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Ezra Klein: New WaPo Blogger

Congratulations to Ezra for his new gig. On a related note, I disagree with Matt Yglesias' concern:

I do have some concerns about this. After all, one thing all decent progressive blogs do is point out semi-regularly that the Washington Post opinion section is a pretty rotten operation. . . . People don’t go after their bosses with hatchets. So while hiring Ezra makes the Post less hatchet-worthy, it also means that we’re down a hatchet-wielder.

I never thought Ezra was very good as a hatchet wielder anyway (just as I do not look to Ezra for serious critiques of Democrats.) The job of watchdogging an entity like WaPo could never come from inside WaPo (this is a general rule of course - Howie Kurtz is a lousy Media critic for many reasons, but one of them is he gets paid by WaPo and CNN.) There are plenty of folks to do the job. And let's face it, who really expects the up and comers like Klein and Yglesias to do this job anyway? Not me.

Speaking for me only

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    Ezra is one of my earliest (5.00 / 0) (#5)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:20:43 PM EST
    and favorite blogger friends. Here is what I wrote about him a few years ago:

    Ezra Klein is about 23 years old. He is, except for the TL kid, about the most handsome, well-mannered young man I know. (You can check Ezra out here, he's in the front in the blue shirt, next to Atrios, who's next to me.) Sorry, Katrina, but he's plenty hot for his age.

    Not to mention, Ezra is bright the way Matt Yglesias is bright -- these kids can romp from medicare to politics to foreign policy to economics to science and back again without missing a beat. I spent days with them and others their age at the Democratic convention in Boston in 2004 and I was just awed by their talent. They are the future. We are lucky to have them on our side.



    whoops, here's the photo (none / 0) (#6)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:22:42 PM EST
    referenced in the quote. Matt's in it too. As is Atrios. And me.

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    But now Jesse the snowboarder (none / 0) (#18)
    by oculus on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 08:12:49 PM EST
    has won your affection hasn't he?

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    Used to be my go-to... (5.00 / 3) (#11)
    by trillian on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:10:48 PM EST
    ....blogger for health care reform until he chose to back the candidate who used Harry and Louise ads against UHC.  I realized then that he was more interested in a career inside the beltway than standing up for what had been his signature issue.

    Looks like he got what he wanted.

    Okay (5.00 / 0) (#13)
    by Steve M on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:54:59 PM EST
    but I'd note that Ezra seemed to have no trouble saying repeatedly that Hillary was better on health care, nor did he pull any punches on the Harry and Louise ads, which he called "demagoguery" and "fear-mongering."

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    So in other words, (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by dk on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 03:01:32 PM EST
    he had no trouble backing a demogugue and a fear-monger?  Not sure if that's much of a plus with regard to his credibility.

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    Well (5.00 / 0) (#16)
    by Steve M on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 03:15:43 PM EST
    I don't know that I'd say he had no trouble.  He did write about these issues and criticize Obama at length.  In fact, I'd say that puts him among a minority in the blogosphere that retained the capacity to criticize their preferred candidate on the issues.

    Look, I strongly preferred Hillary in the primary, I defended her against these dishonest health care attacks as staunchly as anyone, but I'm personally not willing to go to a place which says that anyone who supported Obama over Hillary doesn't really care about health care reform.

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    He said Hillary was better on HC (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by trillian on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 03:20:30 PM EST
    .....but backed Obama.

    Point made.

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    Repeatedly (none / 0) (#15)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 03:15:31 PM EST
    is an exaggeration my friend.

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    yep (none / 0) (#12)
    by Salo on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:21:58 PM EST
    Somerby will probably take a look at Ezra's new writing soon enough to spot the differences.

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    I like Ezra (none / 0) (#1)
    by andgarden on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:15:23 PM EST
    so I expect decent things from him.

    So do I (none / 0) (#2)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:16:44 PM EST
    But I do not expect media critique or Dem critique from him. do you?

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    I didn't before. . . (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by andgarden on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:18:11 PM EST
    Call me when they hire Bob Somerby.

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    Zactly (none / 0) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:18:52 PM EST
    I have to ask... (none / 0) (#10)
    by Salo on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:08:15 PM EST
    ...how is it that Yglesias often seems to get his point backward? Does Somberby know why?

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    call me when they have the guts to hire (none / 0) (#8)
    by Turkana on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:44:41 PM EST
    buhdy or opol...

    heh...

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    i love ezra also (none / 0) (#7)
    by Jlvngstn on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 12:38:07 PM EST
    he's a real wonker.

    He'll probably turn... (none / 0) (#9)
    by Salo on Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 02:07:15 PM EST
    ..into a tosser soon enough though.

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