Think what you will of (probably former) Politico reporter Joe Williams' impolitic Tweet about "the Politico shitburger" and his rather uncontroversial sociopsychological findings, presented on MSNBC, about Mitt Romney feeling just peachy only around "white folks." I myself am inclined to forgive Williams' indiscretions, since the modern lure of "straight journalists" to cable news and social media appears to be both irresistible and irreversible; with that magnitude of exposure, many a foot will be inserted in many a mouth. So--so what?
Williams' professional complaint this morning, however, seems closed to any real controversy:
Journalism in this country has always prided itself on being fearless, independent, willing to push back on government. Now we’re not even willing to push back on our own critics.
Politico ran scared. That's the nut of it. Now, sometimes running scared is the supremely smart thing to do; very few old men tell tales of having fought--not fled--the bear in the woods. But to flee from the pissants of the despicable Daily Caller and the insufferable Breitbart.com is the act of a dumb coward.
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