He spent the '90s sexually harassing and assaulting women in Moscow. He's always been a douche, but a lot of liberal and leftist guys didn't care about that part.
Only had to look at the byline to see it was the guy who went to Russia, tried to run amok (oddly like Trump but in different ways) and mysteriously is now a crawling servant who'll put forth any Russian talking point no matter how craven.
As I said above, he’s always been like this. I hated W’s foreign policy, but Matt could write an essay trashing those policies and I came out feeling bad for W and thinking Matt was a grade a douchebag. That said, he is worse now, but like Greenwald, it’s who he’s been for 20 years (or more).
I really don’t think he was. Ironically, a good friend of mine loved his writing (though TBH I’m not sure if he agreed with him or not, since he too was a journalist) and he voted for W in 2000…not sure about 2004.
I always disliked the guy’s writing, but I did enjoy his bits on Real Time in 2015/16
And from the guy who achieved his greatest fame and most widespread popularity fifteen years ago when he picked the investment bank with the most identifiably Jewish name and singled it out as a "vampire squid" with tentacles reaching all over the globe.
I suspect Taibbi's one of those guys for whim getting away with being a sexist abuser was more important than anything else, so when the left finally pushed back on his abuse he fell into the arms of the side that wouldn't.
Boys. He raped boys, not girls. He’s gay. And doesn’t understand that he’s only a couple of steps below the Jews, immigrants, black people when republicans need a scapegoat.
Jokes on them, I'm a big supporter of the Lizard People of the New World Order, it's my favorite insane conspiracy theory. I often mix it with the hallow earth and flat earth ones to create "The Lizard People who Control the Earth who Live in the Hallow Flat Earth, but they're Fun!"
He was always this piece of shit, always. Time t reflect if you ever agreed w him. He is the Ralph Nader of Bernie Sanders of Tulsi Gabbards of Marianne Williamsons. What disappointed me was that anyone was taken in by Tabbi or Greenwald. We all knew Shapiro is always shit.
I used to think his whole Russia-contrarianism stemmed from feeling insulted that people weren't besieging him for hot-takes on Russia. Now I think it's mostly that he doesn't want to admit having been there.
I was wondering how Zelensky's "white card" was repossessed so easily. In moments he was being treated like a Black American...like MAGA treats us. "Why wasn't he more respecful?" "Why wasn't he more grateful?" "Why weren't his clothes different?"
The word ‘lizard’ is a big tell here that the antisemitism is deliberate. Ain’t nobody heard of the “GEICO lizard”; it’s always and only been called a gecko.
I have a laundry list of views regarding insurance commercials which I hate with a passion, some political some not so much and I have no clue what Matt is going for here.
No he was awful then too. I’ve said this 2x above, but even though we hated the same policies, I’d finish it up and I’d think, “Man what an asshole this guy [matt] is.”
That’s not easy to do that, bc I tended to love reading people who hated W’s presidency. I hated Matt’s work.
by "mandatory applause" he somehow means "liberals will frown disapprovingly at you for disliking Zelensky" and not "Trump will use the power of government to retaliate against you if you don't praise his handling of the Zelensky meeting"
Trump thought this little ambush would be great press for him
His little silver fish are out there trying to spin it away from the shit show and clear example of bullying that people saw on his "great television"
It was scripted
Even Glenn the reporter had his lines
WHERE'S YOUR SUIT
I'm sure Taibbi would resist someone trying to break into his house.
This notion that Self Defense is a "Positional Good", e.g. "Only certain 'in' groups are entitled to it" is fucked up and needs to be shouted down as much as possible.
Is there proof that he sexually abused minors, though? I'm not defending the guy, but I was under the impression that he never partook but was surrounded by it so much that the fictional acts he wrote about were inspired by real events he knew about. Still really fucked up, admittedly.
I also think that he is asexual himself and was not sober enough.
However, pimping, trafficking still was and is illegal.
In theory, but still illegal.
Can we also declare that "neoliberalism" is a meaningless word, having been used to death by a certain contingent of Leftier Than Thou assholes to mean "stuff I don't like"?
"Neo liberal" was originally "Thatcher and Reagan".
Markets as King. Throwback to the "Liberal economics" of the ate 19th cent. (Which were not at all 'liberal' in today's meaning-- just meant business would be allowed a free hand).
"Reaganite" probably has some negative psychological associations for people who consider themselves to be left-of-center so it might be doubly effective.
Are they? All your zero evidence is very convincing.
Clintonites may claim to be very different from the Chicago School, but your inability to cite any evidence for that conclusion in their actions should tell you a great deal.
Shhh, they truly are that stupid, no really. Only morons use the term Third Way in the last 30+ years. All it ever meant was that our faux left foe and gop are the opposition to progress, have been for half a century. No Dem uses any of these terms.
Yes, but there's a fairly sizable degree of overlap.
I tend to distinguish between "(center) left-neoliberalism" (Clintonites/many Third Way people) and "right-neoliberalism" (Chicago School, Reganites etc.)
But is there ACTUALLY a functional difference between them?
Differences in the methods they use to pretend to care about working people don't count... How hesitant they seem when they dismantle government capabilities doesn't count either.
There are people that ostensibly like and read Taibbi but I don’t understand it. It’s like people who “like stepping on lego.” I’m sure there’s a forum for it somewhere but what kind of freaks are they? Seems like the real journalistic opportunity here is finding out who these freaks are.
This asshat went to the same high school as me, a school with a significant Jewish population and ostensibly progressive values. So good to see him going down this path! He had every chance to be a decent human being.
Lemme guess, she's a woman who wouldn't spend the entire conversation telling him how marvelous his last book was? But also one he doesn't feel safe throwing his coffee at?
good time to remember that the origin of matt taibbi becoming a right wing russia defender was after the left’s negative reaction to his book where he described having sex with a fifteen year old girl in russia where it was within the legal age of consent
It was not within the legal age of consent.
A whole lot of what the Moscow pimp quad did and admitted doing was illegal in the RF and a cringe to even the Rossiyans who cultivated them as "free spirits".
However there were never any consequences and the women were silenced
My only interaction with him was on Twitter a several years ago to ask him why he got more joy skewering Democratic Party hypocrisy than following up on ALEC. He announced he blocked me…the man that now sucks up to Jim Jordan about censorship. Nauseating narcissism masked as a free speech champion.
Worth remembering that Matt Taibbi ran a news organization in Russia that was well known for sexually harassing its female employees and as far as I know, he's never written a critical word about Putin.
Taibbi is the only person who wrote essays trashing George W Bush and at the end of it I’d think my good that guy (Matt) is a fucking asshole. Didn’t like him then and like him even less now. But in fairness, this is a guy who lived in Russia and seems to like Putin.
While an Exhausted President Zelensky continues to navigate this world crises, we have trump shucking and jiving down a Mar a Lago runway with his court jester Musk in tow holding the omnipresent child on his shoulders serving as a bullet proofing vest. Repulsive beyond belief!
Matt Taibbi's father Mike was adopted by Italian Americans and had Filipino/Hawaiian Islander biological family, and Matt Taibbi identifies as an atheist, so unless "Jewish" has been radically redefined, I don't think this is true.
He figured out he wasn’t going to make money writing after his Russian “escapades” and moved to the right like so many who find it profitable. And they don’t care if you have a questionable history with women. See: Russell Brand
I thought that Matt Taibbi was an "enlightened centrist" and not a full-on foaming-from-the-mouth conspiracy crack-pot. But I haven't been on the hell site for a while.
I've never been a fan of Taibbi and his high school sophomore's creaky, cloying and transparent Hunter S. Wannabe shtick, so I take some small enjoyment these past 8 years watching him publicly tear himself apart like a Rumpelstiltskin furious that the cool kids stopped inviting him to their party.
Man he WORKED on that one, clearly started from the premise of wanting to call a Jewish person a lizard and then tried to figure out how to do it, absolutely disgusting man
Comments
I always disliked the guy’s writing, but I did enjoy his bits on Real Time in 2015/16
Genuinely no idea what that headline is even on the surface (subtext aside) claiming to try to communicate
Nothing "happened" to him.
Does Taibbi have any self-awareness, at all?
Well I mean sure he does but he said j/k afterwards
Like, not surprised tbh but it is new info for me
Maya Angelou?
The two of them are either rapists, or think it's super cool to make everyone think they are.
luckily no one with a clue listens to him these days
but he should really be locked up
Is left
Standing
https://bsky.app/profile/justinbaragona.bsky.social/post/3ljind4c5kk2e
Which guy married a homeless Brazilian teenager? Which one went “undercover” for years “investigating” under age sex trafficking in Russia?
From the vampire squid to this absolute horseshit...what happened dude, where'd it all go wrong?
Oh right...Jewish...not Israeli...just Jewish.
Pure, unadulterated scum. And he's still a sad nobody.
Taibi is a real Drake from State Farm.
And a Russian stooge
Yeah, me neither.
That’s not easy to do that, bc I tended to love reading people who hated W’s presidency. I hated Matt’s work.
Matt Taibi is just an ass.
His little silver fish are out there trying to spin it away from the shit show and clear example of bullying that people saw on his "great television"
It was scripted
Even Glenn the reporter had his lines
WHERE'S YOUR SUIT
Here's something about what he said.
How quickly some people switch sides.
Glad I haven't paid him any attention in the last 10 years.
This notion that Self Defense is a "Positional Good", e.g. "Only certain 'in' groups are entitled to it" is fucked up and needs to be shouted down as much as possible.
Lack of Empathy isn't Cool. It's a Sickness.
He tried to disclaim as just first not knowing about it being included and that they were "jokes", but it's in the book.
However, pimping, trafficking still was and is illegal.
In theory, but still illegal.
What do we use to refer to actual neoliberals in its place?
Chicago School.
Clintonites.
Take your pick.
Markets as King. Throwback to the "Liberal economics" of the ate 19th cent. (Which were not at all 'liberal' in today's meaning-- just meant business would be allowed a free hand).
I was there. I remember.
Clintonites may claim to be very different from the Chicago School, but your inability to cite any evidence for that conclusion in their actions should tell you a great deal.
I tend to distinguish between "(center) left-neoliberalism" (Clintonites/many Third Way people) and "right-neoliberalism" (Chicago School, Reganites etc.)
Differences in the methods they use to pretend to care about working people don't count... How hesitant they seem when they dismantle government capabilities doesn't count either.
I don't need his opinion.
A whole lot of what the Moscow pimp quad did and admitted doing was illegal in the RF and a cringe to even the Rossiyans who cultivated them as "free spirits".
However there were never any consequences and the women were silenced
·
now
Lots and lots of MONEY greasing lots and lots of palms...I am sure this dipshit got his envelope.
You cannot be a successful oppressor without the assistance of the oppressed. Is it possible Taibbi does not know he is the latter?
Nah......HE KNOWS!
Happened to this guy