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.
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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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