Into reading this?
Or this?
No, seriously.
Posted by Steve Clemons Jan 21, 10:45PM – Link
Folks — Mr. Somerby had a good time with me today. He is a clever and passionate writer, and I admire his blog on a lot of levels.But he’s using me as a prop in his campaign against Dowd. I like her — I have been transparent about that. I also enjoy using DC’s cocktail circuit as a way to learn what is going on in Washington and as a way to push my policy work — much of which deals with issues that are often totally ignored by this town. Any regular reader of this blog knows that.
But as I said previously, I like Dowd — not everything she does or writes of course. I have very little interest in what she wrote about Gore. At the time of the Gore-Bush contest, I found Gore a very poor candidate, self indulgent, imperious, and very uninspiring. He’s changed since then — but that is the way I felt then and Maureen Dowd had nothing to do with my views.
I’m not going to fight Mr. Somerby — he’s making his point using me as a prop, and I imagine if we were having drinks together — he’d be civil and we’d have a great discussion. But it is good to remember that I am essentially not his target. Dowd is — and that’s his fight. Not mine.
I enjoyed her party — and put it out there. I learned lots of great stuff there. I enjoyed the stories. If he thinks that is “kissing ass” — well, all I have to say is that I have kissed ass lots better and more flamboyantly in other cases.
But I’m not interested in the debate about Dowd. Not my thing. I’d go to her place again in a second and I put that out there — transparently. Ridiculing me as Mr. Somberby has done feels uncivil at some level, but I am not too disturbed by it.
On the scribbling comment, I’m surprised by the tone of his posts that he himself is so thin-skinned. For the record, I call my own writing and blogging “scribbling.” I use the word all of the time and meant him no disrespect.
all the best — Steve Clemons
Whatever problems Gore had or was perceived to have, I suggest (The Oily) Mr. Clemons cannot fathom that his deeply intelligent views could have been shaped by conventional wisdom. This is why we will always and forever be screwed. The incredible narcissism apparent in this crowd doesn’t ever astonish, it only saddens. Clemons wasn’t wrong about Gore. Gore changed. The world turns, the Village stands still.
Also, adding, because my mood is insanely dark:
Now that Josh Marshall pays Matt Cooper’s salary, do you think he could ask him about Scooter and Plame?
And……..
there goes my day, right down the toilet.
Shorter DC pundits: it’s not me, it’s you.
Here is a follow up.
I’ll repost it:
Posted by Steve Clemons Jan 22, 9:39AM – Link
Thanks nfm — appreciate your and other comments. I have
nothing against Mr. Somerby’s views about these cocktail
parties. But the truth is that I go to them — and I benefit from
them in ways that our useful for my policy work — and as I have
read through the Daily Howler, it might be cool for some here to
read through the Washington Note and get a better sense of this
blog and my work at the New America Foundation. I think you’d
be surprised that this work is not as vapid as implied — and
certainly not all a product of political celebrity mingling. But I
try to be up front about most things — not all things — but I
have never, ever hidden the fact that I like the parties and
gatherings in this town. I host some of them in fact. Having a
good party won’t mean I will like the host — but I do like many
of Dowd’s columns and her work. And search on Al Gore here -
- I think he’s evolved. I knew him when he was VP and was not
someone who thought then that he would make an effective
president. Those were my views then and they remain my views
today about that time in Gore’s life. I rather hoped he would run
more recently — and I have great admiration for his
environmental work. But to the person above who thinks that I
need to somehow give myself a brain fix and see that I was
wrong about Gore then — can’t. I know my views — and know
why I held them. I think that Bush and Gore were deeply flawed
candidates, and it was one of the most depressing elections I
had to vote in.
But listen, this has been fun — and I hope someday to meet Mr.
Somerby who despite the flamboyant comeuppance he has
given me, I know is dedicated to seriousness and honesty,
access and transparency in the public. I think he’s wrong in how
he’s painted me, but I’m not going to chase that as I have
admitted I had a great time at Maureen Dowd’s excellent party. .
.and it was excellent, and she was a great host.
All best – and those of you who have stopped by to “scribble” (as
I do) and read about the Dowd affair, I hope you come back
often to read about other stuff.
Steve Clemons
What I find interesting is that even if Steve could come up with a passable argument about Gore’s flaws, shining the same light on Bush would immediately convince that he was orders of magnitude worse. I say “was” because this isn’t hindsight. It was clear that Bush was an ill-prepared prop from the beginning, and if it takes some extrapolation of various purported policy statements to craft Gore and Bush as equally or relatively equally poor candidates, then perhaps the argument is flawed, and the brain does indeed need a fix.
I also know all my most serious policy work happens at parties. Usually when I have a pair of underwear on my head.
As an architect, I am all about the cocktail parties. Food and alcohol, and you can’t keep the architects away with pointy sticks and Citrus Ninjas.
However, I do not try to use them as justification for my cobaggery.
What a numbskull. I would not eat his brane. I would use it to wipe my poopy.
fish says it better.
As usual.
And needs to stop going through my laundry.
I think the reason I know so little about what goes on in Oakland is that I am not attending the Oakland cocktail circuit.
Plus, he deserves a FULL PLATE OF HATE for taking Pinko from his happy place and delaying the further adventures of the Pitchfork Pair.
I just want to delve into these unstated facts concerning Al Gore’s hypothetical effectiveness as President. What may they have been? I would also note the implied argument from authority in the “I knew Al Gore as Vice President”- what is this secret information? I presume it is the same scuttlebutt as usual. Allow me some guesses- Mr. Gore was haughty, arrogant and a know-it-all? What could the policy problems have been? It can’t possibly be health care, Social Security or the Environment. We must presume that they likely cover some sort of foreign policy bullshit. I ask can this bullshit be stretched so thin that it could possibly under any circumstances cover the extent of neo-con failure? Bush’s cadre of neo-con hacks was apparent from his pick of Cheney as Veep- is Steve attempting to insinuate a case could be made that on paper Gore could ever be seen equivalently bad or dangerous for American interests as this crew? Go ahead, Steve, make the argument- look in the mirror and make the argument. I expect you will feel a tiny twinge of rationalization and defensiveness.
I really liked this column from Somerby. http://dailyhowler.com/dh010509.shtml
the man’s got it.
the implied argument from authority in the “I knew Al Gore as Vice President”
it’s just sortta like how Alice Waters knows the eggplant is good or bad.
Produce shopping with celebrity chefs! A Cooks Illustrated TAKEDOWN!
I’d love to see that.
I like that construct, you Pinko you. I always thought Al would be a good president, I think the place I fell down was in not imagining how bad a pretzeldent Bush would be, nor how important it would become that we have a competent one..
But I am in complete agreement with you that emus abound in the Village Punditry, and am first on board when you book for Washington to put them all against the wall. I just ask that before you eat their brains, allow me to kick them in their small malformed heads.
Incivility!
it is always easy to slam Gore, because as Veep he never would have attended those parties. But Greenspan always would, as would the press. They get a blank check, but the troublesome Gore- it was all his fault. Luckily he’s changed, he’s come around, etc. etc.
O well us zombeez are the HEIGHT of incivility. We kind of take pride in that, actually.
The truth is that a fish wearing non-Euclidean birdpersonmoose underwear on their head is a more wholesome image of policymaking than just about anything else realistic.
How many leg holes does non-Euclidean birdpersonmoose underwear have, anyways?
Or is it some sort of gossamer string construct?
~
it’s just sortta like how Alice Waters knows the eggplant is good or bad.
Except Alice Waters does know if the eggplant is good or bad.
We must presume that they likely cover some sort of foreign policy bullshit.
Can’t be because the press all have their heads in Lieberman’s foreign policy lap and he was the putative VP.