(Max Blumenthal took this picture in the Gila National Forest, near Silver City, New Mexico. TWN used this picture during the effort to block John Bolton’s confirmation as US Ambassador to the United Nations.)
Max Blumenthal is sort of a morphed Michael Moore and Jon Stewart and has become a viral web hit master exposing the warts of the political right and left.
In my estimatiion, Blumenthal — son of Jackie and Sidney (yes, that Jackie and Sidney) — has emerged from the cesspool of contemporary political punditry as one of America’s great (subversive) video journalists. I have no doubt that if America was more like the Soviet Union, he’d be in a gulag.
(Max — watch out, America is becoming sort of gulag-ish).
As a devout secularist, I’m basically out of step with the new trends towards faith-embedded politics, but Blumenthal has a knack for sliding into anti-Enlightenment institutions like Christians United for Israel Conference and exposing them. I learn much from his video journeys and writing.
This video clip — which you must watch in full — has priceless vignettes with Senator Joe Lieberman and former House Republican Leader Tom “The Hammer” DeLay. For those that prefer it, here’s a version of the same, “Rapture Ready,” that has just gone up on YouTube.
But like any fair and balanced social chronicler, Blumenthal deploys his edginess to tease out myths on the left and right. For those who want more Max, here is a clip of Blumenthal’s video essay on the Take Back America Conference that got taken back — as well as the 2007 Conservative Political Action Committee Conference.
I organize big conferences on occasion — and just for the record — it would be a privilege to have Max Blumenthal there exposing the contradictions in my own meetings. He’s a vital part of our civil society I think — and he is making all of this more fun.
— Steve Clemons
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