There are lots of reasons to attack the media, but I’m going to suggest that flaming them for not pointing out the former chair of the Democratic National Committee is a Democrat isn’t one of them.
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trollhattan
Gawd, I saw that and am still reattaching my jaw. Also, too, TBogg’s Malthouse tag is a gem of rare brilliance.
How. Does. She. Teach. Anybody. Anything?!?
Ron
On top of all of it, I don’t see why I’m supposed to care that Ed Rendell is getting divorced in the first place.
MikeJ
To be fair, the article doesn’t mention him being chair of the DNC.
I’d still guess that everybody in Philly knows he’s a Dem, and with it being a Philly newspaper they’re under no obligation to dumb it down for Peoria.
beltane
Why is Althouse so dense? The story was just about a plain old divorce with no mention of secret bathroom stall sex or diaper wielding prostitutes or hiking the Appalachian Trail or any other key phrase to indicate a family values Republican was involved.
Mike E
I hear tell some fancy wines come in box form…not that I would know!
Althouse brings to mind Lord Farquad from Shrek: “It’s bad enough being alive when no one wants you, but to show up [in divorce court] uninvited…”
cyntax
Fucking committees of national parties: how do they work?
fasteddie9318®
Is there any group of anything anywhere that is less self-aware than the cesspool wackos at Althouse’s place? Amoeba, maybe?
Poopyman
I made the mistake of going to the House of Alt and reading her commenters. Compared to them she’s a fricking genius.
cyntax
@fasteddie9318®:
Hey now. While I’m pretty sure there’s one of those in my family tree somewhere, I’m certain there are no Althouses. So just go easy on my ancestors.
Michael Scott
On top of the fact that Philly readers probably already know Ed Rendell is a Democrat, Althouse faults the story for not identifying his (soon-to-be-divorced) WIFE as a “Democrat,” too.
Uh, Ann? She’s a sitting judge on a federal appellate court. I know hyperpartisan Bush appointees might do that, but — aren’t you supposed to be a law professor yourself? Wouldn’t you KNOW that’s kinda bad form, for a judge?
Pooh
Ann Althouse, making me happy to not have gone to Wisconsin law since she started blogging!
Violet
There’s some weird convention of showing the party affiliation of elected officials in news reports. The same weird convention seems to apply to people’s ages, no matter how relevant or irrelevant to the story that is. I don’t think either of those is a necessary convention, but most especially the age one. Sure there are times where it’s relevant, but most of the time it doesn’t matter at all.
lacp
Ed Rendell is a Democrat? How could I have lived here in Philly the last 40 years and not known that? It is a mystery!
MikeJ
@Violet: I would suggest that the news blog “Philly Clout” run by a newspaper doesn’t follow the same conventions as most media outlets. Two stories back from the Rendell story is a story on abortion legislation. The author of the legislation isn’t identified by party affiliation in that story, in a place where it may actually be relevant.
Poopyman
OT – but is it wrong for me to weep for my country?
From the Al Jazeera live blog:
Ailuridae
@cyntax:
^^^^
Gold.
Not sure how Cole left out the best part:
This is what happens when you buy wine by the pound
MikeJ
@Poopyman: Notice the percentage of people who think protests in Egypt are bad for the US. The same percentage that think everything that happens everywhere is bad for the US as long as there’s a Democrat in the White House.
Redshift
@Ailuridae: Yes, that was classic TBogg; literally laugh-out-loud funny.
geg6
@Ron:
THIS.
I mean, really. Who the hell cares? Not even us Pennsylvanians give a shit.
Althouse is an idiot. TBogg smacked her around, as she deserves.
geg6
@Poopyman:
And the hilarious part is that she found her new hubby among her commentariat. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Ash Can
@Poopyman: You ain’t kidding. (I clicked through too.) Maybe the fumes from the paint thinner Ann drinks have rotted their brains.
Culture of Truth
When in Franzia, Do as the Franzians
Next year’s National Book Award winner
Culture of Truth
Back when Amy Winehouse was still in the news, I dubbed Althouse “Annie Winebox”. It almost caught on.
Warren Terra
@Ron:
Indeed. Maybe if there were some impropriety involved – wetsuits, livestock, whatever – it might be news-ish, but a simple divorce, without even some normal adultery being alleged, is the business of nobody but the family and close friends. It’s hardly something to cast shame on a broader political movement to which Rendell belongs.
… besides, I never paid her too much attention (I don’t have the brain cells to spare; what if they committed mass suicide in protest at my following her?), but doesn’t Our Lady Of The Box Wine claim, per her rather boring Wikipedia entry, to be a lifelong Democrat? So why’s she so excited that a random Democrat is getting an unexceptional divorce?
ETA I note that John Cole has no Wikipedia entry. Just saying.
Sputnik
One of the comments from the Althouse post:
“Booker T. Washington had the same problem 100 years ago. He said, words to the effect, that when a black man steals a chicken, it’s in the headlines. When a black man goes to college, it is ignored.
Republicans are the new blacks.”
Please tell me that is sarcasm. Please.
sixers
As a philadelphian I’m shocked to learn Ed Rendell or any former mayor of the city is a democrat. I mean 1952 being the last time a republican got elected mayor was not that long ago so I needed that clarification. Philly newspapers (which do suck) let me down once again.
Calouste
@Violet:
Not as bad as the horribly sexist convention that when a woman is in the news it always has to be mentioned that she is a mother and how many children she has.
4tehlulz
@Poopyman: Honestly, I’m happy that 48% have heard about it. That’s higher than normal.
kth
I gave enough of a shit about this when I read it at Tbogg’s to Google ‘governor divorce’. First hit is for Jim Gibbons, governor of Nevada. Party not named. Wikipedia sez: Republican!
Got too bored with Althouse’s stupidity even to bother writing this up for Tbogg, but here ya go.
cyntax
@Ailuridae:
TBogg is the man.
@geg6:
I like to call that justice.
Sputnik
@sixers: And don’t forget that he has been out out of the governor’s office for about a month. Obviously, Pennsylvanians would have forgotten he was a Democrat over such a long period of time and need to be reminded.
kdaug
@Culture of Truth:
No. No it didn’t.
kdaug
@Warren Terra:
Ya know, this could be fixed…
Alex S.
Have you heard that George W. Bush is a republican?
Surly Duff
I clicked all the way through to Althouse’s website and unfortunately read the comments. May favorite:
The lack of self-awareness is staggering really.
Surly Duff
@Sputnik: I, unfortunately, looked at her post and the comments and spotted that comment as well. The lack of thought is staggering, really.
Culture of Truth
@kdaug: Your superiority has been duly noted.
jl
Yeah yeah yeah. Sure. Absolutely, Cole. I absolutely believe it. No question.
Does Cole think people are stupid? The tell is the number of links between TBogg and BJ lately. They are collaborating, you sheeples.
Would somebody who knows about internet stuff look into it and explain how Cole and TBogg are spoofing these supposed links to dumb conservative blog posts.
They can’t be for reals.
Tim
It is true, of course, that Althouse is a drunken, fascist maroon, BUT I too have read articles whence it irritated me that the writer didn’t bother to identify the political affiliation of a featured pol.
Seems like standard information that ought to be presented, no matter what party is involved.
Again, that said, too, also, and furthermore: I heartily concede Althouse’s douchiness, admit that her alleged point that Dems are favored by the media is laughable, and agree that she prolly drinks a lot.
But pols ought to be I.D.’d by party in the press.
Bnut
@Warren Terra: How can someone vote for both Jesse Jackson and GWB???
BGinCHI
Silly, GOPs don’t retreat from marriage, they reload.
Villago Delenda Est
Althouse apparently feels threatened by the rise of McMegan, so this is a shot across McMegan’s bow to up the stupid to Palin/Bachmann levels.
Moik
Total classic from the comments on Althouse’s thread:
Cris
You could create one, but it might start a Notability criteria pie-fight.
kdaug
@Culture of Truth:
No sir/madame! I beg your indulgence! I, a mere humble and wretched sloth, have never before coined a phrase, created a meme, nor had an original idea. I bow before your most gracious and noble attempt, and humbly salute your snarky works. Pray, do forgive my transgression.
Just never heard “Annie Winebox” before.
shortstop
My favorite from the nonstop entertainment that is Wine Box’s comment section:
Don’t miss the author’s photo.
shortstop
Oops. Shoulda finished reading the thread. I see others spotted this gem.
Woodrowfan
Winebox Annie’s Wikipedia entry is a hoot. She’s a Democrat? She supported Obama?
Poopyman
Another OT, Egypt entry.
From The Guardian’s Blog:
I laughed.
cyntax
@shortstop:
O.K. wait, having looked at the poster’s photo I’m now thinking that’s a parody troll messing with Malthouse’s threads.
Hmmm…. anyone seen DougJ lately?
lacp
I see a great commercial opportunity for Ms. Althouse with one of the box wine refineries – just rejigger the Dos Equis ad:
“She’s the least interesting person in the world…”
“Stay stupid, my friends.”
slag
@Sputnik: That’s way too laugh out loud funny to not be sarcasm. Hilarious. I love whoever wrote that.
nestor
I always liked Ed. He’s not as good at football analysis as he thinks he is, but I hope someone hires him.
Svensker
@Sputnik:
Republicans steal chickens? Seems like it would be newsworthy if they went to college, anyway. I mean, other than Falwell U or some such.
Svensker
@Tim:
Well, yuh, because otherwise Republicans are the VICTIMS of yet another leftist conspiracy! QED
bobbo
Hey, this article says that Barack Obama and Joe Biden went out and got a cheeseburger. Why don’t they tell us which party these guys are in? Um, hello? Because they’re Democrats, duh! Liberal media, duh!
Tim
@Svensker:
Well, no, not exactly. They should be ID’d because it is good basic journalism to do so, whether dem or puke.
Bill Murray
Hey at least they didn’t go all Foxy and list Rendell with the incorrect party affiliation.
Another Commenter at Balloon Juice (fka Bella Q)
Annie Winebox and the collection of idiots who gather to comment in her cellar make my head hurt.
honus
@Surly Duff: These are the same people who think that in a country where I can stand on any random corner in my town of 50,000 and see no fewer than 5 churches within a 1000 foot radius, that Christians are persecuted and suffer discrimination.