Mike Rogers is ‘unfit to serve’, right-wing commentator writes, after wave of Islamophobic abuse against El-Sayed and Zohran Mamdani over 9/11

A wave of Republican attacks against two Muslim Democrats has ended with one of the most prominent right-wing commentators in the country endorsing Abdul El-Sayed for Senate.

Tucker Carlson wrote in his newsletter on Friday that El-Sayed’s opponent, Mike Rogers, was unfit for office and defended him over his past criticism of the war on terror.

The Michigan Democrat emerged from this past week after a wave of attacks were hurled at him and Zohran Mamdani, the first elected Muslim mayor of New York, around the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Both men were the subject of intense focus from media organizations on the right and even some mainstream outlets as the two faced differing but related accusations of anti-American sentiment impossible to separate from their Muslim faith.

  • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
    89·
    4 days ago

    Tucker Carlson has a documented history of downplaying Russian aggression, echoing Kremlin talking points, and securing a high-profile interview with Vladimir Putin.

    Key Milestones

    • Dismissing the War: Shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Carlson characterized the escalating conflict merely as a “border issue” and called Ukraine a “puppet of Washington”.
    • The Moscow Interview: In February 2024, Carlson traveled to Moscow and became the first Western media figure to interview Vladimir Putin since the 2022 invasion.
    • The History Lecture: During the two-hour interview, Putin spent a lengthy portion delivering an unchallenged historical monologue regarding Russia’s claims to Ukraine, which Carlson later stated left him “shocked” and “baffled”.
    • The Aftermath and Reception: Critics, including former U.S. officials, labeled the interview a propaganda tool, while Russian state media heavily amplified Carlson’s visit to combat narratives of international isolation.

    Everyone reading this should remember the account names promoting this candidate as they are likely Russian bots

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
      173·
      4 days ago

      If you read the comment as promoting Tucker Carlson, you lack the ability to read. Choosing to not understand your opponent leaves you vulnerable to them. You represent a vulnerability to our collective ability to stop fascism.

        • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
          132·
          4 days ago

          This logic is how Trump (the previous Kremlin choice) was elected.

          I agree. By refusing to, and failing to understand Trump, and why what Trump was doing was working (or to even acknowledge it was working), Liberals, and Democrats more broadly, set us up for this era of fascism we’re in. Its the fault of those who refused to understand their opponents that these easily beatable buffoons have become pillars of the modern political landscape.

          • UsernameHere@lemmy.world
            58·
            4 days ago

            Trump won because of election interference from Russia.

            Key Evidence and Methods of Russian election interference:

            • Cyber Hacking: Russian military intelligence (the GRU) hacked the computer networks of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and key campaign officials like John Podesta, subsequently releasing stolen data via outlets like WikiLeaks, DCLeaks, and Guccifer 2.0. [1, 2]
            • Social Media Disinformation: The St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) used hundreds of fake social media personas, bot networks, and purchased advertisements to amplify divisive political and social issues, masquerading as U.S. citizens to sway public discourse. [1, 2]
            • Targeting Election Infrastructure: Russian cyber actors scanned and probed state voter registration databases and election systems across multiple states ahead of the 2016 election, though vote tallies were not altered. [1, 2]
            • Criminal Indictments: Federal grand juries indicted dozens of Russian nationals and military intelligence officers for computer hacking, identity theft, and conspiracy against the United States. [1, 2]

            Official Findings

            • Intelligence Community Assessments: Concluded that the Russian leadership developed a clear preference for Donald Trump and aimed to denigrate Hillary Clinton while undermining public faith in the American democratic process. [1, 2]
            • Bipartisan Senate Findings: Confirmed the extensive nature of these foreign cyber and influence operations, noting coordination between online Russian fronts and active distribution channels
                • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
                  82·
                  4 days ago

                  Yes yes yes. Every one who doesn’t agree with with you is a Russian op.

                  We shouldn’t try to understand our opponents or why their messages seem to resonate with audiences. No, we instead require “Trump bad” as the first test to ensure loyalty to the brand, then ensure the counter party is pure enough in their support for Israel and blue no matter who.

                  Surely simply demanding loyalty to a brand which has been objectively disloyal to its voters won’t, yet again blow up in Democrats faces.

    • NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world
      21·
      2 days ago

      This is what a victim of propaganda looks like.

      This is exactly the response they were hoping you would have to this. You ate up the whole thing. All they had to do was say one stupid thing about how much they love this guy they hate and want to fail, now you are aggressively driven to throw out the baby and hold onto the bathwater. You see how that works entirely in their favor, right?

      Nobody is immune to propaganda.

    • decolo@piefed.socialEnglish
      52·
      4 days ago

      This is an honestly insane take and your bullet pointy bolded formatting and word choice makes me wonder a few things.