No Nosebleeds for Blue-bloods

If there's anyone still gullible enough to believe that political journalists believe in egalitarianism, read and bookmark this Washington Post story about Beltway media types flexing their influence to upgrade their Washington Nationals season tickets. The Hall of Shameless includes Robert Novak, Paul Begala, Fred Barnes, George Will, Mort Kondracke, David Brooks, and more.

Comments

[Mr. Nice Guy]

As if the blue-bloods won't high-tail it back to Camden Yards after they find out what a shithouse RFK is.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but speaking of Washington Post articles:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42432-2005Apr10.html

I need someone liberal to look at it and get back with me. Why are the Asians cited in the statistics completely ignored in the conclusions? Am I missing something here?

[This Ain't No Story]

Robert Novak, Fred Barnes, George Will, Mort Kondracke, David Brooks

Yeah, those are the names that first occur to me when I think of left-wing journalists. If you're trying to point out that lefty journalists are moral frauds, you'll need some actual lefty journalists.

[Matt Welch]

I wasn't talking about "lefty journalists."

[aaron]

Then why mention egalitarianism?

[Eryk Boston]

Nothing like getting hit by a sharp foul ball to liven your political perspective.

[Blammo]

Journalists. What's there to say? Half of them get into journalism for the power, access, and perks. They like seeing their name in print and eventually develop a bloated ego. They worship and pursue celebrity. They possess a self-righteous nobility that allows them to look down their nose on those who don't work in their honorable profession.

[Blammo]

Journalists. What's there to say? Half of them get into journalism for the power, access, and perks. They like seeing their name in print and eventually develop a bloated ego. They worship and pursue celebrity. They possess a self-righteous nobility that allows them to look down their nose on those who don't share their honorable profession.

[Matt Welch]

Well, maybe I should have used "meritocracism" or "populism" ...

[joe]

I'm still not feeling it. Who among those mentioned self-identifies as a populist?

And wouldn't "meritocrats" believe that successful, nationally known, wealthy journalists deserve to get the best seats at the ballgame?

[Pipsqueak]

(flings poo at Matt Welch)

(Civil discussion is overrated at this point.)

[rob]

The press box isn't good enough for these mooks?

Last time I checked, neither the left nor the right have a monopoly on either claiming to support but actually working to hinder egalitarianism. Both sides talk the talk like a politician's 4th of July speech, but when it comes time to actually walk the walk they can be seen headed boldly in the opposite direction.

[Happy Jack]

Oh good. It's bad enough that I can't get away from their bloviating on every media outlet available. Now I have to put up with them during the inevitable camera pan of the crowd.

[Number 6]

Hmmm...just this morning I used my (paltry) media pull to line up tickets for the upcoming Royals-Cardinals games.

Of course, I never claimed to be an egalitarian.

[independent worm]

"Kondracke is wondering about the people whose seats are one level closer to the action. There are apparently 900 seats better than me, he said. So I wonder, who are these 900?"

Is he fucking KIDDING? Mort Kondracke thinks he's one of the 900 most important people in Washington? If seat assignment were indicative of one's place in the DC pecking order, Mort would be watching the games thru binoculars from Marion Barry's driveway. That pudwack must have Lewinski'd somebody for a year to get the seats he got.

[clarityiniowa]

Egalitarians? THESE guys? When they decided reporting wasn't good enough for them and they became opinion-meisters, any hint of egalitarianism went out the window. It ain't enough they tell us what THEY think half the time they want to tell us what they think WE oughtta think, I think.

[rob]

Yeah, I don't think this is a good example of hypocrisy so much as it is a stellar example of bloated sense of self-importance among some journalists. (Like the goof who wrote a book about "infiltrating" a high school to write a book, in Jesse Walker's "Fast Times" entry above.)

[Jon H]

I await David Brooks' next tome, expounding on the fine qualities of the people seated closest to the game (conservatives, naturally), and the perfidy of those (America-hating secular liberals, of course) who sit farther away.

[kevrob]

I don't know about the rest of these poll-climbing jock sniffers, but George Will has been a member of the Baltimore Orioles' board of directors as recently as three years ago. Sporting News, Sept. 9, 2002. I expect that clouted him into some nice ducats.

The obvious reason the Nats are stroking the pressies is that it is part of the PR assault to grease the wheels for the replacement stadium for RFK. BTW, most of these opinion journos aren't eligible to sit in the pressbox, nevermind the lobbyists and flaks like Begala.

Kevin

[rob]

kevrob,

Good points about the PR assault and the link to stadium construction.

One difference of opinion, tho, is that in my experience the press box has been open to anyone who can get a press pass from the stadium for that event. If I can get into the press box with a phone call, I bet Begala could as well. (I had a groovy Independence Bowl photo press pass that put me on the sideline with the team.)

[Douglas Fletcher]

As a former DC area resident, seeing stuff like this nakes me feel like I'm a former prison inmate who still subscribes to the prison newspaper.