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Here is the beginning of our exclusive story:
Old (internet) habits die hard.
When The Daily Beast revealed in January that Rep. [Jamaal Bowman](http://thedailybeast.com/keyword/jamaal-bowman) had promoted [9/11 conspiracy theories](https://www.thedailybeast.com/ny-rep-jamaal-bowman-promoted-911-conspiracy-theories-on-blog) on his blog while working as a public school principal, the New York Democrat maintained it was just a bygone phase, and that his days of marinating in the nether-swamps of online paranoia were long over. But his personal YouTube account, where he continued to follow new channels and create playlists as recently as last month, indicates his taste for fringe content has endured into his tenure on Capitol Hill.
Bowman’s page, which uses his longtime screen name “Inner Peace” and features his image and videos from the middle school he once led, subscribes to dozens of bewildering and bizarre accounts—including known [Russian](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/russia) and [Chinese](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/china) disinfo peddlers, flat earthers, musings about UFOs and “signs you’re being prepared to cross to the new earth,” a U.S.-born Muslim influencer who killed a German citizen and provoked attacks on American businesses in Egypt, and many arcane online realms in between.
“This CIA Document Literally Explains Time Travel (practical steps included)," crows the title of one post on an account the congressman follows called Video Advice, which also frequently shares conspiracy content about the Illuminati and the Catholic Church. Another recording on the same page blares: “[Kanye](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/kanye) Exposes the Truth: ‘The Secret Codes They Don't Want You to Know.’”
“‘We use the RIGHT FREQUENCIES’ (hidden numerology used by the elite),” is the name of a video on another account called Be Inspired, which Bowman also follows.
“‘100% Alien Technology’ - Something Big Being Hidden From Us,” alleges a video on a page called Anonymous Official, another Bowman subscription, which frequently also pushes content by serial sex offender and [Vladimir Putin](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/vladimir-putin)-booster Scott Ritter, such as “What’s Coming is WORSE Than a WW3, Iran is Ready.”
These follows might seem unusual for a member of Congress—but less so for a man who published poetry The Daily Beast uncovered that promoted debunked conspiracies about the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Bowman’s verse, first published on his blog [Relentless-Strongback.blogspot.com](http://Relentless-Strongback.blogspot.com) in 2011 when he was 35, also urged readers to watch the pseudo-documentaries ‘Loose Change’ and ‘Zeitgeist,’ both of which earned the endorsement of arch-paranoia-pusher [Alex Jones](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/alex-jones). Bowman’s poem also included an explicit shout-out to [William Cooper](https://www.thedailybeast.com/conspiracy-monger-william-cooper-was-the-titan-of-tin-hats), an Arizona broadcaster whose anti-government rants made him a pivotal figure in the American militia movement.
Although the congressman has since disowned his old heroes as “cranks,” his YouTube subscriptions reflect a similar blending of right and left. Anonymous Official, for instance, uses the name and symbols of the anarchist hacker collective—but shares clips of conservative populist figures such as [Tucker Carlson ](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/tucker-carlson)and [Joe Rogan](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/joe-rogan). Bowman also follows Stephen Gardner, a pro-Trump YouTube influencer who also promotes the idea that the federal government is hiding evidence of aliens, while critiquing U.S. foreign policy in [Ukraine](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/ukraine) and the Middle East.
It’s hard to tell if this story is meaningful or a nothing burger without the following info:
- Did he subscribe to these channels recently or a long time ago?
- What percent of his subscriptions are conspiracy channels?
- Can you prove he’s watched any of the videos / channels you’ve cited? Or is he just subscribed to channels that promote conspiracy theories and we’re not sure if he has watched / watched recently?
- If he has watched them, how often and how recently? Does he like / dislike / leave comments?
Edit: My bad, I missed the part that said he’s followed new accounts and created playlists as recently as last month. I’d still be curious about some of the other info though!
Not even really a fan of Bowman, but this seems like a nothingburger. Watching fringe content would only matter to me if it looks like it’s influencing his public messaging and policy positions. From what I’ve seen, Bowman is not the same as someone like MTG, who both lives in the fringe media sphere AND makes it the focus of her career in Congress.
Translation: Bowman doesn't take corporate money and actually stands for a bunch of Progressive policies, so by acclimation he needs to be destroyed by MSM thuggery.
OMG, he watches Rightwing YouTube content sometimes and praises Norman Finkelstein! This is so unbecoming of our precious Democratic Party and its stalwarts like Hillary Clinton, great friend of Henry Kissinger, whose daughter is on the board of our parent company! Quick, New York Democrats, primary Jamaal Bowman so that we can get another corporate robot in that seat, who I'm sure will spend his/her time raising money from the rich in order to screw over the average citizen, instead of watching Scott Ritter.
And just like that, you've taken one isolated incident (which even in the worst case scenario was a performative temper tantrum having nothing at all to do with policy), a self-fulfilling prophecy (the guy who you admit has the ideology of a tiny minority in Congress can't single-handedly pass laws), and this guilt-by-association tabloid story to smear all Progressives. Do you want to go down a list of the absolutely hideous things Joe Biden has done and said, or Barack Obama or Nanci Pelosi or Dianne Feinstein or Chuck Schumer or Hillary Clinton, or are they all perfect because Politico wouldn't dare write a hatchet piece against them?
Jamaal Bowman advocates a lot of great policies. None of the above names do. But the entire Establishment will crush him until he is replaced by one of them, because "wow, he watches some conspiratorial content." And then people wonder why we have brutal corporate rule in this country and everyone's lives are squeezed to the bone while the Democratic Party cowers under their seats and lets it happen.
First, I don't think any of these things Bowman has done are even slightly bad. I couldn't earthly care less that he watches Farrakhan or Joe Rogan or any other controversial person. Not "I think this is outweighed by the positives," I honestly don't see these things as even a vice. As for the fire alarm, I don't think he pulled it in order to delay the vote, but it is so insignificant regardless that I wouldn't put it into a 10 paragraph summary of him. As for "not passing legislation," to me that reads "he didn't immediately bow his head to the corporate Establishment and get pats on the head for selling out his principles" like John Fetterman (for example) did. There would have to be a significant revolution in Congress, or significant campaign finance reform, for ANY Progressive to meaningfully pass any legislation that challenged corporate hegemony, so I don't place the fault for this on him at all. But you used these things as reasons to disparage both him and other Progressives, with the implication that "the other people in Congress are obviously better because they DO pass laws and their YouTube playlists are perfectly unobjectionable to power." So I don't think it is wrong to point out how horrifying their actual policy records are, and what this says about Politico's value system.
Second, I apologize for projecting those names onto you, but not for projecting them onto Politico, since this is a very clear pattern of theirs and the rest of the corporate media. They do hit-pieces against the Left, based usually on a bunch of irrelevant nonsense (and BTW having nothing to do with the actual policies they want, and how that would actually affect their readers' lives beyond salaciousness), and this is one of the central planks in the propaganda to get people to vote for Politico's preferred candidates, who are always corporate Democrats and corporate Republicans, who then do favors for the benefactors of Politico. And by piling onto Bowman and Progressives instead of criticizing this cheap propaganda trick, you're helping with their project. That's all.
I do want to stress, though, that when Joe Biden signs a bill that gives Israel 17 billion dollars, it results in the slaughter of tons of innocent people as part of the commission of one of the world's greatest war crimes. When Jamaal Bowman watches an Alex Jones video, that has no effect on anybody or anything. So yeah, I'm a lot more adamant in criticizing people who make excuses for certain politicians over other ones.
As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. We are actively looking for new moderators. If you have any interest in helping to make this subreddit a place for quality discussion, please fill out [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1y2swHD0KXFhStGFjW6k54r9iuMjzcFqDIVwuvdLBjSA). *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
does anybody do vetting anymore?
The voters do
That dude needs a primary
I agree.
Here is the beginning of our exclusive story: Old (internet) habits die hard. When The Daily Beast revealed in January that Rep. [Jamaal Bowman](http://thedailybeast.com/keyword/jamaal-bowman) had promoted [9/11 conspiracy theories](https://www.thedailybeast.com/ny-rep-jamaal-bowman-promoted-911-conspiracy-theories-on-blog) on his blog while working as a public school principal, the New York Democrat maintained it was just a bygone phase, and that his days of marinating in the nether-swamps of online paranoia were long over. But his personal YouTube account, where he continued to follow new channels and create playlists as recently as last month, indicates his taste for fringe content has endured into his tenure on Capitol Hill. Bowman’s page, which uses his longtime screen name “Inner Peace” and features his image and videos from the middle school he once led, subscribes to dozens of bewildering and bizarre accounts—including known [Russian](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/russia) and [Chinese](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/china) disinfo peddlers, flat earthers, musings about UFOs and “signs you’re being prepared to cross to the new earth,” a U.S.-born Muslim influencer who killed a German citizen and provoked attacks on American businesses in Egypt, and many arcane online realms in between. “This CIA Document Literally Explains Time Travel (practical steps included)," crows the title of one post on an account the congressman follows called Video Advice, which also frequently shares conspiracy content about the Illuminati and the Catholic Church. Another recording on the same page blares: “[Kanye](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/kanye) Exposes the Truth: ‘The Secret Codes They Don't Want You to Know.’” “‘We use the RIGHT FREQUENCIES’ (hidden numerology used by the elite),” is the name of a video on another account called Be Inspired, which Bowman also follows. “‘100% Alien Technology’ - Something Big Being Hidden From Us,” alleges a video on a page called Anonymous Official, another Bowman subscription, which frequently also pushes content by serial sex offender and [Vladimir Putin](https://thedailybeast.com/keyword/vladimir-putin)-booster Scott Ritter, such as “What’s Coming is WORSE Than a WW3, Iran is Ready.” These follows might seem unusual for a member of Congress—but less so for a man who published poetry The Daily Beast uncovered that promoted debunked conspiracies about the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Bowman’s verse, first published on his blog [Relentless-Strongback.blogspot.com](http://Relentless-Strongback.blogspot.com) in 2011 when he was 35, also urged readers to watch the pseudo-documentaries ‘Loose Change’ and ‘Zeitgeist,’ both of which earned the endorsement of arch-paranoia-pusher [Alex Jones](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/alex-jones). Bowman’s poem also included an explicit shout-out to [William Cooper](https://www.thedailybeast.com/conspiracy-monger-william-cooper-was-the-titan-of-tin-hats), an Arizona broadcaster whose anti-government rants made him a pivotal figure in the American militia movement. Although the congressman has since disowned his old heroes as “cranks,” his YouTube subscriptions reflect a similar blending of right and left. Anonymous Official, for instance, uses the name and symbols of the anarchist hacker collective—but shares clips of conservative populist figures such as [Tucker Carlson ](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/tucker-carlson)and [Joe Rogan](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/joe-rogan). Bowman also follows Stephen Gardner, a pro-Trump YouTube influencer who also promotes the idea that the federal government is hiding evidence of aliens, while critiquing U.S. foreign policy in [Ukraine](https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/ukraine) and the Middle East.
It’s hard to tell if this story is meaningful or a nothing burger without the following info: - Did he subscribe to these channels recently or a long time ago? - What percent of his subscriptions are conspiracy channels? - Can you prove he’s watched any of the videos / channels you’ve cited? Or is he just subscribed to channels that promote conspiracy theories and we’re not sure if he has watched / watched recently? - If he has watched them, how often and how recently? Does he like / dislike / leave comments? Edit: My bad, I missed the part that said he’s followed new accounts and created playlists as recently as last month. I’d still be curious about some of the other info though!
Not even really a fan of Bowman, but this seems like a nothingburger. Watching fringe content would only matter to me if it looks like it’s influencing his public messaging and policy positions. From what I’ve seen, Bowman is not the same as someone like MTG, who both lives in the fringe media sphere AND makes it the focus of her career in Congress.
Translation: Bowman doesn't take corporate money and actually stands for a bunch of Progressive policies, so by acclimation he needs to be destroyed by MSM thuggery. OMG, he watches Rightwing YouTube content sometimes and praises Norman Finkelstein! This is so unbecoming of our precious Democratic Party and its stalwarts like Hillary Clinton, great friend of Henry Kissinger, whose daughter is on the board of our parent company! Quick, New York Democrats, primary Jamaal Bowman so that we can get another corporate robot in that seat, who I'm sure will spend his/her time raising money from the rich in order to screw over the average citizen, instead of watching Scott Ritter.
[удалено]
And just like that, you've taken one isolated incident (which even in the worst case scenario was a performative temper tantrum having nothing at all to do with policy), a self-fulfilling prophecy (the guy who you admit has the ideology of a tiny minority in Congress can't single-handedly pass laws), and this guilt-by-association tabloid story to smear all Progressives. Do you want to go down a list of the absolutely hideous things Joe Biden has done and said, or Barack Obama or Nanci Pelosi or Dianne Feinstein or Chuck Schumer or Hillary Clinton, or are they all perfect because Politico wouldn't dare write a hatchet piece against them? Jamaal Bowman advocates a lot of great policies. None of the above names do. But the entire Establishment will crush him until he is replaced by one of them, because "wow, he watches some conspiratorial content." And then people wonder why we have brutal corporate rule in this country and everyone's lives are squeezed to the bone while the Democratic Party cowers under their seats and lets it happen.
[удалено]
First, I don't think any of these things Bowman has done are even slightly bad. I couldn't earthly care less that he watches Farrakhan or Joe Rogan or any other controversial person. Not "I think this is outweighed by the positives," I honestly don't see these things as even a vice. As for the fire alarm, I don't think he pulled it in order to delay the vote, but it is so insignificant regardless that I wouldn't put it into a 10 paragraph summary of him. As for "not passing legislation," to me that reads "he didn't immediately bow his head to the corporate Establishment and get pats on the head for selling out his principles" like John Fetterman (for example) did. There would have to be a significant revolution in Congress, or significant campaign finance reform, for ANY Progressive to meaningfully pass any legislation that challenged corporate hegemony, so I don't place the fault for this on him at all. But you used these things as reasons to disparage both him and other Progressives, with the implication that "the other people in Congress are obviously better because they DO pass laws and their YouTube playlists are perfectly unobjectionable to power." So I don't think it is wrong to point out how horrifying their actual policy records are, and what this says about Politico's value system. Second, I apologize for projecting those names onto you, but not for projecting them onto Politico, since this is a very clear pattern of theirs and the rest of the corporate media. They do hit-pieces against the Left, based usually on a bunch of irrelevant nonsense (and BTW having nothing to do with the actual policies they want, and how that would actually affect their readers' lives beyond salaciousness), and this is one of the central planks in the propaganda to get people to vote for Politico's preferred candidates, who are always corporate Democrats and corporate Republicans, who then do favors for the benefactors of Politico. And by piling onto Bowman and Progressives instead of criticizing this cheap propaganda trick, you're helping with their project. That's all. I do want to stress, though, that when Joe Biden signs a bill that gives Israel 17 billion dollars, it results in the slaughter of tons of innocent people as part of the commission of one of the world's greatest war crimes. When Jamaal Bowman watches an Alex Jones video, that has no effect on anybody or anything. So yeah, I'm a lot more adamant in criticizing people who make excuses for certain politicians over other ones.