David Sirota: Wal-Mart & "Liberals" Who Spit Back Right-Wing PR

[radio4progressives]

Sirota takes on "Liberal" Matt Yglesias's OpEd piece posted over on Talking Points Memo...


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/walmart-liberals-who_b_11549.html


David Sirota

Wal-Mart & "Liberals" Who Spit Back Right-Wing PR


(snip)

Yglesias takes issue with a recent op-ed by the Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN), which points out the gross amounts of government subsidies that Wal-Mart receives. You may recall, Wal-Mart - like other ultrawealthy corporations - receives these taxpayer subsidies, despite government budget deficits, despite cuts to social programs, and despite the fact that the company is swimming in cash.

Yglesias first and foremost misses a huge chunk of the problem. He assumes that subsidies only means what Wal-Mart workers get from low-income programs (more on that in a second). But he's so embarrassingly uninformed it's actually a wonder he would type out an argument before doing basic research. The truth is, as well-documented in Robert Greenwald's movie and as referenced specifically in PLAN's op-ed, Wal-Mart receives millions of dollars of direct subsidies from state and local government. That is, they get huge checks from you, the taxpayer. These are the tax credits, the handouts for infrastructure construction for new Wal-Marts, and all the rest of the benefits euphemistically called "economic development" subsidies.

Next, Yglesias takes issues with those who criticize Wal-Mart for paying its workers so poorly they have to go on low-income programs like Medcaid and welfare. Now just look at how utterly out of touch with real world economic challenges this liberal pundit really is. It is, in a word, nauseating:

------->%<Snip!

Full Article with source links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/walmart-liberals-who_b_11549.html

[moriverrat]

1. kick n/t

[RaulGroom]

2. Sirota's great

I had high hopes for TPMCafe, but that place is a disgrace. Bravo to Sirota for repeatedly calling bullshit on those pathetic pseudoliberal wankers.

[KoKo]

5. What's your complaint with TPM Cafe?

:shrug:

[funnymanpants]

6. It is staffed by DLCers who sound like they are right wingers

I won't even go there any more it gets me so angry. The pundits there are right-wing, blindly supporting Israel's expanionsit policies and free trade. But what's worse is the way they do so, by using jargon and insider talk, and dismissing those who dont' agree with them as "60's hippies." I am not making this term up. When someone challenged the assertion that free trade actually helped workers, the response was to criticize this poster as being a 60's hippie.

The whole tone is smug and condescending.

[KoKo]

7. Are you sure those are the TPM pundits?

or are they the posters from outside the site? I haven't been over there in awhile but remember a really lively discussion between Yglesias and Tristero who fills in for Digby on the Hullabaloo site and he ripped Yglasias to shreds over his continuing defense of Iraq Invasion.

My impression was that Josh invites the DLC types on so that others can go at them to get a discussion going. That's why I was surprised at what you said. I know like any site TPCafe gets trolls so I've always ignored them.

I haven't been over there in a few weeks...so I'm not up-to-date on what's going on.

[funnymanpants]

9. It's not trolls

First, let me concede that not all the topics and not all posters are so right-leaning. But many are.

Even as you write in that post, this pundit Yglasias is defending the Iraqi Invasion, an outrageous stance in my opinion. But also, even the article written by Yglasias that is the topic of this tread--did you read it? I mean, it makes my blood boil when he basically says too bad for the workers that Wall Mart provides low-paying jobs. That's exactly how the topic of free trade was argued, too. I am against free trade but I am willing to listen to counter arguments. But both the pundit and the posters (these weren't trolls but well-established Cafe people) were basically saying it was good for the economy, and screw the workers, they just had to adjust.

I think the TPM is a very useful site because it really lets you know how the DLC types think. For example, on the free trade topic showed that:

1. Vague concepts and buzz words like "economic prosperity" were more important than showing how free trade hurt or helped the average Americans.

2. Insider jargon was used instead of concrete concepts. It reminded me of graduate school where a bunch of smug students bandied about abstract concepts that had nothing to do the book. At least if you go to Free Republic, most posters try to use facts and concrete concepts to argue their point. For example, in defending the Iraq War, a freeper might use anecodtal evidence to show how happy some Iraqi are or might (falsely) point out that oil production has increased since the invasion. But a DLC type would be content with talking about American interests and world stability. They are very Orwellian.

3. They are in love with the Clinton model of the world, which is basically allow corportions to run the economy. When workers suffer (for example becaue of free trade), provide some soical net for them. It is ironic that they kept bringing up the social net because Clinton actually cut welfare. But aside from that, I want the Dems to fight for higher wages and better jobs and better working conditions. I don't want them just throwing bones to workers who get screwed over.

4. They are smug and cannot stand it when you challenge their view point. They want you to argue within their framework: will free trade help expand the US economy or not? If you bring up a point outside their framework, for example, whether free trade helps workers, they become condescending and call you a hippy.

Really, after following several threads on the site, I was hoping with all my heart that the DLC types keep losing elections.

[depakid]

3. Yglesias just lost whatever credibility he might have had

I've read things that guy's written before and wonder whether he was just pulling things out of his ass.

Well, if there was ever any doubt, Sirota pretty much sealed it.

Hopefully, Yglesias will learn a lesson from this and put just a little bit of research in next time, before he spouts off at the mouth.

[K-W]

4. Wall Mart shills are a special breed. EOM

[blm]

8. Yglesias is only liberal on social issues - he's an economic moderate and

always has been.