"The Rise of the New Right"

[H2O Man]

Please watch the new Chris Matthews special on MSNBC tonight (7-8 pm/est; repeated at midnight). It documents the ties between some of the lower-profile extremist groups, with the Tea Bag Party. I assure you that, unless you belong to these groups, you will find this program informative and highly interesting.

The "main-stream" media has either avoided this subject, or has misrepresented it as a group of clowns. In fact, these people pose a threat to our nation. Some members, primarily in the militias, believe the Obama administration is preparing to have a military crackdown, and are stocking up on amunition. Many other members, particularly Tea Baggers, are hoping to create an atmosphere where there will be a military coup in the US. They believe this would increase the chances of "real democracy."

Matthews is a curious fellow. Sometimes annoying, sometimes right on target. Tonight, he hits the bull's eye.

Let me know what you think of it.

Peace,
H2O Man

[babylonsister]

1. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks, H20 Man. nt

[H2O Man]

2. Me, too.

A lot of work went into it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. looking forwards to it waterman

[H2O Man]

11. It'll be good.

Definitely worth watching.

[NotThisTime]

4. Just from his previews, I wonder how they differ from the radical's in Pakistan

Other than the head scarves worn in Pakistan, I wonder what the difference is... I also realize the Radicals are a small percentage over there as are the tea party crowd is here... Maybe the previews have just over hyped what he reported...

[OHdem10]

5. Thanks--all eyes and ears are waiting.

[Rosco T.]

6. Should be renamed...

"Rise of the new Reich"

[H2O Man]

7. !

Very good!

[blm]

8. And please don't let the RWers claim the Gadsden Flag - Ben Franklin had PROGRESSIVE views

wrapped up in that symbol...anti-imperialism and the certainty that ours would be a nation that would never strike first but would strike back with precision if attacked.

Many of us on the left used it to protest Bush's imperialism and his invasion of nations that did not attack us.

Just because Matthews allows the Teabaggers to distort the flag inappropriately and claim it for their own, doesn't mean we give it to them, too.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgWTM4TN_24

Don't Tread on Me

In some old dusty attic
Undisturbed for many years
There lies a tattered banner
That is stained with blood and tears
By men who knew that freedom
Must be fought for by the free
And died to save a ragged flag
That said Don't Tread on Me

Don't Tread on Me
I'm a rattlesnake with
Diamonds down my back
When other men retreat
That's just the time that I attack
Because a dream that's worth defending
Is a dream that's bound to be
A ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

Two hundred years of glory
And the glory's just begun
We may have lost some battles
But these colors never run
We drew the line at Valley Forge
We held at Bunker Hill
The cannon smoke is lifting
I can see that banner still

Don't Tread on me
I'm a mountain lion
And courage is my name
I tamed a wild country
But I'm wild just the same
And from that rocky Boston harbor
To the California Sea
A ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

This nation isn't what we've done
It's what we've got to do
Remember that United States
Can only start with you
We better be recalling
What this country's all about
And rally round that ragged flag
And hear the people shout
Don't Tread on Me
I'm a grizzly bear
That's not afraid to bite
I don't look for trouble
But when trouble comes I fight
Because my daddy taught me freedom
Has no lifetime guarantee
A ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

The winds of change are blowing
And they're sure to shake this land
We stood all we can take
And now it's time to take a stand
Let's tell the men who make the laws
In Washington D.C.
Unfurl again
That ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

Don't Tread on me
I'm an eagle
Who is clawing at the sky
I want that banner waving up
Where eagles dare to fly
And blazing in the sunlight
So that friend and foe can see
A ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

Don't Tread on us
We're Americans
And we were born to lead
Our skin is every color
And our faith is every creed
We are 300 million people
But on one thing we agree
A ragged flag that said
Don't Tread on Me

Michael O'Donoghue
© 1983 Least Loved Music, BMI


Don't let them pervert Ben Franklin's legacy to ALL of us.

[WeDidIt]

9. I was planning on watching it all the way up to last night

I'll decide later if I'll catch it in a rerun.

Probably not, though.

[Born_A_Truman]

10. I've been debating on whether I watch it or not ...

Don't know if my BP can handle it.

[H2O Man]

12. 4 minutes .....

[KonaKane]

13. I dont see much new about the "new" right.

Looks like a reconstitution of the same old putrid right, to me. They've simply added a few new slogans and surface features.

[H2O Man]

15. John Birch Society

revisited.

[KonaKane]

37. "Re"visited. Exactly.

[Dawson Leery]

14. It's Matthews hosting though.

[mmonk]

16. We are recording it.

Thanks.

[B Calm]

17. Watching!

[S n o w b a l l]

18. I've watched 2 min and I'm already pissed.

Where were they & what were they thinking during the Bush regime????

[MadMaddie]

47. They were there and they were allowed to mass weapons

under the name of freedom. The * administration turned a blind eye to them to get their vote.

Janet Napolitono was right when she said these militias posed a national security risk.

[Overseas]

19. I'm a little afraid to watch because he might not show how powerful Republican PR money has been

in stoking the fear and anger in those fringe groups.

That's the big story that our conservative broadcast conglomerates have largely ignored-- how much Republican money is poured into the obscure angry "genuine grass roots" groups.

I don't want to see him just discuss the various groups without lots of coverage about how many right wing billionaires pour money into stirring things up. The Right has tons of guys like Richard Mellon Scaife, and when they try to do a "right back at you" all they can think of is George Soros.

[blm]

23. Excellent point. And why no interest when the left marched under the Gadsden Flag to protest Bush?

.

[Minnesota_Lib]

50. That was my main concern as well. He totally ignored Rachel's great investigative work...

...exposing Freedom Work's funding and the fact they were behind the staged, phony "grassroots" disruptions of Democrat town hall meetings. All the evidence is there. This was a major oversight in Matthews's exposée. It reveals how these extremists have been manipulated by corporate interests who play on these rightwingers' uniformed and often racist views in order to create fake media events designed to sway public opinion against Obama's attempt to bring the our health care system in line with other civilized countries. They took this strategy right out of Edward Bernays's playbook.


This is the most telling element in the creation of the Tea Party movement, in my opinion....and it was ignored. I was rather disappointed to say the least.

More on Bernays if you want a true understanding of how the right seems to control the media and public opinion. It is fascinating.

[Overseas]

52. Sorry to hear I was right and the professional right wing PR dollars were ignored. //nt

[H2O Man]

53. While no numbers were

provided, the documentary definitely showed that the republican right is staging these events. Trainings, etc, were shown.

[Overseas]

54. I'm glad to hear that Republican Right staging was covered.

That is a really important part of these surges in extremism.

Now I will click around to watch it online or something.

It is really frightening that the Republican response to being the party at 29% popularity was to stir up the dangerous hatred and anger in once-isolated fringe groups.

They did that during Clinton's time also.

But now, much more of our mass media is in right wing hands, so they aren't called out on that dangerous manipulation of desperate people bankrupted by the plutocracy.

[H2O Man]

56. One of the reasons

that I wanted DUers to watch it is because while they are toxic, the extreme right wing has been busy organizing. To give the devils their due, they are out-doing the progressive left. Part of their advantage is the money from the party. Part of it is their rigid personality structures, which we do not want in even a remote sense. But they do work hard, starting from the neighborhood level. And that is where the left needs to really focus.

[Overseas]

57. I see what you mean.

But they have been largely egged on to rally and push by those professional PR firms.

Had my 21st Century FDR President and Democratic Majority plan been done as soon as President Obama came in, with Medicare for All or at minimum a steadfast public option right off the bat as a People's Bailout because We Are Democrats-- things would have been so different.

[H2O Man]

58. Exactly.

The Progressive Left will not get funds from the "big interests" -- they are only interested in taking funding from us. We see this on the internet today. And we do not have (m)any powerful politicians to rally around. The powerful politicians do not want to be seen with us in public; they only seek our vote when we are behind a curtain in a voting booth.

But we have other historical examples. The most important, in my opinion, remains Martin Luther King's 1968 plan for a Poor People's Campaign. We need to invest our money in our causes, and to become more visible, in an organized manner. We can expect no help from the corporate media. None from Washington. No foundation grants. But we can operate from that point of strength that is associated with being right.

[bleever]

20. Tuning in right now.

Thanks!

[chill_wind]

21. K & R-- tuning in now. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. So far this is what I expected, a little soft

but I am sure it will get more punchy soon

[HughMoran]

26. As annoying as all the promotional material was

I'm trying to stomach it. So far all I see are deeply mentally ill zombies.

[AlinPA]

24. 7:16 PM, at this point it sounds like an ad for the right wing. Especially the part about birthers.

It is tough listening to Matthews, he is hard to take, his yelling instead of talking.

[H2O Man]

25. please stop

[HughMoran]

27. All I see are some mentally deranged people making fools of themselves

:shrug:

[H2O Man]

30. The director

of the Southern Poverty Law Center is certainly not part of a pro-Tea Bag show.

[HughMoran]

32. yes, I realize that

lol

[H2O Man]

34. Yes.

I know that.

[HughMoran]

36. I wish they'd put others like him on soon

I'm getting a little tired of muting the tired rhetoric we've been listening to for a year now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Ok as textbook example of a plot

it is NOW getting punchier...

I write for a living and I understand this building of expectation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Well the paws of freedom works are all over

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. Rand is NOT a neophyte

for god sakes he's helped dad a lot. He is an idiot, and does not know when to shut up, but neophyte. I disagree Chris.

[SeattleGirl]

33. "I want my [white] country back."

That's what these freakin' yahoo's are saying.

The inmates in the asylum are getting more dangerous.

[Kablooie]

35. It's over the top. The heavy dramatic music gives undeserved weight.

[HughMoran]

38. I think he's getting to the point now

Tea Party = Birch Society & McCarthyism

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Well going at Reagan was good

realize this is a dangerous period in US history.

[H2O Man]

41. It is.

One of the dangers is that a large segment of the population is only mildly familiar with the Tea Baggers, etc. Too often, the corporate media shows them as semi-rational. Not all MSNBC viewers are as informed as the average DUer. So a documentary that connects this many dots is of real value.

[SeattleGirl]

40. The arch conservatives/tea baggers/whackadoodles have been

screaming for decades that they want "their" country back.

Know what, folks over there in Loonieville?

I DON'T THINK YOU HAD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, EXCEPT FOR IN THE DARK RECESSES OF YOUR OWN MINDS.

[mmonk]

43. That pretty much sums up the John Birchers mentally.

Afterall, CPAC was sponsored this past year by them and if you want to know how crazy they are, they called Dwight Eisenhower a Russian spy. The fact that some elements in the Republican party have welcomed them back should tell you the lack of limits that party is willing to go to regain power.

[SeattleGirl]

42. "Hi, I'm Sarah Palin, and I'm lying my ass off to you."

"And I'm ever so thankful that none of you have the brains God gave a slug, because then I can continue to get away with it."

Note: The names of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, or any number of other lying assholes can be substituted for Sister Sarah's.

[spanone]

44. got it on the dvr....look forward to critiquing

[malaise]

45. It's quite good

The problem with Tweety is that he is très 'lite' - he always skims the surface.
I don't think he deals with the race issue very well.

[H2O Man]

46. A documentary

that is more based on investigation into that topic, and a couple others, would be great. MSNBC will not allow their journalists to go there.

[malaise]

51. Absolutely correct

:hi:

[handmade34]

48. no mention of the church

I think the Christian religion is a large component of the movement and Chris Matthews is too indoctrinated in the Catholic church to address the issue

[akbacchus_BC]

49. I admire you and like your posts but would not look at Mattews

diatribe!

Here is my question... why when a white guy gets elected, these people were no where to be seen and as soon as a black guy gets elected, the KKK is back into action?

Peace to you and yours

[Overseas]

55. For me, the show should have BEGUN with the GOP's 29% popularity

and how they stirred up the militia types in the 90's during Clinton's administration. The GOP was in a quandry-- their leaders Bush and Cheney had driven the country off the cliff-- economically and militarily. They needed to distract the voters from that dismal record. And Democrats were voted in and could try to prove that government could be a force for good, which right wing major mentors like Grover Norquist, and multinational corporations like BP and Exxon Mobil, detest. So they moved their millions into stirring up wild discontent again.

I've already seen clips I and II on the website and he is still not talking about the key point-- the GOP wants their power back BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY and their right wing supporters funded the whole stirring up of the anger, from the campaign season onward. THere are many right wing PR groups in the background that are not being given the credit they deserve.

Had the Democrats impeached Bush Cheney in 2006, things would have been very different. Had President Obama come in and immediately declared that the people needed a bailout after the Bush Crash and Bush Bailout to Big Finance and pushed through Medicare for All, things would be very different. The bizarre bipartisan pretending that Republicans under Bush Cheney had not destroyed our economy and national defense gave the hard right more time to stir up more of the dangerous fringe groups. We could have done the bipartisan thing by saying we wanted to be bipartisan but the modern GOP had strayed from its core principles of financial restraint and a strong effective military. We needed to repair their destructive privatization and deregulation first.

Hey, finally, now in clip THREE, Freedomworks comes up. But too briefly. Then Chris goes on to gush about those "genuine grass roots" groups voting in Scott Brown.

Where is his review of how the Republicans used to try to distance themselves from the extremists? But after they were at 29% when President Obama began his term, they got desperate and kept stoking the racist fear and desperation they had used during campaign season.

There are so many different right wing billionaires pushing the discontent from a variety of angles. Reading "What Liberal Media?" by Eric Alterman, was surprising to me in its detail about the extent of the propaganda machinery on the right. That is a big story.

Too much pretending that "golly gee, this is some kind of amazing natural rush of genuine sentiment," and we're on PART FOUR without even talking about the five big broadcast hate flamers-- Limbaugh, Beck, Savage, Weiner, etc. Hasn't even mentioned the hours and hours of right wing hatred those guys spew.

THen he presents some historical figures in right wing history. John Birch Society. Barry Goldwater. But he hasn't talked about the Lewis Powell memo of '71, or the right wing re-tooling after they lost the nomination of Judge Bork to the Supreme Court.

Didn't mention the 24/7 Anti Democratic Fox News until over halfway through the broadcast!

Oh well, perhaps some people in the audience didn't know about the range of right wing groups out there so they learned something. And I appreciate the reference to how Father Coughlin preached his hate messages during the depression.

But overall, I didn't like the way Chris introduced the range of groups without enough emphasis on Grover Norquist, Richard Mellon Scaife and their ilk.

[1Hippiechick]

59. +++++++++++++

:thumbsup: