Quote of the Day:
“I have a root canal today. That will be nothing compared to having to listen to [GOP Rep.] Collins’ voice all day yesterday.”
— Jeff Jarvis, journalism professor, Craig Newmark J-School, writes BuzzMachine blog.
Where was Slate‘s Ashley Feinberg when President Trump got impeached?
“Can’t wait to tell my grandkids where I was when Donald Trump got impeached —sitting in the hallway outside my apartment for 40 minutes because I forgot my keys this morning only to finally try the door and realize it was never actually locked.” — Ashley Feinberg, reporter, Slate.
WaPo reporter insists media ‘misinterpreted’ her ‘Merry Impeachmas’ tweet
Oops graphic/Shutterstock.
“I’m deleting a tweeting tonight that is being misinterpreted by some as an endorsement of some kind. To be absolutely clear, we at the Post are merely glad we are getting a break for the holidays after a long 3 months. I will retweet the group photo w/ a better caption!” — Rachel Bade, WaPo. (RELATED: ‘Merry Impeachmas’ — Washington Post Reporters Appear To Celebrate Impeachment)
A WaPo publicist commented to The Hill‘s Joe Concha: “The reporter who sent out this ill-considered tweet was celebrating being off the clock after a long day covering impeachment. She wasn’t celebrating impeachment.”
Eric Trump tweeted that journalists have an even approval lower rating than Congress. His jarring hashtag: “#journalismisdead.”
ABC asked Trump’s Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham about his comment. She said Trump is a “counter puncher” who is “under attack.” To which historian Kevin Kruse remarked, “So her argument is that John Dingell punched Trump first? From the afterlife?”
Commentary‘s Noah Rothman sides with ‘Impeachmas’ journalists, worries that people will withdraw from society if they don’t get to celebrate this new holiday
Rothman, a “Morning Joe” regular, threw in big words, making him sound like MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, so I’ve bolded them. Seriously, if Rothman loves MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” any more he’s going to burst. In May, he tweeted about William Buckley‘s 1996 observation about the media being shrunken down to sound-bites. Rothman wrote, “This is vitally true, and one of the reasons I think Morning Joe remains one of the best shows on cable news, in part, because they have the space to give guests room to formulate and articulate a complete thought, and defend it when it’s challenged. It’s rare and very valuable.”
“Can’t muster a care for the president’s singular pettiness and vulgarity anymore. I fee [sic] your pain. But if you can still squeeze out a dose of opprobrium for reporters because they weren’t properly Somber on such a Truly Somber day, you’re too online.”
Definition: public disgrace, scornful reproach. — Merriam Webster.
“Sometimes it seems like conservative twitter is just spent of outrage, which I empathize with. But then a group of political reporters have a festive holiday dinner six days before Christmas and look out!”
“They literally spent all day covering impeachment and then went to a Christmas-themed dinner,” Rothman tweeted. “The portmanteau is some nefarious expression of veiled solidarity with Democrats? That’s the claim here, right?”
Definition: combining qualities. Or, a large suitcase. — Merriam Webster.
“And so we all agree to stop tweeting humanizing personal stuff because it is so often subject to the most uncharitable interpretation. Some of us withdraw entirely. Others become robots. And this place gets dumber and less valuable.”
“It’s just silly. Let people live.”
Florida freelancer for The Capitolist Sarah Rumpf chimed in, saying, “Seriously. It takes a real Grinch to complain about people eating a December dinner together and not being completely miserable.”
Journo explains the obvious complexities to Noah Rothman
“Being a reporter at that level does not mean you cannot have festive gatherings at holidays. It *does* mean ethical behavior on social media, and this was not that. (RE: ‘Merry Impeachmas.’)” — Jim Stinson, business reporter, Transport Topics, former White House reporter.
Abby Huntsman express love of Christmas decorations
“I wish we could keep this up all year round!” — Abby Huntsman on ABC’s The View Thursday talking about Christmas decor.
MOOD: “Being in media is fun because every day online you have people on the right yelling at you to stop covering the president critically and people on the left yelling at you for not covering the president critically.” — Kathryn Watson, White House reporter, CBS digital.
Ana Navarro-Cárdenas talks about Trump’s ‘obituary’
“Trump won’t be removed by spineless Republicans in Senate. It’s also true that he has been impeached. It’ll be in his obituary and history books. Future generations of Americans will read about the unfit, unethical, criminal 45th President. It is his shameful lasting legacy.” — Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, ABC’s The View, CNN.
Political D.C. Dings Trump For Suggesting Deceased Dingell May Be In’Hell’
“Maybe he’s looking up, I don’t know.” — Trump at a Michigan rally in a breathy whisper on where the late John Dingell (D-Mich.) is at the moment.
Sam Stein, HuffPost: “You just don’t meet too many people in life who consciously pick fights with widows by suggesting their husband is in hell.”
Guy Benson, Townhall, Fox News: “’Counter-punching’ at a grave stone, like he’s done with McCain. Want to know why his approval rating lags 30 points behind economic optimism/satisfaction? This type of awful shit, right here. And the sycophantic, enabling defenses actually hurt his re-election chances.”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas): “Merry Christmas Debbie, you deserve to be able to heal in peace. Those comments were totally unnecessary.”
Curtis Houck, NewsBusters: “Trump making that ugly swipe at Debbie Dingell and the late John Dingell is really not cool. So ugly suggesting John is in hell. For the record, Debbie is one the few Democrats who routinely goes on Fox News and makes eloquent cases for her party without snark that others do.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.): “Mr. President, let’s set politics aside. My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.”
Read more about this… in New York Mag’s 1:19 a.m. story.
CNN’s Oliver Darcy says it’s odd Tucker Carlson hosted own show
“It’s noteworthy that on Fox, during this historic moment, @TuckerCarlson is anchoring and not @BretBaier, the network’s chief political anchor.” — Oliver Darcy, CNN media writer.
The Nation‘s Joan Walsh is ‘jubilant’ about impeachment
“I don’t think this is a sad day at all. I’m jubilant. This means our system works.” — Joan Walsh, CNN, The Nation.
HUH?!
“Pelosi impeaches the president, then complains she’s not getting press questions about anything besides impeachment.” — Rich Lowry, editor, National Review.
Vox‘s Matthew Yglesias needs sleep
“It’s amazing that the same family gave us Bernie Sanders, Sarah Sanders, and Symone Sanders.” — Matthew Yglesias, writer, Vox.
Gossip Roundup
WaPo‘s ‘Date Lab’ reaches a new low in bad dates. In this writeup by NPR‘s Sam Sanders, the two people are not even in the same solar system. Here.
CNN’s CHIEF Media Correspondent Brian Stelter once again makes an idiot of himself by saying journalists should not “advocate” for an impeachment outcome. He actually ASKED his Twitter followers to basically grade him on whether he has steered clear of injecting his opinion on Trump’s impeachment. Is he fucking serious? Here. (RELATED: Wiki Search Lists Brian Stelter As A ‘Enuch’)
Bette Midler jokes about Trump’s ‘spray tan’ body
“No, the #Senate will probably not vote to remove #Trump from office as a result of his #impeachment, but the stains will never be removed from his record. Just like they’ll never get his spray tan body smears off the White House sheets.” — Bette Midler. (RELATED: Journos Thump Trump For Calling Bette Midler A ‘Psycho’)
Fox Nation’s Kat Timpf will sleep in a bunkbed over the holidays… “Told my dad that my boyfriend and I were going to be coming home together for Christmas. He informed me that he has set up “BUNK BEDS” for us in the guest room. I am 31.”
Journos respect Tulsi’s gray hair stripe
“Tulsi’s insane but I have to respect every woman who has a single grey streak in her hair.” — Eve Peyser, freelance writer, bylines, NYT, New York Mag.
New York Mag’s Olivia Nuzzi added, “I respect them because I fear them.”
The Fashion Observer
Howard Mortman is the longtime comms director for C-SPAN.
#TBT — Seasonal jacket pic.twitter.com/JN5rJdJNoN
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) December 19, 2019
