From Alex Pareene at Salon:
Erick Erickson is a popular and influential Republican blogger because his name is fun to write and say. At least I think that’s why he’s popular and influential. It certainly isn’t because he’s a deep thinker or brilliant strategist or compelling writer or independent voice. He masquerades as the last one, but Ben Smith today brings word of Erickson aiding a consummate hack establishment Republican politician because Erickson’s bosses are regulars on the dreaded cocktail party circuit.
George Allen, the former senator from Virginia notable primarily for being as casually racist as a senator from Virginia twice his age, is running for Senate again. Erickson initially opposed Allen, preferring a more Tea Partyish challenger named Jamie Radtke. Then he stopped mentioning the Radtke campaign, and then he didn’t invite Radtke to his “RedState convention.” He explained why in an email:
“My bosses are huge Allen friends, not just fans. They are socially connected,” he wrote. “So I’m having to tread carefully in this. Happy to help, but it’s got me in a difficult position. So please come and let me introduce you to people, but just understand that I have to be delicate for now.”
Erickson’s bosses are the good people of Eagle Publishing, owners of Regnery books and Human Events. The people in charge are largely old longtime Republican insiders you’ve never heard of. (Fun fact: One member of Eagle’s board of directors is “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak!)
So Erickson can’t/won’t help the insurgent challenger to the out-of-touch boys’ club professional politician, because his out-of-touch boys’ club bosses are pals with the pol. (They probably all belong to the same whites-only country club.)
Nothing like a little unabashed public-square ass-kissing. Anything to help the cause (the cause of all Rethugs is looking out for numero uno).
who knew that erick erickson even had a soul to sell? i wonder if his readers will now realize that he’s just another corporate whore and opportunist. in other words, a teabagger.
I am NOT, repeat NOT, related in any way, shape, or form to this …. mass of wasted DNA. I may not be a great writer, strategist, or deep thinker, but just ’cause of that, me ain’t his no relation, no way.
Now, what were we discussing?
we know you’re not related, john. if you were, you’d be doing unspeakable things to black jack, not petting him. 😉
nice to know the world’s greatest wheel spinner is just another republican douchebag. maybe erick can buy a new brain from pat. maybe wheel of fortune should use MACACA as their new word
he’d get his money’s worth if he buys an A, dcAp! i always thought pat sajak was a phony asswipe.
is it any wonder that regnery (which, by the way, is part of simon & schuster, which is owned by cbs) is associated with asswipes? look at the type of person they have heading up their threshold editions division.
My wonderful Mother, she’s with Jesus now, loved “Wheel” but would be mortified to know this about Pat (she ignored that Vanna acted slutty). Unfortunately, if my Mom was right she knows all of this anyhow. Just sayin’.
awwww. that’s so sweet, kaylaspop. i think the raisinettes would have loved your mom.
Allen is back from the dead? This means the Repelicans are going to run zombies in 2012…can a lurching Ronnie moaning, brains,brains be far behind?
make that 2012, what they hell am i doing up at this hour in new yawk anyhow?
i should have read your second comment. i changed 2912 to 2012, because i knew that’s what you meant, gregg. see? i got yer back! 😉
I remember Pat Sajak when he was a weatherman in L.A. at the same time Keith Olbermann was a sports reporter on a rival station. He seems too nice to be a conservative. If I ever ended up as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune (not likely, as Jeopardy is more my style), I’d be tempted, instead of asking to buy a vowel, to ask if I can buy Pat another brain.
pat sajak always seemed to be a phony to me. he’ll smile at you, but count your fingers after you’ve shaken hands with him. besides, he has a giant head, just like vanna. i read once that merv griffin thought that people with giant heads looked better on camera, and that’s why he hired pat and vapid…i mean, vanna. i’m really good at wheel of fortune, because i’ve been doing crossword puzzles ever since i learned to hold a pencil, but give me jeopardy and alex trebek any day of the week. i’ve had a crush on alex since i was a little girl. smart is sexy.
I just love that term “establishment republicans”. These are the guys who go to the country club on weekends and play those $10,000 a chair poker games. Another indicator is goofy names, as explained in a old David Brinkley commentary: “regular people name their kids after sports heroes, movie stars, historical figures….conservatives name their kids after the family relative with the most money”. I don’t know much about EE except every blog I read thinks he is a dickhead. Only watch CNN if there is a weekend earthquake like the Imperial Valley, when no one else has a staff working (my god, gotta have sat/sun off!). As a big quake happened this week, I enquired over at the county seat at San Andreas, but they said it wasn’t their fault.
they’ve all established that they’re bought and paid for by wealthy donors and corporations.
the goofy names comments made me literally lol, because many years ago, i worked for a bank as an installment loan secretary. my boss, who was their hotshot loan officer, was forced to hire this bimbo, because her parents had lots and lots of money. she was the stereotypical rich girl who didn’t have a friggin’ clue as to what work was. i still have a headache from all the eyerolling i did while she was there. one day, i was talking to my boss about her, and he said something about one of her rich friends, whose name was fairly normal by uppity rich people standards. i replied to him that i thought all her friends were named muffy and biff. i never saw my boss laugh so hard and for so long. he would start laughing every time she came into the office after that.
Defining “macaca” for a new generation of tea party turds…
it’s a stinky job, but Allen is perfect for it.
campaign bumpersticker:
George Allen: He Puts the Caca in Macaca!