Tucker Carlson is not anti-war
Tucker Carlson is not anti-war
Tucker Carlson has a reputation of being the only anti-war cable news host, but he is just a better propagandist.
Tucker Carlson is often credited with being the only anti-war cable news host. To his credit, he has taken some positions that no one else in cable media has on foreign policy and the national security state such as his opposition to regime change in Syria and Iran or his support for Julian Assange. But a closer look at his background and foreign policy coverage shows he is very well connected to the neo-con establishment he claims to oppose and is just a smarter propagandist for them.
Tucker’s shady connections
For someone who claims to be opposed to the western foreign policy establishment, Tucker has some really close connections to it. After graduating college Carlson tried and failed to join the C.I.A. Early in his career, Tucker wrote for the weekly standard an ultra neo-conservative outlet founded by Bill Kristol. In the weekly standard, Carlson would often write alongside some of the most extreme neo-cons, a September 16th, 2001 edition of the weekly standard uncovered by journalist Robbie Martin found him writing alongside David Frum and Max Boot.
Robbie also uncovered a hit piece written by Tucker in the weekly standard on Gary Webb, a journalist known for his critical reporting on the C.I.A. such as the C.I.A’s involvement in the crack trade. His investigative series “Dark Alliance” proved the C.I.A. used the anti-communist Contra Rebels to introduce crack to African American neighborhoods in the United States and used the money to fund Contra death squads in Nicaragua. Tucker’s piece was written in 1996 the same year Webb released his expose. Within the piece, Carlson branded Webb as a conspiracy theorist and defended the C.I.A from allegations of drug trafficking.
Carlson may have not made it into the C.I.A. but he was able to do their bidding as a journalist. He wrote a hit piece on an anti-C.I.A. journalist for a neo-con propaganda rag defending the C.I.A. from allegations of corruption. A declassified C.I.A document shows that many journalists who wrote hit pieces at the time on Webb called the C.I.A’s public affairs for “further information”. The document names this as an example of the C.I.A’s relationship with journalists resulting in a more “balanced story”. Carlson took part in a C.I.A. smear campaign against a journalist who exposed their corruption which they saw as a “public relations crisis”. Tucker to this is closely connected to neo-con circles. For example just last year he was spotted having dinner with George W. Bush at his private home.
How Tucker pushes C.I.A. propaganda.
Tucker has moved on from his open neo-con past and has turned into a more intelligent propagandist. He now portrays himself as an anti-establishment “right-populist” but sneaks in his neo-conservative views which he still clearly holds. For example when Ilhan Omar pressed Trump’s Venezuela envoy Elliot Abrams over his involvement in the Iran contra scandal Tucker defended Abrams saying “that took place more than thirty years ago”. Similar to his protege Saagar Enjeti Carlson sells the new cold war with China under a populist guise. In one segment titled America is being sold to China Carlson blamed China for jobs being outsourced, rising home prices, and the opioid epidemic. In the segment, Carlson argued that “China is an existential threat” and our leadership class “collaborates with the other side”. This is a great example of Carlson’s intelligent propaganda. He lists real issues faced by many Americans but instead of pointing to the real root of the problem, American capitalism he blames these issues on an official enemy state to direct populist energy in a pro-state department direction. In another segment titled Biden accelerated America's bend to communist China Carlson claimed Biden was going to nominate Walt Disney chairperson Bob Iger as the ambassador to China who Calrosn portrayed as an agent of the CPP. This is a direct mirror image of Rachel Maddow’s Russiagate propaganda. Whereas Maddow pressured Trump to be more hawkish towards Russia by claiming he was a Russian agent, Carlson is pressuring Biden to nominate a more hawkish ambassador to China from fear of being labeled an agent of the CCP. In another segment, Carlson quoted a Wall Street Journal article written by former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe (how anti-establishment) that claimed China was '“the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide” in the segment Carlson quoted the fearmongering article claiming “China intends to dominate the planet economically, militarily and technologically”. These are just a few examples of Tucker’s countless segments pushing the new cold war on China and mirroring Rachel Maddows Russiagate propaganda by portraying Biden and the Democrats as tools of the CCP. Carlson has also frequently featured Enes Kanter as a guest on his show, an NBA player with ties to the neo-con establishment and the Turkish far-right Islamist Gulen movement. Kanter often uses his fame as a basketball player to push neo-conservative political views such as support for Isreal or support for the United States Venezuela coup puppet Juan Guaido. Carlson often has on Kanter to bash China or tell American citizens they should not criticize their government. In a recent interview, Carlson and Kanter went after Americans that criticize their government with Kanter saying “People should feel really blessed and lucky to be in America. They love to criticize it, but when you live in a country like Turkey or China or somewhere else, you will appreciate the freedoms you have here”, Carlson replied by saying “that’s how I feel”. Most recently Carlson has been credited by many populists on the right and left for opposing Washington's latest warmongering towards Russia. While he is correct on this specific issue he is doing it for the wrong reason. In the segment, Carlson said “what’s not complicated is who benefits off our conflict with Russia, China benefits period ” Carlson goes on to rightfully oppose harsh sanctions against Russia but says he opposes them because they will cause Russia and China to move closer together. In another segment, Carlson said he opposed war with Russia because they are “the potential counterbalance towards China”. Carlson opposes war with Russia not because he is opposed to the new cold war but because he thinks Russia could be an ally of the United States in the new cold war against China. Carlson does not take a principled stance against saber-rattling but instead wants to reverse the growing ties between Russia and China and make Russia a United States puppet in opposing China. While he cloaks his segments in anti-war rhetoric they are actually neo-con propaganda, he is not against the new cold war he just believes it should be done against China instead of Russia.
This should be obvious to most but Tucker Carlson is an establishment propagandist. He pushes the new cold war with China more than almost anyone in media and only opposes certain interventions because he believes they are a distraction from the new cold war. He is not in any way anti-war and should not be portrayed that way by alternative media stars.
Please note that the Communist Party of China officially uses the acronym CPC, not CCP. This is an important distinction.
This one was terrible, sorry. I hope you do better in the future.