MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan moonlighted on the leftist radio show The Young Turks on May 27 and the show's YouTube channel carries a series of those interviews, in which Ratigan helpfully promoted the left-wing causes with loving air time. Take his interview with Jon Soltz of the liberal group Votevets.org, and he promoted their new campaign commercial for a “climate change” bill. Apparently, you help veterans with a carbon tax:
You mention the new ad today, the million-five spend, at places like MSNBC. Thank you, I know that you help to sponsor my own program, and I appreciate your support of our message. As you know, it's very much in alignment with your own message. If you were to look at what anyone would do, if I went to votevets.org, what is it that my mother can do, that Jodie Evans over at Code Pink can do? J.R. [the radio producer] wants to help, what can he do?
After a two-minute sales job from Soltz, including their support of repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell and their support of Joe Sestak's Democratic campaign for Senate, Ratigan replied that he was a fervent supporter, and then added that our military works so hard, only to keep most people from being exposed to the truth:
RATIGAN: And you know you have my support every step of the way, John. Do you think people understand that we have had an army, an actively engaged combat military in the Middle East for a decade now that has been largely the same individuals – the same men, the same women -- being sent over and over and over again into what can only be characterized as the closest thing at its worst to Hell on Earth as a way effectively to protect the balance of the population from really being exposed to what's going on. Do any people know that?
SOLTZ: This is the issue that hurts me the most, because no, I don't really think America understands it, and I'll tell you why. The first reason they don't understand it is because they don't feel threatened every day, okay? So it's not like, uh oh, you know, we invaded Iraq as if it was actually justified and there was going to be, you know, an attack on the United States. So I don't think they feel that threat.
This weekend is going to be Memorial Day weekend, and for people in the military, it's not a day to protest any war, it's not a day to say you support any war. It's just a day that you remember those who died in war. And most Americans this weekend will talk about going to the beach. They're gonna go to Vegas. They're going to do their thing, they're going to party it up. Memorial Day in this country is a three-day weekend, and all everyone knows is they have Monday off. You know, you have a cultural shift in this country that's gotten away from honoring those who fought and died.
And I think what's most important for veterans and veterans that are listening is, veterans have to lead in those ceremonies. Veterans have to go and they have to do on Memorial Day what they should do, which is honor their friends who have died in wars and family members of those that have died in wars, because if we don't remember first, then the rest of society won't care. So I think, no, not only do they not know we've got guys overseas all the time, because they don't feel it, but I think we've gotten away from service in this country, and we have so few people serving that it's a real big problem.
Then Ratigan asked about skewed media coverage, which caused Soltz to turn around and praise MSNBC, and even plugged watching al-Jazeera for a more open-minded view:
RATIGAN: How much is the media responsible for that by virtue of the nature of its coverage of these wars?
SOLTZ: Well, you know, that depends on the network you're talking about, Dylan. I think MSNBC does a rather good job of talking about the war in itself, and I think that's true of some of your competitor networks also. But when you start looking at what we're promoting in regards to the other TV stations that people watch and those types of things, I think that when you want to sell, and you want ratings, it's hard to turn on the news every day and watch war, and I think after a while, the casualty rates and the death counts, it becomes more like the weather report.
So if people want to watch news stations, and they want to start watching you know, even stations like al-Jazeera, how the press and the war is covered in the international market is different from ours. And although our cable news stations for the most part like to cover the war, really mainstream, the more closer to the more of the mainstream media doesn't do the due diligence that the American, or the international press or some of our cable networks try to do. Most people choose not to watch cable news, and that's unfortunate.
Related: Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks lists MSNBC as "Straight News," Fox News as "Partisan Press"
