Glenn Greenwald reveals his Progressive Views

[56ktarget]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/30/1182442/-Glenn-Greenwald-Responds-to-Widespread-Lies-About-Him-on-Cato-Iraq-War-and-more


Greenwald presents a list of his views on various topics, and then he asked readers to decide for themselves.


here are views I've publicly advocated. Decide for yourself if the "libertarian" label applies:


* opposing all cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (here and here);


* repeatedly calling for the prosecution of Wall Street (here, here and here);


* advocating for robust public financing to eliminate the domination by the rich in political campaigns, writing: "corporate influence over our political process is easily one of the top sicknesses afflicting our political culture" (here and here);


* condemning income and wealth inequality as the by-product of corruption (here and here);


* attacking oligarchs - led by the Koch Brothers - for self-pitying complaints about the government and criticizing policies that favor the rich at the expense of ordinary Americans (here);


* arguing in favor of a public option for health care reform (repeatedly);


* criticizing the appointment of too many Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street officials to positions of power (here, here and here);


* repeatedly condemning the influence of corporate factions in public policy making (here and here);


* using my blog to raise substantial money for the campaigns of Russ Feingold and left-wing/anti-war Democrats Normon Solomon, Franke Wilmer and Cecil Bothwell, and defending Dennis Kucinich from Democratic Party attacks;


* co-founding a new group along with Daniel Ellsberg, Laura Poitras, John Cusack, Xeni Jardim , JP Barlow and others to protect press freedom and independent journalism (see the New York Times report on this here);


* co-founding and working extensively on a PAC to work with labor unions and liberal advocacy groups to recruit progressive primary challengers to conservative Democratic incumbents (see the New York Times report on this here);


Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion...

[Anti Federalist]

Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion

Why?

Is he or is he not championing liberty by exposing NSA?

You and your pals at dailykos would love to see us abandon him...

[Anti Federalist]

Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion

Why?

Is he or is he not championing liberty by exposing NSA?

You and your pals at dailykos would love to see us abandon him...

[Anti Federalist]

That was weird...

[Christian Liberty]

Why?

Is he or is he not championing liberty by exposing NSA?

You and your pals at dailykos would love to see us abandon him...

I like Greenwald based on his actions, but he's not a libertarian. Someone who supports theft to fund government ran retirement is NOT a libertarian even if he supports other good things.

Note, I'm not saying we should abandon him. His actions indicate that he's on our side for the moment. He's not a politician, and even if he were, he resembles Dennis Kucinich, and if Dennis Kucinich type people were the worst our country had to worry about, we'd be better off overall. At the same time, he's not Ron Paul either. He's not even Rand Paul as far as actual positions goes.

[Anti Federalist]

Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion

Why?

Is he or is he not championing liberty by exposing NSA?

You and your pals at dailykos would love to see us abandon him...

Let him hang around.

He'll discover that his lefty "friends" are just a bunch of authoritarians...same as the "right wing".

They only care about it when they are not wielding power.

[Christian Liberty]

Why?

Is he or is he not championing liberty by exposing NSA?

You and your pals at dailykos would love to see us abandon him...

Let him hang around.

He'll discover that his lefty "friends" are just a bunch of authoritarians...same as the "right wing".

They only care about it when they are not wielding power.

Some people use the term "left" libertarian to mean having more "lefty" cultural views, but still nonetheless supporting the free market (even if they wish people would use it to act in a more "lefty" way), the NAP, and private property rights

Others use it to mean economically authoritarian but otherwise libertarian. Which is what I think Greenwald is.

[twomp]

Glenn Greenwald is a badass and has balls of steel

[Tod]

If Glenn Greenwald supports exposing criminal activity by government, then by golly I support him on that topic and his views on other issues are not relevant!



Anyone else noticing how some people want to divide others who are finding common ground on some particular issue?

[Keith and stuff]

He is a liberal of similar style to Dennis Kucinich. YAL had a speaking tour on freedom and stuff. He was invited because he is a well known liberal. YAL wanted someone to give the liberal point of view in favor of freedom on a few issues.

[Feeding the Abscess]

This has been known for years. He's said similar things repeatedly. It's hardly a secret.

[surf]

guy's a f#cking hero. 'nuff said.

[pcosmar]

Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion...

I have never heard anyone do that.
He is a Journalistic hero though. and most of what you posted I wholeheartedly agree with. and only a few would I disagree with..

I never even considered him a libertarian.. But he is good for Liberty.

[amy31416]

Wait. Greenwald isn't a right-wing libertarian?


I'M SHOCKED AND AWED AND STUNNED BECAUSE I HAD NO IDEA, OMG. I WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT HIS "WAR" ON THE NSA--SCREW HIM, WHERE'S THE BUS UNDER WHICH I CAN THROW HIM...SCREW THE BUS, I WANT A TANK. A BIG ASS TANK THAT HAS SPIKED TREADS! HE MUST BELIEVE EXACTLY WHAT I BELIEVE OR HE IS DEAD TO ME, D-E-A-D!!!

I don't know if you're a leftie or not, don't care. But the election of Obama shows the lefties in all their hypocritical glory--Glenn's 10x smarter and far more ethical than your average schmuck on the left who accepts the unthinkable, just because it's your asshole-in-chief and not "their" asshole-in-chief.

[Miss Annie]

Controlled opposition.

[BuddyRey]

Does the OP think this is a major newsflash? Because it isn't, at least to me. We all know Glenn's a prog.

But frankly, I don't much care if his economic views are naive and silly, he's as staunch and consistent a civil libertarian as you can find, so as long as he focuses the larger part of his time working on civil liberties issues, he has my utmost support, encouragement, and respect. if he ever decides to start spending more time advocating for that other stuff, maybe I'll make a reassessment then, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

[twomp]

Wait. Greenwald isn't a right-wing libertarian?


http://lunchticket.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Bert-reading-Twilight.gif

[kcchiefs6465]

"Reveals"

Lmao

[economics102]

Greenwald is one of the best allies of the liberty movement. The fact that he disagrees with us on some things is not a big deal and is dwarfed by the magnitude of all he has done to advance the cause of liberty.

[CPUd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCpsusTta4w

[Cleaner44]

As long as he exposes crimes that people in our government commit, he earns my respect. If he does hold progressive views, they certainly aren't typical, as most of the progressives in DC want to bail out the criminals on Wall St and oppose the prosecution of them as one example. I wish that progressive were more like Greenwald and stood against crime instead of promoting crony capitalism. If Greenwald is a progressive, then others that see themselves as progressives would do well to emulate him. In fact, all so-called journalists should strive to be more like Glen, instead of ass kissing propaganda artists.

[erowe1]

Is this supposed to be a new revelation?

[Intoxiklown]

I didn't know his views on these things, but that's probably because I don't care what his personal feelings on certain things are as they have no bearing on the ungodly good he is doing to help save everyone's right to privacy.

[AuH20]

Glenn Greenwald? Ted Cruz? As long as they are moving the ball forward, I could care less about their views.

[Christian Liberty]

Glenn Greenwald? Ted Cruz? As long as they are moving the ball forward, I could care less about their views.

Ted Cruz isn't moving the ball forward. Ted is trying to make a zionist, neo-con lite co-op of the liberty movement. Ted Cruz is more disgusting than the most heinous non-state employed serial killer on the face of the planet. Ted Cruz is "moving the ball forward" toward deceiving conservatives into supporting him, an Israel first, murderous warmongering, drug warrioring fascist control freak. To say he's "moving the ball forward" because he buddies with Rand Paul and has strong anti-Obama rhetoric is absurd. In fact, I'll think a heck of a lot more of Rand Paul if and when he identifies this snake publicly for what he is (I'm not counting on it, even Ron Paul was too generous with the enemies of liberty some of the time.)

By contrast, Glenn Greenwald may personally BELIEVE some progressive things, but he is not spending his time advocating for him. His public efforts are solely focused on condemning the national security state. That isn't anywhere near true for Cruz. Not comparable at all.

[Anti Federalist]

I didn't know his views on these things, but that's probably because I don't care what his personal feelings on certain things are as they have no bearing on the ungodly good he is doing to help save everyone's right to privacy.

It's a shame that some folks view everything through a partisan lens, and cannot prioritize on the danger right in our faces.

There's our resident "lefties" like ol' 56ktarget here, and some on "our" side that do the same damn thing.

In the interests of forum decorum, I won't name names.

[Brett85]

But frankly, I don't much care if his economic views are naive and silly, he's as staunch and consistent a civil libertarian as you can find.

Does he support the right to keep and bear arms?

[Guitarzan]

Yes, it's hardly a secret that Greenwald is a leftist OP lol. Where have you been?

But he's a principled leftist and there aren't many of those. There are many issues that leftists and libertarians agree upon.


I like Greenwald, and think he's very well-spoken. One of the best things about him is that he constantly makes these regime leftists squirm.

[Anti Federalist]

Does he support the right to keep and bear arms?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/24/glenn-greenwald-reader-q-and-a

On gun control

Do you find it at all disturbing, or at least noteworthy that anti-gun proponents include people like Dianne Feinstein and Joe Lieberman who are very pro-violence when it's waged by the state? – SimonMcc


Like most policies, gun control can be motivated by some noble sentiments and some ignominious ones. I do think there is an authoritarian faction that wants to restrict guns for the same reason they want to have government control the lives of people in so many other realms, and I'd definitely include Feinstein and Lieberman in that group.

But the fact that some people support Policy X with bad motives doesn't mean Policy X is wrong.

Glenn what is your view on the current gun debate in the US. I know from previous blogs that you were in favor of gun ownership in Brazil, does that hold for the US? – gregmcinerney


I wasn't exactly against gun control in Brazil. That was a post I wrote really early on after I began blogging, and I was really writing because of how impressed I was with the quality of the public debate that took place over that public referendum.

When it began, large majorities favored gun control. After they were told that the police were failing to protect them (which they already knew) and that their banning guns would leave them defenseless, huge numbers changed their mind. I was just writing to comment the rationality and substantive nature of that debate.

I don't write about or opine on every issue because I'm often ambivalent, or I don't feel I know enough to take up readers' time by writing about it, or because I think others have more valuable things to say. Gun control is one of those issues for me. I definitely see the reasons for wanting to ban especially the most menacing firearms, but it's a bit like the War on Drugs to me: I just can't imagine the government successfully taking guns out of the hands of criminals or even deranged people without very, very invasive and abusive measures, and even then, I'm not so sure it could work.

[amy31416]

Does he support the right to keep and bear arms?

It's a good question to ask, not the only one, but a good question nonetheless.

Pro 2nd GG article: http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2005/10/brazilians-refuse-to-give-up-right-to.html

Then there's this:


lenn Greenwald came to his rescue: “There’s always been a strain in America that has said that the project of America is to protect ourselves, the citizenry, from abuses of power by the government, and that’s why we need arms. You can say it’s crazy and disturbing and dangerous, and its all those things—”

“It’s also a fantasy,” Maher said.

“It’s a ridiculous fantasy,” Greenwald agreed. “The problem is, what powers do you want to give the government to be able to do something about this? Do you want them to be able to search homes? Do you want them to be able to prevent people from sharing information on the internet that’s human knowledge about how you make these recorders, and give them power over the internet?

“There’s a huge cost of freedom in letting people talk about how you print these plastic guns, or letting them say these things about arming for tyranny. There’s also a cost to letting the government say, ‘These ideas can’t be expressed.’” (FYI--I couldn't watch the actual video.)

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/maher-greenwald-joy-reid-battle-over-regulating-3-d-guns-they-feed-dangerous-nra-fantasy/

I honestly didn't know his position, and I still don't entirely--but I'm thinking he's far better than your average "progressive," whatever that is.

[anaconda]

Greenwald wins the prize for most significant contribution to anti-authoritarianism in the 21st Century. Having said this: I would buy tickets to a Greenwald-Molyneux debate.

[Antischism]

This has been known for a long time. I don't think anyone cares. He's putting himself on the line for the cause of liberty by exposing the NSA. He's showing what it means to have journalistic integrity. He's also not a politician.

[kcchiefs6465]

Near the end of 2009, Snowden, now disillusioned, decided he was ready to leave the CIA. It was at this stage, at the end of his stint in Geneva, that he first began to contemplate becoming a whistle-blower and leaking secrets that he believed revealed wrongdoing.

“Why didn't you do it then?” I asked.

At the time he thought or at least hoped that the election of Barack Obama as president would reform some of the worst abuses he had seen. Obama entered office vowing to change the excessive abuses of national security that had been justified by the War on Terror. Snowden expected that at least some of the roughest edges of the intelligence and military world would be smoothed over.

“But then it became clear that Obama was not just continuing, but in many cases expanding these abuses,” he said. “I realized then that I couldn't wait for a leader to fix these things. Leadership is about acting first and serving as an example for others, not waiting for others to act.”

Glenn Greenwald (2014-05-13 00:00:00-04:00). No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and the Surveillance State (Kindle Locations 741-748). Hamish Hamilton. Kindle Edition.

[Anti Federalist]

“But then it became clear that Obama was not just continuing, but in many cases expanding these abuses,” he said. “I realized then that I couldn't wait for a leader to fix these things. Leadership is about acting first and serving as an example for others, not waiting for others to act.”

[fr33]

OP thought he was going to piss in our wheaties. Too bad OP. We've known this for a long time. I welcome all progressives that want to stop the NSA and lot of other anti-civil liberty measures. With Obama in office people like Greenwald are few and far between.

[otherone]

OP thought he was going to piss in our wheaties. Too bad OP. We've known this for a long time. I welcome all progressives that want to stop the NSA and lot of other anti-civil liberty measures. With Obama in office people like Greenwald are few and far between.


Based on the OP's revelations about Greenwald , after careful consideration, I've decided I won't vote for him.

[purplechoe]

I bet the OP is clueless about what Ron Paul thinks about Glenn Greenwald...

http://www.silverdoctors.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Ron-Paul-Glenn-Greenwald-300x168.jpg

https://static.squarespace.com/static/530becede4b093256168fba5/53121debe4b0a29654e5d1fc/531222b6e4b0a29654e69789/1393697462238/1000w/

[fr33]

Based on the OP's revelations about Greenwald , after careful consideration, I've decided I won't vote for him.

LOL those are the types over at DailyPaul and other websites that try to "expose" Greenwald over and over again. To them, if you aren't Ron Paul, then go **** yourself. Hipster purists. What can you do with em...

[GunnyFreedom]

That was weird...

The server was on a smoke break at 4:20

[Henry Rogue]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3U7Dy7z1jvo

[angelatc]

Now if only the people on this forum would stop claiming him as some sort of libertarian champion...

Pretty much everybody here knows Greenwald is progressive. However, he is the only one I can think of that is not a total lying ass.

[kcchiefs6465]

Pretty much everybody here knows Greenwald is progressive. However, he is the only one I can think of that is not a total lying ass.
Jeremy Scahill, Chalmers Johnson, John Perkins.... there's a couple more. I haven't read much Chomsky but would include what I've seen of his in the mix.

Their solutions are often where the disagreement comes in. And I have no doubt that a lot of their underlying philosophy is flawed.

[devil21]

I dunno, I didn't see much on the list that I disagree with, at least in a general sense.

I advocate cutting foreign policy/mil spending long before I want SS cut. I want Wall St fraudsters prosecuted. Wealth inequality based on corruption is never a good thing. Who supports that? I'd listen to options for public campaign financing as long as there is proper oversight and no loopholes. I support press freedom, even if I think much of what they publish is utter horseshit pulled out of thin air. I disagree on single payer....the rest is whatever. And he's at least helping expose NSA....

Dunno....he sounds pretty libertarian to me. Perhaps if 56ktarget spent more time understanding libertarian principles and the general temperature of this forum, instead of just posting copy and paste jobs from various propaganda outlets, he/she would recognize that the list isn't very damaging.

[NewRightLibertarian]

LOL those are the types over at DailyPaul and other websites that try to "expose" Greenwald over and over again. To them, if you aren't Ron Paul, then go **** yourself. Hipster purists. What can you do with em...

A true purist should take all of Greenwald's work and use it as intellectual ammo to bolster their case against the state. The people bashing Greenwald are mainly the ultra-partisan types who don't want to see a broad coalition be formed.

[limequat]

This is the first thing I read from Glenn Greenwald, back in 2011:

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/24/bob_schieffer_ron_paul_and_journalistic_objectivit y/

"CBS News‘s Bob Schieffer is the classic American establishment TV journalist: unfailingly deferential to the politically powerful personalities who parade before him, and religiously devoted to what he considers his own “objectivity,” which ostensibly requires that he never let his personal opinions affect or be revealed by his journalism. Watch how thoroughly and even proudly he dispenses with both of those traits when interviewing Ron Paul last Sunday on Face the Nation regarding Paul’s foreign policy views. In this 7-minute clip, Schieffer repeatedly mocks, scoffs at, and displays his obvious contempt for, two claims of Paul’s which virtually no prominent politician of either party would dare express: (1) American interference and aggression in the Muslim world fuels anti-American sentiment and was thus part of the motivation for the 9/11 attack; and (2) American hostility and aggression toward Iran (in the form of sanctions and covert attacks) are more likely to exacerbate problems and lead to war than lead to peaceful resolution, which only dialogue with the Iranians can bring about:"

That was a journalistic body-slam at a time when not many mainstream journalists had anything good to say about Ron Paul. Who is this Glenn Greenwald guy who writes at Salon of all places and is defending Ron Paul and bashing the mainstream media?
Watched some of his videos. I love it when he calls the shills out to their face. "As a 'journalist" this is the question you should be asking".
Then Snowden. OMG. Where to start? The open taunting of the administration?
Suffice it to say that no one else is taking tyranny head-on like Greenwald is. The guy is a machine.

[Superfly]

Look...as far down the crap hole as we are...I am satisfied if someone can adequately identify the sham that is our political system in the first place. Only when people understand that can we get down to the solutions. When we get to that point, Greenwald won't be as useful. For now...he's trying to reveal the man behind the curtain and for that I support him.