Patterico's Pontifications

9/24/2008

Howard Kurtz “just airing” Andrew Sullivan’s Palin Derangement Syndrome

Filed under: 2008 Election,Media Bias,Morons,Politics — Karl @ 2:39 pm



[Posted by Karl]

The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz will not point out that The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan’s Trig Trutherism increasingly marks Sullivan as the Internet’s version of a sandwich board-wearing lunatic, spewing profane nonsense at random passers-by on the street.

To the contrary, Kurtz asks McCain campaign blogger Michael Goldfarb why they won’t release Palin’s hospital records.  Goldfarb manages to restrain himself from replying that the campaign does not feel any need to respond to the online equivalent of a raving sterno bum.

However, Kurtz does note that not everyone at The Atlantic is happy about being associated with the malign insanity of Andrew Sullivan, linking to fellow Atlantic writer Ross Douthat, who recently wrote:

If you think that many of the same people who bleat the loudest about the evils of ‘Rove-style’ politics aren’t happy to similarly dirty their hands for the sake of their own causes and candidates — well, you need only look at some of the coverage of Sarah Palin’s family to see how quickly principle gives way to expedience when power is at stake.

Nor was that Douthat’s first veiled reference to Sullivan, having previously written about the coverage of Sarah Palin “by colleagues I used to respect.” 

Nor is Douthat the lone voice on his unhinged colleague at The Atlantic.  After Sullivan blogged his delight at an attack on then-potential GOP VP pick Eric Cantor as a dual citizen,  Jeffrey Goldberg recently wrote:

I wish Andrew would go back to bashing the Jew-baiters, rather than reveling in their smears.

Jeffrey’s wish was not granted, as Sullivan would thereafter claim — without any basis in fact:

I know [Palin]’s being safely indoctrinated by Joe Lieberman and AIPAC as we speak.

Sullivan has been trafficking in bizarre conspiracy theories for years, complete with sinister allusions to “the Likud effect,” but his decline really does seem to be picking up speed.

Ace also covers this latest round of embarrassment for the Excitable Boy, as only he can.  However, in reading the recent Sully e-mail and blog posts Ace quotes, I cannot help but observe that Sullivan, by his own account, calls the Palin rumors he has been relentlessly flogging a “crazy idea” and that he has “no proof of anything.”  Which should raise the question of whether there are any adults at The Atlantic left to stage an intervention.

–Karl

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: More disturbing news along these lines here.

11 Responses to “Howard Kurtz “just airing” Andrew Sullivan’s Palin Derangement Syndrome”

  1. “Which should raise the question of whether there are any adults at The Atlantic left to stage an intervention.”

    Karl – When you add in the incident with the photographer chosen for the recent McCain cover shoot, you have a very valid question.

    daleyrocks (d9ec17)

  2. daleyrocks,

    Sullivan has become the blogging equivalent of Jill Greenberg. Right down to the monkey poop.

    Karl (cbb1a2)

  3. Karl – He and Cintra Wilson should meet. She’s already had two people in her life die from autoerotic asphyxiation. Don’t most things come in threes?

    daleyrocks (d9ec17)

  4. As with most psycho lefties, I suspect a serious drug and alcohol problem underlies the insanity.

    I’m amazed that anyone, Republican, Democrat or Independent would take such raving lunatics seriously.

    Just wait till Randi Roads blows her own head off and you will see what I mean if you don’t get it already which is this:

    Lefties, as a class, have serious substance abuse problems as evidenced by their written and spoken words.

    There’s help. If only they would ask.

    I think all elected politicians should have to pass a substance abuse test. They have pretty important jobs after all which they never fail to remind us about. If we tried to get that into law who do you think would scream the loudest? Wonder why that is. Hmm.

    Philip (6846fb)

  5. Andrew Sullivan, he simply doesn’t have any class is the problem. Baracky somehow makes him feel that it’s okay to disregard decency, the basic human kind. Baracky seems to make a lot of people feel that way.

    happyfeet (71f55e)

  6. feets!

    daleyrocks (d9ec17)

  7. Andrew is just being defensive. He can’t back down and be shamed again. He is definitely way out of line, but I think it’s just the years of ridicule, and his intuitive grasp that he’s gone too far. The only way this isn’t the end of his credibility (not that he had much) is if he’s right… if he finds something. Otherwise… he’s just not that bright, as many of his enemies have insisted.

    He’s just being extremely stubborn at this point.

    Juan (4cdfb7)

  8. This is a good post because, as much as I’d like to think otherwise, Andrew Sullivan isn’t on the fringe. Too many people like the ones you link here and elsewhere believe everything Sullivan says.

    DRJ (c953ab)

  9. Also Feets!

    And Karls!

    I’m in a coma actually so i feel for Andrew Sullivan and his down-spiraling loopiness. Seriously he is an ill man. There’s the HCV now. That and all the rest isn’t good for the built-in error checking in our noggins.

    SarahW (a6e80b)

  10. Juan, there’s that part to be sure but there is more than psychology at work.

    SarahW (a6e80b)


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