Fans of Media Matters are very familiar with David Brock's "come to Jesus" moment about being a hatchet man for the GOP intent on taking down the Clinton presidency.
LITTLE ROCK — The last time David Brock was here, he was traversing every corner of Arkansas digging up dirt about Hillary Rodham Clinton, paying little attention to its veracity, in what he called a “campaign of dirty tricks” to upend her husband’s presidency.
That was 19 years ago. On Tuesday, Brock returned to Little Rock as a converted man. No longer part of the “vast right-wing conspiracy,” as the first lady once dubbed it, Brock has transformed into a member in good standing of Clinton World.
Brock founded a super PAC committed to defending the former secretary of state’s record and propelling her potential 2016 presidential campaign. And on Tuesday, he was the featured speaker at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, where he delivered a speech about his political conversion and his efforts to “blow the whistle” on what he sees as the right-wing’s “obsession” with the Clintons.
“At its root, I realized, Clinton-hating had nothing to do with what the Clintons did and did not do,” Brock said. “It had everything to do with fear of the kind of change they represented on one hand — and on the other, a newly brutal form of partisan politics.”
It certainly hasn't gotten any better with Obama in office. If anything, the derangement has taken on epic proportions, thanks to the great partisan divide of media and the complete lack of culpability for conservative media to fact check or ignore debunking.
And as Brock warns Steve Kornacki, it's only going to get worse. While the particulars may differ depending on the politician, the fact is that if you have a "D" next to your name, be prepared to be accused of all manner of malfeasance, even if it hasn't even a glancing relationship with the truth.
"Their function in the media eco-system is to launder dirt fed to them by Republican operatives and dress it up as real journalism," said Brock.
During his speech, Brock criticized media giant FOX News and political financiers, Charles and David Koch for 'poisoning' the national debate.
"The money behind it all comes from the likes of the Koch Brothers, Charles and David, two billionaires with a seemingly bottomless treasure chest who have displaced Richard Mellon Scaife as leading financiers of the far Right. The Koch Brothers view their donations not as investments in their country, but as investments in special favors for their company. Already this year, a tidal-wave of false Koch-funded advertising against the Affordable Care Act is misleading voters," said Brock.
Americans for Prosperity Arkansas, founded by the Koch Brothers, responded by pointing to Brock's past and accusing him of engaging in the very practices he denounced.
"David Brock is trying to rebuild his image after serving as the loyal lapdog for tried-and-failed liberal arguments. Instead of recognizing how big government policies have failed Americans, he is now attacking two private citizens who have had the audacity to create wealth, jobs and prosperity for tens of thousands. Brock is probably doing a fine job ginning up his donor base, but he's not adding anything meaningful to the conversation about our country's future. Given his past, we shouldn't expect much more," said AFP Arkansas State Director Jason Cline.
Brock told the audience online conservative media is perpetuating a 'misinformation revolution' in our society.
And in the most Captain Obvious statement, Brock tells Steve Kornacki that it's going to keep happening.
Ladies and gentleman, I give you This Week in Duh.
