*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*
It is simply disgusting to listen to some journalists and news organizations report and comment on the Russian’s favorite American fascist, the one in the White House, as if he, his agenda, or administration are normal and not an existential threat to the people and the country. Being fair and balanced is one thing; portraying the Trump as anything other than a terrifying aberration is abominable. However, there is one “news” personality that has gone out of his way to praise the Trump and there is a good reason; he is being paid by Russia.
Once upon a time, Ed Schultz faked out no small number of progressives and liberals as a self-styled “prairie populist,” but for the second time in six years, he revealed his true conservative bona fides. He also exposed his true national allegiance when he signed on to get paid by Vladimir Putin to anchor a nightly show on Russia’ state-run network (RT) in America.
One always assumed Schultz was no progressive and no kind of liberal, in large part due to his exhortation to Democrats to sit out the 2010 midterm elections to “teach President Obama” a lesson about not fulfilling promises he clearly never made. No matter, Schultz had a hand in giving the teabaggers control of the House of Representatives they have never feared losing. Now Schultz is pimping for Donald Trump as a heroic figure fighting for the “little people,” and it is either because he was always a dyed-in-the-wool conservative or because he is employed by Russian president Vladimir Putin; it is probably a combination of the two.
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Although he used to deride Trump’s Russian cohort Vlad as “Putie,” he has changed his tone; even a two-faced cretin like Ed Schultz recognizes it’s not a good idea to criticize his employer. As the Washington Post noted in December, since he has become a paid hack for Russia, and America’s voice as surrogate for Russian president Vlad Putin, “Schultz, who once said on MSNBC that Putin is crippling his country and has a nasty human rights record, now has a Russo-friendly, or perhaps American-skeptical, viewpoint on any number of issues.”
Schultz has performed a one-hundred-eighty degree turn on Donald Trump as well. After calling Trump a racist and ridiculing his political ambitions a few short years ago, this week he praised Trump’s skills during CPAC and “downplayed” Russian Vladimir Putin’s role in interfering with an American election to install a friend of Russia in the White House. Schultz’s embrace of Trump is obviously a requirement to land a gig with Russia’s state-sponsored American television network, Russia Today.
During his appearance at CPAC, Ed Schultz could not heap enough praise on Trump despite harshly criticizing him when Schultz pretended to be a liberal on MSNBC. On Thursday while talking with reporters on “CPAC’s radio row,” Schultz said this about his boss Putin’s puppet in the White House:
“I think he’s pragmatic, and I think he wants to win for the little guy. [Trump] will go with the people.” And, Schultz said Trump will slow the Republican Congress’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Then Schultz went full-on Trump and railed against the Democrats’ efforts to oppose the hateful Trump and Republicans’ agenda saying:
“They [Dems] ought to be focused on saving healthcare. They ought to be focused on making sure we don’t privatize Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. That’s where the Democrats ought to be. Instead, they’re chasing down scandals or they’re making them up. I’m just—I’m a little disappointed in them right now.”
Here’s a new flash Ed “Ruskie” Schultz; progressives, liberals, and any respectable Democrat is more than just “a little disappointed” in falling for your scam that you are, or ever were, anything but a nasty conservative; and a liar. Dems should focus on saving healthcare? They should make sure “we” don’t privatize Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid? And they are just making up scandals reported by 17 different intelligence organization?
One might be inclined to excuse Schultz’ comments, praise for Trump, and lying that Democrats are fabricating scandals if he was always a red-state teabagger with no awareness of the truth; but that isn’t the case. He knows Democrats are in a major fight to protect healthcare from Republicans and Trump. He also is well aware that preventing the privatization of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security or thwarting the GOP’s attempts to slash the programs to death is a do-or-die effort for Democrats.
Schultz is just as aware that the so-called “made up scandals” meme came directly from the Trump administration. Still, he never choked while lying like a good and proper Trump staffer revealing that lying in service and defense of a fascist has no effect on him personally, because personally, he was never a progressive or a liberal; he always was and still is a lying conservative.
**The above article is a report with commentary by R Muse**
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
