Three cheers to Hannah-Jones for giving the finger to UNC. The 1619 Project has been a real eye opener for this well schooled white woman who thought she was well informed about the enslavement of Black people, the behavior of Whites and the facts about our American history; it is a profound reveal of our origins. How pitiful that the far right richies like Hussman think the world revolves around them and that throwing around their soiled money will protect them from the truth. Boo hoo. For sure, time for a new name for UNC’s journalism school. Great piece, Eric.
Between the uber wealthy, Rupert Murdoch, Sinclair, the constant and repeated messaging blasting "liberal elites"- the takeover of all things small 'p' progressive is remarkable. I'm so grateful for fighters and fabulous journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones (and Eric) who call out those linearly focused on tearing down our Democracy. Amazingly, the driving force is people who've had every opportunity and advantage. Wealth and power are like crack and heroin. And, wealth and power tend to fall into the hands of so called conservatives. Of course, authoritarian leaning and power hungry people use poor, white, Christians as their tool to deflect. The so called Prosperity Christians, anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, anti-media are checking all the boxes to keep everyone, including poor white people out. We need journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eric and many others to expose these malignant, anti-Democratic bullies.
Hussman, Kristi Noem, Trump...What's the common thread? Noem apparently thinks it's okay to use taxpayer money to pay mercenaries (which is what the S. Dakota guard would be in fact) to go to the southern border, for some purpose known only to her and people like her. Trump, well, we know. My long, long ago furure-ex-girlfriend's father was one of them. His only deity was cash, and the power he could wield with it. Favorite phrase; "Money talks, bullshit walks". Keep exposing these people to the voters Mr. B! Keep their feet right in the fire.
Kristi has created the precedent that an out of state billionaire can hire a national guard from another state to do his dirty work.
Now consider if George Soros would use that precedent to hire the California and New York National Guard to stand outside of polling places in the South...
It drives me crazy that the fact that the highly respected UNC School of Journalism has allowed itself to be corrupted by money from a right wing propagandist hasn’t gotten more attention in all the coverage of this story. I had no idea that they had renamed it after this slime.
I do have one quibble. It wasn’t just the right wing media who called Clinton Slick Willie. I was frequently angered by hearing mainstream pundits like Chris Matthews and TIm Russert doing the same. They were also big on calling him Bubba then hypocritically carping about him not respecting the office of the President with his behavior — private behavior. The media was more respectful of Nixon.
That's been a key part of the Koch agenda ever since the mid 70s when they financed chapters of the Young Libertarian Alliance in college campuses. The Kochs also require the teaching of Ayn Rand with any endowments they grant.
What was the effect? When I was at Pitt in the mid 70s the Economics department was split between disciples of Milton Friedman and Murray Rothbard.
Remember the Four Horsemen who led the drive to impeach Bill--Russert, Matthews, Michael Kelly and Maureen Dowd. All 4 of them lied any lie to destroy Bill and they failed.
Hussman's approach to Hannah-Jones mimicked the rightwing approach to the 1619 Project, and to politics: this is a zero sum game ...no such thing as win-win...someone has to lose. This is why bipartisanship is dead..."the base" won't tolerate cooperation in any form or manner because that's a sign of weakness....someone HAS to lose, and it has to be "them."
Aftet watching the Joy Reid interview, I came away with a new appreciation for grace. Hussman can't buy that. The Clinton connection is unsurprising. Kudos Eric.
This is why I refer to the corrupted beyond repair main$tream media as the CCCP--Corporate Controlled Conservative Press.
As for Dr. Jones I am glad to see that she flipped the bird at the racist trustees and went to Howard University where she can continue her work with the protection of tenure! Hopefully more professors will leave UNC but the trustees won't really care until they see their star basketball players also depart.
Well I guess that's one for our side. However, this story pales in comparison to what the Republicans continue to do to erode our democracy. While many in academia relish the decision by Hanna-Jomes, it will mostly go unnoticed. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to rewrite history that nothing more than tourists came through the Capitol on Jan 6 while Republican state legislatures continue to pass laws to suppress our vote, the one power all Americans should have in a democracy. While I feel good about this story, it's hard not to continue to feel if we are reaching an end to the path our Founders wanted this country to take.
Brilliant as always Eric. All the comments here have expressed my thoughts much better than I could have so I have nothing to add.
I do, however, want to thank you for the link to the Vice article. That piece was one of the most powerful pieces of journalism I've read in a long time. Kudos to those brave journalists and photographers who reported as their lives were threatened. The after effects of the riot on Congress, Capital Hill and DC police, and the journalists has resulted in erosion of their ability to feel safe and protected while doing their jobs which is a tragedy for them and the nation who needs them. I pray for their safety every day.
I did not know the Hussman story, and I was cheered by how Hannah-Jones checkmated the shameful UNC. Now that I know Hussman was behind it all, I am cheering even louder for Hannah-Jones, and it is a terrific win for Howard University.
I think UNC is in a world of hurt, moving forward. Who is going to want to go to a school where the issue is how much to charge for selling out?
A key part of the story is that Hussman has yet to pony up the $25M...or the full $25M, but that didn't prevent him from throwing his weight around, or the trustees from kowtowing.
If you stand for wrong you'll stand for anything. So my thoughts are they choose the anything showing the country, professors, and students just what they are.
Here's hoping that the exodus of talent from UNC to less politicized, reactionary, right wing-poisoned institutions continues until the school experiences enough damage to take another look at what it has become.
Question of the day: Why do I have to find out about Mr. Hussman's bigotry and dishonesty by reading this blog? Now, I say that stipulating that Mr. Boehlert is a national treasure, and a necessity. But why don't the political media--and this is a political story--do their jobs? Because they haven't before, so why start now?
I can imagine The Times being leery of going there in its stories about the situation--we know how badly the media cover themselves. It also would be a reminder of how The Times inflamed the anti-Clinton garbage with its alleged "reporting" and the Howell Raines reign of error on the editorial page.
Eric, thank you for so very clearly explaining the Nikole Hannah-Jones saga — NOW I understand what all the controversy was about. And, sorry, UNC, you got what's comin' to ya. Joy Reid did a nice segment last night with Hannah-Jones and her colleague also headed to Howard, Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Did UNC really believe that Hussman's $25 million would come with no strings attached? It's not as if he wasn't a known commodity. If UNC wants to learn from its gross miscalculation (or greed), rejecting the money and publicly acknowledging the harm the university has inflicted on itself would be a good start.
Three cheers to Hannah-Jones for giving the finger to UNC. The 1619 Project has been a real eye opener for this well schooled white woman who thought she was well informed about the enslavement of Black people, the behavior of Whites and the facts about our American history; it is a profound reveal of our origins. How pitiful that the far right richies like Hussman think the world revolves around them and that throwing around their soiled money will protect them from the truth. Boo hoo. For sure, time for a new name for UNC’s journalism school. Great piece, Eric.
I’m sure UNC was completely shocked yesterday
All the better.
Between the uber wealthy, Rupert Murdoch, Sinclair, the constant and repeated messaging blasting "liberal elites"- the takeover of all things small 'p' progressive is remarkable. I'm so grateful for fighters and fabulous journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones (and Eric) who call out those linearly focused on tearing down our Democracy. Amazingly, the driving force is people who've had every opportunity and advantage. Wealth and power are like crack and heroin. And, wealth and power tend to fall into the hands of so called conservatives. Of course, authoritarian leaning and power hungry people use poor, white, Christians as their tool to deflect. The so called Prosperity Christians, anti-abortion, anti-immigrant, anti-media are checking all the boxes to keep everyone, including poor white people out. We need journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eric and many others to expose these malignant, anti-Democratic bullies.
Hussman, Kristi Noem, Trump...What's the common thread? Noem apparently thinks it's okay to use taxpayer money to pay mercenaries (which is what the S. Dakota guard would be in fact) to go to the southern border, for some purpose known only to her and people like her. Trump, well, we know. My long, long ago furure-ex-girlfriend's father was one of them. His only deity was cash, and the power he could wield with it. Favorite phrase; "Money talks, bullshit walks". Keep exposing these people to the voters Mr. B! Keep their feet right in the fire.
Kristi has created the precedent that an out of state billionaire can hire a national guard from another state to do his dirty work.
Now consider if George Soros would use that precedent to hire the California and New York National Guard to stand outside of polling places in the South...
If only....
It drives me crazy that the fact that the highly respected UNC School of Journalism has allowed itself to be corrupted by money from a right wing propagandist hasn’t gotten more attention in all the coverage of this story. I had no idea that they had renamed it after this slime.
I do have one quibble. It wasn’t just the right wing media who called Clinton Slick Willie. I was frequently angered by hearing mainstream pundits like Chris Matthews and TIm Russert doing the same. They were also big on calling him Bubba then hypocritically carping about him not respecting the office of the President with his behavior — private behavior. The media was more respectful of Nixon.
https://www.salon.com/2009/10/24/bill_clinton_10/
Yes, good pt re: Slick Willy
Just found this. UNC Charlotte was required to teach Ayn Rand by donor BB&T bank.
https://www.aaup.org/article/universities-major-battleground-fight-reason-and-capitalism#.YOWcoy33ahA
That's been a key part of the Koch agenda ever since the mid 70s when they financed chapters of the Young Libertarian Alliance in college campuses. The Kochs also require the teaching of Ayn Rand with any endowments they grant.
What was the effect? When I was at Pitt in the mid 70s the Economics department was split between disciples of Milton Friedman and Murray Rothbard.
Remember the Four Horsemen who led the drive to impeach Bill--Russert, Matthews, Michael Kelly and Maureen Dowd. All 4 of them lied any lie to destroy Bill and they failed.
Hussman's approach to Hannah-Jones mimicked the rightwing approach to the 1619 Project, and to politics: this is a zero sum game ...no such thing as win-win...someone has to lose. This is why bipartisanship is dead..."the base" won't tolerate cooperation in any form or manner because that's a sign of weakness....someone HAS to lose, and it has to be "them."
Aftet watching the Joy Reid interview, I came away with a new appreciation for grace. Hussman can't buy that. The Clinton connection is unsurprising. Kudos Eric.
He cannot—he’s bern trying his whole life
Charlie Pierce gave Eric props in his 1st post today.
oh cool
This is why I refer to the corrupted beyond repair main$tream media as the CCCP--Corporate Controlled Conservative Press.
As for Dr. Jones I am glad to see that she flipped the bird at the racist trustees and went to Howard University where she can continue her work with the protection of tenure! Hopefully more professors will leave UNC but the trustees won't really care until they see their star basketball players also depart.
Well I guess that's one for our side. However, this story pales in comparison to what the Republicans continue to do to erode our democracy. While many in academia relish the decision by Hanna-Jomes, it will mostly go unnoticed. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to rewrite history that nothing more than tourists came through the Capitol on Jan 6 while Republican state legislatures continue to pass laws to suppress our vote, the one power all Americans should have in a democracy. While I feel good about this story, it's hard not to continue to feel if we are reaching an end to the path our Founders wanted this country to take.
Brilliant as always Eric. All the comments here have expressed my thoughts much better than I could have so I have nothing to add.
I do, however, want to thank you for the link to the Vice article. That piece was one of the most powerful pieces of journalism I've read in a long time. Kudos to those brave journalists and photographers who reported as their lives were threatened. The after effects of the riot on Congress, Capital Hill and DC police, and the journalists has resulted in erosion of their ability to feel safe and protected while doing their jobs which is a tragedy for them and the nation who needs them. I pray for their safety every day.
Should read "have resulted" instead of "has". Grrrrk.
I did not know the Hussman story, and I was cheered by how Hannah-Jones checkmated the shameful UNC. Now that I know Hussman was behind it all, I am cheering even louder for Hannah-Jones, and it is a terrific win for Howard University.
I think UNC is in a world of hurt, moving forward. Who is going to want to go to a school where the issue is how much to charge for selling out?
Ah Mr. Boehlert, the “Golden Rule” in action.
He who has the gold makes the rules.
Rename the school & forgo the $25,000,000?
It is easy to take a principled stand when it’s not your money on the line. UNC faces a tough decision.
A key part of the story is that Hussman has yet to pony up the $25M...or the full $25M, but that didn't prevent him from throwing his weight around, or the trustees from kowtowing.
If you stand for wrong you'll stand for anything. So my thoughts are they choose the anything showing the country, professors, and students just what they are.
Here's hoping that the exodus of talent from UNC to less politicized, reactionary, right wing-poisoned institutions continues until the school experiences enough damage to take another look at what it has become.
Mr. Hussman will eventually get everything he wanted: to turn his beloved alma mater into the Fox News of universities.
as noted, most of the $25M Hussmsn pledged hadn’t been give. Yet. I.e. there’s still time for UNC to save itself
Question of the day: Why do I have to find out about Mr. Hussman's bigotry and dishonesty by reading this blog? Now, I say that stipulating that Mr. Boehlert is a national treasure, and a necessity. But why don't the political media--and this is a political story--do their jobs? Because they haven't before, so why start now?
boy, that’s a fair question. Context here so important
I can imagine The Times being leery of going there in its stories about the situation--we know how badly the media cover themselves. It also would be a reminder of how The Times inflamed the anti-Clinton garbage with its alleged "reporting" and the Howell Raines reign of error on the editorial page.
Eric, thank you for so very clearly explaining the Nikole Hannah-Jones saga — NOW I understand what all the controversy was about. And, sorry, UNC, you got what's comin' to ya. Joy Reid did a nice segment last night with Hannah-Jones and her colleague also headed to Howard, Ta-Nehisi Coates.
that was a great Joy interview, indeed
Did UNC really believe that Hussman's $25 million would come with no strings attached? It's not as if he wasn't a known commodity. If UNC wants to learn from its gross miscalculation (or greed), rejecting the money and publicly acknowledging the harm the university has inflicted on itself would be a good start.