David Brock is a dangerous man

[Cocoa]

Pat Robertson and Bill Bennett were getting away with crap like that for years.

Both of these major scandals started with tips to MediaMatters.org.

[jonnyblitz]

1. david brock has redeemed himself for sure

since his days as a right wing hatchet man. I am glad he is on our side now. :thumbsup:

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Well, he was the only one who knew 100% that he was telling the truth.

I'm glad he persevered.

[journalist3072]

23. You're absolutely right

He's someone who actually realized their errors, and course corrected.

He even wrote a letter of apology to the Clintons one time, printed in a magazine.

He just got caught up in the whole Trooper Gate/Paula Jones fiasco.

But I think he has more than re-paid his debt, with what he is doing with Media Matters.

I can't bare to listen to people like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly, or else I'd be sick to my stomach 24/7. So I'm glad David Brock is listening for me! :)

[Cha]

2. David Brock has my

Props!

[Kolesar]

4. What is this about?

tell me, tell me

[The Jacobin]

5. This

This is Brock's website: http://mediamatters.org/ It is now required reading for you. Your homework of a one page summary of the day's stories is due tomorrow. :bounce:

Start with this story: Bill Bennett: "You could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down"

[I Have A Dream]

7. If you're not familiar with MediaMatters.org...

it is amazing. After DU and Salon.com, it's my favorite place on the web for finding ammunition to fight the good fight. In my opinion, the best thing about it is the videos that prove someone said something. In the past, people would say things and then deny it. Now there's a web site that you can send to people proving that their hero said the disgusting thing that he/she is currently denying he/she said.

I've used it several times with things that Rush Limbaugh's said. He denies it, and then MediaMatters.org posts the actual clip. Some people won't believe things unless they see it with their own eyes and hear it with their own ears.

(If you were already familiar with MediaMatters.org, then please forgive me for posting this, but maybe it will help someone else.)

[Kolesar]

10. and the scandals were..the Plame outing by Libby/Rove & ? scandal

[I Have A Dream]

13. The things that I used it for were when he made fake ads that he claimed..

were made by Democrats. One was for John Roberts and I can't remember the other fake ad. My friend insisted that the Democrats were evil for making an ad that he heard on the radio. It turned out that it was a fake ad that Rush made. He didn't even hear it on Limbaugh's show. (Other right wing radio jocks were playing it also as though it was real.)

When he heard it on MediaMatters.org, he was flabbergasted. He couldn't deny it or claim that anyone was misrepresenting what Limbaugh said.

[Cocoa]

19. I was referring to two

Pat Robertson calling for the assassination of Chavez, which could easily have been missed, but which blew up in Pat's face -- he actually ended up APOLOGIZING TO CHAVEZ -- because MediaMatters caught it.

And now Bennett...

[Kolesar]

28. thanks

[charlie]

6. He is, indeed

When he turned I remember thinking, nice, but so what? A rightwing shitslinger looking for love in new places, because he sure isn't gonna get it from his old crowd.

Shows what I know. He's done massive good. He's relentless. And he's given up shitslinging for collecting pelts honestly.

[I Have A Dream]

8. What's the story with David Brock? Why did he change sides?

It's such a rare thing to do.

Thanks!

[AlCzervik]

9. you should read his confessionial-"Blinded by the right"

confessions of a rw hitman.

[highplainsdem]

12. Seconding that recommendation.

[charlie]

11. He was a dependable and lauded muckraker for the right

writing salacious "exposes" on Anita Hill and the Clintons. The wingers loved him. Then he took a whopping advance for a book on Hillary and during the course of his research, something happened -- he discovered the facts didn't align with the right's malevolent Hillary caricature and he found his conscience. The book, while in no way a kid glove treatment of its subject, was badly received by the wingers... and they turned on Brock. Fiercely. It was an eye-opener for him. He took stock of his situation, decided he couldn't endure the company of lowlifes any longer, and eventually wrote a letter of apology to the Clintons.

He's been on our side since.

[I Have A Dream]

14. Wow - I didn't know this. It takes a big person to do what he's done.

I really admire Media Matters -- in fact, I've donated to it in the past because it's such a valuable resource for our side.

Thanks for the synopsis, charlie.

[charlie]

17. Sure, you bet

Remember "Troopergate"? Cops procuring women for randy Bill? One woman who resisted Bubba's charms, later identified as Paula... which got us on the long road that lead to Monica?

That was David Brock's work.

[SidDithers]

15. He's also gay...

and finally got sick of the Republican hypocrisy toward gay rights.

I'll add my recommendation to the others up thread, read Blinded by the Right.

Sid

[Ladyhawk]

20. It's a tough read.

Learning about what goes on behind the scenes made me so angry I couldn't see straight. I couldn't finish the book! It was that bad.

[yankeedem]

16. Excellent summary

add to that that Brock is a gay man who could no longer stand the hypocracy of the closeted Washington Gop gay scene at night and the gay bashing culture by day.

It's a good book, I am going to read it again soon.

[AlCzervik]

18. i should also mention his book is a good reference tool

it's a veritable who's who of rw assholes, it's good to have if you ever watch cable "Opinion" shows and they have a rw guest on.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

21. Which one? Noise machine, or Blinded?

[AlCzervik]

25. Blinded, i haven't read Noise Machine yet so i don't know but i'm sure

thats equally as good for reference.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

26. I'm so pissed--I'm reading 'Blinded' but I've misplaced my copy somewhere.

It took a while for me to find it at a local bookstore.

I hope to find it soon. Excellent book from what I've read so far.

[Elwood P Dowd]

22. EVERYBODY that posts on here should read that book!

<eom>

[senseandsensibility]

24. We will...we will.....

BROCK YOU!!! The scum have been duly brocked.

[turbo_satan]

27. Brock's "Republican Noise Machine" is a treasure-trove...

of information about the history of the Right's tyranny of misinformation. It should be required reading for anyone who hangs out on DU. You'll be well-equipped to recognize the right-wing shills who are always trotted out for "expert" opinion and analysis on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and their ilk. The conflicts of interest boggle the mind. One of the best things about the book is that it dispels the notion that there's a relativity of ideas. People have long been conditioned to accept that given diametric representations of a concept, the truth must lie somewhere between the ideological endpoints. In our media, however, the deck is often stacked unfairly in favor of the corporate-owned Right and the position presented by and paid for by the Right is often absurd and an outright fabrication. Such a mechanism was developed over many, many years with malice aforethought and the Left has no such mechanism with which to counter the onslaught of disinformation.

For a lighter-weight intro to the ideas in Brock's book, Bobby Kennedy Jr. did a great piece in Vanity Fair a few months back. Here's a reprint:

http://www.sentienttimes.com/05/june_july_05/disinformation.html

[Democrat 4 Ever]

29. Just throwing this out there - could you possibly mean David Brooks?

Now there's a reichwing asshole. He has taken the word "journalist" to a new low.

Be sure and read "Blinded by the Right," wonderful read that proves that repugs can be redeemed if they possess any moral fiber to begin with. David Brock has all the skinny on the thugs and has more than earned his props for outing this bunch of thugs.