Patterico (and Lee Stranahan) to Quit Blogging at Huffington Post
Two weeks after he started, Andrew Breitbart has been banned from the front page of the Huffington Post, because of comments he made about Van Jones elsewhere. Because, you see, HuffPo is all about avoiding ad hominem attacks.
From this point forward, Patterico will never again blog at the Huffington Post, unless this decision is reversed. Lee Stranahan, for his part, says the same.
Now, Lee’s announcement is a little more dramatic than mine, since I never blogged there to begin with. Still, you gotta take a stand!
In all seriousness, Lee has really stepped up:
I’ll keep this short. As I wrote this morning, writing for the Huffington Post has been one of the great joys of my life for the past few years and I’ve been proud to be associated with them.
But as a writer, this latest move by The Huffington Post of banning Andrew Breitbart from their front page (because of comments he made to a different website) is both unprecedented, arbitrary and deeply offensive to the intellectual openness that Arianna Huffington has purported to believe in.
Although I’ve had a number of pieces featured there, I’m certainly not a huge presence at HuffPost so in that sense, I don’t expect this move on my part to make much of a ripple but I can’t in good conscience support this awful, short sighted move by the site that I loved.
Mickey Kaus, from his new perch at the Daily Caller, observes:
First on the docket: Here’s what HuffPo writer Jason Linkins wrote in 2008 about right wing writer Jerome Corsi:
I want to end today by offering my thanks to Jerome Corsi, white-supremacist Swift Boat turd heel un-American wouldn’t-piss-on-ya-if-you-were-on-fire foamy chancre on the ass of subhumanity extraordinaire. You want to talk about voter enthusiasm? Well, Mr. Corsi, the thought of casting vote against everything you stand for doesn’t just make me feel enthusiastic, it makes me feel ten feet taller, and I get the coppery taste of the gladiator in my mouth. So thank you, pig. [E.A.]
Seems ad hominem to me! It’s almost hard to see how you could be more ad hominem…. Since Linkins clearly violated the tenets of debate and civil discourse HuffPo has strived for since the day they launched, he’s as good as gone from their front page. Open and shut. … Looks like the “nether regions” of HuffPo will be where you have to go to get the juicy stuff. … [Linkins on HuffPo front page right now–ed. That can’t be. Someone tell Arianna.]
No hypocrisy there!
Andrew Breitbart has been among the more unfairly vilified people on the Internet in recent memory, and is a perpetual target for those on the left who wish to silence speech. Their commonly used tactics include distortions, lies, and attempting to squelch speech by hitting their enemies in the pocketbook — such as mounting boycotts, contacting employers, and circulating petitions to influence the publishers of content they don’t like. In Andrew’s case, Media Matters for America and similar goons got Andrew banned from ABC News commentary on election night. They have succeeded in booting him off of the HuffPo front page. In every case, the attacks reveal a blatant double standard which is their hypocritical hallmark.
Every honest lefty blogging for the HuffPo should follow Stranahan’s lead. Then again, for all I know, with the defection of Stranahan, every honest lefty already has.
Thanks to Scott Jacobs.
Meg Whitman adores Van Jones. She thinks he’s yummy.
happyfeet (ab5779) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:35 am1) i KNEW patrick that you would have to mention lee’s post.
2) this call for civility is much like the one after the gabby giffords shooting–hypocritical BS to try to browbeat people they disagree with
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:37 amOur esteemed host wrote:
One wonders: is there really any such thing as an “honest lefty” these days? Are there any left in the wild, or do they survive only in zoos?
The curious Dana (3e4784) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:40 amHuffPo “jumped the snark” even before the ink on the deal with AOL was dry.
Rodan (03e5c2) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:42 amWhy would you wanna post at huffingglue anyway?
DohBiden (984d23) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:04 amBreitbart’s banishment from the front just of HuffPo is just another great example of the fabled tolerance of the left, just like NPR termination of Juan Williams.
It’s not even like anything Breitbart said about Van Jones was untrue either, they just don’t like having it exposed in public, even if it wasn’t said on their site.
daleyrocks (9b57b3) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:07 amAll this agita from the left just makes me heart Andrew Breitbart more and want him to keep doing what he’s doing.
Arianna’s going to have to make some choices soon about her eponymous website. It either has to go full bore, no-holds-barred lefty, or she’s going to have to relax and let it be a true forum for free ideas from a variety of sources. C’mon, is there a writer or essayist on the planet who has not launched an ad hominem attack at some point on a website or elsewhere? What about Michael Moore? Is he still welcome at Huffpo? And will Huffpo also eliminate its comments sections for front page articles to meet its new criteria of niceness and unicorns?
elissa (30948a) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:09 amI am shocked, SHOCKED, to see these ad hominem attacks going on here!
Kevin M (298030) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:09 amArianna got the money (I hope the check has cleared) and that is what she was after. Looking at her history, can anyone seriously believe she is about values or ethics ?
Mike K (8f3f19) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:13 amwhat’s the point in pointing out their hypocrisy when they would never admit they are nor care if they were?
Their focus is on the end result. If they can do something that helps their cause, they do it. They don’t worry about consistency nor do they worry about conservatives complaining that they don’t play nice.
In this case, they’ve concluded that giving Breitbart front page placement is hurting their cause. I suspect the only reason they’re keeping him on at all is that doing so helps their page rankings.
steve (369bc6) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:13 amCongratulations to Lee on his principled stand.
I think both Andrew and Lee and going to stay quiet about these events and move on with their lives.
YEAH RIGHT, like that got a chance of ever happening! Congrats libtards, you stepped in it again.
daleyrocks (9b57b3) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:16 amNew needlepont pillow idea for Arianna’s couch:
Ad Hominem is in the eye of the beholder.
elissa (30948a) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:27 ami was thinking of posting on the breitbart fracas. here’s some other links ya’ll might like.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/25/breitbart-banned-from-front-page-of-huffington-post-for-ad-hominem-attacks-despite-huffpo-history-of-printing-ad-hominem-attacks/
http://bigjournalism.com/amarlow/2011/03/25/announcement-big-journalism-pledges-to-help-aolhuffpo-enforce-no-ad-hominem-attacks-rule/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+BigJournalism+(Big+Journalism)
this is such a stupid move by the huffpo, because it invites conservatives to dredge up every uncivil or ad hom comment that has been on their site. they go back for years.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:45 am“HuffPo is all about avoiding ad hominem attacks.”
Silly me. I thought the Huffington Post was all about spewing left wing propaganda.
And, Arianna Huffington is a ruthless self-promoter who’s political convictions change according to what’s good for Arianna Huffington.
She’s a four-flushing phony of the first water and anyone who is proud to be associated with any endeavor she’s part of needs to have their head examined or their morals replaced.
Dave Surls (509777) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:58 amHuffPo morphed into a lefty evil twin of the National Inquirer. Absent only are doctored photos of a Loch Ness monster. Her posters drink a lot of Kool Aid- …*inquiring minds? Not so much. Arianna wrote a loathsome bio on Picasso in ’88. She is a sensationalist that has been deemed a worthy analyst. Her original skills were effective social climbing.
Tracey Ullman spoofed her friend; portraying her as a narcissistic twit. In today’s world anyone can be a tabloid pundit, anyone.
dudeabides (4af6f8) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:10 amOxymoron
canb0nly1 (9beec3) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:12 am-noun
, ox·y·mor·ons. Rhetoric .
a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.”
You can’t credibly say there aren’t honest liberals when there are people like Lee Stranahan or Preposterocity.
Sure, their politics are not anything like mine, but if you think that’s the most important thing about a person you are sorely mistaken.
Lee doesn’t just put the left’s shills to shame, IMO.
Dustin (c16eca) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:16 amWhat we have here is the presumption of guilt by disassociation.
ropelight (5f1d7e) — 3/25/2011 @ 10:06 am“What we have here is the presumption of guilt by disassociation.”
More like a presumption of admiration for someone disassociating themselves from something that, if they were admirable, they wouldn’t have been associating with in the first place.
Dave Surls (509777) — 3/25/2011 @ 10:14 amSo what if Breitbart said a lot of mean things about Van Jones? They’re all adults here… well Arianna and Andrew are anyway.
deepelemblues (a78b16) — 3/25/2011 @ 12:01 pm“And speaking of ignorant tw*ts, Arianna Huffington banned Brietbart.”
(channeling Bill Maher. Sauce for the goose.)
SpeakEasy (1fc6f1) — 3/25/2011 @ 12:04 pm“And speaking of ignorant tw*ts, Arianna Huffington banned Brietbart”
Who are you quoting?
Dustin (c16eca) — 3/25/2011 @ 12:08 pmTHANK YOU for posting this! I always enjoy visiting your blog… keep up the great work!
Steve
Steve (88e6e2) — 3/25/2011 @ 12:24 pmCommon Cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
Wow, for bloggers this is really the gift that keeps on giving. On any slow news day, all you need to do is see who is on the HuffPo front page, google him to identify ad hominem attacks he has made (do you know anyone who hasn’t, at some point or another) and away you go.
Roscoe (d3d979) — 3/25/2011 @ 12:29 pm‘Every honest lefty”
A microscopic demographic.
Bigfoot (8096f2) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:00 pmI wouldn’t call Arianna Huffington a tw*t because that is an insult to tw*ts
DohBiden (984d23) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:05 pmThe second I heard about the banning, this was exactly the same thought I had. Someone is going to be VERY busy scrubbing posted articles. I hope the folks that mine the site take screen shots.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:06 pmOnly cowards and Hitler use screenshots, Scott. And if you don’t believe me I’ll break your ankles.
/sarc
Dustin (c16eca) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:08 pmJeff? Is that you? :p
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:12 pmLee Stranahan is a Good Man.
daleyrocks (9b57b3) — 3/25/2011 @ 1:26 pmI, too, resolve to never blog at the Huffington Post.
Beldar (a197ec) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:07 pmBut did I mention that I rode with Arianna’s then-husband Michael from Wilmington to Houston on his father’s company’s jet once?
Beldar (a197ec) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:08 pmBeldar, was that before being married to Arianna caused Michael to realize he was gay?
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:15 pmWith Stranahan and Patterico gone from that site, I’m canceling my subscription.
daleyrocks (9b57b3) — 3/25/2011 @ 6:22 pm*purported* to believe in.
IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society (c9dcd8) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:34 pmSorry, thought Stranahan missed some emphasis there that he needed, which I’ve conveniently added.
Sorry, thought Stranahan missed some emphasis there that he needed, which I’ve conveniently added in this fix to the above… LOL
IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society (c9dcd8) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:35 pmSorry, thought Stranahan missed some emphasis there that he needed, which I’ve conveniently added in this fix to the above… LOL
Aaaand here’s the fix for the above fix. Note that the preview window doesn’t catch ANY of the minor html sequence errors in the previous examples.
YEAH, it’s the programmer who is the dumbass, not me! Yeah, yeah… that’s the ticket…!
IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society (c9dcd8) — 3/25/2011 @ 7:38 pmDoesn’t that depend on the vowel you replace the ‘*’ with?
Smock Puppet (c9dcd8) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:13 pmEvery honest lefty blogging for the HuffPo should follow Stranahan’s lead.
— That ONE guy already did. Everyone else . . .
Icy Texan (722f65) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:20 pmAOL is AOL, it will never not be AOL… it shall ever endure in all its AOL glory, until it simply goes away – poof – unloved and unremarked … not unlike myspace or oldsmobile or warren christopher really.
happyfeet (ab5779) — 3/25/2011 @ 8:31 pmMe, not gunna bother huntin’ down (my) comments cross the web (sawry). But back in the day, when I lived in Santa Bablyon, had occasion to cross paths with sweet, Dear, Arianna. Even an accidental peek or two, behind the scenes of hubby’s Congressional campaign.
Arianna’s filth. Transparent as a Chinese condom. But still feeelth.
Elmo (0ffb7a) — 3/26/2011 @ 6:40 amArianna Huffington, the beard who was so bad that her gay husband decided it was better to come out of the closet than stay with her?
She kept two things of her former husband’s: his name (just how successful would the Stassinopoulos Post be?) and his money.
Mike, you should have just been honest about things from the start!
The downright mean Dana (5a4fb2) — 3/26/2011 @ 8:17 amHypocrisy presupposes a universal standard of conduct that they don’t adhere to, although they certainly reserve the right to use standards others uphold against them.
Hypocrisy is a one-way street favoring truth deniers.
Amphipolis (e01538) — 3/26/2011 @ 9:24 amJeez, first Patterico doesn’t campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize and now he doesn’t write for The Huffington Post.
Pat Patterson (56dc55) — 3/26/2011 @ 9:45 pmDo you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would really benefit from a lot of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Appreciate it!
pozycjonowanie (6f4d00) — 5/19/2011 @ 6:46 pm