Musings on Rachael Maddow's Wrestling Stock Footage of Chairs Being Thrown

[davidlynch]

As you probably know, on the night of the uproar at the Las Vegas Democratic Convention, Rachael ran a piece that featured her own commentary over stock footage of chairs being thrown at a wrestling match.

Rachael's use of fake footage tells you a lot: Rachael *knew* that there was no real footage. We can infer this because she has the resources to track down real footage if it existed. Moreover, we can deduce that she instructed her people to try to find it. This kind of research is standard procedure, and historically has been in Rachael's DNA. I think it is inconceivable that she would decide to use bogus footage, preferring it over real footage, if real footage existed.

Given this, we can safely assume that she tried to find footage and failed to do so. And when she failed to find footage, she probably had a strong suspicion that there was no real violence, and hence no real story.

Yet she ran the story anyways. Why? There are two possibilities: (1) she wanted to run the story or (2) she was asked to run it.

In either case, the decision to use stock footage was absolutely intentional, and Rachael is too smart and dedicated to do something like that out of laziness or by accident.

Assume for a moment that Rachael was instructed to produce this piece. It dawned on me that the use of the bogus stock footage might be a kind of esoteric satire.

This could be Rachael's way of artfully sending us a coded message: the piece you are watching is no more real than pro wrestling.

[Agschmid]

1. So the guy holding the chair over his head was just putting it away?

I figured as much.

[sufrommich]

2. He was just attempting to show Barbara Boxer his chair.

He was impressed with how comfortable it was and thought the world should know.

[JRLeft]

3. Provide the video of chair throwing.

[Agschmid]

6. No need.

It's clear the guy was just trying to put away his chair nicely at the end of the caucus.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

9. Like clockwork

No video of a single chair thrown; only video of chair picked up and put back down

[Agschmid]

11. I agree like clockwork.

[GeorgiaPeanuts]

12. And you accused me of being a troll/zombie... Haha

[Agschmid]

13. Was I wrong? I'm not convinced.

I'm not the one arguing that a man raising a chair over his head had no negative intentions.

[Jim Lane]

17. Oh, so upbraiding Sanders based on what his supporters did is no longer enough.

Now, the Clinton camp has advanced to upbraiding Sanders based on what any of his supporters THOUGHT about doing.

I hear tell that, after the convention adjourned, a Sanders supporter went to a Las Vegas supermarket and thought about getting on the 12-items-or-fewer line with 13 items in her cart. She thought better of it, but the intention was there.

[Agschmid]

18. Hey all I did was say he was just probably trying to be helpful and put it away.

And also I've said nothing about all Sanders supporters...

You want to make another suggestion about what he was doing with the chair, go for it.

[Jim Lane]

19. I'll sort of accept your invitation to make another suggestion.

I'll suggest that you're using sarcasm to advance a point of view that's so ridiculous you couldn't type it with a straight face. Therefore, in a markedly chickenshit move, you tossed out your foolishness and then made a few posts like this one in which you pretend you didn't say what we all know you said.

Note to hair-trigger alerters: I am criticizing the content of particular posts, not making a personal attack on the poster.

[Vattel]

36. lol

[NWCorona]

23. But is that violence? It's time to let that go.

It's better to focus on the phone calls.

[SwampG8r]

30. Oh please if he had shaken his fist your butthurt fauxtrage would be the same

"Oh he raised his fist of course he was going to use it!"
Even snopes.says its false.

[riversedge]

31. Whatever was the Sanders fan thinking-picking up a chair and holding it up over his head!! Very

threatening move on his part. No wonder those on stage were fearful of the crowd.

[immoderate]

4. Leftover from a Jewish wedding!

--imm

[Perogie]

7. Did he throw it?

The accusation is that chairs were thrown, not picked up.

There is video of that man picking up the chair and then putting it down. Why are you perpetuating a lie?



https://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/bernie-backers-reality-check-nevada-violence-video-proves-we-only-lifted-a-chair-in-frustration/

[Agschmid]

10. I'm not perpetuating a lie, I said he was probably just putting it away.

[imari362]

28. SNOPES

"The only intact footage that matched MSNBC's claim and imagery shows a man of unknown affiliation briefly lifting a chair before placing it back down without throwing it:"

https://twitter.com/Bernie4People/status/732619789424832512



"The Chair Thrown 'Round the World"
http://www.snopes.com/did-sanders-supporters-throw-chairs-at-nevada-democratic-convention/

[cali]

33. He did not throw it. He was immediately surrounded by other Bernie supporters

who convinced him to put it down. I posted a first hand account from a Bernie delegate who was one of the group of Bernie supporters who did that.

[Agschmid]

38. I'm glad they stopped him.

You'll note I never said he threw it.

[PaulaFarrell]

34. oh please

thought you were better than that. guess i was wrong

[Agschmid]

39. I guess I let you down. You'll get through it.

[Fuddnik]

5. I noticed that the first time I saw it.

If you look closely, you can see the ropes. Well, she rope-a-doped quite a few people.

I think her paycheck and Establishment acceptance have become more important than her integrity. I saw a big change in her a couple of years ago, and haven't watched her since.

I cut the cord a couple of months ago, and I don't get any of those asshole propaganda channels anymore. Amy Goodman and Thom Hartmann are much better.

[leveymg]

8. She's smart but self-interested. Just another Clinton Press Secretary wannabe.

Not a very good or trustworthy journalist.

[reddread]

14. rhymes with "war"

sometimes. when it isnt, actually, officially, illegally war.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. The use of stock footage in 'news' programming is not ethical.

But I did not see it because I stopped watching her when she was promoting Pat 'My Uncle Pat' Buchanan on her show all the time. America's leading homophobic antisemitic racist.
I'm sure she had a rationale for doing so but I had no reason to care as I was not cut in on her seven figure rationale so I just stopped giving her my time.

[Skwmom]

16. Sorry to burst your bubble but she is a total sellout

[NWCorona]

24. And it's so sad. I was a fan from her radio days.

[vintx]

27. same

[tabasco]

20. Maddow is a lying propagandist of the plutocracy.

What did you expect to see on the plutocracy-owned mass media?

[Yurovsky]

21. She's intellectually dishonest and a lazy journalist...

actually she's more of a propagandist. She's made a few bucks, is getting used to the good life, and wants to promote candidates who won't derail her gravy train.

Not surprising. I certainly won't shed a tear if MSNBC goes under and she loses her cushy gig.

[EndElectoral]

22. I think you're giving Maddow too much credit. Nothing artful about it.

[NWCorona]

25. How the times have changed

[vintx]

29. I wouldn't doubt it.

Back when she was on Air America she always talked like an FDR type Dem, and not a new dem / neoliberal / third way triangulating piece of shit.

[CharlotteVale]

26. I've come to think of her as an unethical, dishonest hack.

And up until she showed her true colors 4 years ago I used to love her show.

[reformist2]

32. So Rachel is still one of us, we just have to decode her secret messages??!

[merkins]

35. Bernie Supporter Confronts Vegas Reporter On Rachel Maddow

[BernieforPres2016]

37. Rachel is not a journalist and she doesn't report news

She is an entertainer and a propagandist.

[Amerigus]

40. Can we TRUST Maddow again?

APPALLED: I was the biggest Maddow defender until recently. I agree it's maddening not knowing whether she is directing this pro-Hillary, anti-Bernie electioneering, but her name is on the show, so does it matter?

Yes, it matters - the point is that Comcast is using their prized progressive "property" to go all in for Hillary, who they contribute to without disclosure.

This is exactly what Bernie is fighting - the corporate takeover of media. MSNBC cuts off his speeches when he mentions media. But what about Rachel, is she onboard with the Hillary machine, or is she trapped in a corporate contract and reading what the 1% gives her? More here.