Tumulty makes Barbour’s paunch more of a campaign issue: “One of the clearest indications of his seriousness about running is that Barbour, famously fond of fine dining and Maker’s Mark, said he has dropped 20 pounds.”
Note to Politico for a new section: Beltline 2012—Who’s Running? (Literally)
On race, after going through Barbour’s mini-scandals—“I just don’t remember it as being that bad”—the former Mississippi governor offers Zeleny this: “If someone had asked me about the racial situation in the segregated South when I was growing up, I would have said that while people at the time didn’t know—this was all they knew—they realized ultimately that it was indefensible.” Perhaps Tumulty quizzed him soon after Zeleny, as Barbour tells her shortly, “The only people who ever asked me about it are reporters.”
If you are going to take a few minutes to read a Haley Barbour profile today—and really, only if you have to—go for the Post’s. Tumulty’s has a little more pizzazz and its teeth are a touch sharper. She tells the story of Barbour’s press secretary resigning after reporters discovered tasteless jokes in daily e-mails he sent to staff, using it as an example of an operation that is “accident-prone.” And Tumulty notes that Barbour spent 175 days of his last year as governor outside of the state.
Or better yet, wait for one of the magazines to take a turn. Or a couple of them.
Or better yet, wait for one of the magazines to take a turn. Or a couple of them.
And while they are at it, maybe we could get a decent profile of Obama … oh shit, that’d be 3 years too late, but I suppose that was a feature, not a flaw.
#1 Posted by Mike H, CJR on Tue 22 Mar 2011 at 04:47 PM
The fix is in to rehabilitate the image of this corpulent, racist buffoon and I'm not surprised that Tumulty is assigned to put the polishing touches on. She's good like that. Leave it to Karen to smooth over the rough edges. Being a capital-R Racist in the GOP is a feature, not a bug.
The racist Mississippi governor seems like he's a likely candidate for the desperate GOP -- he's definitely got the Bubba credentials, telegraphing his ultra-racist code-speak to the Southern base while his stint with the fundraisers has evidently convinced them that he can raise enough money to be credible to the beltway. Plus, he's got an in with the money of the GOP -- tobacco, oil. He's probably entertaining enough to keep the Politico boyz in enough copy to satisfy. All in all, our probable next president.
How's his record as governor? Not very impressive -- not that anyone in the beltway is going to look into THAT.
#2 Posted by James, CJR on Tue 22 Mar 2011 at 06:42 PM