Former Progressive Stars Who Attacked Democrats from the Left, Now Right Wing Shills

[TomCADem]

Tulsi Gabbard, Ed Schultz, RFK, Jr., Glenn Greenwald, Matt Taibbi, Jonathan Turley, etc.

These were once prominent "progressive" figures who were frequently quoted in progressive media, including this board, to attack and criticize Democrats from the "left" for not being progressive enough. Of course, they have since become fixtures on right wing or Russian media, if not members of the Trump administration.

There is always a temptation for progressives and Democrats to take advantage of the propaganda focused algorithms of social media by attacking Democrats from the left. Thus, whenever Trump or Republicans take any unlawful or racist action, rather than focusing on the actions of Trump or Republicans, the statements that go "viral" are the ones that blame Democrats, who do not control any branch of government, for not doing enough to stop the Republicans.

Not too long ago, Tulsi Gabbard used this opportunistic approach to attack Hillary Clinton from the "left," and you had pro-Tulsi progressives in social media attacking Hillary Clinton and other "establishment" Democrats, which helped lead to Trump's first victory. Now Tulsi Gabbard is a partner in crime with Donald Trump. Glenn Greenwald was also once widely quoted on DU for attacking Democrats from the "left," but is now shilling for Trump on Fox News. You also have Matt Taibbi, who was once a progressive who was known for attacking prominent Democrats for not being progressive enough, but now spends more time attacking "groupthink" on the left. Jonathan Turley is once respected law professor who went from cautioning against Dubya's Constitutional over reach and voting for President Obama to being a paid Fox News commentator who rails against activist judges blocking Trump's agenda.

So, beware of Democrats and progressives who begin to gain social media traction for attacking or blaming the Democratic "establishment even as Trump engages in more extreme right wing actions. It could just be a matter of time before another "progressive" star who rides a wave of social media popularity gets groomed to become a right wing mouth piece.