me to TYT membership, Wolf-Pac membership, Justice Democrats membership, and the Jimmy Dore Show Membership. And I ain’t an oligarch, but these shows keep me educated, energized, and optimistic in these most dire of times, and I feel it is worthwhile to pay a bit more for my education….cheers to 2018…

  6. I’m with Stef — I used to love watching Rachel Maddow, until Maddow came unhinged during the primaries. The last TRMS which I watched was the night before the Nevada caucus. TRMS did a 20-minute segment on how Republicans were going to masquerade as Democrats in order to vote for Bernie Sanders — which Rachel explained as “Republicans trying to prevent Dems from electing the best candidate (Hillary).”

    The actual truth was obvious — Bernie had closed the gap almost entirely and was close to passing Hillary in the polls and in votes. There was a real chance he would win Nevada. So, Rachel was doing Dirty Ops for the Clinton Campaign by laying the groundwork in advance for Hillary to be able to explain a Nevada defeat as “Republicans are afraid of me being the candidate.”

    The truth (as anyone paying attention knows) was that the Trump campaign damn well knew Bernie was the more challenging contender, the only one who could beat Trump. Republicans WANTED Hillary to be the candidate.

    Anyhow, I felt crushed that night, because it forced me to realize that Rachel Maddow is not any kind of journalist — she is a totally unethical lying manipulative hack.

    Funny (not so funny) coda to this story… Our local Bernie group had a huge entry in local parade just before the June primary. I was at the staging area gate helping point new arrivals towards where our group was organizing. A guy from another float came up to me, mad as hell, and proceeded to lambast me with astonishingly harsh vitriol. He was furious with anyone who supported Bernie. He was spewing a bunch of nonsense, so I asked him where he had gotten his information from. He said he saw it on Rachel Maddow the night before.

    Funniest of all, he kept raging “Why are Bernie supporters so angry?!” when he was the one shouting till he was red in the face. I smiled sweetly and wished him a wonderful day.

    Has Rachel Maddow apologized for the role she played in getting Trump elected? Didn’t think so.

    1. I think you could see Maddow’s leanings even before then, and agree that she really lost touch with reality during the primaries. Jon Stewart even called out Maddow when he was on her show many years ago, but with him out of the game both her and Colbert have lost their edge. I wonder if Colbert’s hackiness makes Stewart cry at night.

  8. AP always the best of tyt shows and I never fail to learn new things & info. Just watched “The Most Dangerous Man in America” about Daniel Ellsberg & the Pentagon Papers. Very good documentary on how a war hawk working for the Rand Corp did a 180 turn to an anti-war dove & secretly copied 22 years of secret files on the US involvement in Vietnam. He was acquitted but his trial also led to Nixon’s impeachment/resignation because the Watergate plumbers broke into his psychiatrist’s office looking for evidence. It’s on MSNBC but please watch it, well worth the 2 hrs. I was 25 yrs old when Ellsberg came forward & he’s been a lifelong hero of mine. Blotus Trump should watch it too but we know he won’t.

  9. In 1944 Henry Weaver a Social Democrat was the VP who was replaced by business friendly Truman, the guy who ok’d the A-Bomb on japan and got the US into the Korean conflict. Weaver being dumped was the beginning of the down hill slide. Check it out.

    1. As someone raised by fundamentalist evangelical Republicans who cast her first presidential vote for Ronald Reagan… I agree. And quite frankly, I prefer people who have CHANGED THEIR MINDS over people raised by “enlightened progressive parents” — if someone just believes as their parents believe, how can we really know if that person has real inner decency, or if they are just too unimaginative to question childhood indoctrination..?

      Cenk has real inner decency, as anyone who watches TYT over time has seen demonstrated over and over again.

      That said… I won’t sign the petition, because at this point, it is counter-productive. JD still has Cenk as cheerleader and full supporter, and JD has me as cheerleader and full supporter. Let’s get on with the business of electing progressives.

  11. I lol’ed when Steph asked if russia was on the influencer list. Everyone seemed to miss it but it was well timed and hilarious!

  13. It will be hard to convince me of a win after such losses. How to best rob someone, convince them you’re the help. If half the population falsely believes there are two parties, and that one hand doesn’t facilitate the other, we the people will continue to lose. We need to start at home, and then transition into our neighborhoods as far as politics, everything else has been coopt’d and corrupted. Can you hear that sucking sound……‘tis a storm brewing at our shorelines.

  14. Highlighting false recent finance stories about TYT!

    https://www.axios.com/the-young-turks-raise-20-million-to-beef-up-their-tech-sales-and-streaming-initiatives-2470673618.html

    Quote from the article linked to above: “This is the first time the company has taken money to expand its business”.

    This is obviously untrue since TYT took $4 million from Republican Buddy Roemer’s investment firm in 2014.
    http://www.politico.com/ blogs/media/2014/04/buddy-roemer-firm-invests-4-million-in-young-turks-network-186934

    1. So… Robert Jordan… what is your solution? Who are you supporting, now that TYT has lost your support?

      Oh wait… You are still here.

  15. Just wanted to say watching Jimmy Dore play Judah Friedlander (World Champ) at ping-pong is the high point of my week so far. Why can’t these shows be a little more lively and fun… Being as news and politics is so dismal right now.

  16. “There is nothing the status quo loves more and rewards as much as those who wear the guise of social justice warriors only to further injustice by preaching divisiveness. There is a cottage industry of supposed truth tellers who are really dissemblers; they pretend to be speaking for us and against the establishment–all along they are getting paid by the same system they act to be against. The system of corporate greed and capital larceny is insidious as much as it is brilliant; all about us are demagogues who are on the payroll of the filthy rich who get paid to pit us against one another. They are endorsed by the status quo as agents of change, but ask yourself, do you really think corporate media will really help further the cause of revolutionary thinkers?” –Cornel West

    Above, West is speaking about Ta-Nehisi Coates, but it seems to me that his comments apply just as much to The Young Turks. TYT is most certainly being paid by the filthy rich – first and foremost, by billionaire Jeffrey Katzenberg.
    https://www.reddit.com/r/tytonreddit/comments/74mp3h/the_case_against_tyts_20_million_venture/

    #freejimmydore

    1. I don’t think most TYT members are going to buy your idiotic attempt at a smear. I’ve been a TYT member for years and have not noticed ANY change in overall policy or message since Cenk announced the 20 million investment.

      It is obvious that there are differences of opinion among the different hosts, guests, and panelists of the many TYT channels. That doesn’t mean that TYT is preaching “devisiveness”. Exchange of ideas and diversity of opinion is something positive that, hopefully, will lead to a path to a better future.

      I wonder who is paying you? Even though you rail against the “filthy rich,” your logic is actually defending the establishment and the status quo.

      1. > I’ve been a TYT member for years and have not noticed ANY change in overall policy or message

        You should be more paying attention to the ownership issues and to the financial issues. Like any self-interested media organization, TYT has no real, official “policy” (so I’m not sure what the above is referring to) but the “message”, as far as I can tell, has been that TYT proclaims itself to be “progressive and independent media”. Nice rhetoric indeed but unfortunately the facts on the ownership/financial side are not backing the rhetoric up.

        It is not in any way “progressive” to be backed by billionaires. I don’t think I even need to explain why this is a bad thing, least of all on the so-called “agressive progressives” board. Bernie Sanders calls out the billionaire class all the time, and shits on them without restraint – I am merely doing the very same thing as Sanders does, albeit in the specific case of TYT.

        Please enlighten me as to what is “progressive” about major TYT investor Jeffrey Katzenberg, the fact of whose record are right here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Katzenberg#Political_activities

        1. Cornel West’s point, which I did not miss, is exactly the point I am making about your argument. It seems to me you are trying to smear TYT because you are trying to defend the establishment.

          1. No, that makes no sense. I am making a fact-based point about TYT’s financial ties to the establishment, and the point just happens to echo Cornel West’s argument about how some self-proclaimedly “progressive” commentators are tied to the establishment (West hasn’t directly commented on TYT, obviously).

          2. Funny softrun I drew the same conclusion, I have always had this thought in the back of my mind: why is
            robert jordan18 so motivated to come on these comment threads ONLY to caste aspirations at TYT? I remember reading rj18 was leaving TYT at the end of the month (and that was at least 3 months ago). Maybe I misread, but I was sure he would be gone by now. Oh well, no big, hang in here rj18, you can come on anytime and bitch your little heart out (I am sure TYT will happily take your cash). PS: Cornel West is a personal hero of mine:)

            1. I bet rj18 misses the irony. He pays TYT just so he can attempt to smear them! I must say that it irritates me greatly that he twists the words of a great progressive only to berate a truly progressive organization.

              1. At some point, you begin to appreciate the irony (and find amusement). It is a nice trick I am working on to get me through the insanity. Someone said it better (on another thread) but the gist is: often well meaning social justice warriors trip themselves up on minutia and fail to see the big picture…either way, rj18 strikes me as a last word freak… he only wins when he keeps you engaged…….Merry Christmas my friend:)

          1. > Frankly, I couldn’t care less who invests in TYT.

            That’s odd, because TYT (in their rhetoric , anyway) and Jimmy Dore clearly care about who invests into the mainstream media.

            Jimmy cares deeply about the fact that 6 corporate conglomerates own nearly all media in the US. “Ownership”, “investment”, “advertising”…I think you’ll find that the lines between all of those blur very easily in their daily practice.

            By the same logic and thinking, we too should care deeply about who invests in TYT, especially if the investors are not ordinary people with ordinary concerns, like you and me.

            1. There’s a big difference between a single person investing in a media outlet, and a corporation owning that media outlet. I invest in TYT each month through my membership, but I don’t have any contact or control over the people who are choosing, editing, commenting on the stories.

              I don’t know the investor that you have mentioned and I don’t really care as long as there is no influence on the content/commentary.

              I think this is quite different from the obvious corporate control that Comcast exerts over the content/commentary that is heard on MSNBC.

              1. > I don’t know the investor that you have mentioned

                I don’t see how this is possible since I have already provided in links his personal Wikipedia page, a record of his political activities, as well as (indirectly) the complete story of how he is linked to TYT.

                Your complete disavowal of the facts could not be more…well….complete.

                1. Obviously, I meant I did not know him personally. And I still stand by what I have said. And I’m still waiting for YOUR evidence that this investor has an input into any kind of editorial control at TYT. I look at it this way. Several years ago when Cenk was at MSNBC, he was offered (according to Steve Oh) a contract for more than a million dollars to do a weekend show. Cenk turned it down because he did not want to be soft on the Obama administration. (I am paraphrasing here, and I fully admit I have no inside info about Cenk or TYT; I’m just a member who believes in TYT) I have a hard time believing that Cenk would let TYT become unduly influenced by this investor or anyone else. Just the fact that you and I can argue back and forth on this TYT website is an indication of that. TYT is a corporation and Cenk could do anything he wants with TYT including censoring this dialogue; this is not public space and TYT could easily remove offending comments. But, they won’t. If they do that or I begin to sense that there is undo Billionaire influence, I’ll join your crusade.

            2. 3L Capital, Greycroft, e.ventures and WndrCo were the investors in the recent $20M round, with 3L Capital as the lead. Presumably they would have negotiated a seat on the board but I don’t think you can say Jeffrey Katzenberg has more influence than the other investors. These are probably smart investors who would understand that Cenk has tapped into a growing progressive market and probably would not want to kill the goose that is laying the golden eggs by radically changing the programming. I also assume that this investor group would have a minority share and Cenk, and earlier investors, would retain control. The TYT situation is different from FOX or MSNBC. TYT was started by Cenk on a shoestring, and he has built up sweat equity and thus retains control. Those other media outlets are owned outright by large corporations.

          2. How about an argument with some evidence behind it?:

            Current stories on TYT’s YouTube page:

            How Much Money Trump Made From His Tax Cuts
            Roy Moore’s Muslim Marxist MELTDOWN
            Trump’s UN Bullying Backfires BIGLY
            Jeff Sessions Un-Recuses Himself
            Trump Patching Things Up With “Little Bobby Corker”??
            Bannon For President?
            Trump Threatens UN

            Current stories on the Jimmy Dore Show YouTube page:

            Progressive Veteran Running For Congress – Wants To Fix Country
            Former Bernie Campaign Director Running For Congress In Iowa
            CIA Spy Chief: Russiagate Has Failed!
            Progressive Mayor Running For Governor Of Connecticut
            Amazon Drivers Urinate In Bottles To Keep Schedule
            Media Watchdog Shames MSNBC’s Horrible Russia Coverage
            Charles Barkley’s Smackdown Of Corporate Democrats After AL Election

            Current stories on MSNBC’s YouTube page:

            President Trump Delivers Remarks Before Signing Tax, Missile Bills
            Russia Investigation Hangs Over Donald Trump Going Into 2018
            White House Finally Admits Donald Trump Will Benefit From Tax Bill
            Ivanka Trump Bungles Basics Of Tax Bill
            Donald Trump “Lies All The Time” – Rep. Jerry Nadler
            Special Report: Robert Mueller Eyes Michael Flynn’s Turkey Links
            Gov. Jay Inslee: We Must Stand Up To Donald Trump

            Which list is markedly different?

            1. So what’s your point? Are you trying to say TYT is just like MSNBC? If you really believe that then, why don’t you quit your TYT membership and give that money instead to Jimmy Dore through Patreon?

              Personally, I support TYT through my membership, and I also support Jimmy Dore through a monthly donation via Patreon.

              1. My point is that TYT is becoming too much like MSNBC, and folks that believe in progressive ideals should speak out against that drift.

                2. At this point, it’s not even a “this will inevitably happen” type argument. For the last couple of months, there is barely 10 per cent stores in the main show (either the synopsis or commentary) that I cannot get on MSM (only it gets to the main show later). And that’s no accident, they are putting all their priorities into maximizing Youtube views, which basically means loading content with Trump, Hollywood, television – essentially reducing itself to something halfway between poptrigger and MSNBC lite. That is no coincidence, a 20 M investment demands return, copious amounts of it, which membership from a progressive viewer base cannot possibly satisfy. You have to max out the returns from social media, and all of us know that independent political analysis/ commentary is not the best way to get there.
                  If anybody claims that the content from the last couple of months has been something they cannot get on MSM, they are either not very attentive or reacting purely to longtime emotional attachments.

      2. > It is obvious that there are differences of opinion among the different hosts, guests, and panelists of the many TYT channels. That doesn’t mean that TYT is preaching “devisiveness”. Exchange of ideas and diversity of opinion is something positive that, hopefully, will lead to a path to a better future.

        Cornel West’s point – which you surely must have missed – is that some people pretend to be “progressive” while they’re really serving the neoliberal, establishmentarian status quo. Mainly because they are being financially rewarded by the neoliberal system.

        I take no pleasure in applying this same logic to TYT but I know for a fact that TYT is being rewarded in this manner…so what choice am I really left with? I share Cornel West’s principles as well as the ruthless dedication to those principles.

      3. The fact that much of your argument is an evidence-free personal attack on the poster (robertjordan18) says a lot about your argument. The content of the main show has gotten hard to distinguish from MSNBC, with lots about Russia and Trump and not so much about the underlying systemic problems. Like Jimmy D says, Trump is not the disease, Trump is the symptom of the disease. TYT Corp’s failure to emphasize that makes it hard to stay on board.

        What was done to Jordan Chariton was a turning point for me. It was just not right.

        1. If you really think that TYT main shows are ‘hard to distinguish from MSNBC’ , then your point of view is clear, and we agree to disagree.

          1. If you have been watching TYT for years, then surely you know that most stories are copied directly from MSNBC or from the Huffington Post. Originality has never been TYT’s strongest suit (from the very beginning) and this hasn’t exactly improved in 2016/2017.

            1. If you or anyone else thinks TYT gets most of its stories directly from MSNBC, then I don’t think you are watching most of the main hour shows on TYT. But that is your opinion and as I said to another poster, we agree to disagree.

                1. Ok, have it your way. We disagree completely. But you have an awful lot of work ahead of you if you think you’re going to convince many people, especially with smear tactics.

                2. 1. Donald Trump is the president, so uh… yeah, they’re going to run a lot of stories about him. It sucks, I agree, but such is the nature of politics today.
                  2. The stories may often coincide with MSNBC’s, but if you’re going to sit here and claim that the actual coverage is anywhere near the same, then neither I nor anyone else can help you. How many times do Cenk and co. have to clarify that Hillary lost the election, regardless of what Russia/Russian affiliates/whomever did or did not do?
                  3. You realize that Aggressive Progressives is part of the TYT Network, correct!?

                  1. I’d have an easier time keeping the faith if they hadn’t tossed out Jordan Chariton like yesterday’s trash. The reasons given were bullshit. Anything resembling a sex scandal was deemed too much of a threat to corporate profits, regardless of facts or principles. It just wasn’t right.

                    1. Jordan Chariton was fired for stealing….PERIOD. I heard the tearful sex-story of the young woman accuser and I would happily take a 10 to 1 bet that using company funds for truth against the machine was the MAIN reason for his firing. That doesn’t mean that I don’t think he was/is an EXCELLENT reporter, but here’s a clue: He worked for a company called the young Turks, Cenk is Turkish. I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Istanbul and here is something that should be carved in stone: NEVER FUCK WITH A TURKS MONEY!

                  2. If folks want to say that TYT’s editorial changed after we received $20mm in investment, they need to compare our stories before and after the investment, not compare TYT and Jimmy Dore!

                    The fact is, after the Nov 2016 election and maybe even a bit before then, the TYT main show covered too much Trump in my personal opinion. Jimmy totally agreed with me. That’s why we launched Aggressive Progressives, to focus on deeper issues outside the daily news cycle. The TYT main show is a daily show with tighter turn arounds so it focuses more on the daily news cycle and given that Trump is our president, he is in the news all the time.

                    Anyway, Jimmy and I have been doing Aggressive Progressives well before and well after the $20m investment. I don’t know if the investors watch AP or not and frankly, I don’t care. No one has ever said to Cenk or me that we have to change the editorial in any way.

                    I can say all day long that the investors have no say and no influence on TYT’s editorial but it doesn’t really matter. As members, you guys have to have a level of trust. If you trust us as an organization and give us your hard earned money to help finance our business, thank you so much!!! If you don’t trust us, you should stop being a member. I thank you for your past support and I’m disappointed that we no longer have it but I wish you the best. No hard feelings.

  17. Taxi drivers in foreign countries are the worst of the worst, and employ dozens of schemes to rip you off. They deserve to burn in hell. I’d rather walk.

  19. I love White Castle. The last time I heard and looked into their finances, they even offer their employees PENSIONS!

  23. I always take taxis here in Toronto and service varies widely depending on where you are and which taxi company you go with. For years I went with a smaller company until their service really deteriorated a couple years ago, then I switched to a larger company and haven’t had any real issues so far. Most have been really friendly and courteous to me (although I suspect it’s become well known among local drivers that I’m a good tipper so that might be why.) There have been lots of horror stories involving both taxis and Uber, but I’ve heard of more specifically involving creeps harassing and/or assaulting women through Uber, which is why I’m more hesitant to try it out.

  24. Wow what a great conversation near the end. This is why having Steve on the show is crucial since he has a great ability to break down and elaborate on Jimmy’s fantastic rants.

  25. Doug Jones did not get more votes cast by blacks in his Alabama senate race than Barack Obama got in that state in either his 2008 and 2012 presidential races.

    In the 2017 Alabama senate race 1,334,367 votes were cast. Jones got 671,151 of that total. Blacks made up 29% of all voters, 96% of them voted for Jones. 389,866 blacks voted for Jones, 55.8% of his total vote.

    In the 2012 presidential race 2,074,338 votes were cast in Alabama. Obama got 795,696 of that total. Blacks made up 28% of all voters, 95% of them voted for Obama. 551,773 blacks voted for Obama that year, 69.3% of his total vote.

    In the 2008 presidential race 2,099,819 votes were cast in Alabama. Obama got 813,479 of that total. Blacks made up 29% of all voters, 98% of them voted for Obama. 596,768 blacks voted for Obama that year, 73.3% of his total vote.

    1. Thanks for clearing that up. Then the result is largely due to turn out suppression on the Republican side, which isn’t surprising. I’ve been citing it incorrectly, copying incorrect info.

  26. Even Michael Shure, a frequent guest on Tyt, says that Doug Jones needs to vote Republican to keep his seat, He couldn’ t be more wrong!! I like Michael but how can he not see the big picture??

    2. “Even Michael Shure”…? Have you been watching TYT long? Michael is as solidly conservative as Hillary Clinton. In Michael’s Big Picture, the perfect world is one run by Centrists, which in olden days used to be called Moderate Republicans. Nowadays, we call them Centrist Democrats.

Leave a Comment