Caleb Maupin

Caleb "Borger King" "Spanky Tankie" Maupin (1988–) is an American Nazbol "patriotic socialist" "innovationist",July 29, 2024 "On Innovationism & Anti-Imperialism". YouTube. cult leader,August 20, 2022. "Caleb Maupin's Former Comrades Speak Out, His Abuses Must Stop!". Medium, via the Internet Archive. (Second archive). (Third archive). (Fourth archive). author, and YouTuber. He is RT's New York correspondent, having previously been a reporter for Press TV.Caleb Maupin (June 19, 2014). "US observers report on Syrian election at UN". PressTV, clipped onto YouTube.Caleb Maupin (January 19, 2021). "Adverse effects in California concern vaccine optimists". RT, clipped onto YouTube. After some years as an activist in the Workers World Party, his career seemed to begin in earnest during the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests. He dramatically claimed to Press TV in 2012 that OWS was going to escalate "into a civil war against the 1%".John Hudson (May 31, 2012). "Occupy Wall Street Is Waging a Civil War in the US". The Atlantic.Caleb Maupin (June 1, 2012). "'Civil War Against The 1%' Says Communist". PressTV, clipped onto YouTube. He has since become many tankies' journalist-of-choice, though perhaps not rising to the status of Max Blumenthal.
Incidentally, Donald Trump also called Maupin his "favorite reporter" in an offhand 2016 comment while taking questions from the press. Maupin proceeded to dedicate a whole video to analyzing the interaction.Caleb Maupin (January 2, 2017). "Is Caleb Maupin Donald Trump's Favorite Reporter? Watch The Clip, Decide For Yourself". YouTube.Michael Crowley (May/June 2016). "The Kremlin's Candidate". Politico Magazine. Currently, Maupin leads the Center for Political Innovation (CPI), a political organization he founded. He was once "expelled" from the group by its executive committee due to alleged sex-pest activity, leading to its temporary "dissolution" of sorts, but the CPI refounded with Maupin still on the board.
He is featured as a character in a for the grand strategy video game Hearts of Iron IV, for some reason."Characters / Twilight On The Anthropocene United States". TV Tropes.
== Early years ==
He states that he first read the Communist Manifesto when he was in fifth grade ( ~10 years old), though couldn't understand it.Caleb Maupin (August 13, 2022). "Learning from the Communist Manifesto". YouTube. He grew up in rural Ohio, reaching his teenage years during the Dubya era while in a generally conservative environment that was supportive of the Iraq War.Caleb Maupin (June 11, 2018). "Caleb Maupin replies to a Third Worldist". YouTube. His family is said to have been one of the seldom few liberal families in the neighborhood.Kyle Swenson (July 28, 2010). "The Commies Next Door". The Cleveland Scene. He studied political science at Baldwin-Wallace College (which is also in Ohio).Caleb Maupin (May 3, 2017). "Anti-Israel Jews outside the White House". YouTube. By 2006, Maupin was a "college aged Maoist".Caleb Maupin (September 1, 2021). "Agreed. No property relations changed in the USSR in 1956. I tried really hard to believe this as a college aged Maoist in 2006, but I just couldn't convince myself. The Syzmanski vs. Lotta debate sealed the deal." Twitter. Though, Maupin appears to have gotten his start as an activist in the late 2000s with the Workers World Party (WWP); among the earliest accounts of his activism is a puff piece in the WWP's newspaper about a college debate he took part in as a member of the youth branch for Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST), itself a division of the WWP.Tyneisha Bowens (March 16, 2008). "FIST member defends socialism", archived December 17, 2014. Workers World. Some of his other early actions involved opposition to police abuse, though Moscow sometimes has him sing a more pro-police tune.Sadie Farrell (April 25, 2021). "Caleb Maupin, disgraced former WWP member, merc to various media agencies, long time Trump supporter, literal American National Bolshevik, interviewing a fucking cop on RT pushing Blue Lives Matter talking points". Twitter. He would go on to participate significantly in the Occupy Wall Street protests: it's said that he even "participated in the original General Assemblies".Allison Kilkenny (September 17, 2013). "Occupy Celebrates Two Years Of Resistance". The Nation.
== Beliefs ==
===Infinite communist billionaires===
He believes in two main human drives, the tendency to create and the tendency to destroy. In this vein he founded the CPI on an ideology he calls "the City-Building Tendency". It has likewise just about become a running gag for him to label his opponents "Malthusians" and "degrowth supporters": supposedly those are the "vandals" trying to destroy all his great cities. He argues that the "Rockefeller family was heavily involved in the Neo-Malthusian society, sponsoring the Birth Control League and pushing for the legalization of abortion and contraception. It is the biggest capitalists, namely those associated with 'free trade' theories of Adam Smith and the British Empire that have pushed 'degrowth'." He also cites "multinational oligarchs and their 'great reset'", an apparent allusion to the World Economic Forum.
He has taken this opposition to "Malthusianism" to a comical extent, sometimes claiming that the resources sustaining human population growth and luxury are literally unlimited. This once succeeded, somehow, in making Jason Unruhe (a Maoist–Third Worldist he debated) the voice of reason.Caleb Maupin (December 20, 2018). "Marxism is about growth!". YouTube.Jason Unruhe (September 15, 2021). "Big words from a guy who dog whistles to fascists and lives in a fantasy about infinite resources and a 'socialist' China. Material conditions were abandoned almost a century ago." Twitter.Jason Unruhe (January 1, 2021). "Socialism and billionaires: An Unruhe/Maupin Live Stream". Maoist Rebel News, on YouTube. Maupin's detachment from material reality in this way is hypocritical since he often cites Friedrich Engels's Socialism: Utopian and Scientific to attack his left-wing opponents as "utopian", idealist.
===LaRouche and the Moonies===
However, these "anti-Malthusian", anti-British, "pro-growth" views are similar to some held by Lyndon LaRouche, and that may not be a coincidence: Maupin once cited unnamed "sources" of his able to confirm the death of LaRouche the day-of, suggesting a link to the LaRouche movement.Caleb Maupin (February 12, 2019). "My sources confirm that #LyndonLarouche, an iconic figure in American politics, who maintained quite a large following despite being labelled "fringe" by the mainstream, has died. He was big supporter of China's Belt & Road, and harsh critic of neoliberal economic policies." Twitter. On this subject, Maupin states: "I do not have Lyndon Larouche's worldview. I remain a Marxist. I disagree with him on a few key questions, but I cannot deny I've learned a huge amount from his work. I don't think the stigma against him is justified."Caleb Maupin (August 17, 2023). "I do not have Lyndon Larouche's worldview. I remain a Marxist. I disagree with him on a few key questions, but I cannot deny I've learned a huge amount from his work. I don't think the stigma against him is justified. He made a contribution." Twitter. (Archived version). Maupin also retracted his prior view (from a 2009 anti-LaRouche article he wrote) on LaRouche, in 2021.Caleb Maupin (July 4, 2021). "Part of what made me really regret writing this article was seeing how unfounded many of the allegations I repeated were... and seeing people say the same kind of vile stuff about me... on the same kind of hollow basis." Twitter. He has also recommended LaRouche's book The Ugly Truth About Milton Friedman to his followers.Caleb Maupin (April 11, 2021). "'Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea' by Mark Blyth - 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein - 'Europe Since 1989' by Philip Therr - 'The Ugly Truth About Milton Friedman' by Lyndon Larouche - 'Twilight of the Gods - Götterdämmerung over the "New World Order" by Stefan Engel' Twitter.
Maupin's direct connections to the LaRouche movement include speaking for a Schiller Institute web conference (a transcription of which appears in the Caleb Maupin (April 2022). "The Crisis Facing U.S. Society". . and writing dozens of articles appearing in the LaRoucheite website Globalresearch."Caleb Maupin - Archive". Globalresearch, via archive.today."Caleb T. Maupin - Archive". Globalresearch, via archive.today. Upon LaRouche's death, Maupin attended the Schiller Institute's memorial service.Caleb Maupin (June 8, 2019). "I joined thousands of people in Manhattan today at the memorial service for economist and third party Presidential Candidate Lyndon Larouche. Ceremony included music and a touching eulogy from his widow." Twitter. Around about 2015–2016, Maupin organized with A photo from 2015 shows him next to Tarpley and a banner reading "Welcome PUTIN the PEACEMAKER"."TWSP/UFAA Morning Briefing for Monday, September 28, 2015". Tax Wall Street Party, via the Internet Archive.
He also says the CPI has worked with LaRoucheites "to build peace activism", alongside Unificationists (Moonies),Caleb Maupin (August 23, 2023). "CPI isn’t dissolved, it’s been active and having big events all year. We have been cooperating with Libertarians, Larouche, Unificationists, etc to build peace activism for months. Watch my social media for 2 minutes & you would know this. Leftypol is writing “Tankies are evil” fantasy fiction." Twitter. (Archived version). the latter of which is a group he himself previously described as "an anti-communist religious cult imported to the United States by the US Central Intelligence Agency". As a defense for working with the group he previously called a CIA-backed anti-communist cult, Maupin stated: "I'd rather march with Moonies who want peace with DPRK... than with 'communists' who embrace woke cancel culture and smear DPRK as Nazis."Caleb Maupin (May 26, 2023). "I’d rather march with Moonies who want peace with DPRK… than with “communists” who embrace woke cancel culture and smear DPRK as Nazis. Welcome to 2023. Political realignment is reality. The left is dead. Out of the movement to the masses!" Twitter. (Archived version). He added that a Unificationist pastor he spoke to had "more common sense than any PSL member [he'd] met."Caleb Maupin (September 12, 2023). "I had this chat with one of the main organizers of @peace_unity_rec an interfaith peace coalition in NYC. He's a Unificationist Pastor. He's got way more common sense than any PSL member I've met." Twitter. (Archived version).
===Socialism with American characteristics===
Maupin holds up China as "the greatest success story" and "the cutting edge of Marxism", telling his viewers they should read the works of Xi Jinping.Caleb Maupin (May 20, 2018). "Xi Jinping & Chinese Communist Party are the cutting edge of Marxism". YouTube.Caleb Maupin (November 30, 2017). "I love One Belt, One Road! China has a great plan!". YouTube. In that vein, he's sometimes promoted "socialism with American characteristics" (somewhat of a synonym for "patriotic socialism"), an apparent borrowing from the term which refers to the Chinese state's governing philosophy. It's also somewhat comparable to the ideological branding done by the Communist Party USA to present communism as "20th 21st century Americanism".
One of Maupin's more peculiar views about "Americanism" is his belief that it is influenced by Germanic paganism, specifically "Odinism". He cites his own interpretation of Thomas Carlyle's description of Odin. Maupin states that Carlyle's description portrays "Odin as a God of grit, self-sacrifice, and hard work". He says that because this "Odinist" mindset is so prevalent in the United States, American socialists will have to reconcile socialism with it.(February 14, 2019). "Odinist America? Germanic Paganism, US Capitalism & Millenial Socialism". United World International, via archive.today.
====Red-brown?====
Maupin has been accused of being a third positionist. To dispel this claim and emphasize his differences with fascists, he held a video chat with self-described fascist third-positionist Cultured Thug. In the stream, Cultured Thug almost immediately (not even five minutes in) agreed with Maupin's detractors that he's a third positionist.Caleb Maupin (March 27, 2020). "Caleb Maupin debates 'Fascist' Cultured Thug". YouTube. (Archived version). Though, the stream does at least make clear that Maupin has some significant differences from this notoriously-ideological open fascist.
Other potential evidence that Maupin is a "red-brown" (third positionist) have included his meeting with Aleksandr Dugin and other right-wing leaders. Aside from this, are his aforementioned associations with the LaRouche movement and the Moonies. Maupin has also linked to his followers.Caleb Maupin (September 12, 2016). "When #Russians hear the name "Clinton" they think of their families starving to death. US Media ignores this. #HRC". Twitter. His book was endorsed by the alt-right Unz Review; Maupin also reposted The Unz Review's article on his book as though he were proud of this endorsement.Caleb Maupin (October 15, 2020). "'Maupin’s ambitious essay surpasses the redundant analysis of the vice-presidential nominee by placing her political success in a broader historical context' - ⁦@MaxRParry⁩". Twitter. He also linked up with a BitChute/DLive channel called "Radio Free Indiana" to promote his book about Kamala Harris;Caleb Maupin (December 21, 2020). "Discussing 'Kamala Harris & The Future of America' on Radio Free Indiana". YouTube. Radio Free Indiana describes itself as "a symphonic ethnarchist DLive Stream hosted by Matt Parrott.""Radio Free Indiana - About". BitChute. Maupin himself has written for and he states that his work has been republished to Infowars.Caleb Maupin. "Biography of Caleb Maupin". Quote: "Maupin's analytical articles frequently appear in Mint Press News, China.org.cn and in New Eastern Outlook, an online magazine published by the Russian Academy of Sciences. His works have been republished by Info-Wars, The Center for Global Research, and many other publications."
===Religion===
Raised in a Christian background and briefly having previously been atheist when he was younger, currently he is a Christian socialist.(August 20, 2023). "Caleb Maupin on 'Godless Communism'". Strange Bedfellows Podcast, clipped via YouTube. His actual denomination, if he adheres to one, is not clear, although he states that he's not Catholic.Caleb Maupin (December 26, 2022). "I'm not Catholic. ;)". Twitter. (Archived). A 2021 book edited by Maupin and another CPI member, consists mainly of transclusions from the Bible, MLK Jr., and Daniel Ortega (president of Nicaragua), aiming to demonstrate that "Jesus is a socialist".Caleb Maupin, Keaten Mansfield (September 19, 2021). "Jesus is a Socialist". Center for Political Innovation. He occasionally laces religious references into his lectures, speeches, etc.
He has argued that "atheism, and anti-moralism, and what they call philosophical irrationalism is the religion of the ruling class." To Maupin's credit, at least, he states he is not in favor of a theocracy and any socialist movement of his would be inclusive towards people of a diverse range of religious beliefs, including atheists, Jews, and Muslims.
===Zionism and Jews===
As response to allegations of antisemitism, Maupin once stated:
Maupin got Dostal's endorsement in 2010, for his "energy".
====Satan at the Fountainhead====
Maupin is an anti-Zionist, having written a whole book about it: Satan at the Fountainhead: The Israel Lobby & the Financial Crisis (2015). This book, apparently the first one he ever published, was accused of pushing disguised antisemitism within its anti-Zionist approach.Jay Rothermel (March 6, 2016). "Jew-hatred for the 21st century: a review of "Satan at the Fountainhead: The Israel Lobby and the Financial Crisis" by Caleb Maupin". Marxist Update.BadEmpanada (June 30, 2020). "Anyone familiar with my content will know that I literally believe that the Israeli state should be dissolved and replaced. That doesn't mean that anti-Zionism can't dissolve into conspirational anti-semitism. And Caleb Maupin's book... Well, just read this review." Twitter. It has even been alleged that he has taken the book completely off-sale to prevent people from reading it,Sophie from Mars (2022). "Conspiracy on the Left". Archived from Patreon. though this could also simply mean he no longer stands by the work. In 2021, Maupin stated: "I will admit that Ive made mistakes regarding Zionism. To the Jewish community I deeply apologize."Caleb Maupin (August 19, 2021). "I will admit that Ive made mistakes regarding Zionism. To the Jewish community I deeply apologize. However, claiming these 2 statements are related is just absurd. Anyone can see that. 'All humanity' & 'People of United States' is totally different than 'white children.'" Twitter.
So, what did Maupin actually write in Satan at the Fountainhead that was found to be objectionable?
 is a theme: praise for US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in particular is present throughout.Caleb Maupin (2015). "Satan at the Fountainhead: The Israel Lobby & the Financial Crisis". CreateSpace Independent Publishing. Early on and throughout, we find various criticisms of Israel, extremist manifestations of Zionism, NAFTA, and capitalism as well, and these don't tend to be too exceptional, either. But Maupin evidently took this book out of print, so there must have been some reason. Perhaps our first hint: Maupin argues that any allegations FDR was antisemitic are in fact "posthumous slander" by Zionists, although FDR's own grandson says he had a history of making "mildly antisemitic" comments in private.Rafael Medoff (October 13, 2016). "A grandson who exposed the president’s antisemitism". Southern New England Jewish Ledger.
His denial that FDR could be (even "mildly") antisemitic is perhaps unsurprising given (other than the importance of "American civil religion" — a version in which evidently Roosevelt must not be presented in a nuanced way — to his ideological branding) the definition of antisemitism Maupin gives later in the book: 269 pages into the book, to be exact. There, he states: "Anti-Semitism has been redefined, mainly due to the work of Zionists, as a term referring to ethnic, religious, or racial bigotry against Jews". He calls this definition "Zionist propaganda". This is the beginning of his argument from etymology.
Nonetheless, Maupin goes on to explain the history of the term "anti-Semitism", and how it emerged from a sort of eugenics that aimed to eliminate "Semitic" ethnic groups from Europe. He also mentions that this racial theory grouped Jews in with Arabs and Persians. However, he himself acknowledges that "most people in the modern world" use the term antisemitism to mean anti-Jewish bigotry, so why this focus? After all, the meanings of countless words have changed over the centuries. It's really just an attempt to deflect and obfuscate conversations about anti-Jewish bigotry, that is, antisemitism. Even on Maupin's own semantic grounds, this attempt fails on review: the term "anti-Semitism" was recognized from the beginning as a way to signal hatred towards, and "other", Jews in particular.(1901) "Anti-Semitism". The Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 641.
Further, Maupin denied that contemporary fascist organizations are antisemitic (he even, inconsistently, places terms like white nationalist in what seem to be scare quotes, though this could just as well be his somewhat eccentric writing style). Specific examples he gave were the British National Party (BNP) and the Front National, the former of which has such a "not antisemitic" history that it spawned the neo-Nazi terrorist organization Combat 18 in the 1990s.(2001). "Under the skin of the BNP: 1992 - 1993". BBC News. The BNP's longtime leader Nick Griffin was also a Holocaust denier,(2001). "Under the skin of the BNP: Beliefs". BBC News. and referred to a rival group as a "Zionist false flag operation".(September 29, 2009). "The EDL, the Zionist conspiracy and what George Bush did next". Community Security Trust. So why isn't the BNP antisemitic, according to Maupin? Well, basically... because they said they aren't, and they said they support Israel. No, really. If you think that's bad, he argues on the next page that the "main political target" of the original "anti-Semites" was actually Marxism. As an example of this, he gives the original Nazi Party. No kidding! There is no doubt that the Nazis also targeted communists alongside Jews prior to and during the Holocaust, but the juxtaposition of his arguments is bizarre here.
Maupin at least does go on to argue (in a section delightfully titled "The Israel Lobby and Triangle of Evil") that the pro-Israel lobby in the United States would be weak on its own, stating it is "in alliance" with the military-industrial complex, oil corporations, and large associations of Christian Zionists. Writing, presumably, on the subject of oil he adds: "With its huge military arsenal, including hundreds of nuclear weapons, Israel can effectively enforce the economic hegemony of Wall Street and London, over one of the most vital resources in the world." He also expresses sympathy at several later points with the interpretation that Zionism is against genuinely-observant religious Judaism. Despite this, some of Maupin's language can feel entwined with dog whistles, making it no wonder the book raised ire among some leftists.For an example, see this reading that took place several years after publication: Sophie From Mars (August 16, 2021). "Reading Caleb Maupin's 'Satan At The Fountainhead' with Thoughtslime, We're In Hell & That Jess". YouTube. In example, he writes that: 
Luckily, he then saves himself from any conceivable suspicion of antisemitism by veering straight into attacking Ayn Rand because "she was a Russian-born Jewish atheist". He adds that because of this and her opposition to the New Deal, she "has no grounds to define what it means to be a 'American'". Neither does Milton Friedman, he adds, citing that Friedman was an "adherent of the market cult". Not mentioned in the book: Friedman originally supported the New Deal, and was born in the United States.Milton Friedman (1976). "Milton Friedman: Biographical". The Nobel Prize. Yet, instead of that, Maupin tells readers that Friedman was born to a "family of anti-Communist Jewish immigrants". Which is technically correct, but unusual to bring up as though to denounce him... unless Maupin was being a bigot, which he probably was.
He describes Ayn Rand's works as "Satanic" and an articulation of "one of the biggest crimes the forces of darkness have perpetuated". He calls Rand and Friedman "the anti-messiahs at the center of a cult that has seized control of Western civilization". Discussing Rand's origins, he emphasizes that her family was originally wealthy, and (!) ... that her birth name was "Allisa Rosenbaum". Other "prominent Zionists" in league with Rand and Friedman, according to him: Alan Greenspan ("The Man at the Fountainhead"), and Jacob Schiff (who "considered" Czar Nicholas II "to be anti-Semitic", and "financed the enemies of autocratic Russia", one learns).
Maupin says "Israelis very openly see themselves as European settlers", and "white supremacists", despite an actuality that most Israeli Jews aren't even descended from white Jewry (nor European Jewry, nor Ashkenazic Jewry, nor Western Jewry, nor any combination of these). He then explains the "hostility held by Christ to any concept of Jewish Supremacism", and of course, the usury of the Rothschilds (hitting every note here!). He argues that American companies or business owners who support Israel are disloyal to the United States, despite the fact that he also shows disdain towards those who equate patriotism with supporting certain foreign policy agendas. As for why he might believe this regardless, a possible hint far later into the book: according to him, Occupy Wall Street protesters "openly discussed 9/11 truth and the role of the Israel lobby".
He mentions that Caterpillar Inc. sold equipment to the Soviet Union as one proof of disloyalty, which feels somewhat out of character for Maupin. But it's in line with the fact that Maupin is able to sacrifice key aspects of his somewhat Marxist-Leninist (adjacent?) beliefs to make any kind of point against Zionism. He acknowledges that early into its existence, Israel was supported by "the majority of the world communist movement" (which included the Soviet Union). On the flip side, he blames the collapse of Marxist-Leninist governments on "Zionist billionaire George Soros" (!) collaborating with CIA.
In fact, by the account of Satan at the Fountainhead, Zionism may somehow be at least partially to blame for food stamp cuts, low wages, undesirable work hours, and drug abuse. Maupin himself says: "a new largely non-Marxist anti-imperialism has emerged." Maybe he learned this by reading Satan at the Fountainhead, which doesn't speak of capitalism in terms of a series of mechanisms or as the financial system itself, but rather in terms of "criminal cartels that control the financial system" (emphasis ours). After all, the book's ultimate economic proposal is in "anti-monopoly" capitalism. He also describes mainland China's state capitalism sympathetically. He adds that a "new government in the United States, which prioritized the needs of its people, would spell the immediate end of the criminal existence of Israel". He then says this would lead to a "new global order, based on respect for the sovereignty of all nations". Moving on...
==="Synthetic left"===
He has a tendency to describe his left-wing opponents as being of the "synthetic left" or "fake left". He tends to place people he perceives as New Left or postmodernist sorts in this category. He sometimes claims the "synthetic left" is literally funded or organized by the US government. An example is when he claimed this about Black Lives Matter (BLM) in 2018, essentially saying they are just a government-backed tool to destroy the Nation of Islam. In another example he gives, he refers to Margaret Sanger, the founder of a group that was the precursor for Planned Parenthood. He calls her a "synthetic leftist" and a "Malthusian", and states that she was backed by the Rockefeller family.
Some of his claims of conspiracy are a bit more on the plausible side, such as his allusions to the CIA-backed Congress for Cultural Freedom and its promotion of certain types of art (see: "modern art and architecture § was the CIA responsible?" for more on that). However, the Congress for Cultural Freedom has not existed in a long time — it was a fixture of the Cold War. There is also the fact that the tendencies among artists and intellectuals which the CIA sponsored might have existed regardless of whether or not they had chosen to sponsor them, making it a stretch to frame them as purely "synthetic".
Maupin also claims that the Frankfurt School was a CIA plot,Caleb Maupin (December 15, 2020). "His Dad was part of CIA covert efforts to distort Marxism with the International Gramsci Society, Frankfurt School & Congress for Cultural Freedom." Twitter. which is highly similar to a claim by Lyndon LaRouche that the Frankfurt School was created by British intelligence services, though LaRouche's version does involve the CIA as well.Andrew Woods. "The American Roots of a Right-Wing Conspiracy". Commune. The only grain of truth in this appears to be that three intellectuals associated with the Frankfurt School prepared reports about Nazi Germany for the US government (keep in mind that many people associated with the Frankfurt School were forced to move to the US from Germany at this time, so they might've had a bone to pick), specifically a precursor for the CIA (the wartime Office of Strategic Services), during World War II.John Bew (September 5, 2013). "Marxists and the Office of Strategic Services". War on the Rocks and The New Statesman. Considering that Maupin touts the alliance between communists and the West during WWII as a success in defeating fascism, this would be unusual to use as some kind of indictment against the Frankfurt School.
==== BreadTube beef ====
Maupin has had a longstanding dislike of the left-wing YouTubers that make up BreadTube (a loose cluster of progressive video creatorsAlexander Mitchell Lee (March 8, 2021). "Meet BreadTube, the YouTube activists trying to beat the far-right at their own game". The Conversation. Quote: "The name emerged organically as a more comedic alternative to the name 'LeftTube' ... The main figures associated with BreadTube are Natalie Wynn, creator of ContraPoints; Abigail Thorn, creator of Philosophy Tube; Harris Brewis, creator of Hbomberguy; and Lindsay Ellis, creator of a channel named after herself. Originally the label was imposed on these creators, and while they all identify with it to varying degrees, there remains a vibrant debate as to who is part of the movement."), whom he often calls "synthetic leftists". Best as anybody can tell, this began in 2020 when Maupin debated Vaush on the topic of tankies.Vaush (May 27, 2020). "Are Tankies Comrades? Debating Caleb Maupin". YouTube. Vaush took the position that tankies do not value the same things that most of the left does and, as such, should only be viewed as comrades under extreme caution — while Maupin compared Vaush to Joseph McCarthy and said he wanted Albert Einstein to be punched in the face by Antifa.
A few months later, Thought Slime, another left-wing YouTuber, made a video criticizing comments that Joti Brar made about transgender people during an interview with Maupin.Thought Slime (July 17, 2020). Fake Materialism for Real Transphobes. YouTube. Maupin uploaded a response to this video where he defended Brar, along with Louis Farrakhan for some reason, and criticized Thought Slime for having "slime" in his background and therefore not caring about beauty or something.Caleb Maupin (July 19, 2020). "'Thought Slime' Serves Imperialism - A Different Kind of Socialism". YouTube. This video went on to earn a response from Thought SlimeThought Slime (July 24, 2020). "Abandoning counter-revolutionary SLIME and adopting Maupin-thought!". YouTube. along with The SerfsThe Serf Times (July 20, 2020). "Caleb Maupin VS Thought Slime (nazbol? tankie? reductionist?)". YouTube. and BadEmpanada.BadEmpanada Live (July 20, 2020). "Caleb Maupin Embarrasses Himself in Incoherent Response to Thoughtslime". YouTube.
In between Thought Slime's original video and his uploading of his response to Caleb, The Serfs released a video on tankies more generally in which they criticized Maupin for engaging in various dog whistles common among the far right along with ignoring the impact the energy sector has on our worsening planet, all while acknowledging Caleb does make valid points regarding the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.The Serfs (August 18, 2020). "Tankies: The Documentary (a dumpster fire deep dive)". YouTube.
=====BreadTube Serves Imperialism=====
In 2021, Maupin published the book BreadTube Serves Imperialism: Examining the New Brand of Internet Pseudo-Socialism in which he criticizes several major figures in BreadTube.Caleb Maupin (June 20, 2021). BreadTube Serves Imperialism: Examining the New Brand of Internet Pseudo-Socialism. Self-published. ISBN: 9798524111708. The book is full of various distortions about the people Maupin talks about. He also claims that BreadTube has "the covert backing" of "the more liberal faction of imperialists", and "elements within the deep state to defend the liberal order from right wing opposition". Perhaps as a result, Maupin states the "worldview BreadTubers promote ultimately serves the ultra-rich and globalist oriented factions of the capitalist class."
Bizarrely, at one point he even attempts to link BreadTube to Joe Biden, the "pornography industry, the marijuana and hallucinogen lobby", and Antifa all in a single sentence. In a claim not dissimilar to one he made during his original debate with Vaush, Maupin says that:
He even frames BreadTube as a whole as though they support anarcho-primitivism. In the opening pages, he says: "BreadTube voices generally believe technological progress is an affront to mother nature, and that societies around the world that are kept in a state of deindustrialization and underdevelopment are more 'pure' and 'beautiful,' close to some kind of spiritual ideal. ... BreadTube seeks to roll back the wheels of history, reduce the human population, end growth, and restore humans to some kind of primitive state of existence deemed to be moral and sustainable." This is already a rather extreme straw man, but he continues: "BreadTube's opposition to historical progress and growth evokes fascist Julius Evola's 'The Demonic Nature of the Economy,' and carries with it the genocidal legacy of eugenics and Malthusianism."
After presenting this ostensibly-monolithic "BreadTube ideology", he instantly contradicts it with a presentation about Natalie "ContraPoints" Wynn, in which he calls her "probably the most level-headed and articulate voice among the BreadTube community" with "a level of intellectual depth and engagement most BreadTubers are incapable of". Though, he alludes to supposed "advertising" she received from "capitalist media" (read: they wrote articles about her). Maupin goes on to frame it as though it's "a common viewpoint among BreadTube voices" that Wynn's attempts to "understand right-wing views" are "an unforgivable crime". He then claims Wynn was harassed because she "has been critical of the ideology advanced by much of the Trans movement", an oversimplification, to say the least. Without much elaboration on that, he moves on to stating that:
The book contains an astoundingly short (roughly half-a-page, two paragraphs) introduction of Harry "Hbomberguy" Brewis (one of the largest, earliest, perhaps even "genre-defining" channels of the "BreadTube" sphere), in which his harshest critique is that Hbomberguy "devotes much of his content to debunking the views of right-wingers, not promoting Marxism". He adds that Hbomberguy sometimes creates essays about less-political, more art or culture-focused topics. That latter point may not feel like an indictment the first time one reads it, but as becomes clear the further one reads into the book, Maupin does not appear to value YouTube as a medium for personal, non-revolutionary expressions such as those. He likens explorations of individual self-expression to bourgeois "salon culture" (in a later chapter that doesn't mention Hbomberguy).only dog on the left (January 14, 2022). "I read 'BreadTube serves Imperialism' so you don't have to! (Caleb Maupin)" (final part). YouTube. See around 1:26:00 onward for the argument about "salon culture".
Actually, Hbomberguy does not appear to be mentioned anywhere, not even as a passing reference, in the entire rest of the book other than the two-paragraph section. Two other major figures in BreadTube, Lindsay Ellis and Philosophy Tube, aren't specifically mentioned in the book a single time. Despite this, The Grayzone cited the book as supporting proof that Philosophy Tube was a government op.
Caleb moves on to Vaush, who he believes to be "the primary 'Marxist' voice on the Internet". Regarding Vaush, Maupin begins by launching a discussion of his various sex-related scandals over the years (see Vaush § controversies, it's much of the same incidents). He concludes this discussion by stating: "Some have speculated that [Vaush's] blatant rudeness and inability to comprehend other peoples' views indicates he may be on the autistic spectrum", which sure reads like a highly prejudiced insinuation.
He adds that Vaush "also baited this author for allegedly being 'anti-American', which is a very odd accusation for a supposed Marxist and Anarcho-Communist to make." However, as Vaush later explained during a debate with one of Maupin's fans, Vaush did not take an issue with Maupin being anti-American but instead criticized Maupin for not having any other ideology outside of dislike for the United States. In other words, Vaush's criticism of Maupin was not that he disliked America, but that this seemed to be all his ideology consisted of.Vaush (June 9, 2020). "GETTING SO MAD THAT *I* HANG UP | Debating a Tankie Viewer". YouTube. Maupin continues on, veering into a conspiracy theory that somebody is pulling Vaush's strings: "it seems apparent that Vaush has 'handlers' or 'advisors' who are more familiar with Marxism than he is." His evidence for this is his personal speculation that Vaush is sometimes "seen stuttering his way through explaining concepts", therefore Maupin reckons that he "is clearly quoting someone else" during these moments. Somebody tell him about Hanlon's razor already.
Regarding Thought Slime (who Maupin later compares to Thomas Robert Malthus), he makes this bizarre argument:
This comment is especially odd not just for the obvious reasons, but also because Thought Slime has specifically talked about people telling him his content made them reconsider committing suicide and saved their lives.Thought Slime (February 26, 2021). "Having a little meltdown (CW: Suicidal ideation)". YouTube. Maupin then begins a section about Steven "Destiny" Bonnell II, who is not even a "BreadTuber", a fact he acknowledges. Despite this, he discusses Destiny for a couple pages (so, about four times as much coverage as Hbomberguy thus far), claiming he has "functioned as" a "Kingmaker" for BreadTube, calling him a "Malthusian" and attempting to link Destiny to the same "sphere from which this crop of bizarre pseudo-leftist influencers have originated".
After this, Maupin discusses Caleb "Faraday Speaks" Cain, who was formerly alt-right, but has spoken about his move in and then away from that ideology. Maupin downplays Cain's experiences, even to the point of framing Cain having been a fan of white supremacist Stefan Molyneux as "listening regularly to right-wing voices online". He also treats the fact that Cain considered going to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville as relatively unimportant, despite the fact that earlier in this exact same book Maupin pointed to the rally as an example of an event that led to white supremacist violence. Maupin then discusses the Unification Church (Moonies) and Steven Hassan for eight pages, barely attempting to justify what connection this has to BreadTube (though he claims that Hassan "appears" to mentor BreadTube creators; as evidence he cites that this is "according to an unnamed source").
This foreshadows the fact that a massive chunk of the rest of the book has very little to do with BreadTube, often containing only passing references to it. However, after some eighty pages of miscellaneous ranting on Marxist theory and the Cold War, he comes back to discussing left-wing YouTubers (you know — those people the book is titled after) in earnest. Here, he criticizes ContraPoints because she equates fascists with white nationalists who believe in an international Jewish conspiracy, adding: "Far right circles are full of followers of Julius Evola, traditionalist Catholics, Neo-Confederates, Libertarians, Incels, etc. The white national current exists as one of many strands of dissident right wing thought." He also takes issue with how she informs viewers on how to recognize dog whistling, then straw mans her argument as meaning that "statements like 'I love my country' could be interpreted as coded fascist messaging", without considering subtext or context.only dog on the left (April 12, 2023). "I read 'BreadTube serves Imperialism' so you don't have to!". YouTube. Argument about subtext begins around: 5:02:30. One can only wonder why...
After this, the book veers wildly between off-topic polemic, evidence-free arguments by assertion, and surreal straw man arguments. For example, he discusses at-length a story about Mussolini force-feeding laxatives to political opponents as a method of torture, comparing this to left-wing YouTubers occasionally making Apparently attempting to link the to BreadTube (despite the fact that earlier in the book Maupin criticized the SPLC because it "equates Black Nationalists with Nazis", and despite the lack of any such actual connection to BreadTube), Maupin then creatively introduces this head-scratcher of a paragraph to the world:
==Foreign connections==
Maupin's most obvious foreign connections are found in his past as a correspondent working for RT (previously called Russia Today) and Press TV, which are news networks operated by the Russian and Iranian governments respectively. This section describes some of his other links abroad.
===Russia===
In 2018, Maupin spoke at the "Alternatives to Globalization Conference" while a couple feet away from Aleksandr Dugin,(2018). "Conference ‘The alternatives to globalism the strategies of the multipolar world’. Part 1". Geopolitica.ru, clipped via the Internet Archive."Caleb Maupin speaks next to Aleksandr Dugin at Alternatives To Globalization Conference in 2018". The Internet Archive. an infamous "National Bolshevik" ( Russian third-positionist of sorts; Dugin co-founded the "National Bolshevik Party") and (a prominent cultural assimilationist ideology among Russian conservatives). Dugin, in turn, has connections to numerous Russian government officials through his organization, the International Eurasian Movement.Andreas Umland (May 15, 2009). "Russia's Creeping Fascism". openDemocracy. Maupin's attendance at the conference (seated next to Dugin, in front of the flag of the International Eurasian Movement) and Dugin's apparent approval of Maupin's statements are the most glaring reason that some label Maupin himself a "red-brown."
Aside from Dugin and Maupin, the others seen seated at the table are National Rally politician Leonid Savin, and Marine Le Pen's personal advisor Emmanuel LeRoy.Marlene Laruelle (April 21, 2022). "Marine Le Pen, the Rassemblement National and Russia: history of a strategic alliance". The Conversation. Quote: "Once Marine Le Pen took over the reins of the FN in 2011, her family’s private ties to Russia became official party policy, in particular serving as a guiding principle in the area of foreign policy. A good number of the people then surrounding her such as Emmanuel Leroy, Frédéric Châtillon, Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, or even her former international adviser, Aymeric Chauprade, boasted close links with Russia.".Pierre Vaux (May 14, 2015). "Marine Le Pen's Closest Advisor Comes Out of the Shadows In Donetsk". The Daily Beast. Apparently also present (but not clearly visible in the recording) was former leader of an ultranationalist party in Sweden.
===Iran===
Strangely, Maupin was involved in an international maritime incident in 2015, in which he was onboard an Iranian ship that was carrying cargo to Yemen.(May 17, 2015). "Iranian ship carries aid and activists into waters off Yemen". Reuters.Deirdre Griswold (May 20, 2015). "Let the Iranian relief ship pass!". Workers World.Caleb Maupin (May 12, 2015). "Why I'm aboard Rescue Ship". The attestations of Maupin (apparently the only American on the ship) and a handful of other activists onboard were central to a factual dispute over whether the vessel was being escorted by Iranian warships. It was also suspected that the ship may have been carrying a supply of weapons for the Houthi rebels, although this was not confirmed.Jonathan Saul (May 19, 2015). "Iran aid vessel not escorted by Iranian warships - activists. Reuters.Lolita C. Baldor (May 19, 2015). "Iran warships escort cargo vessel toward Yemen". Military Times. The Associated Press. By Maupin's retelling, the port (at Al Hudaydah) was bombed the day they were meant to arrive there, though it's not clear whether that supposed bombing ever actually happened. The Iranian ship ended up in Djibouti (a tiny African country) instead. Any humanitarian aid on-board was surrendered to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), who were being allowed to deliver such aid to Yemen via the same port.Jonathan Saul (May 22, 2015). "Iran's Yemen-bound aid ship docks in Djibouti, WFP to deliver aid cargo". Reuters.Aiswarya Lakshmi (May 23, 2015). "Yemen-bound Aid Ship Docks in Djibouti". MarineLink.(May 13, 2015). "Yemen conflict: Aid effort begins as truce takes hold". BBC News. He adds that this incident led to him personally attending a speech by the Grand Ayatollah of Iran, Ali Khamenei.Caleb Maupin (December 14, 2018). "Why do leftists burn the American Flag?". Facebook.
== Center for Political Innovation ==
CPI, also known as the Center for Political Innovation, is an organization Mapuin founded and runs.
=== Sex-pestering ===
On August 20, 2022, a post was made to the website Medium made up of the testimony of former members of the organization, arguing that he had engaged in various abuses of power, including sexual harassment, turning members against one another, lying about people who fell out of his good graces, and engaging in the same tactics of actual cult leaders. One particularly heinous story sees Maupin getting a member of CPI fired from their job, forcing them to go into sex work in order to survive, only for Maupin to hire this person as a sex worker later on.
Easily, the most infamous part of the article is its reference towards spanking. You see, Maupin has an obsession with spanking, which he had previously attempted to frame as academic in nature despite it being a fetish. According to the testimonies, Maupin would regularly attempt to rope random people, especially women, into conversations about spanking for the purpose of masturbating to them later.
The CPI's executive committee voted to "unconditionally expel" Maupin from the very group he founded due to the allegations.(August 21, 2022). "An important update from the Center for Political Innovation". Center for Political Innovation, via Twitter.(August 21, 2022). "Statement on the Allegations of Abuse & Sexual Misconduct Leveled Against CPI Director Caleb Maupin". Maintrend News. Center for Political Innovation. Subsequently, they also unanimously voted to "dissolve the organization in its entirety".(August 21, 2022). "...the Center for Political Innovation has unanimously voted to "dissolve the organization in its entirety and all operating facets." Center for Political Innovation, via Twitter. Because the CPI is registered under his name, however, it later reformed again under his leadership."Center for Political Innovation Inc.". OpenGovNY. Still, Maupin remained quiet for some months between the controversy and the group's reformation.
On November 6, 2022, Maupin uploaded a video where he discussed the allegations against him. However, instead of taking accountability or even arguing against what was said, he instead does little more than insult those who came forward and misrepresents the claims made in the original Medium post. Sometime the same month, the original post was removed by Medium, due to a policy on sharing private phone conversations without consent.(November 23, 2022). "Caleb Maupin's Former Comrades Speak Out, His Abuses Must Stop!" (repost). Libcom, via Anarchist Federation. Quote: "Original blog post hosted on Medium was taken down due to the platform’s policy on sharing phone conversations and direct messages. A living document is maintained on Google Docs."
==See also==
*Grover Furr — Caleb cites himCaleb Maupin (March 7, 2017). "Grover Furr exposes the upcoming propaganda film "Bitter Harvest" as Anti #Russia lies promoting #war." Twitter.
*Jackson Hinkle
*Jimmy Dore
*SyrianGirl
==External links==
===Social media===
* YouTube
* Facebook
* Twitter
* TikTok
===Books===
Ever since 2015, he seems to self-publish a new book on a roughly annual basis.
* Satan at the Fountainhead: The Israel Lobby & the Financial Crisis (2015)
* Oil and the Global Capitalist Crisis (2016)
* The Rise and Fall of the U. S. Communist Party (2016)
* The 2016 Elections and the Crisis of American Liberalism (2017)
* Getting Rich Without Capitalism: America's Way Out (2018)
* City Builders And Vandals In Our Age (2019)
* Kamala Harris & The Future of America: An Essay in Three Parts (2020)
* BreadTube Serves Imperialism: Examining the New Brand of Internet Pseudo-Socialism (2021)
* Jesus is a Socialist (2021), primarily transclusion from other people's works, rather than original writing.
* The Ideological Foundations of the City-Building Tendency (2022)
* Where is America Going?: Marxism, MAGA and the Coming Revolution (2023)
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Authors
Category:Christians
Category:Cult leaders
Category:Journalists
Category:LaRouche movement
Category:Right-wing activists
Category:Living people
Category:Ohio
Category:Leftists who turned right with age
Category:Political pundits
Category:Socialists
Category:Tankies
Category:Vatniks
Category:YouTube