Reason Writers Being Called Koch Puppets on RT: Matt Welch Talks Scott Walker and Immigration on The Alyona Show

On Monday, June 4, I appeared on the "Monday Hangover" segment of The Alyona Show along with labor reporter Mike Elk to talk about the lousy economy, the Wisconsin recall, public sector pensions, whether immigrants are stealing our jerbs, and other issues of contention:

Comments

[RBS]

Matt, why are you debating that homeless guy on RT?

[Matt Welch]

I don't know if he is homeless, but I can testify that Alyona congratulated him on wearing shoes this time.

[invisible furry hand]

comedy gold!

[DesigNate]

Of course you are a Kockpuppet Matt. I mean you are wearing a suit and tie. That obviously puts you in the 1%. Not like Mr. Plaid Shirt, I'm a working man's journalist.

[invisible furry hand]

Thankyou for looking a bit smart on the TV. Perhaps you could consider the top hat and monocle next time and really overawe whatever satyr they capture and train to spew Daily Kos talking points

[RBS]

Yes!

[hamilton]

I think this is an awesome idea and crazy enough that it might work. All Reason writers to have monacles and martini glasses ready to bring out for every TV interview.

[Lord Humungus]

I will personally donate cash to Reason if a top hat and monocle are sported ib television (for at least a week).

[joshua corning]

I supported a mustache contest...

That one did not work out so well.

[kibby]

Matt, I want to hug you so much after this.

[xenia onatopp]

Pizza workers strike? Did I hear that correctly?

Also, good job Matt, but when did you start looking so much like a grown-up, serious person? I feel conflicted about this.

[kibby]

Hey, man, like...tossing food on circles is hard, man.

[Suthenboy]

Yeeeah.....right after he slipped in " we have embraced auterity..".

Matt, I dont do the guy-hug thing, but I sure would like to shake your hand. Just having to be in the same room with that.....guy.....makes you more of a man than most.

[Suthenboy]

"austerity".

[Randian]

"We've embraced austerity".

If by embraced, you mean "thoroughly condemned and never cut any spending ever", then yeah, I guess that's the truth.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Not true.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.....hp?ref=fpa

[Randian]

OH MY GOD HOW MANY TIMES do you have to be told about baseline budgeting before you "get it"?

[Randian]

Seriously, do you know what the definition of the word "cut" is?

[The Hammer]

Obama does not control state or local spending. Yet. You do realize that, right?

[DesigNate]

Spending less than you had projected spending is not a cut.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Well, yes it is, actually:

2009: $3.5 trillion
2010: $3.5 trillion
2011: $3.6 trillion
2012 (budgeted): $3.8 trillion

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/

[NotSure]

Who does not love Alyona ? RT is clearly a pro Russia government outlet, but is there any show run by American owners that is anywhere close to the Alyona show in terms of its libertarian leanings ?

[Kaptious Kristen]

Not since Fox Bidness cancelled the Judge.

[A Mathematician]

Stossel

[Jerry on the road]

Is Elk Canadian?

[Groovus Maximus]

MIKEELK?

Is this a new Russk word for "vagrant" or "hobo"? How about "parasite"?

[Res Publica Americana]

"Bomzh" (baw-mzh) is the Russian word for hobo. It would have been truly hilarious if that were his last name.

[Sudden]

I wonder if our word "bums" is of Russian derivation. (need to get back to teaching myself Russian, I was doing well on it for awhile).

[Palin's Buttplug]

The Reason writers certainly have editorial discretion as evidenced by the Bush years. RT has some real crackpots on though (see Max Keiser) so associating with that outfit is no feather (better than Fox News though).

[NotSure]

Oh look, its the crackpot in chief, did you change your name so that the Christian Taliban no longer can find you ? Or did you change your name in the pathetic attempt to pretend to be someone new and thus hope that nobody notices the deranged fool that you are.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I was "outed" in my very first post, you stupid hack. It was pretty easy since I still use the same terms.

I lost track of which e-mail account contains my password. Don't worry though. I will find it.

[Suthenboy]

Hey dont bother. We are good with this name. Calling yourself small and smeared with shit is accurate. I like it.

[NotSure]

You are the champion of crackpottery, but when it comes to making excuses, they are right there with the "dog ate my homework" kind.

[joshua corning]

I lost track of which e-mail account contains my password.

So you have a Shike account but you lost it.

God damn it. Get your shit together!

[Randian]

The Reason writers certainly have editorial discretion as evidenced by the Bush years.

??? What mean?

[Palin's Buttplug]

The Kochs are GOP all the way and control Reason Magazine - which was very critical of Bush the Lesser.

[Matt Welch]

You might notice some cognitive dissonance in your statement.

[Res Publica Americana]

Cognitive dissonance is his forte.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"And that's really, I think, the kind of policies that are moving forward that are really going to end that long term unemployment, because until workers' wages come up, until we're able to get back some of those profits, workers, I think it's going to be really tough to recover in this economy."

Okay, I'm out. I'm done watching at this point.

[Res Publica Americana]

Alyona should have played this in response to the hobo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

[Fist of Etiquette]

I think she probably agrees with his underlying premise.

[Res Publica Americana]

Is she had a morally justifiable worldview, I mean.

[Res Publica Americana]

*If. Fucking flu.

[Suthenboy]

"..we have to take down the billionaires to get this economy going..."

"workers have to get those profits back..."

He means something completely different by 'get this economy going' than I do. Theft motivated by envy is the sum total of that fuckstick Elk's economic philosophy. I have seen it naked like that before, but mostly in third world countries. It isnt often you see it laid so bare in the discourse here.

Captain zero's class warfare strategy has certainly changed the tone here. Scumbag parasite socialists who wouldnt dare show their faces in public 20 years ago are scurrying around in swarms like cockroaches in a cheesy hotel.

[Concerned Citizen]

It's like they don't know that North Korea exists. Or Michigan.

[A Mathematician]

The funny thing is that they were talking about public sector workers at that point. Last I checked the state governments aren't making profits; they're running deficits.

[Rasilio]

Yes but that is just proof that corporations are not paying enough in taxes. Great how that logic works ain't it.

[AlmightyJB]

I think you should ask them to play Symphony of Destruction everytime they introduce someone from Reason. That or the Darth Vador theme.

[plu1959]

The Darth Vader theme would be awesome. Or the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Danse Macabre.

[Rob]

It's hard to beat The Imperial March from Star Wars.

But Carl Orff's Carmina Burana would be good too. FYI - This is the epic sounding music they play in movie trailers.

[Bee Tagger]

If I may, I'd like to give Mike Elk credit for something in what was a performance fairly well dominated by Matt. Right as the segment ends, he seems unable to wait even a second before getting back into a discussion with Matt and that at least gives me a better impression of him as someone who is saying what he thinks and cares about what he thinks, wrong though I think he is.

[Pope Synchronicity II]

"I'm not opposed to immigration, I'm just opposed to everyone having the same rights."

[Bee Tagger]

Yeah, it might not have been Matt's intent, but you couldn't have scripted a better example of walking a modern labor movement acolyte into admitting they're just as anti-immigrant as the modern conservative they hate.

[Mensan]

Yawn. Boring anti-capitalism union mouthpiece is boring.

[heller]

I'm a bit sad Matt didn't jump on the ridiculous comments the troglodyte made, especially in the beginning.

[BoscoH]

Matt, this was really the filming of Jackass 4, right? I think the bit with all the guys shaving their pubes and gluing them on another dude's head is a little played.

By the way, your opponent is a clueless moron on H1Bs. But you knew that.

[Brandybuck]

Matt may be a Koch puppet, but at least he works for a living!

[mr simple]

Best look yet, Matt, mos def better than the all black look. Also, congratulations on not punching that douche bag. I could see you restraining yourself and trying to keep the show classy while he wanted to turn it into a mendacious yelling match. What did he say to you as the clip ended?

[joshua corning]

So wait...government jobs get payed more because the poeple who have them are more qualified....

WTF?!?!

Maybe if you did not pay government workers so much those highly qualified poeple would work in the private sector instead of digging holes and filling them up again.

Seriously...higher qualified people will always go where the the pay is best...making government pay the best guarantees you will pull the highest qualified people from the private sector.

This is not a good thing.

[GILMORE]

I am soothed by the sight of old faithful, Cyan Tie of Ubiquity.