KRUGMAN-Breitbarted!!!

[kpete]

March 11, 2013, 9:13 am15 Comments
Breitbarted

OK, I’m an evil person — and my scheming has paid off.

On Friday I started hearing from friends about a fake story making the rounds about my allegedly filing for personal bankruptcy; I even got asked about the story by a reporter from Russian television, who was very embarrassed when I told him it was fake. But I decided not to post anything about it; instead, I wanted to wait and see which right-wing media outlets would fall for the hoax.

And Breitbart.com came through!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go give a lavishly paid speech to Friends of Hamas.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/breitbarted/

[TwilightGardener]

1. I am convinced that Republicans will believe anything.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. People tend to believe whatever corresponds to their existing biases.

That goes for everybody - we've seen plenty of satirical items posted on DU as describing true occurrences and all manner of outrage ensues until someone points out that the piece is satire, and then everybody does the Emily Litella thing, "Never mind." But Breitbart is far more egregious because they represent themselves as journalists, which they are not; they are propagandists. Journalists verify their sources instead of acting as stenographers who just repeat any "news" item that seem to further their warped worldview.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Yep. Breitbart's defense is: We just report what we hear, we don't verify it or

decide whether it's credible.

[backscatter712]

54. Wow, what professional journalism they hear!

Repeating stories they hear without verifying them?

Yep, that'll get them Pulitzers...

[arthritisR_US]

60. Yep, the absolute antithesis of what journalism

is and should be. The absolute definition of what propaganda is

[denverbill]

6. The difference is DUers generally admit they believed something false, temporarily.

I've been duped once or twice by satire pieces, such as Bush claiming the French had no word for entrepreneur. The difference between me and them is that once I find out it wasn't true, I stop believing it.

Republickers don't do that. They have been saying for 5 years how Obama has raised taxes and dramatically increased spending. You can show them the numbers and despite reading facts from the IRS, Heritage Foundation, or any other source, they will still insist Obama raised taxes and increased spending. This despite the fact that the only 'tax increase' any of them have seen is the end of the payroll tax holiday, which was initiated by Obama in 2009, putting their taxes at the lowest point in modern history for 2 years.

[zbdent]

16. I've seen so much in my e-mail box and on FB that, if you take 2 seconds on the internet, you find

out it's false ...

but almost always from Repugs/baggers...

[denverbill]

18. My experience as well.

But most never bother to look. And if you point out the falsehood, they don't stop believing it.

I have not once ever gotten a left-leaning similar email.

Personally, I think there is a right-wing organization completely devoted to creating those emails.

[zbdent]

20. I once pointed out to a RWer that the "beautiful pictures" someone shot

were photo-shopped ... and he didn't blink. "Yeah, but aren't they pretty?" was the reply when confronted with "God's natural artwork" ...

[littlemissmartypants]

27. Isn't FB an excellent propaganda tool? eom

[DallasNE]

30. Did You See The One About

Tucson AZ being placed under Marshall Law. The right wing zombies are saying that the local government passed a law that mandated that the Air Force place Tucson under Marshall Law since Tucson was in a "state of emergency". Google it.

No, we're not talking about the State using an "emergency manager" law to impound a city like Detroit against the will of the elected officials but the City asking to be taken over by the military. And the people fall for it hook, line and sinker. But then this is what McCarthyism was all about -- putting out false stories then smearing people with the false stories -- are you still beating your wife. Anyone with half a brain would know that this crap can't possibly be true but it spreads like wildfire in the social media.

[xxqqqzme]

38. It took me a couple of years

to train my kool aid drinking mother to go to snopes FIRST before mindlessly forwarding every RW email she received to me. I think they also just recirculate the same ones every few years because I have received similar emails from her on a 2-3 year cycle.

[progressoid]

41. Coming soon to your inbox: LIBERAL ECONOMIST FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY!1!

Thankfully, I rarely get those anymore. I think hitting 'reply all' and correcting the fallacies has made them less likely to send that crap to me.

[CTyankee]

24. Oh, Bush never said that? Sheesh! That was one of my favorite Republican quotes...

oh, well, even if it is not true it SHOULD be true so there...

[Jackpine Radical]

47. Hell, as long as it SHOULD be true,

you're good to go with it.

[CTyankee]

48. yeah, why the hell NOT? Right?

[Jackpine Radical]

49. Actually, I think I told some wingnut once that Bush said

the French have no word for "entrepreneur," and he said something like "I didn't know that!" Then I told him the French also have no word for esprit de corps, and that's why their armies have never been any good. He bought it.

[CTyankee]

50. I am in denial that Bush never said that entrepreneur thing...but it doesn't surprise me that

you know a wingnut who agrees that French armies have never been any good. Americans in general have a lousy education in world history. If it didn't start with the founding of America then it wasn't worth studying...oy...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

55. omg, THAT is hilarious!

Well, idiocy at that level is at least good for something: vaudeville!

[vanbean]

33. Bad example. Very bad.

Bush claiming the French had no word for entrepreneur is too believable.

[cthulu2016]

23. Yup. The Ann Coulter story from the same site was widely believed here

http://dailycurrant.com/2013/01/29/ann-coulter-refuses-board-airplane-black-pilot/

[zbdent]

43. Actually, the first place I saw that

was on Snopes ... one of the "new" ones. Didn't hear it from a "lib" source.

I go to "what's new" almost every day to see what is likely going to be the new talking point ...

[AverageJoe90]

35. Very true.

Teabaggers tend to stick to any anti-Obama conspiracies that they might hear about, like flies to manure.
Climate doomers will almost always jump on just about any extreme piece of Chicken Little B.S. they come across, as if it was somehow "groundbreaking" or cutting edge(though it's usually bullshit in about 95% of cases), because it supports their lame-brained assertions that "the news is getting worse all teh tyme, nonstop! Dooooommm!!one!!1!". Likewise, when any piece of good news comes around in terms of climate(which actually tends to have more truth to it!), the deniers will sometimes jump on that and say, "See? Told ya there was nothing to worry about!".

You've also got problems with Israel/Palestine, and many other issues as well. Hell, some people will even argue about trivial stuff like Daylight Savings Time for goodness sakes!

[tblue37]

39. True that. I also read on The Daily Currant another satirical

piece claiming that Ann Coulter made a scene when she found out she was on a plane flown by a black female pilot, claiming that the woman couldn't possibly be qualified because she probably got her license and job by way of affirmative action:

Here's a link to the satirical piece about Coulter:
http://dailycurrant.com/2013/01/29/ann-coulter-refuses-board-airplane-black-pilot/

Wouldn't you know, a whole bunch of Tweets from more liberal users were totally taken in by the piece.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. That piece turned up on DU as well

and a lot of people believed it - because they wanted to. Moral of the story is, look closely at the source, read the source itself and not just the DU or other post, look for other sources of the same story, and don't be so ready to believe something negative about someone you don't like, just because you don't like them.

[eridani]

56. What trips us up is plausibility

Just because it's the kind of thing that X would do doesn't mean that X actually did it.

[adieu]

10. As I have frequently commented

when your whole life is based on believing "...in a magically written book about an invisible person having sex with the wife of a carpenter to spawn a child who is really himself, dead and alive, then after the child grows up to be a man, kills him by getting some unsuspecting doofus to out him after dinner, puts him into a cave, and then three days later, lets him out, but then he disappears and that's so his death will redeem all of mankind (how?) for all sin (what sin?)..." then you can believe practically anything.

[zbdent]

17. Don't know if it actually was George Carlin, but the sentiment is perfect ...

something to the effect of:

"If I can convince you that you have an invisible fairy on your shoulder watching your every every move, then I can convince you of anything."

[happyslug]

22. No, that is NOT the problem

People tend to embrace a religion that reflects they own world view (and break with that religion when the world view of the Religion differs from their own world view). Christianity is based on helping your fellow human beings, something many of these conservatives reject in favor of a combination of Darwin and Adam Smith, gloss over with old Testament stories that they construe as supporting the concept of individual over the group (and technically rejecting both Darwin and Adam Smith but embracing the concepts as to human interaction tied in with Darwin and Smith).

It is this miss-mash of dogma that Conservatives embrace, it is NOT Christian, for they reject the concept of helping their fellow man AND reject the concept of "Good Works" (I know "Good Works" is more a Catholic Concept then a Protestant Concept, but it is clearly mentioned in the Bible and any good Christian has to at least make an effort to do "Good works&quot . They believe that they are better then others and thus they can reproduce while others should "die out" (i.e. embracing Darwin, while rejecting him) and embrace that Wealth is how God shows his favor to people (Thus embracing Smith concepts as to Wealth via the Puritans, yes I know the Puritan pre-date Adam Smith, but these conservatives tend to cite Puritans when justifying things supported by Adam Smith).

My point is simple, it is NOT religion that is the problem, but the world view of Economic Conservatives. Economic Conservatives view wealth as more important then anything else and will embrace whatever world view that justifies that position. This can be religion, or even Communism (As what is happening in China among the Communist ruling elite of China). I see people make this mistake on DU all the time, attacking religion when they really should be attacking the actual views of these Conservatives (and one way is to show them HOW they position differers from generally accepted views on what they claim to be their religion).

[Populist_Prole]

34. Excellent post

Believe it or not it made me rethink my opposition to religion as such. I've come to loathe fundies and their "corporate jesus" so much that I had a tendency to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

[Berlum]

2. The more Republicans lie, the more Americans they alienate

Boy are Republicans stupid. They cannot get a clue about why no Americans respect them anymore, and their poll results are in the freaking cesspool.

HeLLO Republicans: No one likes or respects habitual liars. Get a freaking clue.

[sufrommich]

3. Brietbart doesnt " fall for a hoax"

Brietbart knows they are hoaxes and pretends they are truth. That's an important distinction.

[BlueStreak]

7. Is Andrew still dead? Seems like it.

He hasn't changed much.

[Ikonoklast]

64. Smells better than he used to.

No massive cocaine flop-sweats now, just putritfying flesh.

[Pisces]

8. That is an easy one to check. I guess they should partner with the National Enquirer.

[Kber]

12. National Enquirer actually checks facts better

[JHB]

19. That's because they're a business, and lawsuits hurt

They have to keep their bullshit mostly harmless.


Breitbart.com is a propaganda outlet and outrage generator. It's a whole different business model.

[TreasonousBastard]

58. Ever wonder where the Weekly World News staff ended up?

[JHB]

61. Not at Breitbart. WWN's too accurate

[Fuddnik]

14. I don't think National Enquirer would lower their standards that far.

[sofa king]

9. Dead Breitbart seems much more popular than live Breitbart was.

That probably applies to both his website and himself.

[JHB]

15. Being dead means he can't do anything to disillusion the starry-eyed.

Had he lived probably would have eventually stopped being useful and been hung out to dry by the Republican establishment as the bitter liar that he was.

In his current subterranean state, his fans can graft whatever they want onto their idolizing image of him. Case in point:

Official Tea Party T-Shirts :
My Che - Breitbart Is Our Revolutionary!

Breitbart was like Superman, he fought for Truth, Justice and the American way!
He was a true revolutionary, an American revolutionary, that means he actually fought for the people and fought for good, unlike communist guys like Che, who wanted to kill all dissenters...
Breitbart knew how to fight the left: He went and uncovered their vileness when- and wherever he could.
Now follow his example and do your best to be like him...

Show them where you stand, thousands of people get to see a Tea Party t-shirt during its lifetime. Show the world that you are a Tea Party Member and American Patriot by wearing our Tea Party T-Shirts.
Official Tea Party Apparel

http://teaparty.biz/TeaStore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=69

[sofa king]

32. Like a poor man's burial...

... the ghost of Breitbart is clothed in honors finer than he ever earned in life.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

36. Any guesses as to what the "T" stands for?

Twit? Truth Distorter? Or just good old fashioned Tea Bagger?

How anyone can think that man was honorable or admirable or worthy of homage after we know he did what he did to Shirley Sherrod (not to mention ACORN and various other targets) is beyond me. Even from the right.

If there was some liberal figure who went around fabricating stories about low level individuals and destroying their reputations in order to serve a liberal agenda, you wouldn't see me embracing that person as a hero, no matter how much I might agree with him or her on an issue.

[They_Live]

52. Terror

[JHB]

11. Get your bets in: Which FOX host will be the first...

...to say the Krugman has "admitted" to being evil?

[Myrina]

28. "What did Paul Krugman know and when did he know it?"

And why did he mislead the media with silence???

[louis-t]

31. Wil Rand Paul filibuster any nominees 'until he gets more info

about Krugman'???

[Enrique]

13. the Daily Caller would have been another good bet

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

21. Life in the bubble

Or is it the rectum which is where it seems many on the right have their head stuck?

[underpants]

62. Exactly

[olddots]

25. how do you go to these turd maggot sites ?

I watch 12 seconds of fux news and get suicidal .

[freshwest]

29. You and me both...

[Sunlei]

26. I thought Republicans had stuffed Krugman with macNcheese, free open bars and killed him too!

Republican spokesman breibart screaming at occupy protesters one week, gone the next.

[Jack Rabbit]

37. In Breitbart's passing, Ben Shapiro has taken up the mantle of making up manure and slinging it

At long last, Mr. Shapiro, have you no sense of decency?

[center]

[/center]

[yellowcanine]

42. Breitbart et al got punked but that will not lose them any credibility with the tea baggers.

After all facts are pretty much what you want them to be.

[The Wizard]

44. Breitbart and fraud

go together like a horse and carriage. The stupid, it burns.

[Rex]

45. Republicans live in a fantasy world loosely based on reality.

Democrats live in reality based on facts and real life experiences.

[Lucky Luciano]

46. "Friends of Hamas!" LOL!

[Sheldon Cooper]

63. That was hilarious!

Also, the bit about Krugman running up a huge unpaid bill at Tiffany's. As if!

[applegrove]

51. Like you take a dog out for walk, the bosses in the GOP get their base all paranoid

Last edited Tue Mar 12, 2013, 08:54 PM - Edit history (2)

against the GOP's enemies. It is, simply put, exercising them to be better pawns and patsies. Like any group of muscles, it can get weaker over time. Left unexercised a person might not hate Obama or they might vote their own economic best interest again. Thus, rumours like this over and over and over again.

[Lobo27]

53. I should call fox news and tell them the end is coming!

"A highly influential dem says the world is coming to an end." I wonder if total chaos would ensue.

[Heathen57]

57. When I play with the minds

of my 'bagger family and friends, I will post something like the Coulter rumor then caption it like "Too bad it isn't true", or "I could only wish".

Funny how they never read that caption, then proceed to try and justify or defend the ridiculous rumors.

[ReRe]

59. Tee Hee ;-)

Breitbarted.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

65. I love this guy!