I think the main point of the article was not to debate the right or wrong of the Russian pipeline but to show the hypocrisy and double standards of the so-called journalist of the MSM. As stated, had this been Trump reversing the blockage, all of them without exception (and Glen gives some very good examples of their exaggerated emotional reactions) would jump on it like white on rice.
There are many pro and con arguments for a deal between two sovereign nations, thousands of miles away from the US, and why it should or shouldn't concern the US, and the debate in the comments is great to see.
However the true problem that Glen has been repeatedly calling out, is the media subjectively spotlighting stories that drive their financial "overlords'" narratives and casually ignoring the ones that directly dispel or go against them, no Mather how important, true or obvious they are. They function more as for profit entertainment centers than public service news organizations.
This affects every fibre of life and politics in America and, in my humble opinion, together with the social media platforms, which act in the same way, is the main reason for the great divide, and radicalization of American society - to greta benefit of America's foreign foes.
They talk about foreign service agents - they should look to them selves first!
Thanks, Glenn, for bringing this up: "What makes Biden’s turnaround even more stunning is that it comes just weeks after the U.S. claims that Russians were behind a quite serious hack-for-ransom into a U.S. gas pipeline"
I don't believe in coincidences and, man, that is one huge coincidence.
THANK YOU-THANK YOU. I have been trying to tell my son this for the 4 years trump was in office. I am not a Trump fan at all but this was Russian agent stuff was just total nonsense. He kept reading this garbage on Reddit and thought some of it had to be true. I tried to point out the inconsistencies but I did not come close to your fine layout of the facts which completely contradict this fairytale. I sent him this column and and going to sit down with him this weekend and point out the issues with religiously following Reddit rubbish
The Steele Dossier was never worthy of debunking. It had all the earmarks of fiction and none of the characteristics of a professional intel product. Sloppy, poorly sourced, unpublishable. If it was so bad, why did it get traction? People wanted to believe it and Steele had the paper credentials to give it passing credibility, but only for the credulous or those who never read it. Any fresh-out-of-school intel analyst could recognize the report's fatal flaws. No serious CIA or FBI analyst would use it. The fact they did not immediately tell everyone it was trash says something about FBI and CIA leadership suppressing dissent. Besides, the only way two intel agencies agree, much less "17" is by the top floor shutting down contrary views.
Wow that was an interesting read. I've followed your work for a long time and I never realized how little Donald Trump was a Russian asset. It shows how much the media cares more about symbolic acts, like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting for an hour, than actual policies like him sanctioning their pipeline.
A great article. Some on the left might see it as a pro-Trump article but I read it as a pro-Truth article that shows facts and how they differ from the reality the DNC attempts to portray in the media.
Im sure Rachel Madcow will be yelling here about Biden being a Russian asset right?
From 2015 to 2021 scores of print, online, and TV stories on Trump were done. 95% negative and depicting the POTUS as everything from worse than Hitler to child molester. What is true? What holds up today? The very worst claims disappeared with about 100% of Democrats still believing they are true. It seems to me what is actually true is the guy is a jerk, not super honest, giant ego, demands loyalty, cheats on his wife, reads little, and punches down. I can name 535 people in Congress that could be described by many of the same points. People have been brainwashed to think Trump was so different than past and present politicians; I don't see it. Trump is the result of terrible representatives and elected officials who was had the biggest problem when he acted in the interest of citizens and told the truth about how thing really work in DC.
The media just ignores obvious questions that arise from many actions the Biden Administration has taken in just five months. They think we are so stupid that we can recall the "reporting" over the last five years.
Glenn: How do we get American journalism back? I see their degradation as the greatest threat facing the United States. This is a serious question. You are doing your part — heroically. But what can we, ordinary folks, what can we do to get serious objective and probing journalism back?
The corporate media reminds me of nothing so much as the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and its counsel, Roy Cohn. Glenn is peeing into a hurricane of hysterical nonsense concerning Russia, Putin, and Trump. The plain fact is that Germany needs the cheap gas, but also needs to get out from under the heel of United States foreign policy.
It's true the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has significant geopolitical implications. But try to see this issue from the perspective of Germany. Throughout his presidency, Trump pressured Merkel to buy liquified natural gas (LNG) shipped in tankers from American gas and oil companies. They were losing billions from the investment bubble of shale fracking craze because oil and gas had become so cheap several years ago. The benchmark price of oil has to be around $60 per barrel for the companies to recoup their investments and to show healthy profit on those investments. Natural gas is a byproduct of oil exploration. Trump wanted Merkel to pay over 20% - 25% more for LNG from American companies rather than buy it from Russia. I thought American capitalists worshipped at the altar of the free market? You know that old mantra CEOs are always pointing out on CNBC - let price discovery determine the winners and losers in the market place. Merkel's decision to buy from Russia makes for a good business decision for her country. 60% of Germany's GDP is based upon exports. Her decision cuts down on the cost of exports. It makes all those shiny and precision-engineered BMWs the Chinese and citizens throughout the world love so much cheaper. Germany lives and dies on its industrial exports unlike America in which exports make for only 6% of its GDP. So it's obviously in the national interest of Germany (and I would add other European companies) to buy the cheapest source of natural gas. Russia is also constructing a natural gas pipeline to China. Several years ago, China signed a contract with Russia for natural gas. It makes business sense for both nations. It allows China to be less reliant on international commerce in the shipping lanes in the South China Sea. Between 40% - 60% (from the various articles I've read) of all the world's marine commerce is concentrated in the shipping lanes in the South China Sea. And with all the sabre rattling going on between China and the United States in the South China Sea, well, it also makes for a sound business decision for China and all the other nations in the world who are just as addicted to cheap merchandise and industrial products as Americans consumers are. Merkel made a sound decision to buy natural gas from Russia. Both Russia and Germany are sovereign nations. They have the right to enter into contracts without considering the displeasure from American CEOs who tried to pressure Trump to get Merkel to buy their overpriced natural gas. This fracking craze is actually losing money for the energy companies. Many smaller wildcat companies have gone bankrupt during this fracking craze. It's become a boom or bust business. The market overproduced oil and natural gas. I think that's called a bad business decision for inevsors. The GEOs want to be bailed out just as Obama did for Wall Street during the subprime crisis in 2007 - 2008. They think they are also too big to fail.
I think the main point of the article was not to debate the right or wrong of the Russian pipeline but to show the hypocrisy and double standards of the so-called journalist of the MSM. As stated, had this been Trump reversing the blockage, all of them without exception (and Glen gives some very good examples of their exaggerated emotional reactions) would jump on it like white on rice.
There are many pro and con arguments for a deal between two sovereign nations, thousands of miles away from the US, and why it should or shouldn't concern the US, and the debate in the comments is great to see.
However the true problem that Glen has been repeatedly calling out, is the media subjectively spotlighting stories that drive their financial "overlords'" narratives and casually ignoring the ones that directly dispel or go against them, no Mather how important, true or obvious they are. They function more as for profit entertainment centers than public service news organizations.
This affects every fibre of life and politics in America and, in my humble opinion, together with the social media platforms, which act in the same way, is the main reason for the great divide, and radicalization of American society - to greta benefit of America's foreign foes.
They talk about foreign service agents - they should look to them selves first!
Good piece.
Thanks, Glenn, for bringing this up: "What makes Biden’s turnaround even more stunning is that it comes just weeks after the U.S. claims that Russians were behind a quite serious hack-for-ransom into a U.S. gas pipeline"
I don't believe in coincidences and, man, that is one huge coincidence.
Sounds like it's time to dissolve NATO. It has no purpose now.
Your last paragraph is gold... no fucking shit. Sorry, the so-called journalism of the MSM just really pisses me off.
THANK YOU-THANK YOU. I have been trying to tell my son this for the 4 years trump was in office. I am not a Trump fan at all but this was Russian agent stuff was just total nonsense. He kept reading this garbage on Reddit and thought some of it had to be true. I tried to point out the inconsistencies but I did not come close to your fine layout of the facts which completely contradict this fairytale. I sent him this column and and going to sit down with him this weekend and point out the issues with religiously following Reddit rubbish
The Steele Dossier was never worthy of debunking. It had all the earmarks of fiction and none of the characteristics of a professional intel product. Sloppy, poorly sourced, unpublishable. If it was so bad, why did it get traction? People wanted to believe it and Steele had the paper credentials to give it passing credibility, but only for the credulous or those who never read it. Any fresh-out-of-school intel analyst could recognize the report's fatal flaws. No serious CIA or FBI analyst would use it. The fact they did not immediately tell everyone it was trash says something about FBI and CIA leadership suppressing dissent. Besides, the only way two intel agencies agree, much less "17" is by the top floor shutting down contrary views.
I KNEW it! Putin did rig the 2020 election to install his puppet Biden!
The MSN gaslighting is beyond what I every dreamed of was possible!
Wow that was an interesting read. I've followed your work for a long time and I never realized how little Donald Trump was a Russian asset. It shows how much the media cares more about symbolic acts, like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting for an hour, than actual policies like him sanctioning their pipeline.
A great article. Some on the left might see it as a pro-Trump article but I read it as a pro-Truth article that shows facts and how they differ from the reality the DNC attempts to portray in the media.
Im sure Rachel Madcow will be yelling here about Biden being a Russian asset right?
From 2015 to 2021 scores of print, online, and TV stories on Trump were done. 95% negative and depicting the POTUS as everything from worse than Hitler to child molester. What is true? What holds up today? The very worst claims disappeared with about 100% of Democrats still believing they are true. It seems to me what is actually true is the guy is a jerk, not super honest, giant ego, demands loyalty, cheats on his wife, reads little, and punches down. I can name 535 people in Congress that could be described by many of the same points. People have been brainwashed to think Trump was so different than past and present politicians; I don't see it. Trump is the result of terrible representatives and elected officials who was had the biggest problem when he acted in the interest of citizens and told the truth about how thing really work in DC.
The media just ignores obvious questions that arise from many actions the Biden Administration has taken in just five months. They think we are so stupid that we can recall the "reporting" over the last five years.
Biden hate pipelines in North American for some reason though! Maybe they need to hire ole Hunter as a consultant.
Glenn: How do we get American journalism back? I see their degradation as the greatest threat facing the United States. This is a serious question. You are doing your part — heroically. But what can we, ordinary folks, what can we do to get serious objective and probing journalism back?
The corporate media reminds me of nothing so much as the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and its counsel, Roy Cohn. Glenn is peeing into a hurricane of hysterical nonsense concerning Russia, Putin, and Trump. The plain fact is that Germany needs the cheap gas, but also needs to get out from under the heel of United States foreign policy.
Biden is accommodating Europe, not Putin.
It's true the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline has significant geopolitical implications. But try to see this issue from the perspective of Germany. Throughout his presidency, Trump pressured Merkel to buy liquified natural gas (LNG) shipped in tankers from American gas and oil companies. They were losing billions from the investment bubble of shale fracking craze because oil and gas had become so cheap several years ago. The benchmark price of oil has to be around $60 per barrel for the companies to recoup their investments and to show healthy profit on those investments. Natural gas is a byproduct of oil exploration. Trump wanted Merkel to pay over 20% - 25% more for LNG from American companies rather than buy it from Russia. I thought American capitalists worshipped at the altar of the free market? You know that old mantra CEOs are always pointing out on CNBC - let price discovery determine the winners and losers in the market place. Merkel's decision to buy from Russia makes for a good business decision for her country. 60% of Germany's GDP is based upon exports. Her decision cuts down on the cost of exports. It makes all those shiny and precision-engineered BMWs the Chinese and citizens throughout the world love so much cheaper. Germany lives and dies on its industrial exports unlike America in which exports make for only 6% of its GDP. So it's obviously in the national interest of Germany (and I would add other European companies) to buy the cheapest source of natural gas. Russia is also constructing a natural gas pipeline to China. Several years ago, China signed a contract with Russia for natural gas. It makes business sense for both nations. It allows China to be less reliant on international commerce in the shipping lanes in the South China Sea. Between 40% - 60% (from the various articles I've read) of all the world's marine commerce is concentrated in the shipping lanes in the South China Sea. And with all the sabre rattling going on between China and the United States in the South China Sea, well, it also makes for a sound business decision for China and all the other nations in the world who are just as addicted to cheap merchandise and industrial products as Americans consumers are. Merkel made a sound decision to buy natural gas from Russia. Both Russia and Germany are sovereign nations. They have the right to enter into contracts without considering the displeasure from American CEOs who tried to pressure Trump to get Merkel to buy their overpriced natural gas. This fracking craze is actually losing money for the energy companies. Many smaller wildcat companies have gone bankrupt during this fracking craze. It's become a boom or bust business. The market overproduced oil and natural gas. I think that's called a bad business decision for inevsors. The GEOs want to be bailed out just as Obama did for Wall Street during the subprime crisis in 2007 - 2008. They think they are also too big to fail.