The Washington Post’s Philip Bump recently decided to take a look at “how right-wing misinformation gets carefully curated into a near-existential anti-elite worldview,” and he made some pretty insightful discoveries.
Just kidding. He was his usual hacky self.
Bump’s story centered on UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell, who, in response to questions from interviewers, has offered up his thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If you want to see how right-wing misinformation gets carefully curated into a near-existential anti-elite worldview, look no further than the elevation of UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell. https://t.co/8hFeIjBGkK
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 9, 2022
It’s useful to point out the irony of Fox News inviting an athlete to offer his unfiltered assessment of the world. In the conversation with Carlson, Mitchell presented his thoughts on a number of different issues. On how pandemic restrictions were a sign that “evil has took over this nation,” for example. And, in one lengthy riff, how Biden “used our tax dollars to bribe [his son] a job,” how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) should have been arrested for insider trading, how they “closed down all of our pipelines and wonder why the price of oil has gone through the roof,” how “our actual currency is controlled by a small group called the Federal Reserve, that ain’t federal and ain’t a reserve.”He had a theory why this was all happening.“These people are trying to destroy our country because they are profiting off the downfall of our country,” he said, later adding that “it’s insidious in nature. It’s made to control.”“It’s amazing what you’re saying,” Carlson replied, “all of which is, in my view, true.”
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CNN’s Jake Tapper interviewed noted white supremacist Richard Spencer to get his thoughts on current events, but let’s come after Tucker Carlson for interviewing a UFC fighter who rightly noted that Joe Biden is corrupt, Nancy Pelosi is corrupt, and that gas prices have shot up because Democrats have acted shut down domestic oil production.
I really am not trying to spend all of my time on Tucker Carlson, but you really need to understand how dishonest he is with this stuff. Just look at what he does with "traitor" claims here. https://t.co/8hFeIjBGkK
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 9, 2022
Anyway, speaking of dishonest, let’s turn to a small but nonetheless interesting detail in Bump’s piece:
OKhttps://t.co/EHOzGAe1gN pic.twitter.com/DbTPCBSSmp
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) March 9, 2022
Ah, yes. That infamous right-wing pundit Glenn Greenwald.
Huh. @ggreenwald is a "right-wing pundit" now according to the Washington Post. That's news to me. https://t.co/sRdJgKOtIx
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) March 9, 2022
And pretty sure @pbump knows damn well Greenwald is not "right-wing," so near as I can tell he's doing this to create a narrative where a) anyone who questions Democratic party priorities is "right-wing" and b) anything "right-wing" is discreditable. https://t.co/hIsn18f1Sh
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) March 9, 2022
Near as we can tell, Mark Hemingway is correct.
Bump won’t admit that, of course:
Or maybe I am able and willing to differentiate between "Republican" and "right wing." pic.twitter.com/766IwBgvk6
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 9, 2022
Well, Philip, while there is indeed a distinction to be made between “Republican” and “right wing,” that doesn’t make your characterization of Glenn Greenwald any more accurate. Calling him a “right-wing pundit” is still ridiculous and wrong.
Also, what are the "Democratic party priorities" at issue here? Imposing sanctions on Russia? Not nodding at Putin's presumptive rationale for invasion?
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 9, 2022
Here's another use-case: The Federalist and its writers are espousing a right-wing worldview, not a conservative one.
— Philip Bump (@pbump) March 9, 2022
That was Philip Bump’s attempt at a clever shot at Hemingway’s wife, Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway. Always a good look to go after a guy’s wife, particularly when said wife is not involved in the conversation. Real good sign you’re winning the argument.
As is dismissing Glenn Greenwald as a “right-wing pundit,” of course!
We will see how this "everyone except the most mainline subset of Elizabeth Warren primary voters are right-wing now" viewpoint works out over the long run.
If you tell everyone they might as well be Republicans, there's a danger that some of them will actually believe you.
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) March 9, 2022
"Oh oh but he talks to one of the more heterodox Fox hosts about an issue with little traditional left-right ideological valence!"
Sorry, this is not convincing.
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) March 9, 2022
If you want to realign the political lexicon so that Russia-hawk is the main "left" position and Russia-dove the "right" position, that's your prerogative.
But then you should be calling Sean Hannity left-wing and Ilhan Omar right-wing.
Me, I'll continue to think that's silly.
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) March 9, 2022
Going to get my economic takes from my favorite right-wing pundit, Glenn Greenwald pic.twitter.com/J5zyLQOlFa
— Alan Cole (@AlanMCole) March 9, 2022
Have fun, Alan!
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