The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Dave Weigel, Joe McGinniss, Jesse Griffin and the Palin-Hater Next Door

Posted on | May 29, 2010 | 31 Comments

I consider David Weigel a friend, and have often praised him as one of the best young reporters in Washington. But Weigel’s “See-No-Evil” attitude toward Joe McGinniss, who moved in next door to the Palin family to work on his anti-Palin book, seems absurdly naive.

While you can’t fault a journalist for associating with potential sources, a commenter in a previous post called my attention to something strange — perhaps the better word would be “skeezy” or “hinky” — about Joe McGinniss.

Remember Jesse Griffin, who masqueraded behind the “Gryphen” pseudonym as a vicious anti-Palin blogger and Trig-Truther? And remember how he lost his job at an Alaska elementary school after his identity was revealed and school officials learned how he’d been promoting pornography and masturbation on his blog (extreme language warning) while being paid by taxpayers to supervise young children?

Well, guess what? Joe McGinnis is a “huge fan” of Jesse Griffin, as confirmed by none other than . . . Jesse Griffin:

I found the table that our host Phil Munger had reserved for us and sat down with some of his other guests, who I did not know, but who turned out to be fans of both IM and Mudflats. (Oh did I mention that AKM was with me?)
Soon I was introduced to author Joe McGinniss, who is up here researching HIS Sarah Palin book, and who also turned out to be a huge fan of both AKM’s and I. (I swear I will NEVER get used to hearing that.)
— Jesse Griffin, a/k/a “Gryphen,” October 3, 2009

In case you didn’t get the reference, “IM” is Jesse’s “Immoral Minority” blog where he described his ironclad certainty that Sarah Palin’s fifth child “was not conceived in her uterus,” declared how much fun it is to “wank off” to amateur porn, advised youngsters that “your penis will respond more readily” if you practice by “watching porn on your computer.” and told the world that “it brings me joy to work with these children.”

You betcha!

When this porn-blogging Trig-Truther obsessive Palin-hater was forced to resign from Trailside Elementary School in Anchorage  in August 2009, it wasn’t exactly a secret. so why — two months later, in October 2009 — was Joe McGinniss raving about being a “huge fan” of Jesse Griffin’s Immoral Minority blog? Why is McGinniss laughing it up with Griffin at the “celebrity table” all night?

And why doesn’t it bother Dave Weigel that McGinniss is such a “huge fan” of a vile joke like Jesse Griffin and the obnoxious gadfly “AKM” (Jeanne Devon)?

Category: Journalism, Sarah Palin

Comments

31 Responses to “Dave Weigel, Joe McGinniss, Jesse Griffin and the Palin-Hater Next Door”

  1. Rich Fader
    May 30th, 2010 @ 2:49 am

    I was going to ask whether this case was a good example of Rule Six.

  2. Rich Fader
    May 29th, 2010 @ 9:49 pm

    I was going to ask whether this case was a good example of Rule Six.

  3. Will Folks
    May 30th, 2010 @ 3:19 am

    Where do I sign up?

  4. Will Folks
    May 29th, 2010 @ 10:19 pm

    Where do I sign up?

  5. Red
    May 30th, 2010 @ 3:45 am

    UGH,Griffin? Again? Reminds me of the Rocky and Bullwinkle bit where Bullwinkle asks Rocky if he wants to see him pull a rabbit out of his hat to which the exasperated Rocky replies as such.On another note, Stacy has dreams of an Alyssa Milano retweet, I have dreams of achieving the coveted Rule 2 spot. Alas, we can’t have everything.

  6. Red
    May 29th, 2010 @ 10:45 pm

    UGH,Griffin? Again? Reminds me of the Rocky and Bullwinkle bit where Bullwinkle asks Rocky if he wants to see him pull a rabbit out of his hat to which the exasperated Rocky replies as such.On another note, Stacy has dreams of an Alyssa Milano retweet, I have dreams of achieving the coveted Rule 2 spot. Alas, we can’t have everything.

  7. Will Folks
    May 30th, 2010 @ 4:32 am

    McGinniss, Griffin, Sullivan and me are all part of the He-Man Palin Haters Club.

  8. section9
    May 30th, 2010 @ 4:32 am

    Stacy, the money for these people is coming from somewhere. It might be worth your while to find out.

  9. Will Folks
    May 29th, 2010 @ 11:32 pm

    McGinniss, Griffin, Sullivan and me are all part of the He-Man Palin Haters Club.

  10. section9
    May 29th, 2010 @ 11:32 pm

    Stacy, the money for these people is coming from somewhere. It might be worth your while to find out.

  11. gahanson
    May 30th, 2010 @ 6:19 am

    There are already at least 50 books about Palin (see Amazon.) There are tens of thousands of newspaper, magazine and blog articles. AP recently combed through 6,000 pages of Palin’s emails from when she was governor, looking for dirt, and coming up with less than pocket lint. The only way McGinniss’ book, which won’t come out for almost a year, can gain any traction at all is by his openly spying on Palin, her family, and anyone who visits them, and his association with the lowest of the low of Alaska bloggers, Griffin, Moore, Munger, Beagle, etc. In other words, McGinniss is a dirt bag, who is likely to publish anything to make a buck.

  12. gahanson
    May 30th, 2010 @ 1:19 am

    There are already at least 50 books about Palin (see Amazon.) There are tens of thousands of newspaper, magazine and blog articles. AP recently combed through 6,000 pages of Palin’s emails from when she was governor, looking for dirt, and coming up with less than pocket lint. The only way McGinniss’ book, which won’t come out for almost a year, can gain any traction at all is by his openly spying on Palin, her family, and anyone who visits them, and his association with the lowest of the low of Alaska bloggers, Griffin, Moore, Munger, Beagle, etc. In other words, McGinniss is a dirt bag, who is likely to publish anything to make a buck.

  13. Estragon
    May 30th, 2010 @ 7:24 am

    I’ve tried to warn several conservative bloggers to be careful in their embrace of Weigel. He may have the assignment to report on conservatives “from within the movement,” it’s more like sending an anthropologist to observe a primitive tribe and report his observations.

    Remember that around the same time Weigel came aboard the WaPo blog ship, they were in the midst of refitting it – to be more of a player in the leftist blogosphere! Their view was their existing coverage wasn’t biased enough!

    Conservative bloggers are like freshman college chicks – out on their own, some liberal sweet talker sweeps them off their feet and onto their backs, maybe with a dinner in the process, and then they wonder why he doesn’t call in the morning.

    Andrew Sullivan wouldn’t hardly even be known if not for the efforts of the Short Pants Brigade at NRO to show how worldly they were by fawning over a “gay libertarian” . . .

    I keep telling you girls about your reputations, but you won’t listen, and one day that special decent and sincere liberal blogger is going to come along and you will hit it off immediately, but while you are seeing stars and hearing music, he’ll be noticing your phone number on every men’s room wall. And then, it will be too late . . .

  14. Estragon
    May 30th, 2010 @ 2:24 am

    I’ve tried to warn several conservative bloggers to be careful in their embrace of Weigel. He may have the assignment to report on conservatives “from within the movement,” it’s more like sending an anthropologist to observe a primitive tribe and report his observations.

    Remember that around the same time Weigel came aboard the WaPo blog ship, they were in the midst of refitting it – to be more of a player in the leftist blogosphere! Their view was their existing coverage wasn’t biased enough!

    Conservative bloggers are like freshman college chicks – out on their own, some liberal sweet talker sweeps them off their feet and onto their backs, maybe with a dinner in the process, and then they wonder why he doesn’t call in the morning.

    Andrew Sullivan wouldn’t hardly even be known if not for the efforts of the Short Pants Brigade at NRO to show how worldly they were by fawning over a “gay libertarian” . . .

    I keep telling you girls about your reputations, but you won’t listen, and one day that special decent and sincere liberal blogger is going to come along and you will hit it off immediately, but while you are seeing stars and hearing music, he’ll be noticing your phone number on every men’s room wall. And then, it will be too late . . .

  15. Guest
    May 30th, 2010 @ 11:35 am

    Dave Weigel reminds me; porn addicts make for lousy people generally and the absolute, without a doubt, THE worst of lovers specifically.

    And, NO I don’t government to ban porn because the more flaccid wankers of Wang-Wang spend their lives whacking off to an internet kiddy-porn screen the sooner they will breed themselves out of existence.

    PS: Great Whackers of Wang-Wang just know this, that woman or man you sleep with is just telling you are great at sex because that’s how they earn their money, honey.

    So whack away boys, the sooner you waste away the better the sex will be for all good people to enjoy!

  16. Guest
    May 30th, 2010 @ 6:35 am

    Dave Weigel reminds me; porn addicts make for lousy people generally and the absolute, without a doubt, THE worst of lovers specifically.

    And, NO I don’t government to ban porn because the more flaccid wankers of Wang-Wang spend their lives whacking off to an internet kiddy-porn screen the sooner they will breed themselves out of existence.

    PS: Great Whackers of Wang-Wang just know this, that woman or man you sleep with is just telling you are great at sex because that’s how they earn their money, honey.

    So whack away boys, the sooner you waste away the better the sex will be for all good people to enjoy!

  17. Brian O'Connor
    May 30th, 2010 @ 12:25 pm

    Weigel’s “See-No-Evil” attitude toward Joe McGinniss is flat out wrong, but conservatives cannot be for freedom and free markets everywhere in the world except for when its inconvenient.

    McGinniss, in this situation, it a capitalist, he saw an opportunity to make an investment and he took it. Super sleazy capitalism maybe, but capitalism nonetheless.

    If the Palin’s were so concerned about living 15 feet from peering eyes, they should not have purchased a home with a neighboring house 15 feel away.

    Crybaby Conservatism does not work for me.

  18. Brian O'Connor
    May 30th, 2010 @ 7:25 am

    Weigel’s “See-No-Evil” attitude toward Joe McGinniss is flat out wrong, but conservatives cannot be for freedom and free markets everywhere in the world except for when its inconvenient.

    McGinniss, in this situation, it a capitalist, he saw an opportunity to make an investment and he took it. Super sleazy capitalism maybe, but capitalism nonetheless.

    If the Palin’s were so concerned about living 15 feet from peering eyes, they should not have purchased a home with a neighboring house 15 feel away.

    Crybaby Conservatism does not work for me.

  19. ak4mc
    May 30th, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

    Great Whackers of Wang-Wang

    Worst. Band name. Ever.

  20. ak4mc
    May 30th, 2010 @ 7:53 am

    Great Whackers of Wang-Wang

    Worst. Band name. Ever.

  21. Stogie
    May 30th, 2010 @ 1:39 pm

    If the Palin’s were so concerned about living 15 feet from peering eyes, they should not have purchased a home with a neighboring house 15 feel away.

    Oh, so it’s the Palins’ fault another obsessed liberal hater has moved next to them? Brilliant logic, Brian.

    And we shouldn’t complain because this is capitalism and “free markets?” Horse puckey.

    Yet another Palin obsessed liberal hater moves next to the Palin family — not for journalism, but for the purpose of harassment.

    You’re a liberal troll, aren’t you?

  22. Stogie
    May 30th, 2010 @ 8:39 am

    If the Palin’s were so concerned about living 15 feet from peering eyes, they should not have purchased a home with a neighboring house 15 feel away.

    Oh, so it’s the Palins’ fault another obsessed liberal hater has moved next to them? Brilliant logic, Brian.

    And we shouldn’t complain because this is capitalism and “free markets?” Horse puckey.

    Yet another Palin obsessed liberal hater moves next to the Palin family — not for journalism, but for the purpose of harassment.

    You’re a liberal troll, aren’t you?

  23. dad29
    May 30th, 2010 @ 3:05 pm

    huge fan of both AKM’s and I.

    At one time, simple grammar-literacy was required for teaching positions.

    The preposition “of” requires the objective case “me”.

    But in his favorite literary genus, (pictures, not words), such niceties are un-necessary, eh?

  24. dad29
    May 30th, 2010 @ 10:05 am

    huge fan of both AKM’s and I.

    At one time, simple grammar-literacy was required for teaching positions.

    The preposition “of” requires the objective case “me”.

    But in his favorite literary genus, (pictures, not words), such niceties are un-necessary, eh?

  25. Virginia Right! News Hound for 5/30/2010 | Virginia Right!
    May 30th, 2010 @ 10:12 am

    […] Dave Weigel, Joe McGinniss, Jesse Griffin and the Palin-Hater Next Door […]

  26. Richard McEnroe
    May 30th, 2010 @ 5:59 pm

    Brian O’Connor… if you believed what you were saying, you would post your address so we could all take turns dropping by and looking in your windows.

  27. Richard McEnroe
    May 30th, 2010 @ 12:59 pm

    Brian O’Connor… if you believed what you were saying, you would post your address so we could all take turns dropping by and looking in your windows.

  28. Bob Belvedere
    May 30th, 2010 @ 10:45 pm

    Mr. O’Connor: Looking at your website it appears you are a conservative. Need I remind you: With the freedom a businessman enjoys in the free market, comes a moral responsibility to not make money by doing immoral things [see John Paul The Great, the current Pope’s, and Adam Smith’s writings]. McGinniss is taking advantage of the availability of a free and open market to profit off the Palin Family using immoral tactics. McGinniss is, indeed, a capitalist, if you use the term as intended by the man who coined it: Karl Marx.

  29. Bob Belvedere
    May 30th, 2010 @ 5:45 pm

    Mr. O’Connor: Looking at your website it appears you are a conservative. Need I remind you: With the freedom a businessman enjoys in the free market, comes a moral responsibility to not make money by doing immoral things [see John Paul The Great, the current Pope’s, and Adam Smith’s writings]. McGinniss is taking advantage of the availability of a free and open market to profit off the Palin Family using immoral tactics. McGinniss is, indeed, a capitalist, if you use the term as intended by the man who coined it: Karl Marx.

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    May 31st, 2010 @ 7:03 pm

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