Jack Shafer vs. Bill Moyers

Did PBS' Christianist-fearing journalism grandee Bill Moyers order the FBI to investigate the possible homosexuality of a Barry Goldwater staffer back when Moyers was working for LBJ? Signs point to "probably," and Slate's Jack Shafer has been at the forefront of digging into the story (and drawing Moyers' ire) over the past several weeks. Read the latest here.

Reason's Nick Gillespie on the Moyers show here.

Comments

[TofuSushi]

Shouldn't this attitude make Bill Moyers nervous working at PBS? I thought they were pretty lifestyle diverse.

[JP]

Moyers is one of those guys whom public broadcasting excels at presenting not as Lefties but as wise moderates who are just telling it like it is. Exhibits B & C: Dan Schorr and Kevin Phillips.

[Warren]

I yield to no man in my disgust over Bill Moyers. But he's really just the symptom. Sure I'd like to see him homeless, standing in line for his soup. But there are ten other raging socialists masquerading as wise moderates ready to step up to the plate.

What we need is something like HIV that differentially attacks gullible people.

[The Angry Optimist]

we do, Warren! It's called Enzyte.

[Citizen Nothing]

God bless George Washington. God bless my mother. God bless Jack Shafer.

[Warren]

TAO,
Don't be messing with Smiling Bob

[Xeones]

Smiling Bob will fuck your shit up.

[Lamar]

There will be no end to this feud because Shafer is an Enzyte man and Moyers loves his ExtenZe.

[Barry]

Moyers was also the genius behind the "daisy" LBJ ad...This has been common knowledge for years; the left has no problem with gay-bashing, as long as said gays don't tow the party-line...Just replace "self-loathing hypocrite" for "FAG!".

[Taktix?]

Moyers loves his ExtenZe

PBS: If it didn't work, could we afford to do this?

[John]

The left convienently forgets how nasty and awful the Johnson and Kennedy administrations were. The dirty little secret of Watergate was that the Democrats were terrified of Nixon actually demanding a fair trial in the Senate. They were trying to set the rules so that Nixon wouldn't be allowed to make a defense. The reason for this was that Nixon's defense was going to be that since Johnson and Kennedy had engaged in much more aggregious conduct than he ever did and were not impeached, his offenses were not impeachable. Nixon knew where all the bodies were buried and would have put on a hell of a defense in the Senate.

It is funny to listen to leftist rant and rave about Bush torturing and killing innocent people. I always ask them who was the only US President who directly authorized the execution of a foreign leader? Ah that would be Kennedy who authorized and provided funds for the coup that killed the South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem.

[R C Dean]

the left has no problem with gay-bashing, as long as said gays don't tow toe the party-line

Just sayin'.

Although the neologism "tow the party lion" has much to be said for it, as well.

[John]

"Although the neologism "tow the party lion" has much to be said for it, as well."

What if the beast doesn't want to be towed? Poor thing.

[creech]

I distinctly recall two FBI agents questioning Goldwater staffers in Phila., late in the campaign, if another staffer had shown any sexual interest in his fellow men. No one had any such knowledge, but the staffer soon disappeared.

[mike farmer]

Especially a partying lion.

[TofuSushi]

After reading the article, if what the author says is corect, it sounds like Moyers has some sort of crazy issues with gay issues.

The part where a senator commits suicide being blamed on a threat to out his son, long after the son's issues had been publicised, was my clue.

[John]

"After reading the article, if what the author says is corect, it sounds like Moyers has some sort of crazy issues with gay issues."

Let me guess. Moyers probably had some man crush on some class mate in college and then engaged in some drunken fondling one night. Feeling guilty and twisted for it, spent the next 20 years of his life working through his own sexual frustration and confusion by outing and mercilessly oppressing anyone who even remotely appeared to be gay. I don't know this but I would bet money that or some variation of it occured.

[Jammer]

Um, while busting hypocrites is great good fun, aren't there some more important things to worry about than 40+ year old shenanigans?

[TofuSushi]

John,

I did not get anything like that from the article. Perhaps I should reread it.

[John]

TfuSushi,

There is nothing in the article that would suggest what I wrote. It is just pure speculation on my part why Moyers had such a wierd fascination with the sexual preferences of his staff and political enemies.

[SugarFree]

It doesn't have to be that Moyers is a gay-hater. Finding evidence someone is gay was a great way to discredit your enemies at the time. Maybe Moyers is just a giant douche.

[TofuSushi]

SugarFree,

I agree with the negative comment on Moyers. But it soulds more to me that Moyers could not care less about someone's sexual attractions and more interested in making things up to defend his own side, in a strange way.

Member(s) of the Johnson staff were caught and prosecuted persicuted more than once, so instead of championing what they did should be okay, he goes off and tries to make up things about people he does not like already.

[John]

There is no question he is a giant douche. It could be that Moyers was just a ruthless political asshole. It also could be that he was some twisted closeted bisexual. It could be either or both. We will never know.

[Lamar]

"PBS: If it didn't work, could we afford to do this?"

Great line. Thanks!

Sugarfree: I know it's the insult of the day, but aside from "douche" are there any other insults that imply cleanliness? Is Moyer's a detergenty SOB? He's a liar and a soap. I dunno. Sorry.

[Reinmoose Moyers]

If they're hiding the fact that they might be gay from a country and congress of gay-hating asswipes, who knows what else they're lying to you about.

[Lamar]

Moyers didn't hate gays. He wanted to expose them so that the government could protect them.

[R C Dean]

I know it's the insult of the day, but aside from "douche" are there any other insults that imply cleanliness?

Asswipe?

[SugarFree]

Cuntrag? Tampon? Maxipad? Soapfucker?

Lamar,

Anyway... more than a few blogs have decided that "douche" is an acceptably feminist insult due to the fact that douches are inclement to the natural bacteria in a healthy vagina.

[Lamar]

"I know it's the insult of the day, but aside from "douche" are there any other insults that imply cleanliness?

Asswipe?"

I guess. I sort of view that one like asshat or assmunch. Just an excuse to call somebody an ass. Plus, a used asswipe is probably the dirtiest most disgusting thing around.

[Reinmoose]

Enima?

[Lamar]

I've never heard "maxipad" as an insult. Cuntrag is just an excuse to say cunt. Soapfucker blows my mind. What the heck is that?

[SugarFree]

Someone who fucks soap. Duh.

[Lamar]

"Enima?"

I thought of that, but it is more medicinal than cleanly. Unless, of course, you are preparing to enjoy the extra size from Bill Moyers' ExtenZe.

[BDB]

"There is no question he is a giant douche. It could be that Moyers was just a ruthless political asshole. It also could be that he was some twisted closeted bisexual."

I'm going with the latter.

[TofuSushi]

Lamar,

I never new that coffee enemas were medicinal.

[Lamar]

"Someone who fucks soap. Duh."

Cousin to the luffa fucker, I suppose.

[Lamar]

"I never new that coffee enemas were medicinal."

They cure cancer or something.

[Lamar]

Sorry for pissing all over the thread. Resume the Moyers criticism.

[Reinmoose]

Cousin to the luffa fucker, I suppose.

umm... ow

[Lamar]

A distant cousin.

[IceT]

I seriously doubt Moyers is gay or bisexual. Probably just likes cocksucking on the downlow.

[shecky]

Um, while busting hypocrites is great good fun, aren't there some more important things to worry about than 40+ year old shenanigans?

What he said.

Furthermore, John, does anybody really think getting into a pissing match over which side played the dirtier tactics will turn out well?

[R C Dean]

Furthermore, John, does anybody really think getting into a pissing match over which side played the dirtier tactics will turn out well?

Preventing the undeserving from seizing the moral high ground strikes me as a good result.

[Joel]

Preventing the undeserving from seizing the moral high ground strikes me as a good result.

Wouldn't that be all of them? Like, anyone who ever engaged in a major political campaign anywhere, at any time?

Wanting the job is excellent evidence that you shouldn't have it.

[Brandybuck]

I hear Smiling Bob wears white tights...

[OO===D]

"I seriously doubt Moyers is gay or bisexual. Probably just likes cocksucking on the downlow."

Can't get enough of me.

[Matt]

God, I love comment sections. They always serve to remind me that the average IQ is 90-100.

[MlR]

"The reason for this was that Nixon's defense was going to be that since Johnson and Kennedy had engaged in much more aggregious conduct than he ever did and were not impeached, his offenses were not impeachable."

Don't forget patron Saints FDR and W.W.

[MlR]

Nixon's great flaw was thinking he, (moderate) Republican that he was, could get away with half the shit of those before him - even while cleaning up their shit in Vietnam.

[Hey!]

Does anybody here remember "Either way with LBJ!" used to be a popular parody of the LBJ election campaign slogan?

[Jason S.]

Bill Moyers is also a dewlap grandee. Grandee.

This doesn't surprise me, seeing that Moyers was big-time in on the "Daisy Girl" political ad thing.

There's an interesting article from this Conelrad site. Apparently, there was some spurious psychiatric evaluations of Goldwater's mental health being published, and get this: the Secretary of Health was supposedly handing out uppers to a dirt-digging "5 o'clock Club". Hrrmph. Don't know if it's true, but stranger things have happened, I guess.

"[I]t was like a crusade." Sort of a curious quote, considering that Moyers is all anti-Christianist uplift mofo party plan.