I’ve long felt that Mickey Kaus is the perfect example of everything that is wrong with our Peretz-ridden, God-forsaken media environment. So it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that he’s just joined forces with Tucker Carlson. The good news is that two of the internet’s finest prose stylists — Tbogg and James Wolcott — have both written about this, albeit briefly.
It’s guys like you
by DougJ| 48 Comments
This post is in: Even the "Liberal" New Republic, Good News For Conservatives, Our Failed Media Experiment
Ahasuerus
They deserve each other.
Linkmeister
You know, I’ve been blogging for ten years, and even when I began in October 2001 Mickey Kaus had already become an object of derision. Someday I should do some research to find out how it all began.
danimal
Thank God. If I was ever tempted to see what BS the big
dickbowtie was spewing, the proximity of Kaus will repel me from clicking the link.Jim, Foolish Literalist
DIdn’t Mickey Kaus start out, or at least become a national name, at The New Republic? With the exception of Broder, is there a war-mongering, pseudo-liberal/moderate concern troll Dem-bashing Republican apologist in the SCLM that doesn’t trace its nitwittery back to TNR?
Anya
From Newsweek to Tucker’s vanity project. That’s quite the fall, even for Kaus, no? On the bright side, he can now pursue his obsession with Ezra without any pretence of standards.
Linkmeister
Wikipedia on Kaus. It says he’s an alum of TNR, although there’s no detail to support that claim in the body of the article.
Edited: In fact, even according to Kaus’s own bio it looks like he’s written one article and one op/ed for The New Republic. So Wikipedia’s being generous with the claim he worked there.
MikeJ
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Michael Lind too.
Brendan Nyhan would have fit in well but he’s really more of an aggressive “both sides do it”er than a republican lickspittle like Kaus.
Triassic Sands
Sorry, but there is so much wrong with our media and media environment that no one person, however flawed, can possibly be a perfect example of everything that is wrong.
Scott
The Wikipedia article doesn’t mention goats? What’s up with that? That’s like neglecting to mention that Washington was the first president, or that Marie Antoinette lost her head in the French Revolution. I mean, it’s the man’s most notable characterization.
DougJ®
@MikeJ:
Indeed, such a good name but such a wanker.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Weisberg, Saletan and Kinsley were all part of Uncle Marty’s Contrarian Rag, too (per the google), so I guess that’s how Kaus got hooked up with Slate. That’s where I first encountered him, and I could never make head nor tail of that weird little blog he had, and he got more incoherent as Bush and the Iraq war got worse.
dmsilev
@Linkmeister: I think it began with the goats.
dms
Mark S.
Wolcott is mean:
I’m actually surprised the Daily Caller is still in business.
BruceFromOhio
James Wolcott is awesome. That is all.
ETA: Aw, Mark S beat me to it! =)
Wolcott still rocks the house. I could see Wolcott, TBogg and Angry Black Lady having their own weekly news hour on MSNBC.
BGinCHI
TBOGG is the most economical snarker on the intertubes.
Just perfect.
Phoebe
Yeah, that Wolcott thing made me scream. Thanks!
WyldPirate
Someone of the anonymous blogger persuasion–and my rapidly aging brain can’t recall who at the moment–used to rant and rave a number of years ago about Kaus being a complete “goat fucker”. I remember reading Kaus back then and agreeing completely that yes, anyone that writes as stupidly as Kaus quite possibly does fuck goats on a regular basis.
If he is associating with Tucker Carlson, then he quite likely fucks other animals in group settings with Tucker Carlson.
Mark S.
Via, Joe Klein speculates on the end of Glenn Beck:
I could definitely see the moneycons trying to reel in the teabaggers, with the thinking that their electoral chances aren’t too good with the Grifter as their nominee. I kind of doubt they’d fire Beck, though.
Loneoak
If he would just take Saletan with him I might actually read Slate again.
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
@BruceFromOhio: @Mark S.: I don’t know why I bothered copying that lovely line, given the certainty that others would do so before me.
The Dangerman
@Mark S.:
The day after his particularly deranged rant (they’re all deranged, but this was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy over the top), he took a day off for his “health”, but it was said that he would be back the next day. Damn 24 hour colds; it couldn’t have been that he finally strayed too far.
Nellcote
@BGinCHI:
His post title “For Koch Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When Nick Gillespie Ain’t Enuf” is freaking genius.
Nellcote
@The Dangerman:
And you’re probably not even talking about the bunny and the chainsaw!
Ailuridae
@Mark S.:
Conservative populists have a history of flaming out in spectacular fashion.
Mark S.
@The Dangerman:
How long ago was that?
JGabriel
James Wolcott:
Wait. Kaus left Tina Brown so he could work for Tucker Carlson?
(Pause.)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
That is too rich.
.
The Dangerman
@Mark S.:
It was this week; can’t recall the day. It was 1 or 2 days after his “Europe is being taken over by a Caliphate and China is taking New Zealand” nonsense.
I was scanning and saw the top of the show with the replacement saying (paraphrasing) “Glenn is under the weather, but he will be here tomorrow”. Uh-huh.
Ailuridae
@The Dangerman:
If they have any chance at the White House in 12 they can’t have Beck on the air in the sixth months leading up to the election.
During the Morton Downey Jr run Letterman had a pretty great quote on it.
“Suppose a maniac got hold of a talk show. Or need we suppose? I’m always amazed at what people will fall for. We see this every 10 or 12 years, an attempt at this, and I guess from that standpoint I don’t quite understand why everybody’s falling over backwards over the guy.”
Yutsano
@The Dangerman: Can I just say I admire your intestinal fortitude for even being able to watch that nonsense?
The Dangerman
@Yutsano:
I wish I could claim it, but it was a hit and run (and Beck wasn’t on; I’ve had farts that have lasted longer than my ability to stomach Beck).
Also, since the GOP has no chance in 12, Beck is safe.
Edit: TMI?
JGabriel
DougJ, that title is cruel to your readers. You really despise us, don’t you?
.
Yutsano
@The Dangerman: Put in the context of your height, long flatulence isn’t all that surprising. How I know this is better left unspoken, save that the Dawg is as tall as you are.
The Dangerman
@Yutsano:
Really? I did not know that height would impact such processes. The advantage is that if I’m ever kidnapped, I know what to ask for to eat that will get me, um, released.
Mark S.
@Ailuridae:
Ah, the Morton Downey, Jr. Show. I remember he got invited to Nightline and I’ve never seen anyone kiss Ted Koppel’s ass so much. He really just wanted to be accepted by the big boys.
I also remember this jackass’ show. It was a lot more entertaining than watching Beck write at his chalkboard for an hour.
gbear
@Mark S.: If Beck does get taken off the air, the FBI will have to be on red alert for hordes of wild-eyed white men in weapons-filled station wagons as they travel the country on missions to destroy the heathens responsible for Beck’s sacking.
GregB
Glenn Beck is starting to make Jared Loughner sound like he knew what he was talking about.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JGabriel: Yeah, just to make things worse, I’ve got an earworm of the Weird Al parody.
MikeJ
@GregB: If Glen Beck and Alex Jones switched places would anybody notice?
DougJ®
@JGabriel:
I like that song.
Mark S.
I completely forgot this post was originally about Mickey Kaus.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Since the topic has drifted over to Beck…
…apparently he’s dressing up as Moses to continue to sell the idea of sharia in New Zealand
suzanne
@Yutsano:
Fo’ realz? Huh. I guess you do learn something new every day…
Yutsano
@suzanne: This experience is totally anecdotal, mind you, but if you think about it, taller equals a longer digestive system equals more space for the gas to develop et voila.
gbear
@MikeJ: Here’s the Alex that Glenn Beck should trade places with. I grew up watching this guy. He was bizarre even to a three year old.
JGabriel
@DougJ®:
… Okay.
.
JGabriel
@gbear:
GBear, your link led me to my new favorite song/video: Walkin’ In My Winter Undewear. Watch it, it will blow your mind.
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The Dude Abides
@17. As far as I know, Kaus nobody witnessed Kaus fucking any goats. All of what I’ve heard was that he’s been a goat-blower, not a goatfucker.
Comrade Kevin
The “goat blowing” thing originated on Matthew Yglesias’ blog.