A Purge Is a Purge Isn't a Purge

Matt Welch | November 3, 2009

Remember Frank Rich's hysterical column Sunday about NY-23, where he accused national figures who are backing conservative candidate Doug Hoffman of "re-enacting Stalinism in full purge mode"? Brendan Nyhan wins the Internet Search of the Day Award by unearthing this rather, ah, different Rich column from 2006.

Comments

Some Guy|11.3.09 @ 5:38PM|#

NYT link on here is broken (the one in the article works.)

Br'er Rabbit|11.3.09 @ 5:43PM|#

Page Not Found

We're sorry, the page you've requested does not exist at this address.

|11.3.09 @ 5:45PM|#

Insta-broken link? Coincidence? Me don't think so...

|11.3.09 @ 5:49PM|#

So, ze offendink column has been airbrushed from ze record, da?

Colin|11.3.09 @ 6:01PM|#

Try this:

http://select.nytimes.com/2006.....0rich.html

Jim Treacher|11.3.09 @ 6:25PM|#

All purges are equal, but some purges are more equal than others.

|11.3.09 @ 6:49PM|#

Don't worry; a Obamacare will alleviate the chronic pain in Frank Rich's vagina.
We'll all feel better.

|11.3.09 @ 6:50PM|#

a

The Libertarian Guy|11.3.09 @ 7:29PM|#

Of course, MediaMatters will be reprimanding Frank Rich over this... right?

Tim Cavanaugh|11.3.09 @ 7:30PM|#

Why do links to whitehouse.gov call up 404s? Rich links to a Bush photo op with the address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news.....-515h.html

This page is now not found. Circa-nineties links to the Clinton White House have generally disappeared too.

Shouldn't whitehouse.gov be considered a shared good or a common carrier or a national treasure or whatever? Why are pages of the site disappearing?

Some Guy|11.3.09 @ 8:01PM|#

They should put snapshots of each President's Whitehouse.gov in the National archives. Maybe they do already, I don't know.

|11.3.09 @ 8:36PM|#

Tim,

Everything that goes on a web page is subject to archive requirements. Those pages are somewhere. If you foiaed them, they would find them and send them to you. They just take them off line.

tarran|11.4.09 @ 7:11AM|#

Didn't the Whitehouse switch to using Drupal recently?

It's possible that the old URL's didn't survive the transfer.

Morris|11.4.09 @ 1:20AM|#

The idea that a moronic libertarian dimwit of the road-to-Serfdom, taxation-is-theft variety can diss Frank Rich for a Stalinist reference is just too much to swallow. Fuck you, Matt Welch, you slimy little hypocritical right-wing hack.

Urkobold™|11.4.09 @ 9:36AM|#

EDWARD! YOU LACK A SENSE OF PURGENCY!

Kolohe|11.4.09 @ 1:43AM|#

Seems like someone didn't their Meow Mix this evening.

|11.4.09 @ 10:01AM|#

It really doesn't matter. Rich's column was about the actions of the Republicans right now. Nothing Rich says in the past makes it OK for the Republicans to behave as they are. These accusations of hypocricy are ridiculous. Move the goalposts much?