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Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

Jam, Obama's smoking wasn't the issue behind the People-esque comment. It was regarding the Zeleney question about a heater at the podium.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

I totally disagree, though I'm wondering if my first theory is wrong, and really she's always been this awful, but when we're first exposed to her writing, (MR, I have no idea how old you are or when you started reading her, I just thought of it while reading your post) it strikes us as the height of brilliance, until we grow up a bit. Maybe she belongs there for those who aren't sick of her yet.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

Well, her stuff has never struck me as the height of brilliance, Guy.

I'm just saying that's when she's in her element, like her or not. Me, I'm not much on her, "Life imitates whatever stupid movie that pops into my mind" approach to columns. But she's built a hell of a career writing about mostly nothing in a way that a lot of people find engaging.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

I'm not saying that if you hate Obama, you're a racist.

But it's obvious what Boom is trying to do over here.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

That's not the point at all. No one expects reporting on the Op-Ed page. And I don't mind pop-culture references, as long as they're references. I love Mark Steyn who does it even more, I even like Bill Simmons. The difference is Simmons doesn't claim to be a serious person, and Steyn actually is one. He writes about serious things, using the references as metaphor to illustrate a serious point (FB, you don't have to start with your Steyn attacks, you can disagree with him & think he's a liar while acknowledging this point). Dowd pretends to be an adult, talking about adult things but doing it like a high school sophomore around the cool table in the lunch room. I'm (slightly) less troubled by the multitude of voters who get their news from Jon Stewart than those who get it from her.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

Fixed. Just having fun with ya, Chuck.

Damn. why does typing that sentence make me feel like Peppermint Patty? ???

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

Ooo, that would be one hell of an idea for Obama's commercial.

"....And remember folks, if you hate Obama, you're a racist. Vote Obama 2008."

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

So Steyn (whom you like) "writes about serious things, using the references as metaphor to illustrate a serious point." But when I suggest Mo Dowd (whom you don't like) does essentially the same thing she's "pretending to be an adult" but "talking like a high school sophomore." I see.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

I know you're being sarcastic, but in all sincerity, yes. As MR says, she seems to start with the reference, and then cast it with real characters, not to illustrate any point or to shed any light, there is no point other than her own alleged cleverness. Steyn, if you check him out, pretty clearly does it the other way around. You can tell because the analogies are tight, the references are rarely THE contemporary pop-issue, and there is always a point. It isn't about politics, this isn't true about all or even many liberal writers (though it is true about Rich to a lesser extent). It's specifically a MoDo issue.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

I have to ask what the big deal about appearing on the cover of Men's Vogue is? McCain has appeared on the cover of Esquire in the past year, but that isn't a big deal.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

She's a walking midlife-crisis taking it out on the people she covers. Pop-culture analogies, my ass. There's more psychosexual subtext in her columns than in a Polanski-fest at your local rep house.
Yes, being snippy about bullshit questions is a part of his personality. Meanwhile, jacked up to about 10, it's ALL of W's personality.
"Smooth jazz"?
What's that, black but not authentically so?
Two years of this crap.
Jesus wept.

And Guy, on the subject of la Dowd, I have been consistent going back to her campaign coverage in 1996. She's helped break American political journalism, truning it into a high school slambook. That I agreed at one point with some of her poisoned fluff doesn't make it anything more than that.

 

Re: Mo Dowd Sticks a Pin in the Obama Balloon

What is it Fuckhead - spell it out. What am I trying to do.