As CNN reported last week, “experts” — that is, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama — say that “alt-left” is just a made-up term, a slur. There is no real equivalent to the “alt-right” across the aisle, as long as you don’t count that extreme fringe in the antifa who wear matching black hoodies, bring baseball bats and pepper spray to pro-Trump rallies, and riot and start fires on May Day while calling for an end to capitalism. But they’re just a small minority.
Word is out, though, and i24NEWS’s David Shuster is also helping spread the word that alt-left is just a smear, and it’s especially repugnant when centrist, Hillary-supporting Democrats use it to smear the far-left Bernie Bros.
Democrats who appropriated the term 'alt-left' to smear progressives should take a long, hard look at their own failings, says @DavidShuster pic.twitter.com/XzA8564xTF
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 19, 2017
@i24NEWS_EN Hi David! I was wondering where you wound up. Best of luck!
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) August 19, 2017
That video is a few days old, so maybe Shuster was trying to stir up some interest by shaming MSNBC contributor Joan Walsh and host Joy Ann Reid into a pubic Twitter fight. Walsh has been using alt-left in her tweets for quite a while, but this tweet perhaps offers her definition most clearly.
Never use the term BernieBros anymore. Now there are alt-left bros who think mocking Clinton supporters is doing political work
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) January 22, 2017
Like we said, maybe a name-and-shame approach would bring the issue to light? It worked, and Walsh wasn’t thrilled to have it mansplained to her what terms she is and isn’t allowed to use.
Try again @JoyAnnReid @joanwalsh. If you want to move on, you should just apologize and pledge not to use "alt-left" again. https://t.co/o0RZVlSV7m
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) August 21, 2017
David, you don't get it. Neither Joy nor I have to take orders from you. I know you think that's your role, though. A lotta men do
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) August 21, 2017
Didn’t Shuster used to anchor for MSNBC? Damned if we’d know, but that’s what his Twitter bio says.
I thought he looked familiar. He is just one of many to tweet outrageous shit in an attempt to become or remain relevant. Nice try Dave.
— Darnell Moses (@darnell_moses) August 21, 2017
He was relevant about 10 years ago. Trying to reclimb the ladder on the backs of women. It's cool. We're slippery.
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) August 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/TravisChilcott/status/899741148276719621
I stand behind using the term when I used it, the way I used it. Had nothing to do with how Trump used it, despite sad wannabes lying.
— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) August 21, 2017
But back to the topic at hand:
Who are the "alt left", anyways? Liberals that want healthcare for everyone? Citizens United overturned? Those assholes.
— Robert Hallock? (@Thracks) August 21, 2017
Yes, they’re just liberals who want health care for everyone, and will put on a kerchief and hoodie and beat you with a baseball bat until you either agree with them or just agree to shut up.
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Related:
New MSM low: WaPo glamorizes anti-Trump FASCISTS for smashing windows to ‘make a point’ https://t.co/lwVtddMS9m
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 11, 2017
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