4 Items, One Post
— 20 replies are now posted at The GOP Speaks, and I sent out a batch to every county in Ohio last night, so hopefully more are coming soon.
— One last point about this:
Conor Friedersdorf refuses to interview me as he continues to be my unofficial biographer. (I’m VERY reachable, Conor.) He writes opinion pieces on me purporting to be journalism. He doesn’t quote or cite me, he simply assumes and pushes the point of view he thinks I have and makes an argument based on these alleged positions. It’s sloppy and you, of all people, should know better.
— Andrew Breitbart
As I’ve noted, my writing on Mr. Breitbart includes an unanswered interview request, numerous Andrew Breitbart quotations, and as far as I can tell, zero instances of attributing a position to Mr. Breitbart that he doesn’t hold. I’ll go a step farther too. Though an interview is always ideal, I think it is fair game to criticize the avowed positions of a public figure without reaching them first, especially if there is deadline pressure.
Apparently, however, Mr. Breitbart takes the position that it is sloppy and unfair to criticize someone prior to interviewing them. So can I assume that the policy at Big Government and Big Hollywood, and the protocol Mr. Breitbart follows when writing columns for the Washington Times, is to always at least request an interview with the people and entities he criticizes? Or is this yet another example of self-righteously holding others to a standard one doesn’t uphold oneself?
— Though behind a subscriber firewall, this New Yorker piece about Rio is an astounding piece of reportage, and underscores the difficult task that city has ahead as it tries to host an Olympics where visitors aren’t victimized by out of control paramilitary gangs.
— Somehow I agree with the general thrust of Latimer commentary by Ramesh and Chris Buckley!
Conor – have you gotten a sense of the age group of the repliers? As a friend of mine who is a professor of Political Science noted to me, discussing this project, “That blog will be gold, given that most county-level party officials are 70 and have a lot of time on their hands.”
— Mike · Oct 8, 06:10 PM · #
Following after Mike, that blog could have an awesome Twitter feed along the lines of the wonderful “shitmydadsays.”
Mad props, Conor, but you’re reaching for Freddiesque levels of pussification on this Breitbart thing. Make sure you use the phrase,“And another thing!” in your next post replying to him.
— Sanjay · Oct 8, 06:26 PM · #
What’s with you and pussy, Sanjay? Not getting enough? Afraid? Wish you had one? You’re starting to sound like Sullie…
— Tony Comstock · Oct 8, 06:43 PM · #
Soemtimes two nouns just come together, man, like “Bill Gates” and “geek,” and then they live forever in blissful harmony. I could say Conor is being “whiny, overly sensitive and defensive to no effect” but it doesn’t have that snappy trochee.
— Sanjay · Oct 8, 07:09 PM · #
Sanjay,
I’m not sure what you do for a living, but imagine that you were inaccurately criticized for professional misconduct, and by someone whose work in the same field is markedly less fair than yours.
And then imagine that other people all over the Internet repeated those false charges without even linking to your rebuttal.
You too might address the matter repeatedly!
— Conor Friedersdorf · Oct 8, 07:14 PM · #
But Conor, I’d do it effectively. This just sounds like whining. I even think it’s justified whining. But it will alter no minds and makes Breitbart look high-minded.
— Sanjay · Oct 8, 07:52 PM · #
CF, I wouldn’t put much stock in Sanjay’s analysis. He calls fans of cable news losers with nothing better to do. Yet, he also devotes big parts of his weekdays to composing blog post replies— often of the multiple paragraph variety, requiring readers to make frequent use of the scroll wheel. Safe to say he suffers from his own self-awareness blindspots.
— turnbuckle · Oct 8, 07:53 PM · #
Well, okay Sanjay, help me out — what would an effective response look like?
— Conor Friedersdorf · Oct 8, 08:09 PM · #
I’d ignore this one, or at the most say, hey, it’s unfair to say I didn’t ask the dude for comment, ‘cuz, I did. And then you’re done. It looks classy and shit. Everything else you’ve said is pointing to your written record, and anyone who much cares has already seen that record.
Maybe I’d ask the dude to discuss it in some forum (which you said you’ve done at the Daily Beast.) Says it all right there if he ducks it. Anyone who doesn’t know how to interpret that you aren’t reaching.
I do get in professional spats a lot because I’m, um, outspoken. And when I’m called unprofessional I shrug it off — I’ve put enough stuff out for anyone who wants to read it and judge, and basically the non-stupid people break my way. Well, you’ve put a lot out in some loud fora. Good enough. Think, at this point: What if Breitbart sits on his hands? How do you end up looking? Are you trying to force his response?
turnbuckle, cable news is for losers. Which reminds me, shit, it’s time to get off my desk, go to the hospital, and change the goddam ER waiting room TVs from “FOX news” to “Sprout” so they’re actually doing someone some good.
— Sanjay · Oct 8, 08:20 PM · #
Sanjay, yes I agree about the cable news. I’d only add that the American Scene is for losers, too. (I mean that with affection, of course. I’m implicated, after all.)
Nice work on the “Sprout” intervention. I went to its website. I can just imagine its palliative effect, not unlike that of this channel:
http://www.thepuppychannel.com/
— turnbuckle · Oct 8, 09:08 PM · #
As Brietbart gets fuller and fuller of himself, his skin gets thinner and thinner. He’s bound to blow up at some point, which should be fun to watch. And you can bet it’ll all be someone else’s fault.
— tgb1000 · Oct 8, 09:56 PM · #
Conor, I just want to know when the American Scene is hiring a public editor or more fact checkers! AB’s response was obviously thin skinned. But one interview request – pretty weak tea. Journalists trying to contact possible sources are usually a little more aggressive. But since you are so knowledgeable about the best journalistic practices for the right and the left, you already know that. But really, what’s your beef with AB? I hope it doesn’t boil down to fact checkers and public editors. If there’s something more interesting, I would love to know what it is.
— JC38 · Oct 8, 11:54 PM · #
I criticized Conor’s lengthy defense, too, but I do understand the impulse to clarify. Perhaps brevity is best.
— mike farmer · Oct 8, 11:56 PM · #
Is it? AB asserts himself available for the asking.
But AB is “available”! What must one do, send an engraved invitation?
— Chet · Oct 9, 01:25 AM · #