What a fucking sleazebag!
It amazes me that people are surprised by this sort of thing. Especially when one can easily witness how much weaseling and how little factual basis mass media politics involves. I have tried to show some of my family how I pick apart their television news to reveal bias in what they discuss, spin, or avoid - and they dismissed my constant questions as paranoia because it undermined their certainty. Swaying opinions by exploiting people’s fears and anxieties, bypassing their critical faculties has become such a big business.
Frankly, I am amazed that more transcripts like this have not appeared. There have been increasingly many pockets of interests aimed at subverting democratic processes in the US over the years.
On page 26 of the PDF, it states that Berman “is a graduate of Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky”. It’s time to de-fang these people…
A condensed extract here:
Well worth reading.
I was going to read the speech and then changed my mind. Too early in the morning to get my blood pressure up that high
Ok, except a minimum wage is wrong, public sector unions are evil and being able to smoke is a right and no one else’s business.
Why for? Would you prefer even less money in local economies?
So screwing people over from the position of power is good? Why not some counterbalances?
Mostly true, with perhaps some modest limits for enclosed spaces and addition that being able to smoke (and grow) whatever you wish is a right and nobody else’s business.
Save your religion for Sunday school. An absolute like “Public sector unions are evil” is as silly as any of the fairy tales in the bible. Go read some Ayn Rand, you’ll feel better.
Well, I think that sex in public is quite upstanding, personally, if you must know. Provided of course that the lady keeps her shirt on!
He’s also the guy behind the so-called “Center for Accountability in Science,” a front group that pretends to be a research organization and opposes things like cannabis reform for his tobacco and alcohol clients.
The actually pulled the wool over the Washington Post’s eye recently, running a hatchet piece in their commentary section:
Provided, of course, that you’re smoking tobacco and not MJ, 'cause he’s trying to keep that illegal (see my post above).
That was really disheartening to read. A lot of those techniques are difficult to counter and it makes me realizes that it is easy to derail any positive progress. 
what can we do about this?
Beats not knowing…
Document the methods, be aware of them, highlight (and possibly stigmatize?) their uses.
There is a large body of documentation of the methods used in the earlier ages by tobacco industry, leaded-gasoline industry, and many many others. There is also the documented use of propaganda for wars, beginning with WW1 when the whole PR industry was born, or more accurately metamorphosed from an anaemic larva to the dark butterfly of today.
Two good webs for tracking down what is happening in the PR/propaganda world:
http://sourcewatch.org/
There should be a browser addon that would link the names of people and lobbyists and front groups (and websites) to these webs, to bring a bit more transparency to the news.
Absolutely!
Thanks for the suggestions and sources.
The idea for a browser plugin would be super helpful and amazing I think you are onto something with that.
I don’t think you’re a very good troll, me. We’ve got much better ones. You’re… well, a bit basic. Sorry.
I must be pretty jaded. Not much in the whole transcript surprised me. Pretty much how I understood it to work.
Few note the accurate CBO estimate on raising the minimum wage stated that millions would see a better life and possibly some jobs could be lost.
Fewer still have noted that the Congressional Research Service has surveyed 50 years of congressional tax policy and found that tax cut only serve to enrich the already wealthy.
He seemed to me rather acidic…
I “liked” this, but I don’t -ya know?
