Time on David Brock: Meet Hillary Clinton’s Bulldog

[portlander23]

Meet Hillary Clinton’s Bulldog

Now Hillary Clinton is rising again, along with the scent of scandal and the frenzy of her enemies, and Brock has pledged to fight by her side. To understand his commitment, you must first understand the most bizarre entanglement in modern political history, which has turned Brock into one of the most powerful players in Democratic politics. Among other jobs, he currently coordinates message strategy with the Clinton campaign, leads her rapid-response super PAC, raises money and sits on the board of a separate “independent” super PAC that will pay millions for her TV ads, and has set up the group that creates all the federal Democratic opposition research for the 2016 campaigns.

In total, over a little more than a decade, he has personally raised more than $150 million from rich liberals to fund his sprawling empire, which also includes a group that files mostly spurious ethics complaints against Republicans and another that mercilessly attacks both Fox News and the New York Times. This is no small feat for a reformed liar who has never held political office. And to hear his defenders tell it, he has done it all with aplomb.

Political knife fighting turns out to be far more complicated than the real thing. The best practitioners conceal not only the knife but also the fighter. They distort the truth without getting caught in a lie. Most important, they submerge their cutthroat instinct in a redemption story, a fight for justice and goodness, which allows people to believe in the cause–and in the need to shed more blood in its name.

Such undercover work, a trademark of conservative activists since the Nixon era, has lately been frowned on by liberals. “I am very aware of what the Democratic culture will tolerate,” Brock says. By this he means he continues to push for change, though he maintains that he will never return to peddling falsehoods. “If people understand what propaganda is,” he says, repeating a koan of his craft, “it ceases to have an effect over time.”

This is David Brock. When he thinks of Hillary, he doesn’t think about an awkward politician with a mechanical laugh who has lost as many public battles as she has won. He thinks of the “deep well of personal integrity” he wrote about in his 1996 book. He thinks about the time she invited him to the Clinton summer rental in Sagaponack, N.Y., when her whole family was there, the siblings, spouses, kids and dogs. He thinks about eating pizza and sipping soft drinks by the pool, then looking up after a couple of hours to see the Secretary of State walking around the yard with a trash bag, picking up garbage. “Just like something my mom would do,” he recalls.

Does that sound like propaganda to you? You could call it that. Or you could call it politics. But for David Brock it is also the truth, a lodestar for the person he has become.

[Frustratedlady]

1. The thing they never understand is that the people are sick to death of the dirty politics.

If you can't win fairly, don't run.

I realize that is a naive way of looking at it, but we have allowed this practice to go on for far too long. That's why Bernie stands out, but I'm afraid that even if he gets into the White House, Congress will block any progressive ideas and we'll have another administration in shackles.

This has to stop.

[Fred Sanders]

2. The daily post of anti-Hillary mish-mash from a new poster advancing one opinion.

David Brock and Media Matters being attacked from the left is something I thought I would never see at DU.... jumping the shark by abandoning all reason and logic by the anti-Hillary crowd, in my opinion.

Not helping anyone but the GOP...keep it up, future President Trump is grateful.

[frylock]

3. Poor, poor David Brock. Being attacked from the left after attacking Sanders from the right..

Won't somebody PLEASE think of the David Brock?

[upaloopa]

6. After attacking Sanders? What is he a saint that

we can only burn incense to his alter?
Attacking Hillary 24/7 is ok

[frylock]

8. No, Bernie is the Messiah..

The Magic Negro Jew.

[Fawke Em]

13. Boom.

Good comeback.

[frylock]

15. Yeah, I'm going to be front and center reminding these people..

that the same terminology they're so fond of using now was roundly condemned by them in past. I do not suffer hypocrisy from these fools.

[roguevalley]

19. that is why I look for your posts, frylock. I love them. :D

[frylock]

21. :blush:

[murielm99]

12. C'mon.

Attacks from the left on anyone who does not support Sanders, or who endorses Clinton are not new here. I am not surprised any more.

These attackers may be the new job creators. We ran out of buses to throw people under. Just think of the whole fleet of buses that have to be brought in! Someone has to drive them! Someone has to toss people: the unions, the Congresspeople, the political columnists, etc., etc., etc.

I do remember how popular Media Matters was on the old DU. It was often cited to answer some of the more bizarre propaganda that showed up in the MSM, especially on Fox News or in Murdoch publications. I guess that is not good enough any more. For example, I just read an OP that used the NY Post as its source.

[Fawke Em]

14. No one is faulting him for starting Media Matters!!

We are faulting him for the dirty politics.

Can you guys really not understand the difference. No one is a sacred cow. Brock fucked up. He got caught and he's getting his just desserts.

That doesn't mean we hate Media Matters.

[Fred Sanders]

17. You...are not everyone at DU...some of "you" are doing exactly as the post says.

MM is a liberal media gem, and there are many of "you" who suddenly now hate it and are demonizing the founder because he does not support Bernie.

But that is all fairly transparent so not much of a big deal, really....just needs to be pointed out.

[roguevalley]

20. and you go from thread to thread 'hating' on anyone who doesn't agree with you, Fred.

I don't support him because he's a pud. Media Matters is separate. He isn't using media matters to splatter crap over bernie. He's using the $150m bucks from suckers that he used to make his empire so he can do this with his republican cloned entities, super pacs and the like. Big difference. Truly.

[bigdarryl]

4. Why the fuck aren't they asking the same questions to the people who put out the ads on Trump

The Club For Growth.And Brock is right no on and I mean no one as gotten the scrutiny as Mrs.Clinton has in this election

[frylock]

10. When did the Sanders campaign attack Clinton?

Or are you saying because Clinton has been attacked, it's okay for her surrogates to attack Sanders from the right?

[sabrina 1]

11. Sad, to see anyone even attempt to defend this historical smear monger. Leopards

truly do not change their spots.

It was a dark day for the Dem Party when it took a turn to the right and thought it was a great idea to USE sleazy, self serving characters like Brock and embrace them rather than sticking to principles, accepting his way-too-late apology and making sure he never got to play those games again, ANYWHERE, against ANYONE.

THIS is all that is wrong with our corrupted system.

THIS is why the money in politics is going to be one of the most important in this campaign.

And for any Dem to condone US doing what we claim to abhor when Republicans do it? I have no words, the hypocrisy is simply stunning.

[Fred Sanders]

18. Media Matters is not a leopard that has ever "changed it's spots"! Where have folks been the last 10 years?

Clinging to old personalized stereotypes of a bygone era is illogical and contradictory.

David Brock is, today, in real time and for real a progressive hero. His website is kryptonite to the RW.

Attacking David Brock and diminishing MM is supporting Fox and the RW media.

They thank all those who cling to the past demonization and fefuse to believe people can change, and David Brock has proven it beyond any doubt of rational thinkers.

Media Matters attacked on DU....who could have ever seen that coming.....somehow it helps Sanders?

No, it does not, but it does help others.

[Dems to Win]

5. Glad I'm not on the same team as this slimey shark nt

[Babel_17]

7. As long as the media misses out on the irony here, Brock should be ok

That was sarcasm.

[sabrina 1]

9. Once a liar and a cheat, a despicable one at that, always a liar

and a cheat.

To learn that the Clintons have done such an about turn on Brock, after refusing to accept his apology for the role he played in nearly bringing down Clinton's presidency, is simply shocking to me.

I know how bad 'inside politics' can be, but to invite this character, Karl Rove lite, into the Party he so harmed, was bad enough, but to learn he has been a personal guest of Hillary's at her home? I am speechless.

People using each other, for their own gain.

And then we have Bernie Sanders.

The contrast becomes more stark with each passing day!

[oasis]

16. "Politics ain't beanbags", ask any anti-Hill.