CARLSON SHRIEKS: Carlson screeches and shrieks again!

TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022

An unusual family story: As we noted yesterday, the latest episode began on Wednesday evening, March 9. On that evening, Tucker Carlson engaged in a bit of "cable news" shrieking. 

On that enchanted if overwrought evening, Carlson said so many things in his opening monologue that it's hard to say exactly what he said. But based on the headlines above the Fox News transcript, this seems to be what Fox News believes that Carlson said:

Tucker Carlson: Someone needs to explain why there are dangerous biological weapons in Ukraine

The Pentagon is lying about this—why?

Based on the official Fox News headlines, Fox News believes that Carlson made those statements that night. Fox News believes that Carlson said that there are dangerous biological weapons in Ukraine, and that the Pentagon is lying about that fact.

That seems to be what Fox News believes that Carlson said. It may also be what Carlson himself believes he said; presumably, he could have had those headlines changed if he thought they misrepresent the point of his screeching monologue.

At any rate, that's what Carlson may have said on Wednesday evening, March 9. A fair amount on pushback ensued, and Carlson apparently changed his tune on Monday evening, March 14.

(For the record, we watched both shows in real time.)

Once again, Carlson's screeching performance that night makes it somewhat hard to determine just what he exactly said. But these are the headlines which sit atop the transcript of the monologue which opened his March 14 program:

Tucker Carlson: Everything that Tulsi Gabbard said about biolabs in Ukraine is true

Tucker Carlson addresses claims the US is funding biolabs in Ukraine

Those are the headlines which sit atop the transcript of Carlson's March 14 show. Claims about "biological weapons" are gone. Carlson is now said to be addressing claims about the presence of biological labs

According to these new headlines, everything that Tulsi Gabbard said about those biological laboratories was true. Gabbard had appeared as a guest on the March 9 program. According to those headlines, Carlson was now defending the claims that she had made on that original program.

That said, it was quite explicit, on March 14, that Carlson was defining the claims he and Gabbard had made on March 9—but what a surprise: 

Those March 9 headlines told that world that there were dangerous biological weapons in Ukraine—and that the Pentagon was lying about it.

Now, a different story was being sold. Carlson was defending claim which had been made about biological labs. At least in the new, improved headlines, mention of those dangerous, lied-about weapons had been disappeared. But so it goes when a very influential "cable news" channel presents the views, or at least the apparent claims, of a highly influential "cable news" mega-star. 

On a fairly regular basis, the star in question will shriek and screech about some topic, often in ways which make it hard to define exactly what he has said. That said, a powerful impression may be delivered, as was the case on March 9. 

On that evening, Carlson made so many screeching claims that it was hard to say exactly what he had said. But the impression he gave was quite clear—there were biological weapons inside Ukraine, and the Pentagon was lying about their presence.

Why does Carlson behave in this way? Why does Fox News permit it? There's no perfect way to answer such questions, but Carlson put more of this conduct on display in his opening monologue last night.

Last night, Carlson stressed the idea, again and again, that Americans should be rooting for Ukraine to win its fight with Russia—to remove the Russian army from within its borders. But according to the headlines which sit above the transcript of last night's opening monologue, we Americans are being lied to again:

Tucker Carlson: We have a right to know what's going on in Ukraine, but our leaders are lying

Zelenskyy's actions in Ukraine are authoritarianism, not democracy

We should be rooting for the Ukrainians to win their fight against the Russian invasion. But Zelensky is an authoritarian, Carlson said, and our leaders are lying to us about that fact.

In this instance, Carlson's statements about Zelensky, and about some of his actions, were fairly straightforward and clear. They also seemed to be built, in several major instances, on simple misstatements of fact, or on statements of fact which were baldly misleading.

For one such statement, read this:

CARLSON (3/21/22): A war is being waged in America's name with our money, so it's fair to ask how the side we are backing is doing. 

Clearly, there are an awful lot of heroic Ukrainian citizens. We see them all the time on television. We applaud them. We admire them, but how is the government doing? How is it behaving? Again, we have a right to know, even if state-controlled media in Ukraine won't report it, even if our sort of state-controlled media here downplays it, dismisses it. 

Here's a man called Gennadiy Druzenko. Druzenko was a medic in charge of a field hospital in Ukraine. He's appeared on CNN. Here, he casually announces that he has ordered the castration of captured Russian soldiers. Watch: 

[Videotape follows]

We admire Ukraine's heroic citizens, "but how is [Ukraine's] government doing?" Having established that framework, Carlson turned to a peculiar incident involving Gennadiy Druzenko, who seems to be a marginal figure and may or may not be connected to the Ukrainian government at all.

To read Newsweek's account of this recent strange incident, you can just click here. (Headline: "Ukrainian Medic Apologizes After Saying Russian POWs Should Be Castrated.") 

It seems clear that Druzenko actually made the weird statements in question. What isn't clear is whether Druzenko is actually a representative of "the government," and whether any of this unfortunate weirdness should actually matter at all.

That said, in Carlson's hands, this weird incident was used to support the claim that Zelensky is an authoritarian and that Ukraine is no democracy. Carlson shrieked and screeched about this matter, as he so frequently does. He also shrieked and screeched as he made his basic overwrought claims about Zelensky himself.

Tucker Carlson is 52 years old. He's been a major media figure for several decades. Previous editors, including ranking players of the left, have testified to his ability—to the gifts he brought to the journalistic undertaking in his earlier years.

Today, he's a highly influential figure—and where he was once a journalist, today's his current work is characterized by his screeching and shrieking, and by his apparent belief that pretty much anything goes. 

Various people have tried to explain why this "poor immigrant"  behaves in the way he currently does. As we've watched his headlong decline, we've often wondered about this remarkable passage in an account of a remarkable, two-generation family story:

Carlson was born Tucker McNear Carlson in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, on May 16, 1969. He is the elder son of artist and San Francisco native Lisa McNear (1945–2011) and Dick Carlson (1941–), a former "gonzo reporter" who became the director of Voice of America, president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. ambassador to the Seychelles...

Carlson's paternal grandparents were Richard Boynton and Dorothy Anderson, teenagers who placed his father at The Home for Little Wanderers orphanage where he was fostered by Carl Moberger, a Malden, near Boston, tannery worker, and his wife Mainer Florence Moberger, and adopted at the age of two-years-old by upper-middle-class New Englanders, the Carlsons, an executive at the Winslow Brothers & Smith Tannery of Norwood (the oldest tannery in America) and his wife. ..

In 1976, Carlson's parents divorced after the nine-year marriage reportedly "turned sour." Carlson's father was granted custody of Tucker and his brother. Carlson's mother left the family when he was six, wanting to pursue a "bohemian" lifestyle.

When Carlson was in first grade, his father moved Tucker and his brother to the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, and raised them there. Carlson attended La Jolla Country Day School and grew up in a home overlooking the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. His father owned property in Nevada, Vermont, and islands in Maine and Nova Scotia. In 1984, his father unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican Mayor Roger Hedgecock in the San Diego mayoral race.

In 1979, Carlson's father married divorcée Patricia Caroline Swanson, an heiress to Swanson Enterprises...

Carlson's father rose from an orphanage to remarkable prominence and considerable wealth. As for Carlson's mother, she abandoned her sons when Carlson was only six. 

According to a profile in The New Yorker, Carlson never saw his mother again. We'll link to that profile tomorrow.

"I pity to the poor immigrant," Bob Dyland once wrote. He was speaking of Donald J. Trump at the time, but he may have bene thinking of Carlson.

How did Putin get to be Putin? How did Trump become Trump?

Also, how can we explain the pitiable shrieking of Tucker Carlson? His work is routinely beyond the pale. Tomorrow, we'll cite a famous rule, then suspend it for the day.

Tomorrow: The Goldwater rule, suspended


35 comments:

  1. No wonder Tucker is so lazy, he won't even make the effort to tell the truth.
    He's a walking billboard for raising the Estate Tax rate to 100%.

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    Replies
    1. Most everything that's wrong with the world can be explained by some combination of laziness and incompetence, with a dash of cowardice.

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    2. That is a ridiculous notion. For one thing, for most of us, the vast majority of us, our work is meaningless and non essential. But to think that the reason why 60 people in the world hold the same wealth as half the entire world population is due to laziness and incompetence is frankly nutty.

      What is wrong with the world? Classism, racism, various other types of oppression. Not laziness and incompetence, that is just Cult of Work nonsense.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P40sJOkxnac

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  2. Do you want to know about those alleged Pentagon-funded biological weapons labs in Ukraine and elsewhere, dear Bob?

    According to China Daily, there are, allegedly, 336 of them in 30 countries, including 26 in Ukraine.

    Or do you prefer to engage in meaningless bickering and brainless dembottery?

    Alas, you definitely sound like you're interested in the latter activity. Otherwise, you'd be thankful to one single establishment talking head brave enough to address the subject.

    Sad, dear Bob. Real sad and disappointing...

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    1. I want to know about the alleged Republican voter who cares about something other than bigotry and white supremacy.
      Can China Daily do what no western media could, and find him or her?

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    2. Well I'll just throw a few ideas out there out of interest to see where it goes.

      "Things an alleged Republican voter might care about other than bigotry and white supremacy"

      free markets
      supply side economics
      individual achievement
      private sector charity
      against unions
      low minimum wage to ease pressure on businesses
      pro Israel
      reduce foreign aid
      oppose gun control
      against legalization of drugs

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    3. "free markets"

      Bwahahaha!! Stop it, you're killing me. That was a good one, Rationalist. Who ever said you don't have a sense of humor.

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    4. Did I say these were things I support or believe in? Or things that are valid? Or whatever your current misconception is, they become hard to keep track of. Do you have the ability to focus or does your brain just leap around randomly?

      "Things an alleged Republican voter might care about other than bigotry and white supremacy"

      Now catch your breath and focus, I know you can do it!

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    5. "Things an alleged Republican voter might care about other than bigotry and white supremacy"

      The fact both political parties only pretend to represent the interests of their constituents.

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    6. Anonymous: You've lost the debate by not actually engaging it. Not that there is any indication you could carry on in any intelligent way.

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    7. "might care about"

      Let me fix that for you. Might PRETEND to care about.
      How does someone who "cares" about the free market continually refuse to allow Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate prescription drug prices?

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    8. "I want to know about the alleged Republican voter who cares about something other than bigotry and white supremacy."

      so you want to amend that to "who pretends to care"

      Let me know when the goalposts are stationary and I can kick one through.

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    9. Just so we're clear. I am anonymous #2. "the alleged Republican voter who cares about something other than bigotry and white supremacy" I did not post the original question. Your reply list seemed to suggest a sincere answer to the original question.

      You need to talk straight. Do you really believe that is what republican voters care about? Free markets?

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    10. Do you really believe what Republican voters care about can be easily pigeonholed? How would it be measured? And who would do the measuring? You're entertaining a very stupid question.

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    11. My reply basically takes things that are traditionally part of the republican platform, and removes any that could be construed as simply bigotry or white supremacy.

      I don't see how my beliefs really come in to this discussion.

      If we want to debate what my beliefs are I could certainly do that. But I was trying to supply an answer, so I don't have to come into the comments section and see this oft-repeated claim yet again that all republicans potentially care about can be reduced to bigotry.

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    12. And so as not to appear that I am dodging the question.

      Yes I have met republican voters that care about the free market. Is there a certain percentage of voters needed to qualify? The original question implied there were no republicans that cared about anything other than bigotry.

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    13. "You're entertaining a very stupid question."

      That's quite correct and a criticism I have no answer to. Other than I guess it is enjoyable to hit the occasional softball and see how far it goes.

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    14. AnonymousMarch 22, 2022 at 1:01 PM doesn't really deserve a response. However, I will point out that I went to Washington D.C. to hear Martin Luther King speak. I'd venture to guess that I've donated a lot more money to the NAACP and other black advancement organizations than 1:01 PM has.

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    15. All people, everywhere on the planet basically care about the same things. Trying to claim that hundreds of millions of a particular group with whom you don't agree politically are all bigots is the height of ignorance. Total and complete ignorance.

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    16. I don't understand, Rationalist.
      Are you saying Democratic voters don't support free markets?

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    17. Those are definitely things Republican voters could care about. They could also care about protecting the voting rights of minorities, but like the list you provided, they don’t.

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    18. 4:51.
      Take Somerby’s advice, and listen to the others. Your notion will be disabused in no time.

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    19. What do Democratic voters care about? Medicare for all? No. Stopping the Military Industrial Complex? No. They never say a word about it. Class issues that affect all Americans? Of course not.

      All they care about is falsely asserting they are better and morally superior. That's it.

      Somerby has tried for years to warn them but they are too ignorant to listen. And now they are fu*%ed.

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    20. @8:41 Somerby has derided Medicare for All. He is not what you apparently think he is.

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    21. Thanks mh. That makes Democratic voters so great!!! Even greater than they already are!!

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    22. Oh, so now it’s Democratic voters who are the problem. You know, the ones who outnumber Republican voters.

      I notice you hypocritically say that “Democratic voters” all as a group put down Republican voters, as you then proceed to stereotype all Democratic voters. You’re at the right blog, 9:27.

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    23. Before Reagan, almost everyone was Antifa.

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    24. Let's stick to the facts. Democratic elites and their retarded followers like yourself do not care about Medicare for all, do not care about the military industrial complex or the various other industrial complexes that have overtaken our government and buy our elections, they don't care about class issues at all. Class issues are completely disappeared and never once spoken about in a meaningful serious way by Democratic elites and their retarded followers.

      The only thing you have. You're only appeal is that you're not Republicans.

      But having no other true beliefs besides that, kind of makes you Republican.

      That's how this shit works blind man.

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    25. One of the leading architects (NAME WITHHELD) of the modern conservative right wing movement once said the quiet part out loud, oops:

      "You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968 you can't say "nigger"—that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites."

      Hmmm, blacks get hurt worse than whites, right there folks, right there is the real American Dream.

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    26. Rationalist,
      How could you leave "shooting police officers" (i.e. fighting the tyranny of the government) off your list?
      It's their best belief, FFS.

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    27. 10:57,
      Are you suggesting that the Democratic Party isn't at all communist marxists, who want to give the "blahs" everything for free with stolen taxes from the white working class? Because that sounds like you are an elitist mocking the Republican voters (who aren't at all bigots, who resent blacks might get something from the government, dontchaknow) for their beliefs.

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    28. If you want to know what republican voters care about, the best place to go is to observe the republican pols who know best how to motivate their base.

      And so if anyone (Rationalist) is confused about what republican really really care about and gets their asses to the polls, just watch the despicable performance of the Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee during the SCOTUS nomination hearings. Every single one of them.

      No, it is not all racism, although that cannot be ignored. They also hate LGBT's and would like to turn our democratic republic into a Christo-Fascist Theocracy, so there's that too.

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    29. "I have met republican voters that care about the free market."

      Did you meet them at a rally in support of Twitter kicking Donald Trump off it's platform?
      Or was it when they were protesting the $20 Billion the U.S. subsidizes fossil fuel companies annually?

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  3. "How did Putin get to be Putin? How did Trump become Trump?"

    Why, by not belonging to your pitiful (innit a better word than "pitiable"?) tribe, dear Bob.

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  4. After days of telling us we must take careful note of every jot and tittle of one of most corrupt people in history (also the nearest a human has ever come to resembling the Pillsbury Doughboy), now Somerby says, hey who cares what some poor unlucky soul in Ukraine says when they are venting about Russia's genocidal imperialist invasion. Not newsworthy, do not report.

    Glad you cleared that up, Somerby! I had a sinking suspicion you had tendencies towards hypocrisy.


    Why are people right wing and fascist like Trump, Putin, everyday Republicans, etc? Likely it is due to unresolved childhood trauma; studies show it is manifested by smaller a frontal cortex and a larger amgydala which causes both reactionary and Reactionary responses to stimuli. All probably made worse by the fact that we have spoiled our nest, we live in a cesspool of toxic chemicals, a circumstance brought about by those very same right wingers.

    ReplyDelete