Category: Anxiety

Dylan Ratigan is leaving MSNBC and Martin Bashir will take his time slot. Criminy.

Evidently, this was to be kept secret until a report at The New York Times scooped them.

After I started snooping around, Ratigan and MSNBC decided to confirm the news today. http://t.co/C1EtX7Az

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 10, 2012

More from The New York Times.

Phil Griffin, the president of MSNBC, said in an internal memorandum Sunday afternoon that Mr. Ratigan “has decided to pursue new opportunities and will be ending his role as a full-time host.”

“Dylan’s distinct voice and his fearless approach to tackling complicated issues has been a key part of MSNBC’s growth and success,” Mr. Griffin added.

Mr. Ratigan said he would keep in touch with viewers through his personal Web site, DylanRatigan.com, which includes a campaign-style e-mail list. “Basically my plan is to meet with tons of people, learn from tons of people, and then figure out a way to take the narrative I’ve been talking about, and show the most effective ways to resolve it.”

Huh? Is that like the media version of a politician not seeking reelection to “spend more time with his family?” In any event, we hope his website garners more viewers than MSNBC!

His send-off on Twitter was slightly tepid, to say the least. Mostly, people just warned that he shouldn’t let the door hit him where the sun don’t shine on the way out.

The NYT piece on Ratigan leaving #MSNBC has more words in it than the # of viewers he had in his three years hosting that show #tcot #p2 #PU

— Michi I. (@michi83) June 10, 2012

I'm so glad Dylan Ratigan is leaving @MSNBC all that yelling talking loud & saying nothing..

— Pookie✌ (@poegie59) June 10, 2012

(busted link) YAY!!!! though #DontLetTheDoorHitYa RT @DylanByers: Dylan Ratigan to leave MSNBC

— Clio the Leo (@CliotheLeo) June 10, 2012

https://twitter.com/Capit0lism/status/211952912270757889

“@UncleBill25: Please take Joe and Mika with you. RT "@demsforprogress: Dylan Ratigan Leaving MSNBC at http://t.co/dbDS5y40."”Puleeze !!

— kathleen weil (@mainemama48) June 10, 2012

@DylanByers Who is this Ratigan and Bashir you speak of?

— Andy Lancaster (@andylancaster) June 10, 2012

Excellent. RT @owillis: Dylan Ratigan Out At MSNBC http://t.co/dlcmFtse

— Ian Actual (@iboudreau) June 10, 2012

Even Leftists on Twitter had few kind words, likely because he wasn’t quite Leftist enough. Mind-boggling.

RT @GottaLaff Dylan Ratigan is leaving MSNBC http://t.co/0btBZ8sT h/t: @42bkdodgr | The heat's on as election nears: no criticism of Dems

— Jeffrey Kaye (@jeff_kaye) June 10, 2012

@Limeylizzie We need a fighter like Martin Bashir and I had enough of these Glenn Greenwald Libertarian clones like Hayes & Dyaln ratigan.

— Jeff Gauvin (@JeffersonObama) June 10, 2012

See U @DylanRatigan U lost me months ago w/ your #Fake #Ass BS

— laura (@porsche4848) June 10, 2012

Aww. Maybe he can get a job with Keith Olbermann? Snicker.

One Twitter user had an excellent suggestion for Ratigan’s replacement, if that whole Bashir thing doesn’t work out.

#ReplacementsforDylanRatigan David Axelrod's combover

— Flora Duh (@FloraDuh1) June 10, 2012

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/06/10/dylan-ratigan-to-leave-msnbc-people-suggest-he-shouldnt-let-door-hit-him-on-the-way-out/

Bingo! That cannot be repeated enough.

And look who loves it, by the way.

I very much appreciate the RNC’s stance on immigration reform. This is a major and constructive step forward for the Republican Party.

— Lindsey Graham (@GrahamBlog) March 18, 2013

That should tell you all you need to know about the RNC “growth and opportunity” plan, which equals Democrat Lite.

My biggest problem with #RNCAutopsy call for amnesty…it pretends the only (or even a major) problem in getting Hispanics is amnesty.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

If you support amnesty on moral grounds, that’s a legitimate position but please stop selling it on unsupported electoral ones.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

Lefties gleefully took up the hashtag #GOPautopsy, offering gems like this:

#GOPAutopsy recommendations: Allow 21st century textbooks back into science class. Use them in place of The Bible

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) March 18, 2013

Yuk, yuk, yuk. But, some happy warriors have taken over the hashtag, as well as #RNCautopsy, in order to respond to the Panderpalooza offered by the RNC consultant class.

#GOPAutopsy Branding what you’re doing as ‘marketing’ instead of why your principles are important to our future. Jackasses.

— End of the Republic (@PointlessPol) March 18, 2013

Principles? There is pandering to do!

<cough…gay marriage…cough> we must change our tone — especially on certain social issues that are turning off young voters #GOPAutopsy

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

I love pt 10 in #GopAutopsy‘s outreach to women…Use Women’s History Month. It’s like they ran out of ideas but needed to get to ten.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

Identity politics at its most absurd.

@gabrielmalor Right Gabe. Those are the two stops on the continuum. BTW- Aikin was a longtime GOP guy and not MO tea party choice.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

The same consultant class who is running the @rnc into the ground are now guiding @reince and @gopleader how to be saved!

— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) March 18, 2013

With things like “hackathons.” No, really.

“Priebus called for…opening an RNC office in SFO and holding hackathons to bolster relationships with developers” wapo.st/XUhQEI

— John J Czaplewski (@JJCzaplewski) March 18, 2013

Is that a party celebrating @seanhackbarth? RT @alexpappas: On tech, Priebus says: “i want to hold Hackathons in tech savvy cities.”

— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) March 18, 2013

Heh. Other Twitter users tell the RNC to “consult this.”

@perrydkp @gop STOP listening to out of touch consultants… listen to Americans!We are FURIOUS WITH DEMOCRATS RIGHT NOW…CHANNEL IT!

— Katy (@KatyinIndy) March 18, 2013

All the speeches reports & consultants can’t change fact @gop @speakerboehner continue to Fund #Obamacare! @reince #OpportUnity

— Barbara McMahon (@southsalem) March 18, 2013

#gop consultants have convinced @rnc that solution to @gop issues are more consultants. a #pinterest page will win rhode island in 2016

— j (@davesmith3) March 18, 2013

@gop @reince Oy. Enough with the consultant-speak.

— American Cailín (@AmericanCailin) March 18, 2013

@lafayette41 Political Consultants are ruining GOP. Bring back the ‘kitchen cabinet’ instead of paid hacks.

— Karen Jones (@SnakebiteJones) March 18, 2013

@iowahawkblog Or, after the consultants ‘fundamentally transform’ the GOP, you could just go to one of their meetings.

— ginaR (@ggr1868) March 18, 2013

Drew at Ace of Spades pointed out the insider influx of the committee members.

It’s exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from a committee made up of a lobbyist, a long time RNC insider, a “veteran strangest and and top ally of Jeb Bush“, and a member of W. Bush’s team, Ari Fleischer. Only one member seems to have any grassroots credibility.

This is a pretty vanilla report. That would be fine because that’s what these things are. The problem is the RNC hyped it as some important moment in the history of the GOP’s renewal. Once again, they are over promising and under delivering. Stopping that bit of terrible marketing would be a major step in the right direction.

The best advice to the RNC? Get out of the beltway bubble.

#GOPAutopsy advice for @reince: Whatever seems like a good idea to DC Beltway dwellers, do the OPPOSITE if you are looking for what we want

— GWardHome (@gwardhome) March 18, 2013

Want to take a real step towards fixing the GOP? Move the RNC HQ out of DC and into Dallas or Pittsburgh.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

Hell, Cleveland would be a better spot for the RNC than DC at this point. Actions, not reports.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

And perhaps take a page from Sen. Cruz’s awesome book.

How do we win? We champion jobs, growth, and freedom. ICYMI, watch the full speech from #CPAC2013: c-spanvideo.org/program/311531…

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) March 17, 2013

In a nutshell:

There’s one problem the #RNCAutopsy left unaddressed: The American people.

— DrewM (@DrewMTips) March 18, 2013

Funny, that. But, hey, branding!

Update: Something to bear in mind:

The Democratic Party just released it’s 2012 postmortem/strategy memo. It reads: “Lie until people believe it to be true.”

— Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) March 18, 2013

Precisely.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/03/18/consult-this-twitter-users-respond-to-the-panderpalooza-offered-by-gop-consultant-class/

Yes, really. Somewhere in the Reuters newsroom, an assignment editor is doing his best Beavis and Butthead imitation.

Reuters medical journalist Andrew Seaman was among the first to mock his own byline on the “French men not producing as much sperm” article.

I had to write about this study, my name’s on ít – sort of. Via @reuters_health: French men not producing as much sperm reut.rs/Vzg2NU

— Andrew M. Seaman (@andrewmseaman) December 5, 2012

People don’t think I’m real?! (see comments) MT @boingboing French spermcount down dlvr.it/2b6Hp4

— Andrew M. Seaman (@andrewmseaman) December 5, 2012

Other Twitter users couldn’t resist joining the fun. Because really, who among us doesn’t have an inner 12-year-old boy?

Look at the headline. Look at the author’s name. reut.rs/WJ2kHf (h/t @bendwalsh)

— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) December 5, 2012

“French men not producing as much sperm”, by Andrew Seaman #aptbylines reut.rs/VwmYPB

— ben walsh (@BenDWalsh) December 5, 2012

Surely a joke. Or this is the one story he’s been waiting his whole life to write. Check out the byline in this storyreuters.com/article/2012/1…

— Richard James (@richjamesmetro) December 5, 2012

Another classic of nominative determinism here: reuters.com/article/2012/1…

— Paul Hearns (@Paul_Hearns) December 5, 2012

The right man for the job! “@lucytweet1: LOOK AT THE BYLINE French men not producing as much sperm reut.rs/WHP19V via @reuters”

— Sue Truslove (@Suebloss) December 5, 2012

Indeed.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2012/12/05/twitterverse-snickers-at-apt-byline-on-reuters-article-about-french-mens-sperm/