David Weigel’s started his new gig at Slate. So far, he seems a little more subdued than he was as an official WaPo blogger:
… On Monday, FreedomWorks displayed the latest version of its target list—the people its PAC would most like to defeat—the latest signs and fliers printed up for its candidates, the reading list handed out to activists (it includes Atlas Shrugged and the new manifesto by FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey and Kibbe, Give Me Liberty), and advice for contacting the media. (“Always try to do personal emails or be sure to use the BCC field. Never advertise which other media outlets you are trying to score a hit with.”)
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This event was scheduled weeks ago. Unfortunately, meet-and-greet coincided with Ken Vogel’s latest Politico write-up of those “growing pains” that Kibbe wanted to downplay. The story points out that FreedomWorks raised only 5 percent more in 2009 than it raised in 2008, peaking at $7.9 million.
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So Brandon changed tack slightly: The article just showed that FreedomWorks is a low-budget, grass-roots, non-Astroturf operation. “We’re one of the smallest PACs in the game,” said Brandon. “We’re going to spend, at most $10 million. We don’t know those Karl Rove donors.” He leaned down and tapped a stack of Rand Paul fliers that were bound for FreedomWorks members in Kentucky. “These cost less than one cent per flier. Fractions of a cent.” —
… but the article is titled “Tea Party Boot Camp: The Tea Party movement teaches itself how to elect Republicans“, so he’s still more honest than one might expect from the venue.
norbizness
How exciting for him! Reading the travails of this ruddy lad’s painful, week-long unemployment at no fewer than 75 blogs certainly tore at my heart.
beltane
Who here will volunteer to write a book review of Dick Armey’s masterpiece “Give Me Liberty”? I have a feeling that after the second paragraph, I’d be shouting “Give me death!”
MikeJ
Does Kaplan still own Slate? Didn’t he just get fired from there?
someguy
Good for him. I hope he continues to speak truth to NASCAR retards.
demo woman
Deep thought .. If progressives started the tea party, what would they be compared to by MSM? I’m guessing the Weathermen.
Keith G
Ok Weigal’s been made whole, so I am hoping I hear little more about him until as a reporter he has time to establish a niche and a style that holds up.
I mean to say that he did some interesting stuff in untrod ground and then his firing made him a blogolebrity (TM). I still do not know if he has serious chops.
stuckinred
@demo woman: which way’s the wind blowin?
superking
Yeah, Slate and the Washington Post are still connected. It’s almost as if he never lost his job . . .
demo woman
@stuckinred: cute! Who do you think is going to win today?
stuckinred
@demo woman: Hard to say, I’m no big Barnes fan but he has to be better than the two pukes. I think Deal is more dangerous and maybe, just maybe, Handel’s lack of educational credentials would help Barnes win so I guess it’s Handel.
Billy K
Slate sucks; has sucked for a long time, and I finally broke the habit of checking it daily – because it sucks. Weigel deserves better.
dj spellchecka
i read some of the slate stuff and a wapo q&a weigel did recently [yesterday?] and was struck how, repeatedly, he gave the teabillies a pass on their racism…just waved his hand and kept walking…
Anne Laurie
@MikeJ:
Yup. In the cover-yer-arse corporate sense, Weigel was sent back to the AAA league for insufficient subservience. The question was whether he’d use this “demotion”, from the Very Serious Paper of Record to a “mere” blog, to get right with the Right. Me, I like the rhythm of the piece I quoted…