Krystal Ball defends praise of Yang: I am not ‘a Russian plant’

Opinion by: Krystal Ball

As you may know, earlier this week I did a monologue on why Andrew Yang has made the 5th debate when so many others haven’t. In my assessment, his success is in part because he was willing to expose the lie of the American meritocracy. I mean, it was a very good commentary I must say and so I clipped a portion of it and tweeted it out. Most of you seemed to enjoy it but at least one viewer had concerns. Because according to @21law who is completely fair-minded judging by his #nobernie Twitter profile, Vladmir Putin loved my monologue.

Now I have complicated feelings about this because obviously a fan’s a fan. And if Putin enjoys my work, who am I to say he’s wrong. but it did get me wondering. We’ve had Glenn Greenwald on this show and Matt Taibbi and Katie Halper and are all set to interview Tulsi Gabbard, all of whom have been accused by various people on Twitter, and in Tulsi’s case several so-called news organizations of being “Russian plants.” Am I also a Russian plant? How would i know? L=Ladies and gentlemen, if you have ever suffered from such doubts listen closely because all will be revealed. Here is your comprehensive guide to whether or not you too are a Russian plant, at least according to #resistance people on Twitter. Here we go.

Question 1. Have you ever questioned America’s endless wars? I don’t know if you knew this but only people who are either paid by Russia directly or are Carter Page style useful idiots ever would suggest that we end any of our many wars and military engagements. why? Well obviously because Russia wants us to withdraw from the world. So if you have ever uttered anything vaguely anti-imperialist like maybe we shouldn’t engage in regime change wars or perhaps war with Iran isn’t the greatest idea right now, or maybe 20 years of war spending $6 trillion dollars and costing hundreds of thousands of lives and destabilizing an entire region wasn’t the best decision, then you, according to twitter, are Putin’s puppet.

Question 2. Have you in the past 3 years questioned the unfailing honor, integrity and sincere intentions of any member of the national security state not named Jim Comey? Have you not picked up on the fact that the architects of torture, mass surveillance, and drone assassination became instantly heroic, just, and always noble in their intentions as soon as Trump was sworn into office? Well friend, if you haven’t fully made the switch from skepticism to hero worship of John Brennan, I’m sorry to inform you that you too are a Russian plant.

Question 3. This one is multiple choice

Russia-gate was

a- Watergate times 1 thousand

b- Watergate times 1 million

c- Naziism, Pearl Harbor, and Chernobyl, all wrapped up in a traitor pie

d- Incrementally more disturbing than the typical corrupt bs that happens in our politics

Question 4.

*Ukraine-gate* is

a – Watergate times 1 thousand

b- Watergate times 1 million

c- Naziism, etc etc

d- Incrementally more disturbing than the typical B.S.

If you answered “B” Watergate times 1 million or “C” Naziism etc congratulations you’ve just been given an MSNBC contract. If you answered D. Incrementally more disturbing than the usual bs then i think you already know what you are. I can’t believe your kremlin handlers even let you out today.

Question 5. finally, and this is the one where I got into trouble with my yang monologue, have you discussed any of the following topics using facts and data. Poverty, addiction, homelessness, the middle class, the working class, gun violence, class warfare, community disintegration, inequality, stagnant wages, consumerism or any of the other ills of late stage capitalism. Well comrades, let’s make some borsht and drink some vodka because there’s nothing Putin loves more than Americans telling the truth about the current state of America.

You know, if I may be serious for a moment. In the 1980s, while the Cold War was still going on, the Soviet propaganda machine was always looking for ways to prove that America was a racist, unequal, violent, terrible place of exploitation and misery. Soviet propagandists made a film featuring Americans living in poverty, with the point being that America was a brutal, terrible place that mistreated workers and left people in squalor. Many of the Americans interviewed in the film were obese, I suppose because the soviet politburo types thought that would further highlight American decadence. instead, the film had the opposite effect. Ordinary soviet citizens, who watched the film eagerly to get a rare glimpse of the west, said to themselves…’America is so rich, even the poor people are fat.’

Today, with inequality at the highest level since the Gilded Age, the wealthy paying next to nothing in taxes, children being gunned down in schools, and a massive crisis of addiction, no one needs to use propaganda or lies to make us look bad. Simply telling the truth is a subversive act and yes I suppose may in fact serve Putin or our other enemy’s short-term interests. But to look the other way, to hold your tongue is the most profoundly unpatriotic act I can imagine. because without truth, there is no change, and without change, what are we even fighting for. So come on fellow Russian plants. If enough of you like this video and subscribe to our channel maybe we can get picked up by RT!