Kerry's "butler": the latest garbage from the NYTimes.

[frank frankly]

warning: this is not a column. It is news "analysis."

warning II: this will make you sick.

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh042804.shtml

THE BUTLER DOES IT! Wilgoren profiles Kerry’s “valet.” Any chance that she’s really this clueless?

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2004

THE BUTLER DOES IT: Readers, sometimes you have to throw back your head and enjoy a good laugh! On the front page of today’s New York Times, Jodi Wilgoren pens a profile of Marvin Nicholson, a campaign assistant to Candidate Kerry. How absurd is Wilgoren’s piece? Let’s use a standard we’ve used before: If such work appeared in the Washington Times, observers would laugh at the way the conservative rag was pimping those RNC spin-points.

Who is John Kerry in the RNC spin-book? As we all know, he’s a man with “a proclivity to fall on both sides of every issue”—a man who can’t give a straight answer. But he’s also a man who has too much money—a man who attended a fancy school among the troubling, French-speaking Swiss. That’s why we see RNC shills like Katharine Seelye and Nedra Pickler working such images into their stories (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 4/27/04). When Seelye reviewed Kerry’s military records, she managed to cite the young soldier’s “patrician manner”—a point which only she, among living humans, could find in the documents under review. Meanwhile, Pickler used her first paragraph to remind AP readers that soldier Kerry “spoke fluent French…the fruits of a privileged upbringing.” Anyone with an ounce of sense will know where these oddball spin-points come from. They come straight from the RNC; propagandists cram them into “news reports” in service to Karl Rove’s machine. Of course, Seelye performed this service for over a year in her coverage of Candidate Gore. She “made no attempt to hide her contempt for the candidate,” the Financial Times eventually observed.

And so you really have to laugh at Wilgoren’s profile this morning. In the headline, we see the first spin-point—Nicholson is described as Kerry’s “butler!” And as we read the report, the image develops. In paragraph two, we learn that Nicholson is “the man literally behind the man, ready with an uncapped bottle of water whenever Mr. Kerry’s throat runs dry.” In short order, we learn why Kerry has this “butler”—this “former caddy”—at his beck and call:

WILGOREN (pgh 6): Mr. Kerry is comfortable being catered to. He has his moods and his myriad personal needs. A social loner, he is happy with an aide half his age.

[AP]

1. Seelye's reporting on John Edwards was stunning.

It was one of the things that convinced me that Edwards was the real deal.

[mouse7]

2. Seelye is a right-wing shill

I wouldn run around here bragging about how much you like Seelye's work.

[dsc]

3. that isn't what he means

He meant that the fact Steele attacked Edwards convinced him Edwards was a good candidate.

[AP]

4. Thanks for interpreting my cryptic post

for the confused poster.

[Demoiselle]

5. "BUTLER" was the first word I saw

when I picked up the Times this morning. And I knew exactly what was going to be in the damn article. (But then, I've been taught well by the Daily Howler.) What absolute disgusting throwup tripe. EVERY candidate running for president has somebody like Kerry's "Butler" looking after them!!!! But our fearless journalist (HAH! has the Repuke spin points down cold and she's going with them, folks. For Gore it was serial liar. For Kerry it's spoiled Princeling. And can someone PLEASE tell me how "Mr. Kerry is comfortable being catered to. He has his moods and his myriad personal needs" qualifies as news, or analysis, or anything but journalistic horse poop? I mean, who among us does NOT enjoy being catered to or has his moods? And as for "A social loner, he is happy with an aide half his age" ...blechhhh.! A politician who's made a career workng in the club of the Senate and rubbing elbows with (gasp) the VOTERS is a SOCIAL LONER? As for "an aide half his age" ...speaking as someone who's watched a lot of politicians over a lot of years, I can tell you that ALL political aides, with the exception of "Senior" advisors are eager, energetic, and YOUNG. They HAVE to be or the work would kill them!!!!ARRRRRRGH. If the New York Times is a Liberal newspaper I am the Queen of Romania.

[frank frankly]

11. did you also notice the word "crowned"

as in, Kerry "crowned" as Dem nominee.

funny, i remember people VOTING for him.

[quinnox]

6. I'm liking the NY Times less and less

I used to check the website all the time, but I have detected a snooty tone in a lot of their stories, and am now looking elsewhere for news.

[rumguy]

7. one-hundred yrs. from now people will be studying this kind of crap

in graduate classes, as an example of a kind of propaganda that masqueraded as journalism in the late American empire...

it's sad to see this garbage be called journalism in my own country...

[trumad]

8. And they'll also study Professor Bob Somerby

Somerby has taught me more about the dangers of the media than any source out there. He simply is second to none.

[myrna minx]

9. What about Andy ""Where are the cheeseburgers?" Card

or Karen "Wet Nurse" Hughes? Good Lord, what a hack piece. Sooooo...according to the NYT's Kerry has his own Mr. Belvedere? I'm surprised that the "journalist" didn't infer that Kerry wears sock guarders! GASP. "All the news thats fit to smear."

[kskiska]

27. Life at Walker's Point

According to "Newsweek," "Bush's partner, John Overbey, still

remembers the dizzying whirl of a money-raising trip to the East with

George (I) and Uncle Herbie: lunch at New York's 21 Club, weekends at

Kennebunkport where a bracing Sunday dip in the Atlantic off Walker's Point

ended with a servant wrapping you in a large terry towel and handing you a

martini."

[tom_paine]

10. You should put the "news" in quotes when discussing the Daily Howler's

"news" analysis.

It is not the analysis that is bogus but what passes for the news.

My God how swiftly and far our once-Free, once-Proud nation has fallen.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. The most worthless story ever run on PAGE ONE of the NYT???

And PLEASE, go to the story, and click to the right on "Multimedia" for a graphic on the contents of the "butler's" "satchel"!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/politics/campaign/28CHIE.html

[Shopaholic]

13. Why can't Democrats be rich too?

What is up with this double-standard? It's okay for Repugs to be filthy, stinking rich, but let a Democrat have $$$$ and all hell breaks loose-WHY? What's the big? I don't care if Kerry has a butler or how many houses he has. Does the media expect all Democrats to take a vow of poverty before they enter politics? Why not make the Repugs do the sames? I just wish the press would end this nonsense now and get down to covering what's really important-the issues facing this country and why Shrub needs a bus ticket back "home" to Texas!

[Neecy]

15. what's really sad...

Is that if Kerry tried to play down his affluence they'd be all over him like flies on crap for that, too.

Amazing how such small issues get such big play, while such big issues such as the lies told to get us into war, the outing of a CIA agent, Cheney's secret energy meetings, the Republican hacking of computers etc. etc. gets such small play.

And the media has even a shred of credibility? We're watching them self-destruct before our eyes.

[sandnsea]

23. They ALL have assistants like this

They did a story on them all in the primaries. This has NOTHING to do with wealth. They're the candidates' right hand man. This is what they're supposed to do. And Marvin is awesome, everybody loves him, women were swooning for him (although I didn't see it). Whoever wrote this has her head so far up her ass it's popping back up out of her neck.

[Scairp]

14. Everyone

You must email the NYT just as I did. Let them know we are not going to read this crap they pass off as journalism. Seelye, Wilgoren, Bumiller and the rest of the shills have got to be stopped. If they are going to do this again to the Democratic candidate for president then they should be forced to declare that they are partisan and not be allowed this pretense of impartiality. I am sick of it and sick of the editors of this paper allowing this shit to go into print. So, compose a nice email and send it to Daniel Okrent or any editor. And if you subscribe to the Times, cancel your subscription and tell them why you are canceling. Maybe a hit to their pocketbook will get their attention.

[CatWoman]

16. gee, is this their rebuttal to * needing Cheney to hold his fucking hand

during tomorrow's testimony before the 9/11 commisssion?

Or him not being able to go to the bathroom without Karen Hughes there to wipe his ass?

Or *'s constantly needing Condi Rice by his side, day in and day out, weekdays and weekends?

[SoDesuKa]

17. Kerry's Hard to Like

I'm working hard to warm up to him, but it's a struggle. His vote for the war is still a real issue with me.

[Scairp]

18. Bump

Everyone should read and get involved in this. So many people believe that what the NYT prints is gospel, and we need to blow that myth out of the water. Email them. Tell them they have to stop this every-four-years, one-sided sliming of whoever the Democratic presidential candidate happens to be.

[e-mail]

[e-mail]

[e-mail] (This is Daniel Okrent, public editor)

[Jacobin]

19. At least he's not boinking his NSA, like Smirky is

:-)

[Vickers]

28. *shhhhhhh* whispering campaign has been initiated

;-)

[leetrisck]

20. And Andy Card is bush's butler

remember from the book when he demanded that Card get the cheeseburgers.

[frank frankly]

21. yes.

it is such an absurd article.

[scottxyz]

22. Why the hell does the aide consent to the interview?

After fuming at the Times for publishing such drivel (I wrote Mr. Okrent my umpteenth letter at [e-mail] - and I think letters should also go to [e-mail] and [e-mail]) I next ask myself: why the hell did the aide consent to this interview. He obviously did: Further down in the article, there's a picture of the aide posing with the contents of a travel-bag spread out on the table. (Click the "Multimedia" button.)

[DeepModem Mom]

24. PostIt notes, loose change, sewing kit, Listerine strips, Tylenol...

pb and j sandwich....

What NYT editor approved this absurd story, AND an accompanying graphic?

[Scairp]

25. A dumb editor

That's why people should be emailing them and telling them how utterly absurd this article is, although sadly, it's hardly the only one coming out of the NYT alleged "journalists" of late. Readers need to give them negative feedback on stuff like this. They will continue printing this drivel as long as they believe people are reading it.

[myrna minx]

26. My letter...

According to NYT scribe JODI WILGOREN, Marvin Nicholson Jr. is Senator Kerry's
"butler." What manservant title shall be granted to White House Chief of Staff
Andy Card? According to Paul O'Neill, Mr. Card was commanded by President Bush
to produce cheese burgers for a luncheon. This does not seem to be a task
befitting a White House Chief of Staff. Would Ms. Wilgoren consider Mr. Card to
be Bush's waiter?