Twenty-two years after founding Seattle-based RealNetworks as Progressive Networks, a website for liberal-minded content, CEO Rob Glaser is back in the political ring with a new offering called PutinTrump.org.
Calling Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “coziness” with Russian President Vladimir Putin perhaps “the most important issue of this election,” Glaser launched the news, analysis and opinion site on Wednesday in an effort to expose and shed light on what the site calls “dangerous and unprecedented ties” between the two men.
The site is being produced by veteran journalists led by Bill Buzenberg, a former vice president of news for NPR and one-time head of the Center for Public Integrity. Glaser, a Seattle entrepreneur who was an early employee at Microsoft, made the announcement in New York at the Founders Forum during a session on technology and the 2016 election.
In a news release, Glaser also said he had formed the Progress for USA political action committee and that it provides financial support for PutinTrump.org.
“We hope that PutinTrump.org helps people connect the dots and see how dangerous and deep the links are between Putin and Trump,” Glaser said in the release, which cites recent alleged Russian espionage and cyberhacks in making Trump’s connection to Putin a major issue with “serious national security concerns.”
The site’s homepage features a scrolling menu of aggregated political content across the top from such media outlets as The New York Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic and others. There is a mix of news and opinion pieces along with analysis by Buzenberg and his team that credits numerous news orgs.
The site also provides links directing readers to register to vote or sign up for a newsletter or share scoops. And on social media, there is a Twitter feed and a Facebook page.
https://twitter.com/NoPutinTrump/status/778587097108062210
“Our fundamental American national security interests are on the line in this election,” Buzenberg said in the news release. “This site was created to shine a spotlight on the many connections and questions raised by Donald Trump’s Russian infatuation so that American voters are fully informed of what’s at risk.”
In a Twitter stream on Wednesday, Glaser discussed his motivation for getting involved in this way and encouraged his followers to “tell all your friends and associates.”
1/ Excited to be unveiling https://t.co/iJekAxRNcz today. Go check it out and tell all your friends about it! #noputintrump
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
2/ Especially your independent-minded friends who care about America but have a hard time getting behind Hillary Clinton. #noputintrump
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
3/ Anyone who follows me on twitter or facebook knows I've been warning about the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency for > 1 yr.
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
4/ I've come to feel that the dangerous and murky alliance/bromance between Putin & Trump hasn't gotten the attention it deserves.
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
5/ I'm so worried that I started a SuperPac & hired a great team to make https://t.co/iJekAxRNcz, led by renowned journalist Bill Buzenberg
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
6/ To learn more, here's an interview I did with David Frum that just posted on The Atlantic web site:https://t.co/FmOXZcsVPm
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
7/ Again, please tell all your friends and associates about https://t.co/iJekAxRNcz The stakes could not be higher. #noputintrump
— Rob Glaser (@RobGlaser) September 21, 2016
Glaser founded RealNetworks, a pioneer of online media, in 1994 and served as CEO until 2010. He returned to the company as interim CEO in July 2012 before eventually taking over again as the company’s permanent chief executive on July 30, 2014.
According to the website Inside Philanthropy, Glaser has a long history of progressive activism. The site notes that his parents “were liberal activists back in the day” and that “while Glaser was at Yale, he wrote a political column for the school newspaper entitled “What’s Left” and ran a group called the Campaign Against Militarism and the Draft.
