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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

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

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

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

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Hot air and ill-informed banter

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

This fight is for everything.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Republicans do not trust women.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

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

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You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2008 / Nutty Buddies Open Thread: Pecan Turtles All the Way Down

Nutty Buddies Open Thread: Pecan Turtles All the Way Down

by Anne Laurie|  April 25, 20155:26 am| 96 Comments

This post is in: Election 2008, Election 2016, Open Threads, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?, Our Failed Media Experiment

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By which I mean, both very nutty and liable to damage your bridgework if you’re not cautious. RWNJ ‘documentarian’ John Ziegler talks to the always-reliable Mediaite about Matt Drudge’s crucial long-term support for… Barack Obama?:

… Most conservatives would be shocked to know just how helpful Drudge was to Obama’s election in 2008. It is my very strong view (based on close observation and extensive contemporaneous communication with the late, great Andrew Breitbart, who was Drudge’s right-hand man at the time) that the news aggregator purposely took a dive on Obama during the Democratic primary and played a key role in how “The One” was able to swipe the nomination away from Clinton….

As for why Drudge took a pass on several stories which could have torpedoed Obama’s 2008 campaign (most notably, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright fiasco), Breitbart and I differed on that. It was my opinion that his obvious animus towards the Clintons, combined with his (very accurate) view that an Obama candidacy and presidency would be great for his business, were the primary factors which led him to give the future president a giant pass.

For those who question how Drudge, an alleged conservative (I would submit that he is far more of a capitalist than a conservative), could have possibly influenced a Democratic primary, I suggest you lack a deep comprehension of how this media game now works.

The real power of the Drudge Report is not based in impacting the views of its right-leaning readership. It is instead its ability to create a “market” for stories which fit the desired narrative of the webpage, as well as its influence over other media members who help create the mainstream media narrative.

In the case of Obama’s 2008 campaign (and specifically with regard to Rev. Wright), when it became very clear that Drudge was not interested in negative stories on “The One,” two things immediately happened. First, the market for these stories quickly dried up because there was very little traffic “reward” for those who published them. Secondly, mainstream outlets struggling with what to do with the Rev. Wright story (and desperate for an excuse to be able to downplay it) were easily able to rationalize that if even right-winger Matt Drudge isn’t doing the story, it was perfectly appropriate for them to also let Obama slide.

Early on in the 2016 cycle it is already very obvious that Drudge will not be giving Hillary Clinton the same kid-glove treatment he gave Obama before his election (from which, it should be pointed out, Drudge has probably made more money than anyone in the media other than Fox News Channel). He has given huge play to the Clinton email scandal, her botched campaign rollout, and even seems to be on Martin O’Malley’s campaign staff…

But perhaps the way the Drudge Report’s remarkable ability to manipulate the rest of the media can be best seen is through the events surrounding the soon-to-be-released book, Clinton Cash.

Drudge played up Sen. Rand Paul’s promises of a coming bombshell regarding donations to the Clinton Foundation. Then The New York Times took the extraordinary step of blessing the book while using Paul’s promises in their first paragraph. Drudge immediately linked that story very prominently. This gave whoever made the surely controversial call inside The Times political “cover” because it insured that their story was a huge traffic magnet. It also assured massive mainstream coverage for the book when it comes out as well as a place on the best-seller list. All of this not only allows the story to seep into the permanent mainstream narrative of “Hillary momentum,” but it also makes it clear that a fertile landscape exists for future anti-Clinton stories to grow and flourish…

It’s a measure of how well the Media Village Idiots have done their job (not) that, even though Ziegler is obviously three sandwiches short of a picnic, you read his description of the media’s puke funnel and think, well, he’s not wrong about that…
***********
Apart from contemplating President Obama and Matt Drudge for once in agreement (that these people are crazy), what’s on the agenda for the day?

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Reader Interactions

96Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 25, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Thanx Anne. Now I need a shower.

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    April 25, 2015 at 5:54 am

    Drudge’s effluent puddle has passed its sell-by date for quite some time now.

  3. 3.

    Zinsky

    April 25, 2015 at 6:04 am

    I’ve never understood why a gay man like Drudge would want to be the standard-bearer for the homophobic loons on the right, but maybe there is some self-hate thing going on there. Drudge’s ability to twist virtually every news story into an attack ad against Democrats and liberals shows some sort of perverse genius. He may well be the most creative conservative writer out there. By the way, his e-mail is [email protected]. Try it if you don’t believe me. He has responded to a couple of e-mails I have sent him over the years.

  4. 4.

    geg6

    April 25, 2015 at 6:06 am

    I never hear anyone talking about Drudge any more. Is he still Mark Halperin’s sage?

    Meanwhile, for anyone who was wondering after John posted the pic of Koda and Lovey last night, Lovey now runs the show. Seven pounds apparently trumps seventy-seven.

  5. 5.

    mikefromArlington

    April 25, 2015 at 6:14 am

    Just so you’re all aware, since I’ve moved to Ireland there is barely a blip about all of this Hillary scandal stuff. Nobody here cares. It’s a relief to be relieved of the circus show in the U.S. press.

  6. 6.

    MattF

    April 25, 2015 at 6:14 am

    It’s always a conspiracy. I’m glad not to be psychotic, but sometimes I feel left out– no cabal ever comes knocking at my door.

  7. 7.

    Mustang Bobby

    April 25, 2015 at 6:18 am

    I just heard the news about Bruce Jenner: he’s a Republican.

    Well, after dealing with the Kardashians, Boehner and his clowns should be a breeze.

    ETA: Although he identifies as a woman, he still uses the masculine pronouns when referring to himself. One step at a time, Bruce.

  8. 8.

    TheMightyTrowel

    April 25, 2015 at 6:24 am

    @mikefromArlington: welcome to the expat life. Ain’t it grand?

  9. 9.

    satby

    April 25, 2015 at 6:33 am

    @mikefromArlington: I was thinking yesterday that a retirement in the land of my ancestors would have an upside like that, even though I would live in abject poverty over there on SS. But I would miss my kids, who probably wouldn’t be able to travel there much.

  10. 10.

    David Koch

    April 25, 2015 at 6:37 am

    this clown Ziegler can’t even make up good lies. contrary to what he says, the reverend wright crap was a huge firestorm. it was wall to wall freakout. it took one of obama’s greatest speeches (a high bar to meet) to put the fire out.

  11. 11.

    low-tech cyclist

    April 25, 2015 at 6:38 am

    I love the repeated uses of “The One” to refer to Obama, though the writer’s failure to include references to O-Bots as well seems like an odd omission.

    I keep recalling that the last Presidential candidate referred to as “The One” by his supporters was…(drumroll)…Richard Nixon, whose 1968 campaign slogan was “Nixon’s The One.”

  12. 12.

    David Koch

    April 25, 2015 at 6:41 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Merv Griffin and Liberace were also republicans. The Times had an article yesterday about rich gays who support virulent homophobe ted cruz. it’s sad, but some put personal greed before human rights.

  13. 13.

    Bystander

    April 25, 2015 at 6:43 am

    I can’t bear to watch Sawyer pursing her lips at the end of each question or listen to Jenner’s mealymouth answers. If anybody has heard the interview, does Sawyer ever ask is he going to be a lesbian or was his marriage a complete lie? Of course, many questions spring to mind depending on the answer to that one.

    Meanwhile, much talk of boycotting the Out hotel in NYC. Broadway Cares has already cancelled a fundraiser there. Reisner’s stated reason for meeting with Cruz was to engage him on same sex marriage and to commend his deep love of Israel which knows no bounds doesn’t seem to be flying and 4,500 people have signed the Facebook equivalent of torches and spears.

  14. 14.

    David Koch

    April 25, 2015 at 6:43 am

    @low-tech cyclist: IOKIYAR

  15. 15.

    Hal

    April 25, 2015 at 6:43 am

    The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One, The One,

    Also, wasn’t Rev. Wright a big story that could have torpedoed Obama’s chances if he hadn’t tacked it head on? Drudge is only really popular with people who were never voting for Obama anyway, so I’m not really seeing how he would have influenced the outcome of that primary.

  16. 16.

    Botsplainer

    April 25, 2015 at 6:43 am

    Ziegler was too much even for Clear Channel. He’s a raving lunatic – I was happy to see him leave the Louisville market after some hideous conduct involving a local TV news girl.

  17. 17.

    Amir Khalid

    April 25, 2015 at 6:45 am

    Is Matt Drudge really the bellwether of political reporting in America that he’s cracked up to be, or just lucky to be in the right place at the right time? It’s hard for me to believe that he was ever influential enough to swing the 208 Democratic primary season Obama’s way, let alone the election proper.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    April 25, 2015 at 6:51 am

    an alleged conservative (I would submit that he is far more of a capitalist than a conservative),

    Huh?

  19. 19.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 25, 2015 at 6:55 am

    @David Koch: Given enough money, you can buy any right you want.

  20. 20.

    ThresherK

    April 25, 2015 at 7:00 am

    @Bystander: I can’t bear to watch Sawyer.

    Fixed that fer ya.

    As interviewers go, I never was much of a Barbara Walters fan. But the one thing that makes me say “I miss Baba” is being succeeded as ABC’s celebrity interviewer by Diane (Nixon Girl) Sawyer.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 25, 2015 at 7:01 am

    Things are about to get real in Tulsa:

    Separately Friday, local prosecutors issued a statement saying it may be time for an outside agency to investigate the entire operation under Sheriff Stanley Glanz, who has been in office since 1989.

    “I am highly concerned about recent allegations that have surfaced, and I have been in contact with independent law enforcement agencies regarding further investigation into these matters,” district attorney Steve Kunzweiler said.

    When a prosecutor initiates the involvement of “outside agencies”, that is a sure sign of some seriously deep doo doo.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    April 25, 2015 at 7:11 am

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Although he identifies as a woman, he still uses the masculine pronouns when referring to himself. One step at a time, Bruce.

    Exactly. It’s a long and difficult journey, but with persistence and patience, Jenner will eventually learn how to refer to himself in the first person.

  23. 23.

    Raven

    April 25, 2015 at 7:54 am

    @Baud: The documentary about my friend’s transgender child is on YouTube and some of the comments about the grandmother and mom using the wrong gender identifier are pretty stupid. The family was incredibly supportive but,20 years ago, calling her him was difficult at the beginning of the process.http://youtu.be/4pRt9pxmP0s

  24. 24.

    JPL

    April 25, 2015 at 7:55 am

    @David Koch: No kidding. Drudge did pile on, along with the other loonies.

  25. 25.

    the Conster

    April 25, 2015 at 8:01 am

    Secondly, mainstream outlets struggling with what to do with the Rev. Wright story (and desperate for an excuse to be able to downplay it) were easily able to rationalize that if even right-winger Matt Drudge isn’t doing the story, it was perfectly appropriate for them to also let Obama slide.

    What color is the sky in that world? OMG, it was impossible to avoid it – I remember literally not having the TV on anything other than baseball and HGTV during that time. Seriously, conservatism is a mental disorder and should be an entry in the DSM.

  26. 26.

    Mobile Grumpy Code Monkey

    April 25, 2015 at 8:09 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    It sure as hell didn’t influence us, and I’m skeptical that Drudge had anywhere near that much influence among Democrats in general. The notion that Drudge gave the fucking New York Times cover for anything is pure fiction.

  27. 27.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 25, 2015 at 8:28 am

    Must be a coffee shortage in Balloon Juice land.

  28. 28.

    Provider_UNE_AndPlayersToBeHatedLater™

    April 25, 2015 at 8:36 am

    @Mobile Grumpy Code Monkey:

    Not so sure abt the limits of his influence. A friend of mine and precinct cmmtee chair of the democratic party was overheard by me using the sobriquet “Democrat party”. I replied “what did you just say?” He repeats the democrat bit and i tell him that democratic party is the proper usage, asked him where he picked up democrat and the answer i get is drudge.

    This retired professor of education and poll volunteering democrat tells me that Drudge report was his homepage.

    It took less time to sort out the democrat bs than to comvince him that drudge was a right wing tool.

    Anecdata of course…
    …

  29. 29.

    Kay

    April 25, 2015 at 8:38 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    There’s really two parts to it. There’s the news that people hear directly and then there’s how someone like Drudge influences media- what everyone calls “the narrative”. I’ve come around to thinking that second part matters a lot, although I was skeptical initially. There’s a copy-cat effect that takes hold, a hardening and definition of terms. I think the IRS “scandal” is one of the best examples. Campaign finance is complicated and so are IRS rules and when you add those two together and combine with a word like “targeting” and rely on a really narrow definition of that word you’re off to the races. It was spectaculalrly misreported, 90% of it was wrong, but the details didn’t matter at all- the narrative was “IRS-political speech-targeting” and that’s inflammatory. That’s where someone like Drudge plays a big role.

  30. 30.

    AxelFoley

    April 25, 2015 at 8:46 am

    @David Koch:

    this clown Ziegler can’t even make up good lies. contrary to what he says, the reverend wright crap was a huge firestorm. it was wall to wall freakout. it took one of obama’s greatest speeches (a high bar to meet) to put the fire out.

    Exactly.

  31. 31.

    Botsplainer

    April 25, 2015 at 8:46 am

    OT – House of Cards universe puzzles me. Non-insane Republicans? A Democratic president eager to blow apart SS and Medicare?

    And Frank would have so many enemies built up, he’s have never elevated beyond whip.

  32. 32.

    Kay

    April 25, 2015 at 8:51 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    I once read an analysis of the death penalty, years ago. They were looking for racial bias. They thought it would come in with the judge or the jury, but that wasn’t what they found. They found it came in with the severity of the charge- the prosecutor. That’s where discretion was first introduced, the choice of what to charge. In other words the bias came in BEFORE the judge and the jury got it. I think something like that can go in journalism- the bias is introduced by the choice of what to pursue and how doggedly to pursue it and how to frame “the charge” before it gets to the public- “the jury”.

  33. 33.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    April 25, 2015 at 8:52 am

    My god, they aren’t even waiting for Hilary’s second term to relabel Obama the “last white male Republican president”…

  34. 34.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 8:53 am

    @Kay:

    I think something like that can go in journalism- the bias is introduced by the choice of what to pursue and how doggedly to pursue it and how to frame “the charge” before it gets to the public- “the jury”.

    No question about it.

  35. 35.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 8:54 am

    Well, Drudge does rule their world.

  36. 36.

    D58826

    April 25, 2015 at 8:56 am

    @Mustang Bobby: I’m just so happy that after 65 years he is now a woman. Can we move on to more important topics like why do the chickens cross the road or is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black strips.

  37. 37.

    Violet

    April 25, 2015 at 8:58 am

    @Bystander: I watched the interview. Yes Sawyer asked him if he’s going to be a lesbian. Jenner said he hadn’t really got that far yet. He just wants to be who he really is then figure it out. She asked if he mistreated his three wives by not being more honest and he said yes. It was a good interview. Not much of Dianne Sawyer”s pursed lips.

  38. 38.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 25, 2015 at 8:58 am

    @kc: I thought Rush did.

  39. 39.

    D58826

    April 25, 2015 at 9:01 am

    @low-tech cyclist: And the fake campaign poster of a pregnant African-American woman with the words Nixon’s the One at the bottom. One of the not-so-dirty tricks.

  40. 40.

    Snarki, child of Loki

    April 25, 2015 at 9:04 am

    Hey, everyone knows that Drudge was totally in the box for Obambi.

    Why? Because he single-handedly “disappeared” the “whitey” tape. Word is that he also set up the Vince Foster whacking and BENGHAZI!!1! to make Hillary damaged goods and set up Obambi for a third term.

    WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

  41. 41.

    JPL

    April 25, 2015 at 9:04 am

    @D58826: Several hundred people died in an earthquake in Nepal, and GMA leads with the Bruce Jenner story. I understand that they hyped the interview, but really.

  42. 42.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 9:04 am

    @Bystander:

    If anybody has heard the interview, does Sawyer ever ask is he going to be a lesbian or was his marriage a complete lie

    Didn’t hear the whole thing, but at one point Jenner said “I’m not GAY,” as if that would be the worst thing ever. He said he’d never been attracted to men. But he wouldn’t cop to being a lesbian, either. I think he wound up saying something like “Call me asexual.”

    He’s been married to three women. His first two wives had nice, supportive statements about the transition. His kids seemed pretty decent, too.

    I find his personality a little off-putting and cold, but maybe he’s just never learned how to be natural in front of a camera, despite his years on reality TV. He seems to have done a great job with his kids, though.

  43. 43.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 9:12 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    http://thinkprogress.org/media/2006/10/27/8311/halperin-liberal-bias/

  44. 44.

    Violet

    April 25, 2015 at 9:14 am

    @kc: I got the impression that the “I’m not gay!”comment was as a man attracted to men. He really seemed like he didn’t know how it would work once he’d transitioned. He said he was 65 and less interested in “getting it on” than when he was younger. Hence the asexual comment.

    His kids did seem great. His sister and mom were supportive. And his first two wives. So interesting Bhattacharya he started transitioning in the 1980s. Took hormones for five years then quit. Out of fear of hurting his kids he said.

  45. 45.

    the Conster

    April 25, 2015 at 9:15 am

    @Kay:

    No one has described and criticized the media’s filter on our discourse better than Jay Rosen.

  46. 46.

    Violet

    April 25, 2015 at 9:17 am

    @Violet: stupid autocorrect. That was supposed to be: So interesting that he….

  47. 47.

    GregB

    April 25, 2015 at 9:21 am

    “Her botched campaign rollout”….

    What the fuck was botched about her campaign rollout and will that be what Cokie, Schieffer and Joe Scarbagger call it now?

  48. 48.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 9:23 am

    @Violet:

    He really seemed like he didn’t know how it would work once he’d transitioned

    Yeah, I got that impression as well.

  49. 49.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 9:24 am

    @GregB:

    What the fuck was botched about her campaign rollout

    Nothing.

    and will that be what Cokie, Schieffer and Joe Scarbagger call it now?

    Yep.

  50. 50.

    sparrow

    April 25, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Apart from contemplating President Obama and Matt Drudge for once in agreement (that these people are crazy), what’s on the agenda for the day?

    Heading down to the Baltimore Western Police Headquarters for the Freddy Grey justice march. My SO isn’t going because he’s only got a green card, and worried about retaliation (either in renewal or if he eventually goes for citizenship). He’s been on their radar for protests before. I understand, but it’s a bit weird to be going alone. I put out an offer for rides to my neighborhood listserv so maybe I will get some company that way.

    Now I just need to figure out what to put on my signs. I always seem to come up with overly wordy/complicated messages so maybe I should just stick to “Black Lives Matter” ?

  51. 51.

    Kay

    April 25, 2015 at 9:43 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I think they should be careful. I maintain Clinton has a lot of grassroots support. She does, here. She has her own “base”

    They could end up as the elitists if it becomes “Hillary versus The New York Times” :)

  52. 52.

    NotMax

    April 25, 2015 at 9:45 am

    @low-tech cyclist

    whose 1968 campaign slogan was “Nixon’s The One.”

    The ubiquitous joke circulating at the time was: Nixon’s the one.

    And Agnew’s another one.

  53. 53.

    satby

    April 25, 2015 at 9:45 am

    For today I have so much yard work to get done, but it’s raining and we keep having intermittent frosts. So inside stuff today, including making some Mother’s Day gift baskets for the website. And trying to assemble a futon frame that’s been in the box for 2 years so my pet sitter has a place to sleep while I am at a training in Lansing the last 3 days of next week. Ugh.

  54. 54.

    Poopyman

    April 25, 2015 at 9:49 am

    @sparrow: “To Protect and Serve”

    With the quotes. I think that would get the message across.

  55. 55.

    Matt McIrvin

    April 25, 2015 at 9:49 am

    @Amir Khalid: Drudge got a giant reputation by stumbling onto Monicagate way back when most people didn’t know what a blog was. He was basically the first politically significant American blogger, the man who scored a hit on Bill Clinton. That turned him into a mythical figure on the right, but these days, I don’t think he’s really that relevant at all.

  56. 56.

    Botsplainer

    April 25, 2015 at 9:53 am

    So this happened:

    http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/04/23/joe-arpaio-apologizes-contempt-hearing-day-three-abrk/26240715/

    Murka’s Toughest Shurf investigated the Federal judge’s wife. Judge will not be amused.

  57. 57.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 9:58 am

    @low-tech cyclist:

    Richard Nixon, whose 1968 campaign slogan was “Nixon’s The One.”

    A staffer for one of Nixon’s rivals that year organized a little protest at the Republican convention in Miami. He hired a number of heavily pregnant women to picket one of the hotel entrances with signs that said … “Nixon’s the One!”

  58. 58.

    Germy Shoemangler

    April 25, 2015 at 10:08 am

    @Amir Khalid: I don’t know much about Drudge, so I look at the wikipedia. I found it curious:

    “Matthew Drudge was raised in Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. His parents are Reform Jewish Democrats who both worked for the federal government, and he is their only child. His father, Robert Drudge, a former social worker who owns the reference site refdesk.com, and his mother, a former staff attorney for U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, divorced when he was six. Drudge went to live with his mother. He had few friends and was an avid news reader and radio talk show fan. In his book Drudge Manifesto, Drudge says that he “failed his Bar Mitzvah”, and graduated 341st out of a class of 355 from Northwood High School in 1984, giving himself, in his words, a “more than adequate curriculum vitae for a post at 7-Eleven”.
    In the 1980s, Drudge worked as a telemarketer for Time-Life Books.”

    A social worker father and a Ted Kennedy staffer for a mother? When people turn full far right, are they rebelling against their parents?

    I remember being sent a link to his site years ago, and being struck by how visually ugly it was. I don’t want to see for myself; does it look the same today? I don’t want his cookies.

    In photos, he wears the classic 1940s “newshound” fedora, but he seems to have no credentials. Is his whole career cosplay? (Not that journalism credentials are THAT valuable, judging from our NYTIMES friend who wrote lovingly about the electorate hungering for a more relatable Jeb)

  59. 59.

    kc

    April 25, 2015 at 10:15 am

    @Botsplainer:

    I don’t understand why Arpaio is not in prison.

  60. 60.

    Germy Shoemangler

    April 25, 2015 at 10:23 am

    @kc: That would be a real twilight zone episode: Arpaio finds himself in prison being humiliated like one of his own prisoners.

  61. 61.

    ThresherK

    April 25, 2015 at 10:24 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: Rebelling against his underachieving comfortable upbringing by going full nutjob?

    I had no idea that my “Bob Roberts” mention, downstairs would be so appropriate today.

  62. 62.

    Tenar Darell

    April 25, 2015 at 10:24 am

    I got a ticket (because someone else cancelled) for the Met’s movie theater simulcast today. They’re are always fun, but of course I’m usually one of the youngest around.

  63. 63.

    MattF

    April 25, 2015 at 10:27 am

    @Germy Shoemangler: Also, Takoma Park is the lefty capital of the DC area– so all his neighbors were like his mom and dad.

  64. 64.

    Mike J

    April 25, 2015 at 10:29 am

    @Matt McIrvin:

    That turned him into a mythical figure on the right, but these days, I don’t think he’s really that relevant at all.

    Drudge’s relevance has always been as the wide end of the puke funnel.

    Somebody makes up a story about the Clintons. Drudge publishes it. The Washington Times then picks it up. Then the NYT runs it because “it’s out there.”

  65. 65.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 10:31 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    A social worker father and a Ted Kennedy staffer for a mother? When people turn full far right, are they rebelling against their parents?

    Kid had a difficult childhood. His mother was a schizophrenic. His father abandoned him, for years.

    In photos, he wears the classic 1940s “newshound” fedora, but he seems to have no credentials.

    He started wearing the fedora in high school, to cover a premature and growing bald spot.

  66. 66.

    sparrow

    April 25, 2015 at 10:40 am

    @Poopyman: Thanks, that’s a good one. I got one neighbor to come with me, so now I’m feeling better. They’re already trying to barricade the route to downtown apparently so the starting place keeps changing… I’ll post pictures later if I can.

  67. 67.

    Germy Shoemangler

    April 25, 2015 at 10:46 am

    @Cervantes: I just took a look at the NYMag piece on him. I guess his high school hair loss was partially a result of stress. It doesn’t sound like he had an easy time of it.

    Interesting that he got in trouble for cheating on tests, as well as making annoying phone calls. He sounds like an alpha troll. The dishonesty combined with the aggressive stalking. Reminds me of a few wingnuts I’ve encountered over the years.

  68. 68.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 10:54 am

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    It doesn’t sound like he had an easy time of it.

    Have not seen that article and therefore can’t vouch for it — but I agree with your statement.

  69. 69.

    HRA

    April 25, 2015 at 11:04 am

    A relative quoted more than enough of Drudge to get me interested in looking at his writings. I went to look for a period of time when all else bored me. Here and there he did have some more sane writings. After a few ugly ones began to pop up, I left and now I am fighting the curiosity to look again.

  70. 70.

    Emma

    April 25, 2015 at 11:25 am

    A) I don’t care how difficult his childhood was. One of my very best friends suffered a horrific childhood and yet it wouldn’t never occur to him to run smear campaigns for a living.There’s a moment where you either become a moral being or not.He didn’t.

    B) You’re all overthinking. It’s not about self-hatred or body issues. There’s always been a subset of the population that fall into the psychopath spectrum. It’s all about them, and everyone else are actors in their drama. If it means throwing their own tribe under the bus, so be it. Making money from it is just a side issue. It also works the other way around.

  71. 71.

    Germy Shoemangler

    April 25, 2015 at 11:31 am

    @Emma: I actually agree with you, I’m not looking to make excuses for him. He’s done harm with his political misinformation. Lots of people take their troubled childhoods and try to grow from them and do good.

  72. 72.

    tybee

    April 25, 2015 at 11:32 am

    @low-tech cyclist:

    Richard Nixon, whose 1968 campaign slogan was “Nixon’s The One.”

    i thought the ’68 campaign slogan was “dick nixon before he dicks you”

    during his reelection campaign, the slogan was:

    “why change dicks in the middle of a screw? vote for nixon in ’72”

  73. 73.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 25, 2015 at 11:38 am

    @low-tech cyclist: The One crook.

  74. 74.

    Frankensteinbeck

    April 25, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Some of these have been touched, but the sheer insanity of this excerpt…

    just how helpful Drudge was to Obama’s election in 2008.

    …no. In fact, holy shit, what a tongue-bathing. You media guys are so full of yourselves it’s hard to comprehend.

    extensive contemporaneous communication with the late, great Andrew Breitbart

    Well, that’s a trustworthy source, sure enough. *breaks sarcasm key*

    played a key role in how “The One” was able to swipe the nomination away from Clinton….

    Oh. My. God. The EGO.

    his obvious animus towards the Clintons

    A tiny ray of reality shines through the darkness.

    (I would submit that he is far more of a capitalist than a conservative)

    So, a conservative. Or do you mean he’s a greedy, unprincipled opportunist? You know, a conservative?

    influenced a Democratic primary

    OH. MY. GOD.

    you lack a deep comprehension of how this media game now works.

    Get over yourself. Please. Get over yourself.

    I can’t do it. I just can’t. I got a third of the way through a fisking, and every sentence was a mountain of arrogant, deranged bullshit. We’ve seen a lot of stupid articles on this blog, but I put it to you honestly that this is the dumbest. It does serve as beautifully clear evidence for (I think it’s Benen’s?) the Cult of Savvy hypothesis. National journalists think they’re the true sages who control politics, the only people who know how the game works, and that it is a game and policies are a fantasy for children.

    @Zinsky:
    I think that a lot of gay men are sufficiently shielded from harassment that they feel free to vote their hate.

    @kc:
    It can be pretty hard to put away a small-town sheriff. The feds (I think the FBI?) would have to drag him off to jail, and boy, is that a less than easy, straightforward process. Especially since he’s so popular for his racism.

    @kc:
    Drudge’s only power was the foresight to guess what stories the media was going to run with anyway. He didn’t create a class of conservative journalists dedicated to smearing liberalism. They featured the stories they wanted to feature.

  75. 75.

    Villago Delenda Est

    April 25, 2015 at 11:53 am

    @GregB: Well, what was botched is that the Guardian said it would be at a certain time, and the vermin of the Village just assumed that was the time…Hillary’s people didn’t say that. Then it wasn’t at that time.

    So somehow, in magical Village fashion, it’s “botched”.

    This is one of the gazillion reasons for my nym. No mercy for these assholes.

  76. 76.

    Aleta

    April 25, 2015 at 11:56 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: “It concludes that Bates didn’t receive special treatment by being admitted to the program because no advanced deputy had fully met internal standards.”

    Oh, this is good news.

  77. 77.

    Tripod

    April 25, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Never read his site (a visually unappealing mess), but damn, it was awesome when Steve Gilliard trolled the fuck out of him.

  78. 78.

    Charon

    April 25, 2015 at 11:58 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    There are a LOT of links on Druge front page, well organized, makes him convenient as a portal to then go to the sites he links to.

    So he gets a lot of traffic for that reason.

  79. 79.

    Germy Shoemangler

    April 25, 2015 at 12:00 pm

    @Tripod: it was awesome when Steve Gilliard trolled the fuck out of him.

    What happened? Is there a link, or was it on radio?

  80. 80.

    Citizen_X

    April 25, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    @Baud:

    It’s a long and difficult journey, but with persistence and patience, Jenner will eventually learn how to refer to himself in the first person.

    It’s probably too late for Bob Dole, isn’t it?

  81. 81.

    Citizen_X

    April 25, 2015 at 12:05 pm

    @Kay:

    I think something like that can go in journalism- the bias is introduced by the choice of what to pursue and how doggedly to pursue it and how to frame “the charge” before it gets to the public- “the jury”.

    Isn’t that one of the major points of Chomsky’s whole “manufacturing consent” thesis?

  82. 82.

    Aleta

    April 25, 2015 at 12:07 pm

    @geg6:

    Lovey now runs the show. Seven pounds apparently trumps seventy-seven.

    The power of the nanodog. Or is it just her practice of positive thinking.

  83. 83.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    @Citizen_X:

    Herman and Chomsky — but yes.

  84. 84.

    different-church-lady

    April 25, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    …her botched campaign rollout…

    What botched campaign rollout?

  85. 85.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    @Emma:

    A) I don’t care how difficult his childhood was. One of my very best friends suffered a horrific childhood and yet it wouldn’t never occur to him to run smear campaigns for a living.There’s a moment where you either become a moral being or not.He didn’t.

    Yes, I hope no one here claimed that Drudge’s adult behavior was justified (by anything).

    B) You’re all overthinking. It’s not about self-hatred or body issues. There’s always been a subset of the population that fall into the psychopath spectrum. It’s all about them, and everyone else are actors in their drama. If it means throwing their own tribe under the bus, so be it. Making money from it is just a side issue. It also works the other way around.

    “The other way around”?

    Also, good luck with the situation you mentioned the other day.

  86. 86.

    askew

    April 25, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    @David Koch:

    Yep, it is just more spin on how the media helped Obama beat Hillary because it could never be Hillary’s fault that her entire campaign exploded. It must be a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Not surprised AL posted this excuse making for Hillary because one thing Hillary supporters have in common is constant excuse making for her.

  87. 87.

    askew

    April 25, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    @Kay:

    You should be careful to not conflate Hillary’s support in Ohio with her support in other states. In my home state, there wasn’t much grassroot support of her at all. She was considered elitist and out of touch. That was true in large parts of the country. We’ll see how that plays out in 2016.

  88. 88.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 2:06 pm

    @askew:

    In your home state, now and in the run-up to the 2016 election, is there or will there be a Democrat with considerable grassroots support? (Thanks.)

  89. 89.

    Kay

    April 25, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    @askew:

    We’ll see, but I obviously disagree. I have never observed either Clinton as perceived as elitist and out of touch.

    They may BE elitist and out of touch, but I don’t think they are perceived that way.

  90. 90.

    Charon

    April 25, 2015 at 2:28 pm

    Three effing hours and still in moderation. Not exactly interested in new voices I guess.

  91. 91.

    WaterGirl

    April 25, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    @Charon: I don’t know if someone has to manually release the first comment with a new nym or if it just gets delayed a bit. Please don’t take it personally, it is much more likely that there aren’t any front pagers around at the moment.

  92. 92.

    Cervantes

    April 25, 2015 at 4:21 pm

    @Charon:

    Three effing hours and still in moderation. Not exactly interested in new voices I guess.

    Well, you made it.

    Speak on.

  93. 93.

    Charon

    April 25, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    @WaterGirl: That was my point. An hour maybe, but three? after the thread almost totally dead, what’s the point?

  94. 94.

    David Koch

    April 25, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    @Germy Shoemangler:

    could be rebellion. could be low IQ. perhaps both.

    on the rebellion side it reminds me how Ron Reagan Jr and Patti Davis rebelled against their parents and became progressives and loud/proud atheists. With Patti posing nude with a black guy in Playboy

  95. 95.

    David Koch

    April 25, 2015 at 5:43 pm

    @Kay: Bill was completely out of touch during the 2008 campaign, with all his gaffes and race baiting. It’s what moved Ted Kennedy from the neutral camp to campaigning for Obama.

    Hillary is already been out of touch with her unnecessary fight with Terry Gross and the ridiculous stuff about being “dead broke” and some how believing a private email server designed to evade FOIA would some how remain secret. it’s almost like she believes she landed under sniper fire in bosnia.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    April 25, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    @Charon: I’m sorry that happened, but it’s a one-time thing and you should be good from here on out.

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