I made the mistake of wandering into the comments section of Melinda Henneberger’s latest story for Politics Daily. I didn’t read all of them, but there was one in particular in which someone engaged in vicious, misogynist name-calling. Since it wasn’t deleted, I hope that means she hasn’t read it yet. I’m going to email another editor to see if it can be deleted.
Less heinous, but still disturbing, were attacks on Melinda’s writing style and skill. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but Melinda is an accomplished writer, with nothing to prove on that score. In any case, I would not have another writer criticized in the process of defending me.
Anonymity and a sense of injury do not make everything fair game.
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Daily Dose 
The ripple effect of that disgusting Playboy article go on and on. As a conservative I’d just like to thank you Tommy for being a stand up guy. Sorry you lost your job for it. Life really isn’t fair it seems.
Tommy, you’re such a classy guy.
Attacks on politician’s kids began to be accepted full force, during the Reagan days….and it has been down hill since.
For too long we have accepted that the Internet stands for freedom. But freedom without responsibility is mob rule, the jungle. Where being too accepting of this “freedom” has led us to was amply demonstrated in the horrid story you protested, Tommy. The father of that creeps story was accepting “MILF” jokes and banter, and the mother was the whole Sarah Palin deal. When a person is bankrupt of ideas or constructive criticism, now they turn to denigration and marginalization. Sometimes, most shockingly, it is done merely because it is easier.
Somehow a new code of ethics needs to be formulated, and all of us need to insist it be followed, and be prepared to suffer the slings and arrows of those who will attack us for insisting upon it. But it needs to be done.
If not, the accepted practices of some, that includes actual intrusion into our private lives and that of our own families, will become increasingly more common.
IMPORTANT READ: Playboy, Rape and Grim Fairy Tales…
Media Lizzy blogs about the Playboy website putting up a graphic piece about the author’s desire to have hate sex with 10 conservative women. Violent rape.
See NSFW/Kids screen shots HERE, that were abruptly deleted from the Playboy website – after ma…
This needs to get dialed back. People like Hannity are spinning this for their own reasons.
News Flash: Isabel, everyone, we need to STOP already with the “they are going to win’s” and “they have taken this on for their own reasons!”
So?
Supporting AIDS vaccine is a good thing, no matter what the person’s reasons. The final outcome is saving lives. Supporting something positive is always positive. If people want to use their influence to stop others from supporting those who write about “hate fucking” or “hate rape” why should we care if they are doing so “for their own reasons”? Anyone who supported such crap for reasons of free speech were already there, doing things for their own reasons, malevolent ones.
This whole “they will win” business is part of the reason we have the crappy political discourse that we have….Hannity isn’t a bad person. John Kerry isn’t a bad person. We really need to cleanse our minds and souls people.
Maybe they can hire a proctologist to fix those brain wagons in the Einstein box.
Even I got sick of being what Tommy referred to me once in article as a “Trollbuster” over there. Like, it went beneath my moral compass.
I’m reminded of a prediction I had when they allowed articles to be rated by readers. Right after the switch fro PM to PD.
“Five Start Dining At Politics Daily”
The only thing I never really understood about some of the comments about Tommy and I, umm…. doing it, were we never, ever, ever did it with a clown watching. This is the image they choose to present to the world. Their policy, as I understand it, is anything goes. Which reflects, I don’t know, nicely on the writers. How do you read an aritlce when some nimord figures out how to draw a cyberdoodle of me and Tommy hooking up? It’s right there and impossible for the eye to avoid. It’s like a train wreck.
I understand blog venom well. I stumbled into a ‘feminist’ website and tried to actually be friendly. Can you imagine the gall of some penis-owner doing that?
It went over like a turd in a puch bowl.
Also being a liberal in Kansas is not very popular. It is fun though….
I for one enjoy turds and punch.
I’ll re-state this because everyone seems to be missing the point. Melinda is stocking PD with fired journalists. These are the same journalists (NT Times) that joined in the happy march to war that led to the final denigration of the United States as our government tortured, lied, and led us through a base conspiracy to overhrow Sadam and establish a permanent military presence in the middle east. I fully understand Tommys position here but this is somewhat bigger than any one firing. Ask yourselves, why did the phenomena of the ‘citizen journalist’, or more commonly the blogger, explode just as soon as the technology allowed it? The obvious answer: mainstream journalism dropped the ball and was not up to the task. The ‘whys’ of this are too many to cover in this brief comment but that fact stands. They, and at the forefront of this was the NY Times, shamed our country even more than Bush or Cheney. At least the administration was looking after its’ own self interest. The press was cowed by the movement that Bush and Cheney created after 9/11, and stepping to the tunes played by the Times we began a quick march towards fascism. That march was only barely averted by fortuitous events and the remarkable rise of Barack Obama. They are, in my eyes, beyond professional redemption.
Tommy, lots of people can write. I don’t give a shit if she can form a coherent sentence and cohesive paragraph. That is not the point. Coupled with what looks like a crass policy of protecting AOL and Time Warners financial interests in the Playboy fiasco, she stands exposed.
Let me add this: Personal attacks involving base insults are childish and ineffective.
Ridgeliner7 I’m a Republican. I can usually stand Olbermann for about 103 seconds. I had never heard of TommyChristopher before all this,and it was about day 3 of the story before I knew his politics. Therein lies the beauty of it for me. He rose above the fray and called out evil shit for what it was.
Playboy and AOL got their brands messed up real good. This is a good thing. Tommy gets lots of new readers.Hi Tommy!
What I saw Hannity do was shift the focus of the story to “once again mainstream media allows attacks on conservatives and Christians” I don’t care who slams the crap out of Playboy. Hannity was distorting the story. That bothered me. Actually, he often makes me cringe, so maybe I over reacted. I don’t like people that make Republicans look like asses.All you Dems who are itchin to fire off a witty retort based on the preceding sentence, fuh git aboutit.
Isabel, you are my kind of a Republican!!
And you are just learning what some of us have known for a long time about Tommy, he’s pretty awesome!
I feel, he sets a good example, and he walks the walk, and talks the talk…I like that in people.
He is a digger, a good old fashioned reporter, with the notepad and funny hat..(sorta). He is constantly bringing articles to light, that are fresh, cutting edge and hot off the lifeline…in short, he breaks alot of things that people will be talking about…Ive been watching the news I can’t tell you how many times…when the talking head will say..this was from a blogger…and lo and behold, they are talking about Tommy…yep, if you hang around and read his articles, you’ll see what Im talking about…lol.
I like that he brings politics up close and personal for us that do not swim with those fishes…he gave us 2 degrees of Obama one night…that was rad!
Anywho…nice to see a brain such as yours here…Im sure you will enlighten us in very positive, conservative Republican ways!
LOL!
Tommy’s gonna kick major ass wherever he ends up…
Thanks for kind words, Michelle.
but Melinda is an accomplished writer, with nothing to prove on that score
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That may be true, however her position as editor in chief, and the decisions she has made in firing the original Political Machine staff should be questioned. It lacks respect for the original traffic on the site that you and other PM writers generated.
I am very angry the only recourse I have to address this thru a AOL feedback submission, Melinda Henneberger and Michael Kraskin have not returned my email request as to who their supervisors are so that I can address my dissatifaction thru the proper chain of command.
Tommy, I will have to part ways with you on the criticism of Melinda Henneberger, her executive decisions reflect poor judgement from where I stand. Her disrespect for PM regulars and the firing of PM writers to make room for her own staff is shallow and callous to say the least. I know this kind of corporate crap happens all the time, but it still does not make it any more acceptable.
I know you will do well wherever you land and I hope this opens a door to a better opportunity for you.