Jay Leno Cites Soros-Funded Liberal Propaganda Machine Center for American Progress

Noel Sheppard
July 13th, 2012 5:11 PM
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NewsBusters reported Thursday that the co-author of last weekend's Tea Party-trashing episode of HBO's The Newsroom actually thanked the George Soros-funded liberal propaganda machine Think Progress for help with "vital" research on the script.

Hours later, NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno cited a report from TP's parent, the Center for American Progress (video follows with transcript and commentary):

“Well this is not good. In a survey by the Center for American Progress, most students said they didn’t find school very challenging. You know why?” Leno asked. “The word challenging, they didn’t know what it meant, okay?”

For those unfamiliar with CAP, aside from one of its biggest benefactors being Soros, its President and CEO is none other than John Podesta, the former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton. And:

  • The Executive Vice President for Management is Sarah Rosen, who was also a member of the Clinton administration.
  • Senior Vice President for Development Debbie Goldberg worked for the Clinton campaign.
  • Senior Vice President and Director David Halperin was a speech writer for President Clinton.
  • Vice President of Communications Jennifer Palmieri was Clinton’s White House Deputy Press Secretary.
  • Senior Vice President for External Affairs Winnie Stachelberg worked at the Office of Management and Budget under Clinton.
  • Vice President of Finance and Operations Brad Kiley worked for the Clinton administration.
  • Ditto Peter Rundlet, Anna Soellner, Debbie Fine, and Michelle Jolin.

In reality, the staff and Senior Fellows listing of this Center reads like a Clinton administration Who’s Who.

As Matt Sheffield and I reported in September 2008:

One powerful disseminator of liberal opinion is the Center for American Progress (CAP), headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta. Like Rob Stein and George Soros, Podesta concluded that winning elections was not enough to control the country. In 2003, after Republicans won control of both houses of Congress, Podesta set up CAP with $20 million in seed money from George Soros and the former mortgage moguls Herb and Marion Sandler.

And this is the organization Leno cited Thursday.

Now in fairness to him, I have no problem this CAP study. It was reported by numerous news outlets including the Washington Post meaning he could have seen it anywhere without knowing who the organization behind it actually was or what it represents.

But as CAP and TP propaganda is strewn all over MSNBC, it is nonetheless concerning to see Leno refer to this perilously biased propaganda organization regardless of intent or subject matter.

Two cable networks in the habit of disseminating their misinformation seems more than enough.