tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post7493420531206597824..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: The Gore-ification of Paul RyanJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-7897089993458178962012-09-05T19:47:22.905-05:002012-09-05T19:47:22.905-05:00You provide critical analysis off the cuff, Jonath...You provide critical analysis off the cuff, Jonathan, but that's because you're an expert on this stuff. Emphasis is on critical: you have a body of knowledge you can draw upon. Hence, your opinion has value.<br /><br />I imagine that what I call "real reporting" has a lot more consultation with various experts, research into sources like the Congressional Record and other authorities, and talking to bona fide sources than the kind of crap you're describing in this article. That's what we'd all like to see more of. But it takes a lot more work and time to do anything right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-296033374422478972012-09-05T18:23:19.746-05:002012-09-05T18:23:19.746-05:00Ryan's mis-truths came out of his own mouth. G...<i>Ryan's mis-truths came out of his own mouth. Gore's (I invented the internet) were never spoken by Gore.</i><br /><br />While "invented the Internet" was never spoken by Gore, many of the other remarks attributed to him were. For example, he did incorrectly claim during one of the debates to have traveled to a Texas fire site with James Lee Witt. He had traveled there with another official, and gone with Witt on other occasions. So he did make a false statement--however, there's no reason to believe it was due to anything more than a memory lapse, and in any case it was incredibly trivial. But the media jumped all over him for it, treating it like he had told a whopper. During the same debates, Bush actively distorted his own record (such as when he falsely claimed to have brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass a patient's bill of rights in Texas--in fact, he'd vetoed the bill repeatedly until finally allowing it to pass without his signature when it looked like his veto might be overridden), but the media was virtually silent about it.Kylopodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06932528611103718373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-22295686383987477292012-09-05T16:55:01.786-05:002012-09-05T16:55:01.786-05:00I'd agree with you, but my GF, a very low info...I'd agree with you, but my GF, a very low information voter trending republican (from Grand Rapid, from pete's sake) the only thing she now knows about the Romney campaing is their VP lies about his marathon times. And climbing mountains.charlienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-83576580489550554192012-09-05T16:18:33.450-05:002012-09-05T16:18:33.450-05:00Blogger doesn't work as a category. I'm do...Blogger doesn't work as a category. I'm doing a mix of opinion and what's basically teaching political science. Others do pure opinion. Still others do basically pure reporting. Or other stuff. Some are paid, some not, some half-and-half. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-3131365499379615952012-09-05T16:09:49.029-05:002012-09-05T16:09:49.029-05:00I'm not convinced.
It often has more in commo...I'm not convinced.<br /><br />It often has more in common with 'editorial,' with punditry, I think. But much rises to the level of real reporting, and some is better then the 'paid' reporting being done by major news organizations; particularly because they're not 'reporting,' they're frequently recycling news-wire pieces as if they were reporting; doing what bloggers do without the admission of it.zicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-15102050044434301132012-09-05T15:57:43.380-05:002012-09-05T15:57:43.380-05:00I believe it was Brendan's. I'm sure he...I believe it was Brendan's. I'm sure he'll take it as flattery!Greg Marxhttp://cjr.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-21656101921952989042012-09-05T15:48:33.141-05:002012-09-05T15:48:33.141-05:00Argghhh. You know, I was going to try to find some...Argghhh. You know, I was going to try to find some way to credit Brendan for the basic idea of the post, anyway, and never figured out how to do it...didn't realize I'd (almost) swiped his headline. <br /><br />My apologies to Brendan and whoever wrote the headline (Brendan? Greg? Headlines are a mystery).<br /><br />In my defense, Gore-ification is really massively superior to Gore-ing. Just saying.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-32933454371555869602012-09-05T15:37:50.059-05:002012-09-05T15:37:50.059-05:00I think that part of the problem here lies with th...I think that part of the problem here lies with the faddishness of blogging. Many people/journalists/bloggers/talking heads comment on a single topic (because it's hot), and each wants to say something that distinguishes themselves (to increase their market value). At the same time, none can afford to take the time to think or research the topic. Consequently, they try to present "a different point of view," but what they do is more superficial.<br /><br />I imagine that it's a lot less work than real reporting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-7313317609991985772012-09-05T15:29:29.958-05:002012-09-05T15:29:29.958-05:00Markon did some good work on the legal beat a few ...Markon did some good work on the legal beat a few years back. I haven't read his politics stuff closely enough to have an opinion about it.<br /><br />And hey, that's a familiar headline! (used in service of a somewhat different point): http://www.cjr.org/swing_states_project/mitt_romney_new_al_gore.php?page=allGreg Marxhttp://cjr.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-1866655898275323262012-09-05T12:20:34.205-05:002012-09-05T12:20:34.205-05:00There is a difference; Ryan's mis-truths came ...There is a difference; Ryan's mis-truths came out of his own mouth. Gore's (I invented the internet) were never spoken by Gore. <br /><br />More importantly here, is the whole specter of a 'fact-check' industry. This used to be the job of the press, no? Do we now live in a world where the press just reports the horse-race, fair and balanced, and the 'fact-check industry' actually verifies? <br /><br />I worked as a journalist for many years. First job, first day, and nearly every day there after, I heard, "Verify, verify, verify." zicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-85174231604230821172012-09-05T12:17:24.874-05:002012-09-05T12:17:24.874-05:00That's a fair question.
Two or three answers....That's a fair question.<br /><br />Two or three answers.<br /><br />First of all: at PP, I basically write whatever I want; at Plum Line, Greg is my editor, and I basically pitch him topics (same, by the way, with my Salon columns). So I do think a bit about what Greg would be interested in. I do think he might have been interested in this one, but I don't know.<br /><br />Also: at least for this week, I'm doing an afternoon post for Greg and a post-convention item for PP. So part of it is: I saw the article right now, wanted to respond, didn't want to wait to see whether Greg would want it or not (because if not, it gets into late afternoon). I had something else for here that I could have done, but wasn't as much in the mood for writing about it.<br /><br />So some of it has to do with which seems a better fit, but a lot of it is just keeping the flow of posts reasonable, and another part is having a place to put things when I write it.<br /><br />I've definitely used one of my WaPo places to ding WaPo people, and they don't discourage me from doing it. FWIW. Also, I should mention that I generally think Sonmez is a solid reporter; I don't really have an opinion about Markon, but I've been something of a fan of Sonmez for the last year or two.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-31865273032185099292012-09-05T12:09:52.359-05:002012-09-05T12:09:52.359-05:00Clive Crook wrote the best response to all this no...Clive Crook wrote the best response to all this nonsense:<br /><br />http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/fact-checking-a-clarification/261945/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-50601758836817331942012-09-05T12:00:24.029-05:002012-09-05T12:00:24.029-05:00Why are you publishing this here rather than on on...Why are you publishing this here rather than on one of the WAPO sites?Johnny Canucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-78928973735386317502012-09-05T11:59:58.191-05:002012-09-05T11:59:58.191-05:00I'm amused how mesmerized you lefties are with...I'm amused how mesmerized you lefties are with Ryan. ;-)<br /><br />I'm wondering if the Willardbots gamed that out before they nominated Ryan, that he'd draw fire off Willard (who is a weak candidate, imo). That would all make political sense. Ryan becomes the classic VP hatchetman then, so it has historical strategic roots, in addition to being a more contemporary strategem to counter Willard's being a weasel.<br /><br />But by attacking Ryan, the Left risks alienating segments of the electorate. That's the risk of the "He's a big fat liar" strategy. Ryan's response to that is quite simple. He's going to point up to the debt clock just over his shoulder, the one that just rolled over the $16 Trillion mark, on the first day of the Left's political convo. <br /><br />I think it's possible that the Obamabots have fallen directly into the Bain schemer's campaign strategy here. If they ignore the oldest maxim in the book, that VP's mean little and should largely be ignored, it may cost them. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com