Perhaps the most revealing anecdote (noted by Glenn Greenwald, and likely others) in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine profile (4/25/10) of the Politico‘s gossip-journalist Mike Allen:
On a recent Friday night, a couple hundred influentials gathered for a Mardi Gras-themed birthday party for Betsy Fischer, the executive producer of Meet the Press. Held at the Washington home of the lobbyist Jack Quinn, the party was a classic Suck-Up City affair in which everyone seemed to be congratulating one another on some recent story, book deal, show or haircut (and, by the way, your boss is doing a swell job, and maybe we could do an interview).
McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, arrived after the former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie left. Fox News‘ Greta Van Susteren had David Axelrod pinned into a corner near a tower of cupcakes. In the basement, a very white, bipartisan Soul Train was getting down to hip-hop. David Gregory, the Meet the Press host, and Newsweek‘s Jon Meacham gave speeches about Fischer. Over by the jambalaya, Alan Greenspan picked up some Mardi Gras beads and placed them around the neck of his wife, NBC‘s Andrea Mitchell, who bristled and quickly removed them.
Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable–it’s what journalists do. That and partying with lobbyists and powerful political figures. The presence of soon-to-be PBS host Jon Meacham is yet another sign that the network was not looking to replace Now and the Bill Moyers Journal with a host that will challenge the establishment. They opted for a member of that establishment.
Sometimes no comment is necessary.
But you know me, so:
What a crock of …
I’ll restrain myself here, and just say it brings new meaning to the term “party poopers”, don’t it just?
That is just vile.
I didn’t read the article, not being that extreme a masochist, but I did see that hideous passage at Greenwald. Is that actually meant to be an affectionate portrait?
“A tower of cupcakes”? – yum! Why aren’t we crashing this party?
Aargh! What fools these mortals be! Thank goodness I have The Nation magazine( where the real journalists are) to keep me informed about what’s going on in the real world. Where is I.F. Stone when we really need him.
Theme for their next party – “Crap and Trade”
Not quite clear whether some of these responses are meant to be taken ironically: are you-all being ‘flamed’ for what looked (to moi) like an excellent piece…?
In any case: nauseating as hell=my response…really sad if despite Moyers wishes he’ll be replaced w/some toadie of the rich and/or powerful of whom we have soooo many…Sigh!
Adam, just to be clear, the “crock” I’m referring to is the container for the … um … waste matter, let’s say … that attends these sorry soirees.
I think the other comments are in line with that sentiment.
Except the cupcake-coveting one, which appears to exclusively gastronomical in character. -g-
Why are you wasting your time on slop like this?