Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The lights are all blinking red.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

White supremacy is terrorism.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Books are my comfort food!

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

T R E 4 5 O N

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

How stupid are these people?

Stay strong, because they are weak.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

The revolution will be supervised.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tommy Boy, Your Density Is Calling

Tommy Boy, Your Density Is Calling

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Somebody upstairs loves our own Tom Levenson.

 

Or hates him, depending on your worldview.   This was, of course, inevitable given all the variables, much like a bowl full of Cheerios will always spell out “oooooooooooooooooooo”.

Open Thread.

[UPDATE]  TBogg weighs in:

You may recall that Newsweek was sold to Sidney Harman in 2010 for $1 so this should double the value of magazine.

Reader Interactions

101Comments

  1. 1.

    dmsilev

    Can we instead think of her as the Very Special Correspondent?

    (in rather bad taste, I know. Adapted, as it were, from this)

  2. 2.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    Maybe Tina was trying to put emphasis on the word “Special”.

  3. 3.

    redshirt

    It’s a lot like religion, right? Once you get a foothold, time itself becomes your qualification. Details, facts, actual performance don’t seem to matter as much.

    Looking forward to future stories on the struggles of returning items at Williams Sonoma.

  4. 4.

    beltane

    Asymmetrical as in lopsided and structurally unsound. I guess Lazy McDumbass will be able to buy more kitchen gadgets now.

  6. 6.

    catclub

    A physics reference and Yglesias reference ( former Atlantic writer)
    all in one thread title. Kudos.

  7. 7.

    aimai

    Special correspondent? Why do I imagine her hunkered down in her craptacular kitchen, crouched down behind the Thermomix, “radio-ing” out her dispatches using a tin can (formerly filled with pink himalayan salt) and some string?

    aimai

  8. 8.

    eric

    your meritocracy at work!! Though, for my taste, Tina Brown’s endorsement proves your lack of worth.

  10. 10.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @eric:

    This. Tina Brown is the epitome of connected and talentless.

    Megan McCalculatormalfunction will fit right in with the vile gay tory there.

  11. 11.

    West of the Cascades

    I guess Tina needs something to bulk up issues of Newsweek (the last time I saw one at the doctor’s office it appears to be down to about 8 pages and 3 display ads).

  13. 13.

    dr. bloor

    Failing upward is extra-special when you’re being pulled up by the likes of Tina Brown.

  16. 16.

    Davis X. Machina

    I suppose The Atlantic can jettison her now. Having her on the same masthead as Ta-Nehisi Coates and James Fallows is disconcerting, to say the least.

  17. 17.

    andrewsomething

    @dr. bloor:

    Is this failing upwards? Will she still be at the Atlantic? Maybe I’m just too much of an effete liberal, but NewsBeast seems like a step down from there to me.

  19. 19.

    Roger Moore

    @redshirt:

    Am I a Monster now?

    Only if you blog about it pretentiously. Otherwise, it’s your money and you’re free to waste it on excessively expensive salt if that’s your thing.

  22. 22.

    Valdivia

    A friend who once worked at The New Yorker when Brown was there told me she tends to get under the skin of her writers in pernicious ways. The story was about her hounding a female staff writer to disclose a painful past experimenting with S&M in order to work out done daddy issues. Apparently the story was published and written in that ever knowing NYer tone. I don’t think she ever lived it down.

    Maybe we are in for some interesting McMegan columns?

  25. 25.

    J.W. Hamner

    I can at least pretend that she was let go from The Atlantic due to her staggering incompetence… even though there is no evidence that this is the case.

  27. 27.

    Rob in CT

    When you want commentary on economics, definitely pick someone who used to call themselves “Jane Galt.” What could go wrong?

  30. 30.

    BGinCHI

    I refer to my first crap of every day as “the daily beast.”

    Draw your own conclusions.

  33. 33.

    burnspbesq

    Yawn.

    In news that matters in real people’s lives, the Ninth Circuit sent an email to the media yesterday, telling them to expect the release of a document in the Prop 8 case at approximately 10:00 a.m. Pacific time today. It’s likely to be the ruling on the defendants’ request for rehearing en banc. If that request is denied, then defendants will be free to petition the Supremes to take the case.

    Whatever it turns out to be, it’ll be available on the court’s website. For those who’ve forgotten, the name of the case is <emPerry v. Brown.

  34. 34.

    JenJen

    Speaking of clueless idiot Tina Brown, just this morning, she appeared on Morning Joe to talk about stuff she knows about (British Royal Pageantry) and stuff she knows nothing about (American Politics).

    To prove the latter, the panel was discussing the Wisconsin recall vote today, and an indignant Tina Brown began hissing “Where is Bill Clinton? At the very least couldn’t they drop Bill Clinton in to rally the Wisconsin troops??”

    I shit you not. And she was only gently corrected by Chuck Todd.

  35. 35.

    Hypatia's Momma

    My heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone for the help and good wishes for Hypatia. NetHeadJay and I are working on getting together all the funds necessary for the MRI and as soon as I have that, then the neurologist can set up the appointment for me. I’m hopeful that this won’t take more than another week or so.

    She has yet another damned UTI and is on a 3-week course of Clavamox but is otherwise holding strong. I’m very lucky that she is so sweet-tempered, given the amount of medications necessary throughout the day.

    Thanks again, folks. I deeply appreciate your generosity. :)

  37. 37.

    Keith

    McCardle must have turned Tina on to some really badass sugar spoon or gravy boat to land a gig like this!

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    @redshirt:

    I found it at World Market (aka Cost Plus). I’m going to make these truffles and put the pink salt on top. Because sometimes I just can’t resist being girly like that.

    ETA: Pink Himalayan salt can’t be that frickin’ expensive if I can pick it up at Trader Joe’s and World Market. Methinks McMegan was taken in by some nice packaging at Williams Sonoma.

  40. 40.

    Culture of Truth

    My impression of Darth Vader eating cereal:

    “nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!”

  41. 41.

    Another Halocene Human

    @redshirt: Himalayan Salt calls to mind sherpas and yeti but it’s actually from Pakistan, so… I personally have nothing against Pakistanis, strikes me as Texas East.

  42. 42.

    Gin & Tonic

    Isn’t she the dumbass who can’t make white sauce without a $1500 machine?

  44. 44.

    Ash Can

    When I saw this post, I thought it meant that the Atlantic had finally dumped this silly girl’s ass. You mean to say they haven’t? What the hell is the matter with them?

  47. 47.

    Comrade Mary

    Right, so you reminded me of this song by James. Seems appropriate-ish.

    Don’t believe the adverts
    Don’t believe the expert
    Everyone will sell our souls
    Get a little wiser, get a little humble
    Now we know that we don’t know …

  48. 48.

    Soonergrunt

    @Butch: Oh, no. I was just over there, saw this, thought “I should post that at Balloon-Juice”, came here, and found this thread. I’m pretty sure that it’s the big news of the moment in the liberal snarkosphere.
    @Gin & Tonic: The one and the same. I use a $4.99 jar of white sauce to make white sauce, and you’re not going to convince me that McMegan is getting a better deal than I am.

  49. 49.

    TooManyJens

    @Valdivia: You did not just raise the specter of columns delving into McMegan’s sex life. Egad.

    First Sully, now McMegan. It’s like the Daily Beast is trying to become BJ’s nemesis.

  51. 51.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne:

    Methinks McMegan was taken in by some nice packaging at Williams Sonoma.

    Probably not Williams Sonoma; I didn’t see any for sale on their web site, at least. The place I see selling it for outrageous prices is Whole Paycheck. It actually looks as if Williams Sonoma has a good deal on it, provided you’re willing to buy in bulk and do some work. Flipping through their site to see how much they’re overcharging, I saw they have a big slab of it (11 pounds!) for about $25. They sell it as a plate, but there’s no reason you couldn’t break off chunks and use it as a seasoning. A hell of a lot cheaper than buying it in the little containers you see at the supermarket.

  54. 54.

    Valdivia

    @TooManyJens:

    Nonono! I meant a detailed column on the sad failure of McMegan to excell at maths therefore torturing her hubby with pastry creations from her Terminix.

  58. 58.

    TBogg

    The Daily Beast also employs Meghan McCain. Tina Brown will probably differentiate the two by calling them Pretty Blonde Meghan and Tragic Megan

  59. 59.

    Brachiator

    @JenJen:

    Speaking of clueless idiot Tina Brown, just this morning, she appeared on Morning Joe to talk about stuff she knows about (British Royal Pageantry) and stuff she knows nothing about (American Politics).

    Tina doesn’t know anything about British Royal Pageantry either.

    I imagine that McMegan fails upward in part because editors find her to be an “engaging” and “edgy” writer, and she has connections and a rolodex. And she apes conservative conventional wisdom well. Accuracy, intelligence and insight are irrelevant.

  61. 61.

    Ruckus

    This has to be a takeoff of Monty Python’s twit sketch.

    It’s the only explanation.

  62. 62.

    Gus

    I wonder if Emerson has stopped spinning in his grave with this announcement, or if he’s waiting for the Atlantic to get rid of Garance Franke-Ruta, too.

  63. 63.

    p.a.

    #winning! as the Levenson homicide/suicide watch begins… maybe they’ll give her the consumer economist beat; quality reports on home appliances, laundry soap, etc. if even that is within her competency level.

  64. 64.

    Jebediah

    @Mnemosyne:

    Methinks McMegan was taken in by some nice packaging at Williams Sonoma.

    I dunno. I think for McMuddle paying way more than we would pay for salt is a snobbery feature, not a bug.

  68. 68.

    TooManyJens

    @Jebediah: True. She blogs about all that, so I was lumping it together, but … yes.

    I will never, ever get over that cooking video she made explaining how baking was almost impossibly difficult for our grandmothers, and how they couldn’t (in the 1950s) measure a cup of butter because standardized measuring cups weren’t common at the turn of the century. smh

  69. 69.

    kindness

    Wtf is Tina Brown thinking? I can not imagine someone who cares about a business surviving hiring Megan. Sully I can understand but what the hell does Megan bring to the table?

    On the other hand, Balloon Juice now has another filly in the continuing stable of terrible opinion writers. No Derby winners there.

  70. 70.

    Spaghetti Lee

    Wait a minute, I’ve been completely incompetent at my job for years now, where’s my promotion? Are you saying the rules are different for Megan than for me?!

  71. 71.

    Jebediah

    @TooManyJens:
    I marvel every day at how our grandmas ever got by without thermomixes, etc.
    Is she even aware that many skilled cooks can measure lots of things just by eye or feel? I guess the question answers itself.

  72. 72.

    Jennifer

    Since Sully didn’t keep his gig at the Atlantic when he went over, I doubt that McMegan will be allowed to, either.

    Tina Brown is apparently on a poaching expedition. Next, I expect her to lure Jonah Goldberg away from NRO, Dana Loesch from Big Dead Breitbart, and whoever the dumbest one at Tucker Carlson’s joint is.

  73. 73.

    Foregone Conclusion

    There’s a reason why Tina Brown works in America rather than Britain. She was considered a talentless hack on this side of the Atlantic as well.

  74. 74.

    Yutsano

    @Jebediah: I cook by feel or sight all the time. It’s not actually all that hard, you have to learn from your mistakes though. That is way below Blenderella though.

  76. 76.

    Another Halocene Human

    @TooManyJens:

    I will never, ever get over that cooking video she made explaining how baking was almost impossibly difficult for our grandmothers, and how they couldn’t (in the 1950s) measure a cup of butter because standardized measuring cups weren’t common at the turn of the century. smh

    Wha-huh?

  78. 78.

    Jebediah

    @Yutsano:
    Way, way back, when I was baking bread every week, I was starting to do that, and also experimenting with changes to the recipe. I found it made it a lot more fun and rewarding.

  79. 79.

    Bruce S

    “TheTinaBeast” reflects more self-awareness than I would have given her credit for.

  82. 82.

    pseudonymous in nc

    The failing upwards of McMuggins is, I think, a long-form testament to the utter uselessness of the American mainstream media.

  84. 84.

    KCinDC

    Depressing to see all the young DC blogger/journalists congratulating her on Twitter. It’s an incestuous group who won’t let a few political differences or a bit of hackishness affect their judgment of someone who used to be at all the house parties.

    It appears the new generation of pundits aren’t going to be an improvement on the old, even if some of them have political views we agree with for now.

  86. 86.

    trollhattan

    @Keith G:

    Dear lord, the Tory “Heh, indeedys” will increase in volume and frequency and I’ll guess Tina’s connections will get McMegan more broadcast media exposure. I won’t be surprised to see her pop up on Maher.

    We’re doomed.

  88. 88.

    Interrobang

    A lack of standardized measurements would make baking impossible?! Quick, somebody tell her that there is no surviving recipe for bread from the middle ages, because it was such common knowledge, nobody bothered to write one down. I wanna watch her stroke out.

    I mean, I can’t bake for shit, but that’s not because I can’t measure things, it’s because up until two years ago or so, I never had an oven that was either working or reliable, so I’ve simply not practiced since I was a wee thing in a Brownie uniform. I do cook, and I don’t own a Thermomix.

  89. 89.

    burnspbesq

    The Ninth Circuit denied the petition for rehearing en banc in the Prop 8 case. The mandate is stayed for 90 days to allow the defendants to petition the Supreme Court to take the case, so the ban on same-sex marriage remains in effect for at least that long. If the Supremes take the case, the mandate will be stayed until they decide the case, unless they decide to vacate the stay, which seems quite unlikely.

    Fasten your seat belts.

  90. 90.

    cckids

    @Mnemosyne:

    Pink Himalayan salt can’t be that frickin’ expensive if I can pick it up at Trader Joe’s and World Market. Methinks McMegan was taken in by some nice packaging at Williams Sonoma.

    No kidding. I had breakfast Sunday at, essentially, a trucker’s diner, specializing in biscuits & gravy, steak & eggs, etc., and there, beside the catsup & hot sauce on each table was. . . a grinder of pink Himalayan sea salt. It was a little surreal.

    And, before you judge, I was stuck at the far north end of town while my daughter was in a 4-hour driver’s ed class. Too far to drive back & forth; the diner had comfy booths, good coffee & let me hang there all morning reading. The steak & eggs were great, too.

  92. 92.

    jake the snake

    @some guy:

    the innumerate are people, too. leave poor McArgleBargle alone!

    Is the innumerate anything like Soylent Green?

  95. 95.

    Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor

    @burnspbesq:

    If the Supremes take the case, the mandate will be stayed until they decide the case, unless they decide to vacate the stay, which seems quite unlikely.

    Naive procedural question: Does SCOTUS have a time window by which they are required to decide/dismiss a case?

    I’m just wondering if it’s possible for them to just sit on the complaint, and never decide on it (basically the SCOTUS equivalent of a Bill Dying in Committee). Or perhaps wait until the court has more right-wingers on it.

    I’ve never heard/read of any case in which this was done… but I’ve also never heard/read of anything preventing them from doing this if they want to, either.

  96. 96.

    Basilisc

    So her Twitter handle is “asymmetricinfo” because freshman Econ 1 students learn that “asymmetric information” is kind of, like, an important thing in economics. And she knows that since she’s an ace economics and business correspondent. She knows all about economics ‘n stuff. Neat, huh?

  99. 99.

    TooManyJens

    @Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor: The Rules of the Supreme Court only say:

    Rule 16. Disposition of a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
    __
    1. After considering the documents distributed under Rule 15, the Court will enter an appropriate order. The order may be a summary disposition on the merits.
    __
    2. Whenever the Court grants a petition for a writ of cer­tiorari, the Clerk will prepare, sign, and enter an order to
    that effect and will notify forthwith counsel of record and the court whose judgment is to be reviewed. The case then will be scheduled for briefing and oral argument. If the rec­ord has not previously been filed in this Court, the Clerk will request the clerk of the court having possession of the record to certify and transmit it. A formal writ will not issue un­less specially directed.
    __
    3. Whenever the Court denies a petition for a writ of cer­tiorari, the Clerk will prepare, sign, and enter an order to that effect and will notify forthwith counsel of record and the court whose judgment was sought to be reviewed. The order of denial will not be suspended pending disposition of a petition for rehearing except by order of the Court or a Justice.

    Nothing about a time frame in there. However, I’ve never heard of them sitting on a petition for cert. It would be an extremely overt political act, and probably too much even for this Court.

  100. 100.

    burnspbesq

    @Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor:

    I’ve never heard/read of any case in which this was done… but I’ve also never heard/read of anything preventing them from doing this if they want to, either.

    That’s about right, although they usually move with reasonable dispatch.

    One circumstance in which they sometimes sit on a case for a year or more is if they take a case from one circuit, and cases from other circuits presenting the same issue come up later. They’ll sit on the late arrivals until they decide the main case, and then grant cert in the other cases and dispose of them summarily on the basis of the opinion in the lead case. Recent example was a bunch of similar cases that involved the question of whether overstatements of basis are “omissions” for purposes of the six-year statute of limitation under Internal Revenue Code Section 6501(e). It’s pretty easy to figure out when that’s what’s going on.

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