New York Times Op-Ed scribe John Tierney finally gave readers what they wanted to hear on Tuesday. Tierney filled most of the space in his column with grumbling and speculation that the 110th Congress will be even less productive than its precursor. Then, in the penultimate paragraph, he qualified his pessimism, writing, “Whatever they do the next two years, I won’t be here to kick them around.”
“This is my last column on the Op-Ed page,” he added. “I’ve enjoyed the past couple of years in Washington, but one election cycle is enough. I’m returning full time to the subject and the city closest to my heart: science and New York. I’ll be writing a column and a blog for the Science Times section. I hate to abandon my libertarian comrades here fighting in the belly of the beast, but this is the right moment to leave. After six years of libertarians reluctantly electing Republicans as the lesser of two evils, we’ve finally had enough. We’ve voted out big-government conservatism, and the result is the happy state of gridlock. For now, our work is done. See you in January in a new column on a new page.”
All along it has been a bit of a rocky road for the Op-Ed page’s lone libertarian (reportedly, in 1996, when writing for the New York Times Magazine, Tierney broke the Times record for volume of hate mail received). Predictably, many bloggers applauded the announcement of Tierney’s departure.
The Huffington Post’s Eat the Press blog rules the rumor mill: “Tierney will be returning to the science beat (which means, hopefully, less Valentine’s Day advice and more tuna) and — yes! blogging! — for the Science section. In the meantime, no word on who will be filling his slot on the Op-Ed page; New York Times spokesperson Catherine Mathis said that there is no replacement scheduled ‘at this time.’ It’s still quite some time before former Op-Ed page editor Gail Collins is scheduled to return to the page in July 2007, but editor Andrew Rosenthal did say that they were trying to do more with less space, so maybe they won’t hire anyone at all. If they do, no doubt they’ll choose someone who will be exactly what women want.”
Bloggers, though, didn’t let Tierney’s emotional farewell distract them from criticizing his body of work.
“Um, great column John … But was Tierney the worst columnist of the past two years?” writes Big Tent Democrat on TalkLeft. “I would have to say yes. Why Tierney as the worst? Well, not only was he poorly informed, a misogynist, a retrograde and pretty stupid (I think I just described half the reporters in Washington), he was incredibly boring. David Brooks is a cancerous writer — filling the public debate with vile falsehoods, blatant cheerleading for Republicans and spreading ignorance — but he could get a reaction. I loved using Brooks as a foil. But Tierney?”
One blogger couldn’t help but observe the irony of Tierney’s libertarianism.
“It’s always amused me that the most prominent libertarian in print journalism got screwed by capitalism,” writes No More Mister Nice Blog. “A few months after he got his gig on the Op-Ed page, the Times put it behind the TimesSelect pay firewall. Paul Krugman, Tom Friedman, Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, and David Brooks were nationally known commentators who’d written bestselling books when TimesSelect hit, but Tierney had yet to build a readership. Yet how could he complain? By definition, he believes the marketplace and the profit motive are always forces for good. Even though he gives other reasons for the career move, I suspect the situation did frustrate him. If so, boo hoo. Hoist on your own petard, John.”
Most bloggers received the news with restrained jubilation.
“I can’t decide which I am: ecstatic that Tierney is going bye-bye from the Times Op-Ed pages or furious over another (thank God, the last) of his completely erroneous columns,” writes the Unknown Candidate. “One thing is clear: today’s column smacks of sour grapes and glass-half-emptiness at a time when most Americans are desperately holding their breaths in hopes that the new Democratic Congress will begin to turn this country on a more positive track. Tierney, for his fans out there, will be writing a column and a blog for the Science Times section. What will be Tierney’s libertarian slant on science, I wonder? Guess we’ll soon find out. Now, if we can just get the Times to reassign Brooksie to the ‘Home & Garden’ section …”
Mark Boyer was a CJR intern.