The Compleat Tommy Christopher

While the world waits to see where Tommy Christopher will pop up next, take a trip back through the mists of time to the millions of words I've written about politics, the media, and... oh shit, Saturday Night Live? Is that really going to be the last echoing ring of the bell from my five years at Mediaite? Here's that stuff, all 3,788 posts. I'm currently working on a top 3,000 list. Watch this space. (For stuff that was about me, but not necessarily by me, check out the Tommy Christopher tag.)

My first paying journalism job, though, and the one that put me on the map when I got fired from it, was for AOL's The Political Machine, which later became PoliticsDaily, which later got absorbed into The Huffington Borg. You can read my PM/PD stuff here, and for stories on which I shared a byline with my pal Caleb Howe, click here.

I also spent about two years writing for AOL's Asylum.com as a contract freelancer, who hired me days after Melinda Henneberger fired me. You can read that stuff here.

I started another personal blog while I was at Politicsdaily, and continued to supplement my writing there while I was at Mediaite. Then, I stopped using it, and didn't pay for the domain name, so you can read that stuff here, via the Internet Archive. Also on the Wayback Machine is Twits, a Twitter-based site that Caleb and I started so that we could later feel superior to Twitchy.

Hopefully, I will spend my last week of staycation actually chilling, and you will only have these several million words to tide you over.

Breaking News: CNN And The Internet Are Not Pwning Chuck Todd

Lately, I've been feeling like the exact opposite of Lloyd Bridges' Airplane! character, who says "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue," because I appear to have chosen the correct three weeks to go on a news media staycation. Since I banged out my last syllable for Mediaite, cable news has been completely dominated by the same two glacially-developing stories: Ukraine (which does produce occasional genuine news) and the missing airplane.

Both stories offer rich fodder for media criticism, but especially in the case of the missing Flight MH370, that criticism quickly becomes as repetitive as the story itself. Unfortunately for CNN, they happen to be offering the most clickably absurd coverage, and just when you think they can't possibly top themselves, this happens:



I've got news for both of those guys, the preferred term is "Zombo-American Aircraft."

One interesting wrinkle in the Flight 370 meta-media story is the glee with which media observers are fanning the flames of a de facto feud between Chuck Todd and CNN producer Vaughn Sterling. In case you missed it, Chuck made this observation about the coverage on Wednesday:

Wait, so when did finding NOTHING get characterized as "breaking news"?
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) March 19, 2014

At the time Chuck tweeted that, here's what CNN viewers were looking at:

That's pretty tough to argue with, but The Situation Room producer Vaughn Sterling tried anyway:

@chucktodd Great question Chuck! Looks like it was around 6:45p: pic.twitter.com/ycO5gfN9lY
— Vaughn Sterling (@vplus) March 19, 2014

Sterling tweeted a few more examples, which, according to Mediaite, equaled the "tearing apart" of Chuck Todd, although I'd like to think that headline was a tongue-in-cheek bit of self-satire. Thinking up over-the-top headline adjectives is something of a competitive parlor game, like The Aristocrats! for media writers. I'd have gone with "CNN Producer Rips The Legs Off Of Chuck Todd, Puts Them In His Hands, Then Forces Him To Hit Himself With His Own Bloody Legs While Asking 'Why Are You Hitting Yourself?' Over Breaking News Hypocrisy," but I think that's too many characters.

Here's the thing, though. Chuck Todd wasn't kidding when, on Friday, he clarified his criticism:

Another day of "breaking news" based on finding nothing or in other words, "not breaking news"
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) March 21, 2014

I know it may look like I am casting stones while potentially living in a glass house. But the mistakes of one news org hurts ALL of us
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) March 21, 2014

Then it becomes "the media" is abusing "breaking news" -- no it's not "the media" in general.
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) March 21, 2014

Through the feud-oriented lens of media reporting, this sounds like he's saying that CNN is making everyone else look bad, but that's not what he said. Remember, Chuck hosts a show on MSNBC, but he's also NBC News' Chief White house Correspondent, and as such, is a fulcrum in the tension between the two. There's no reason to think that his critique of "Breaking News" abuse excludes MSNBC, or anyone in cable news.

I used to have the same problem when I was at Mediaite. I wrote frequently, and passionately, about the value of racial diversity in media, and invariably, some genius would accost me on Twitter to ask me how many black writers there are at Mediaite. Now, as then, it's not my place to speak for Mediaite, especially about decisions in which I had no involvement. All I can say is that I was free to publish those opinions, and even encouraged to do so, and I would be happy to see more racial diversity at any and all media outlets.

 In much the same way, I'm sure Chuck Todd would be happy to see all cable news channels stop abusing the "Breaking New" or "News Alert" banners. First and foremost, Chuck is a newsman who cares deeply about journalism, and he also has a marked distaste for media feuds. That this has become one is probably endlessly irritating to him, but hopefully, Chuck is also discovering the power and the value of strong media criticism, as illustrated by this observation from Dylan Byers:

UPDATE (10:03 a.m.): CNN led the 10 a.m. hour with "developing story," rather than "breaking news."

If this dustup can, in some small way, help to stem the tide of meaningless "Breaking News" alerts, then I'm sure Chuck would agree that being force to metaphorically beat himself with his own torn-off legs is a small price to pay.

Ted Cruz Poster Artist Sabo Explains He's Not Misogynist By Calling Hillary Clinton 'Bitch'

Hey, remember the artist who created that Ted Cruz poster that conservatives can't stop beating off to, the one Ted Cruz was proudly autographing? Well, he was very offended that someone hinted he might be a tad misogynist (as well as racist and wingnutty), which is no surprise. Racist, misogynist wingnuts aren't famous for their self-awareness.

Also not really surprising, but very amusing, is how Sabo defended himself against the charge in an interview with PJ Media:

He said he has received mostly good feedback from his posters. One exception is a blog post from former Mediaite correspondent Tommy Christopher, who called Sabo a “racist, misogynist wingnut”and a bigot (Sabo fervently denies those accusations). In particular, Christopher took issue with the Hillary flying monkey piece. Sabo defends it, saying, “The wicked witch had her flying monkeys and flying monkeys are spreading the word. The bi**h is coming back. Spreading the word.”

What's almost as funny as Sabo's defense is the fact that the wingnut site trying to backstop him had to prissily edit it. They also felt the need to edit the title of Sabo's "Fag the New Nigger," because of course, there's nothing wrong with it.

So, once again, it's up to the mainstream media to ask Ted Cruz if he agrees that Hillary is a "bitch," or that Questlove is a "monkey," or that the "problem with Jews" is that they have a "self-destruct toggle switch."

Let me be the first to ask.

Dear Liberals (and Paul Ryan): 'Inner City' Is Code Like 'Ack-Blay' Is Code

Which is to say, it isn't code at all. Rep. Paul Ryan has been catching hell for remarks he made last week regarding "inner city" men and their "culture," remarks that he later called "inarticulate," but which he continues to insist had "nothing to do with race."

While conservatives have predictably come to Ryan's defense, it is liberals who have done the most damage in abetting Ryan's flight from media accountability. They've accomplished this, first, by referring to Ryan's "inner city" euphemism as "code," which gives your down-the-middle media types an out in holding Ryan's feet to the fire. It isn't code, any more than "synonym" is code for "thing that means the same thing." If you dispute this, take it up with these flaming liberals, like Fox News' Chris Wallace:

Or how about notably Pavlovian liberal Bill O'Reilly:

So, when liberals concede that this is "code," even a poorly-concealed one, they relieve othrs in the media of the responsibility to follow up on it, people like Wolf Blitzer, who recently demonstrated just how effectively an ostensibly non-partisan journalist can move the needle on an issue like this.

The second way liberals are helping Paul Ryan out is by swallowing their defense that Obama did it, too. I've seen this in a lot of places, but first on last Wednesday's All In, when conservative columnist Robert George repeatedly made the point that "just a week or so ago, the president was also making the same link between opportunity and culture," to agreement from host Chris Hayes. This is the kind of thing that liberals let pass in order to be good sports, or to move along to whatever they think is the real point, without realizing that they are losing the argument right there. There is no comparison between what the President said in his Feb. 27 speech, in which he talked about addressing racial disparities through the "My Brother's Keeper" program.

Far from blaming those disparities on a "culture" in the black community, the President spoke about "groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unique ways that require unique solutions; groups who’ve seen fewer opportunities that have spanned generations. And by almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century in this country are boys and young men of color."

 To compare Ryan's remarks with the President's is like defending Jesse Helms by saying "Yeah, but Martin Luther King also talked about race all the time!"

Instead of partially conceding this idiotic defense, liberals ought to be pointing out that it completely refutes Ryan's later protestations that his remarks "had nothing to do with race."

Both things can't be true. Either Ryan's remarks had nothing to do with race, or they were okay because President Obama also talks about race.

Ryan's remarks were definitely about race, but as that town hall attendee pointed out, that's not why they were wrong. They were wrong because, instead of identifying racial disparities in order to solve them, Ryan identifies them in order to blame them on an inferior culture, which is RAF™ like a mofo, and is just plain wrong. Poor people work very hard, for very little, and the ones who don't work, the ones in those black unemployment statistics that conservatives cite in their totally non-racial argument, aren't exactly turning down work from all those desperate-to-hire job creators in Detroit. People don't become poor because their families disintegrate, families disintegrate because they are poor. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Am I saying that Paul Ryan is a racist? No, what I am saying about Paul Ryan has absolutely nothing to do with him being a racist. It has to do with Paul Ryan saying something racist as fuck, wishing that he hadn't, and trying to worm his way out of it. Liberals should not be helping him.

Nauseating Chris Christie Fanboy Gets Christie to Flip on Gay Marriage

There are a lot of people in the Republican Party who are against gay marriage, but very few who take the special care to be as hypothetically prickish about it as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who invented gay children of his own just so he could tell them they can't get married. At a town hall meeting in Flemington today, though, Christie was coaxed into a new position by an attendee with an enticing offer of domestic bliss.

The guy opened up by telling Christie "You look better in person than you do on TV," and went on to offer his services as laundry, beer, and TV companion. Christie then asked the man if he wanted to get married, and was met with uncomfortable silence, followed by mutually uncomfortable laughter.

Yes, Christie was only joking, because fuck real people who want to get married, and fuck his own hypothetical kids. Maybe for his next act, Christie can ask a Fort Lee resident if he'd like an ambulance.

What's weird, though, is that this Chris Christie fanboy, who began with a display of gushing that would embarrass Chris Matthews, went on to press the Guv about his self-serving explanation of the Bridget Kelly firing. He's the first town hall attendee to bring up Christie's scandals so far.

Christie gave a long answer that you can read on his Youtube page, then shared a last special moment with his future non-husband. "I'll do the dry-cleaning, but not the shirts," the man said, and Christie lamented "You turned down my marriage proposal, as well, by your silence."

Sad face for Chris Christie's imaginary gay kids.

No, Right-Wingers, Jay Carney's Briefings Are Not Fixed, and President Obama Is Not a Clock Nazi

President Obama gave several interviews to local reporters yesterday in order to press for an increase in the minimum wage, and one of those interviews has spawned some Drudge-baiting bullshit. As part of her reporting on her exclusive interview, Phoenix's Catherine Anaya told KPHO viewers that White House Press Secretary Jay Carney revealed, in an off-the-record chat, that questions from White House reporters "are provided to him in advance," and that "sometimes those correspondents and reporters also have those answers printed in front of them."

The Weekly Standard reported on Anaya's remarks, then added an update that read "Carney denies," based on this Twitter exchange:

So WH reporters give @PressSec questions in advance? I used to admire so many of those folks. Democracy unravels: https://t.co/Tk1UqVnXgK
— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) March 20, 2014

.@RalstonReports Briefings would be a lot easier if this were true! Rest assured, it is not.
— Jay Carney (EOP) (@PressSec) March 20, 2014

Ah, but that's just what he would say, isn't it?

TWS also reported on some more of the color that Anaya provided, alleging that "Reporters Held to 4 Minutes With President By Countdown Clock, Looming Aide, and Standing Up."

Let's start with the second one first, because it's the easiest. Anaya dd, indeed, explain the measures that the President's staffers take to try and keep him and the reporters on task and within time constraints, but also explained that she wasn't "held to 4 minutes" at all. In fact, her interview with the President ran over by 75%:

Now, on Carney getting questions in advance, Anaya seems to have misunderstood what Carey was telling her (as well as the meaning of "off the record"). In the clip that TWS pointed to, she says Carney "mentioned that a lot of times, unless it's something breaking, the questions that the reporters actually ask -- the correspondents -- they are provided to him in advance. So then he knows what he's going to be answering and sometimes those correspondents and reporters also have those answers printed in front of them, because of course it helps when they're producing their reports for later on. So that was very interesting." 

 A bit later in the broadcast, Anaya softened that description a bit, saying that "reporters and correspondents, unless it is breaking news, provide questions to him in advance so he is already preparing for the answer," and that "in some cases, he actually prepares that answer for them so that they can have that to work on their reports later on."

Of course, reporters are emailing Carney questions all the time, before, after, and sometimes during the briefings, and as anyone who's ever watched a White House briefing will tell you, there are always 10 different reporters asking slight variations of the same question. That's part of how Carney compiles that binder he brings to the podium with him. We're not "providing" questions in advance, we're just asking questions, and for Carney, it makes sense to answer those 10, 20, or a hundred versions of the same question one time, during the briefing. There's nothing stealthy about it; when Carney gets a question he knows is coming, he will often flip through his briefing book to retrieve, and recite, a prepared statement, which reporters can then ask 10 slightly different followups to.

Some White House reporters, particularly TV reporters, are also prone to asking questions they already know the answer to, just so they can have a piece of tape of them asking about it, and of Carney answering. That's the reporter's artifice, though, not Carney's.

Questions like this, though, are an extreme minority, as most of the White House reporter's job (at the daily briefings, anyway) is to try and catch Carney off guard, and possibly shake loose some news. I guarantee you, for example, that Ed Henry didn't email Carney in advance to ask him if the White House cared about military death benefits during the government shutdown.

Wingnut overreactions aside, though, Catherine Anaya's reporting included lots of terrific color, and a great window into the White House from the perspective of a relative outsider. She also posted some great pictures on her Twitter feed.

Full Video: Chris Christie Being a Fucking Dick to Town Hall Health Care Lady

Your tax dollars at work: The Official state of New Jersey Gloryhole Cam

I got really annoyed watching Now with Alex Wagner this afternoon, because they only played a few seconds of Gov. Chris Christie's exchange with a woman at a South River town hall, and only to show what a fucking dick Christie was being (STOP THE PRESSES!), but not enough of the exchange for a viewer to know what the lady was actually trying to say to him.

As it turns out, I was annoyed at Alex for noting, because the full five-minute-ish clip shows that Christie never really gives Maura Collinsgru (of NJ Citizen Action) a chance to get her full thought out, while telling her, simultaneously, that he'd love to discuss things with her as she shoves her budget report up her ass (that's a slight paraphrase):

 As near as I can tell, Maura wants Christie to do more to "connect" people with health care, and Christie wants to be like "fuck Obamacare," while also bragging about how awesome New Jersey's Obamacare Medicaid kung fu is.

The substance hardly matters, although when I saw Collinsgru on The Ed Show later, she didn't present much of a case against Christie. That's not to say there isn't one, but she didn't do a good job presenting it. He took the Medicaid expansion, but people in New Jersey would have been much better off if Christie had opened a state-based exchange, and if he did more to get people here signed up. Something like 80% of the New Jerseyans who have signed up for Obamacare so far have qualified for federal subsidies, so whether he likes Obamacare or not, the program is good for the people who manage to get on it.

What matters is that Alex Wagner, and all of my liberal friends at MSNBC, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and every other Democrat I love and respect, will play this clip as a way to illustrate what a fucking dick Chris Christie is, as if that will hurt him somehow. This has been driving me nuts for months, and will continue to do so until Christi is forced to resign under a cloud of scandal, or gets beaten by Ted Cruz.

People are wrong when they say nobody likes a bully. People will claim not to like bullies, and they'll even think they don't like bullies, but have you ever seen a bully operate in real life? They're not surrounded by a crowd of people jeering at them to stop.

People don't like being bullied, but they're fine with a bully, as long as they're convinced he's their bully. Imagine if Barack Obama had told Joe the Plumber "Sure, Joe, you mail me your 249,999th dollar, and I'll pin it to my unicorn's asshole. Now go get your fuckin' shine box."

Barack Obama would never do that, but that would be the shit, and if you ask any liberal, any Democrat, what they are thinking whenever a Republican does accuse the President of being a bully, they will all say "I fucking wish!"

That's not his style, though, and it could never be if he wanted to get elected, because he's black, and therefore has to act like Bill Bixby so white people don't shit their pants, and white people shit their pants anyway, but not enough of them to beat him in a general election.

Calling Chris Christie a bully will never, ever work, and liberals need to stop doing it.