In today's #vatnik soup I'll be introducing a comedian-turned-propagandist and conspiracy theorist, Jimmy Dore. He's the host of The Jimmy Dore Show, a comedic talk show but without any comedy.
1/11
Between 2009 and 2019 Dore was affiliated with the Young Turks and appeared on their show Aggressive Progressives. Later Ana Kasparian accused Dore of sexual harassment, alleging that Jimmy had made several sexually inappropriate comments about her
looks.
2/11
In Jul, 2020, Dore accused Biden of hosting a "black black face affair with a bunch of rich white people". Biden of course didn't have anything to do with the video, but this didn't stop Dore from sharing it along with the story. The video has been since removed by YouTube.
3/11
His Twitter mostly consist of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, bashing of Biden, "debunking" of "Russiagate" and of course bullshit from the Grayzone bloggers, whom he's had as guests at his show several times.
4/11
Dore pushed the conspiracy theories on the murder of Seth Rich, and insisted that there's "probably something more to this story" even after the source of this theory was debunked. Actually, he STILL thinks that he cracked the case.
5/11
In 2017, Jimmy has also argued that the chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhun was a false flag operation orchestrated by the opposition of al-Assad. He's also denied al-Assad's regime's involvement in the Douma chemical weapons attacks.
6/11
Bellingcat later confirmed that Dore had received 2500 USD from a pro-Assad lobby group. He also featured an "independent journalist" Eva Bartlett in a segment about Syria.
7/11
In a good vatnik fashion, Jimmy also takes things out of context: in 2018, he quoted Jim Mattis out of context as saying that he didn't have evidence of sarin use in Syria. Mattis also said that the al-Assad regiment had been caught using sarin several times during the ...
8/11
... Obama administration and the one after. Dore has denied the influence of Russia's interference during the 2016 US elections, and he was a staunch critic of the Special Counsel investigation on the matter.
9/11
He's also called Bucha massacre (this one he called "false flag bullshit") and Mariupol hospital bombing as false flag operations against Russia. As is tradition, he has not made any judgements on Russia's atrocities in Ukraine.
10/11
Jimmy will be attending the vatnik gathering also known as "Rage Against the War Machine", where Russia apologists will condemn the West's and NATO's support for Ukraine. During the event, Russia and the genocide its committing in Ukraine won't be condemned in any way.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll explain the Alaska Fiasco and how it marks the peak of Trump’s two-year betrayal of Ukraine. What was sold as “peace talks” turned into a spectacle of weakness, humiliation, empty promises, and photo-ops that handed Putin exactly what he wanted.
1/24
Let’s start with the obvious: Trump desperately wants the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly because Obama got one. That’s why he’s now LARPing as a “peace maker” in every conflict: Israel-Gaza, Azerbaijan-Armenia, India-Pakistan, and of course Ukraine-Russia.
2/24
Another theory is that Putin holds kompromat — compromising material such as videos or documents — that would put Trump in an extremely bad light. Some have suggested it could be tied to the Epstein files or Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about engagement farming: a cynical social media tactic to rack up likes, shares, and comments. From rage farming to AI-powered outrage factories, engagement farming is reshaping online discourse and turning division into profit.
1/23
Engagement farming is a social media tactic aimed at getting maximum likes, shares, and comments, with truth being optional. It thrives on provocative texts, images, or videos designed to spark strong reactions, boost reach, and turn online outrage into clicks and cash.
2/23
One subset of engagement farming is rage farming: a tactic built to provoke strong negative emotions through outrageous or inflammatory claims. By triggering anger or moral outrage, these posts often generate 100s or even 1,000s of heated comments, amplifying their reach.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the autocratic concept of “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: the idea that the leader is wise and just, but constantly sabotaged by corrupt advisors. This narrative shields the ruler from blame, and it’s used by both Putin and Trump today.
1/20
The phrase “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars” (Царь хороший, бояре плохие), also known as Naïve Monarchism, refers to a long-standing idea in Russian political culture: the ruler is good and benevolent, but his advisors are corrupt, incompetent and responsible for all failures.
2/20
From this perception, any positive action taken by the government is viewed as being an accomplishment of the benevolent leader, whereas any negative one is viewed as being caused by lower-level bureaucrats or “boyars”, without the approval of the leader.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.
2/20
What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.
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The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.
These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").
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Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.
2/21
Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.