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Parramore writes: "I couldn't have predicted anything like it. It's a break with over a century of American political history. No corporate support, no financial wealth, he was unknown, no media support. The media simply either ignored or denigrated him. And he came pretty close - he probably could have won the nomination, maybe the election."

Noam Chomsky. (photo: unknown)
Noam Chomsky. (photo: unknown)

Noam Chomksy: Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in the Country, but the Mainstream Media Is Ignoring Him

By Lynn Parramore, Institute for New Economic Thinking

25 March 18

The renowned linguist, cognitive scientist, and historian on where we stand as an economy, as a country, and as human beings

e recently interviewed Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Laureate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Arizona. He shared his thoughts with the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) on foreign policy, dissent in the internet age, public education, corporate predation, who’s really messing with American elections, climate change, and more. 


Noam Chomsky: Well the continuities are the message of the Athenians to Melos: “the powerful do what they wish and the weak suffer what they must” [from Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War”]. It’s often disguised in humanitarian terms. The modalities and the context change. The situations change but the message stays the same.

LP: What do you see as the most significant changes?
























NC: Yes, a very interesting book.










NC: That’s interesting. Yes.




NC: Yes.





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Marc Ash
Founder, Reader Supported News

+46 # Rodion Raskolnikov 2018-03-25 13:51
Chomsky, "There really is manipulation of elections, but it’s not coming from the Russians."

Oh, Oh. Now he will get 100 thumbs down. Poor Noam, he should be careful where he says something like that. Maybe he is a Putin paid Troll?

Chomsky's comments on Sanders are good. He's by far the most popular political figure in the US right now, but he is rarely ever mentioned by the major media. That's how meddling in an election works. The major media gives us Russiagate 24/7 as a distraction from the real news -- a democratic socialist is the most popular politician in the US. He's admired by people on both the left and the right for the issues he stands on. People can transcend their party affiliation and support a candidate because of issues. THAT is what the major media are most afraid of -- a woke electorate.

Of the two greatest threats Chomsky names -- nuclear war and climate change -- the first is easy to fix. The US simply needs to stop threatening other nations with nuclear extermination. The second is very difficult since it involves a long term change in basic industries. But it is clearly possible. The path is clear. There just needs to be a political will.
+17 # Inspired Citizen 2018-03-25 19:06
Chomsky was right. First, Bernie was robbed using election fraud and many other sleazy, legal tactics during the primaries, and in the general, Bernie or Bust, Interstate Crosscheck and #NeverHillary all were individually more influential than 13 Russian trolls. This Russiagate narrative is a distraction and a ruse.

If Bernie runs in 2020, he will not get elected unless the leverage strategy we called Bernie or Bust makes it clear to every superdelegate and Democrat, that if the nominee is not Sanders, the Republican (Trump or Pence) will win re-election. 2016 was warm up.

We need a progressive Executive Branch, and Sanders is the best bet to attain that in 2020 if we're still around by then.
+13 # wrknight 2018-03-25 22:04
Well, I'll take the downward pointing thumbs and agree with Noam on the Russian manipulation. That they tried, I will concede, but that they succeeded, I won't. Compared with U.S. corporations and the two political parties, the Russians are amateurs and what they did doesn't begin to compare with what the corporations, the parties and the media did to screw our elections.

Second, I have to disagree with you on the ease of fixing the threat of nuclear war. In order to do that, you have to change the people in power and that, as demonstrated in the last umpteen elections, is not easy. Both the Democrats and Republicans are hell bent on world conquest. So long as we have a political monopoly that has an aggressive foreign policy, we're going to be faced with the threat of nuclear annihilation.

The path may be clear, but the political will is in the hands of the 1%.
+9 # REDPILLED 2018-03-25 18:05
Mainstream CORPORATE media's role is to advance the U.S. Empire, so it must ignore Sanders (who goes along with U.S. imperialism, anyway), as well as nuclear war and climate catastrophe.

Gotta sell those products and further enrich the Ruling Parasite Class and their Deep State Masters! Who cares about the planet?
+11 # librarian1984 2018-03-25 19:16
1) "There really is manipulation of the elections, but it's not coming from Russia"

What's that you say, Noam? Can you say it a little louder? People here don't seem to be listening.

Everyone thinks everybody else is in a bubble. People never think that THEY are in a bubble. When you read or hear Chomsky, you might begin to perceive the liberal bubble. We, ginned up by the media, are hysterical about Russia -- not perceiving that NO ONE else is. Most USians, Europeans, etc., know that the Russians had an insignificant effect on the 2016 elections and that the CIA has done far worse.

In the meantime, we are getting hoodwinked at every turn, and not just by Republicans. Today Claire McCaskill slammed Sen. Warren and said she doesn't regret voting to deregulate big banks, that it's "moderates who get things done". Claire is in a very tough race. Buh-bye, moderate!

2) "Democratic Party managers had to manipulate to keep Sanders from winning the nomination"

Hear that, ericlipps? Which means the reason Sanders didn't say out loud the nomination was stolen is because he didn't want to hurt the party. So you should be grateful to him instead of bashing him All The Time.

No matter how bad the party treats him he works to help them. I do not know why. They don't deserve him.

Sanders/Chomsky 2020? I wonder if Sanders would consider Chomsky for a cabinet post. Which one?
0 # economagic 2018-03-26 13:51

Yes, saying we have to vote Republican is uncomfortably like saying that we have to destroy the village to save it.

In virtually every comment thread in which this dilemma comes up, some people are insisting that we must construct a viable third party so must not try to reform the Democratic party because it would take too long, and others are insisting that we must reform the Democratic party so must not try to construct a viable third party because it would take too long.

Anybody see the problem here? Could this not be a situation in which "all of the above" IS the reasonable approach?
+4 # librarian1984 2018-03-26 15:44
Agreed. We need to do BOTH. People Like Sanders and Gabbard think they can reform the party. Many of us have given up on that. We should be working on the outside. Hopefully we will be able to combine our resources at some point, pressuring the party from outside AND in.
+14 # PABLO DIABLO 2018-03-25 21:02
THANK YOU Noam Chomsky.
"The truth speaks loudly" --- Ghandi
+10 # margpark 2018-03-25 21:41
Surprised I came back after hours thinking to see more comments. If the voters were looking for outsiders in 2016 Bernie would have been a much better choice. But I realize he would have been unable to do anything with the present congress. What I wonder is if he would have been so inspiring that people would be lining up to vote this year even more than they are to get Trump stumped. Who knows?
+7 # wrknight 2018-03-25 21:49
"Finally, what do you consider to be the biggest threats to human beings in the future?"

The real answer: human beings.
+1 # economagic 2018-03-26 13:53
Solution: Get rid of the human beings. That may well take care of itself, but to whose benefit?
+1 # Robbee 2018-03-25 22:25

then too - Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in the Country, but the Mainstream Media Is Ignoring Him
25 March 18

how is it that repukes own the murdock faux news media and putin owns the russian media rt and all chomsky outs is media as deep state? - "There really is manipulation of elections, but it’s not coming from the Russians"?

the media does not sell media by explaining socialism

in 2016 bernie gave a brilliant speech explaining socialism to america - afterwards media quoted him saying, in effect, answer that, hillary - the media carried nothing about socialism - buried the lead! the story! - to media the story was chirping between dem candidates

meanwhile dickhead masters the art of sucking all the air out of the newsroom - the sexy of adulteries, the agony of firings! - labeling opponents with names that suit only him - build a wall! - make criminals and rapists pay for it! - i alone will do it!

as are most nations, we are a capitalist producer that runs with implicit consent of workers for their welfare - there is a broad range of capitalist-soci alist mix - but almost all nations sit on this same spectrum

at explaining this spectrum, media fails

in 2016 bernie made our case, all but white-privilege d america got the message
+3 # Wise woman 2018-03-26 01:00
Wow, RR, you just went from a minus to a plus 28 with my one click. The saints must be with us tonight. For years and years I've been saying just that on political questionnaires - climate change is our biggest threat. NOTHING ELSE WILL MATTER IF WE DONT SERIOUSLY ADDRESS THAT!!! So happy you and Noam agree with me. And yes, the GOP is an evil force to be reckoned with.
+1 # economagic 2018-03-26 13:57
What about nuclear weapons?

Fire And Ice - Poem by Robert Frost:

"Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice."

Or in this case, different manifestations of fire.
+1 # Aliazer 2018-03-26 18:10
Sanders would be a good thing for America, if he were to become President!! But it will not happen,unless he is co-opted as Obama was.

If that happens, though, nothing will happen for America or its people but everything for those who still control the country, while continuing with the same stultifying wars and mass killings!!
