Althouse: "Some people always don't get something, but I figured describing PowerPoint as having been invented to euthanize cattle would make the satire clear."

September 26, 2012

"Some people always don't get something, but I figured describing PowerPoint as having been invented to euthanize cattle would make the satire clear."

Said Politico's Roger Simon, referring to something that appeared on page 2 of his satire. Don't you know about satire?! You r dum.

I call bullshit. People don't read and read down into an article. Simon intentionally put a fake quote out there knowing it would be taken as real. You have to get 2/3 of the way into his piece to see the euthanize-cattle nudge. That's not the way people read these days.

Here you can see page 1. Who would click to page 2?

This was a deliberate attempt to pollute the public debate, to promote Simon's candidate. He would never fun with Obama like that. He kept his deniability, but he put it way down where no one would read. His writing doesn't merit the click to page 2.

123 comments:

pm317 said...: FUCK the media and Simon or whatever his fucking name is. I am beyond livid. Where is the outrage and why do these fuckers still have jobs? Even your post is not strong enough in its condemnation.; 9/26/12, 7:03 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: This was a deliberate attempt to pollute the public debate."

Yes.; 9/26/12, 7:03 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace.; 9/26/12, 7:05 PM
Carnifex said...: While you are right that this guy would never satirize "the One", I've got to say that anybody who takes what he writes as serious is going "full retard" like in the movie.

In other words, only a reporter in todays LSM is that stupid.

Everybody else has been exposed to their cynacism so long it has no effect anymore.

At least on the conservative side. Polls show that the left still gulps this putrid tripe down with gusto.; 9/26/12, 7:08 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: A variant on the "This week's Romney gaffe cost him the election, so he might as well give up."; 9/26/12, 7:08 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Hey, Simon, don't quit your day job!

Not only does Simon need to be canned for this, but all the producers & researchers for the other shows who passed this too-good-to-be-true nugget up the food chain need to have their asses kicked, too.

What'll happen to these clowns? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.; 9/26/12, 7:08 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Who wants to bet that this will be a debate question thrown at Romney.
(besides all the contraception/abortion questions/Bain questions/47% quesitons)
Watch. The leftwing hack media will continue to treat this as if the lie is real.; 9/26/12, 7:09 PM
Steve Austin said...: Yep, Simon should be canned for this.

There was little on page one to give the average reader the idea this was satire. And while Simon is a lefty hack, he is a known political reporter who had to know his cache would cause confusion here. Would have been different if a comedian had penned this.; 9/26/12, 7:15 PM
Carnifex said...: Just reflecting on my shot from the hip post and realize that I hit deeper than I thought. The movie "Tropic Thunder" was about a fake war story that while being made into a movie, gets conflated by the charismatic, but otherwise dim bulb actors as variations of reality. This was referred to as going "full retard" by the Downey character, who so enamored of minorities even though he was a blue eyed blond, dyed his skin mocha, affected a Texarcana accent, and stayed in character until the threat of real physical death broke him.

One of the few "Great" movie satires in a long time in my book.

Along with "Green Lantern"...what?...What?...What do you mean "Green Lantern" wasn't a satire? It really WAS that bad?

Never mind.; 9/26/12, 7:20 PM
wef said...: so a power-worshiping lewinsky press toady acts like the servile lickspittle that he is - you are wasting pixels again

but wasting pixels is not always bad. see this cute little presentation:

http://www.slideshare.net/vgururao/wasting-pixels; 9/26/12, 7:20 PM
edutcher said...: FWIW, this is the Roger Simon some may know from JWR, not the one from Pajamas Media.

In any case, yeah, this is a gotcha and one that would seem to show Zero's situation not as rosy as the polls might tend to suggest.; 9/26/12, 7:22 PM
Roger J. said...: quite amazing that a nobel laureate would fall for this--Oh well: Nobel prizes to Krugman and Obama seem to have lost their cache; 9/26/12, 7:24 PM
Michael K said...: Here's a little satire on the White House.

For a few measly millions, Wall Street not only bought itself a president, but got the start-up firm of B. H. Obama & Co. LLC to throw a cabinet into the deal, too — on remarkably generous terms. President Obama, for a guy prone to delivering prim and smug little homilies denouncing greed, greed, greed — the only of the seven deadly sins that truly offends Democrats (though Mrs. Obama has done some desultory work on gluttony) — is strangely comfortable among the Gordon Gekkos of this world. Shall we have a partial roll call?

What follows is a list of Obama financial officers and their Wall Street pedigree.

The satire is a bit easier to get.; 9/26/12, 7:26 PM
KCFleming said...: So the gubmint speaks bullshit and the media write bullshit.

In the second Obama term, every word will be a lie, including 'and' and 'the', from the State, the news, and entertainment.

Hell, it is now.; 9/26/12, 7:28 PM
virgil xenophon said...: AprilApple@7:09 is RIGHT on target. The whole point of the piece is to throw the Romney/Ryan campaign off-stride. They'll be putting out lefty fires for days. Ann is right to call BS on Simon..; 9/26/12, 7:29 PM
Zachary Sire said...: I disagree. I think he's a) stupid, arrogant, and naive enough to think that people read his bullshit all the way through, and b) a horrible writer who truly thinks he can pull off satire.

Why try to make this a media bias/political thing when it's so obvious (and so much easier to prove) that's he's just an awful, awful writer?; 9/26/12, 7:29 PM
Carnifex said...: @ZachSire

Never ascribe to malice and conspiracy that which is merely incompetence and stupidity.

Unless they really are out to get you.; 9/26/12, 7:38 PM
Roger J. said...: ZPS--good to see you back and commenting; 9/26/12, 7:40 PM
Mary Beth said...: What is it that makes them think that Ryan is that ill-mannered and unprofessional? Projection?; 9/26/12, 7:44 PM
miss j said...: What I notice is that your own writing gets boring when you repeatedly use "bullshit." It's meaningless and just sounds like you're trying too hard.; 9/26/12, 7:45 PM
Mr. D said...: This guy's been around for over 30 years -- I remember reading his column in the Chicago Sun Times back in the early 1980s. He was something of a poor man's Mike Royko and his shtick back then was to suggest that someone or something that bothered him should be "beaten with sticks."

So not much has changed, I guess.; 9/26/12, 7:54 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Politico can't get any worse- their website traffic numbers must be horrible so they are fighting desperately for the librul eyeballs.; 9/26/12, 7:56 PM
Darrell said...: So Dan Qualye still never said that he was glad the he studied Latin in school because he was selected to go to Latin America on a good-will mission.

Good to know.; 9/26/12, 8:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Irony and Satire are lost on the internet unless you emoticon them. The audience is largely unknown strangers who will interpret the lead up to the joke differently.

I say take it all at face value unless someone truly proves they are a buzzsawmonkey. Then read cautiously.; 9/26/12, 8:20 PM
Roger J. said...: Perhaps this was Simon's idea of an october suprise--I am sure the dems have an october surprise on the books: probably a picture of Mr Romeny drinking a cup of coffee or drinking a coke. Other than that they have exhausted the haircutting and dog thing. Not many arrows left in their quiver, although perhaps liawtha could provide some help--shee being cherokee and all that; 9/26/12, 8:21 PM
Geoff Matthews said...: Well, doesn't this mean that Krugman is dumb? O'Donell is dumb? Gawker is dumb (already knew that one)?; 9/26/12, 8:23 PM
Unknown said...: Roger Simon lies. The bracketed text where he tries claiming it was a satirical piece was added long after the piece had begun drawing notice--and criticism. I know, because I started writing a response at 10:00AM. Just look at the update time the column is sporting; it confirms he put the "hey, this is satire, guys!" after the horse was out of the barn.; 9/26/12, 8:32 PM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 9/26/12, 8:32 PM
dreams said...: What is so bad about the corrupt liberal media is that most people regardless of how smart they are don't read very much. They get most of their news from TV and so most of them are getting the liberal spin.

Most people don't even know that we had low unemployment in the Bush years about as good as the Clinton years but the liberal media had them all pissed off about the Iraq war. Most people dance to the tune of the liberal media. Sometimes I will hear someone who I know is conservative parroting some liberal crap they've heard on TV.; 9/26/12, 8:34 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Another Romney gaff?; 9/26/12, 8:41 PM
Revenant said...: "I figured describing PowerPoint as having been invented to euthanize cattle would make the satire clear"

It would appear that Simon does not actually know what the word "satire" means. :); 9/26/12, 8:48 PM
Dante said...: I think there is too much 2+2 = 5 going on.

People expect you to swallow such garbage these days, like the "Rich" pay their share, when they are accumulating massive amounts of wealth, and paying 17% on their income (that is, what gains they take), compared to a married filing jointly couple paying up to 37% of their gross income.

Or Multi-Culturalism, and its evil cousin PC Ism, in which "Blacks can't be racist."

Or, Health Care will reduce budget deficits, or create a million jobs overnight, etc.

In another time, these things would be laughed at. But not today.

As an example, today I was told by a leftist that the reason Obamacare was so screwed up is because of uncompromising Republicans. That would be a joke in another time, but here the person is saying something he actually believes, and he isn't stupid either.; 9/26/12, 8:56 PM
Dante said...: I think there is too much 2+2 = 5 going on.

People expect you to swallow such garbage these days, like the "Rich" pay their share, when they are accumulating massive amounts of wealth, and paying 17% on their income (that is, what gains they take), compared to a married filing jointly couple paying up to 37% of their gross income.

Or Multi-Culturalism, and its evil cousin PC Ism, in which "Blacks can't be racist."

Or, Health Care will reduce budget deficits, or create a million jobs overnight, etc.

In another time, these things would be laughed at. But not today.

As an example, today I was told by a leftist that the reason Obamacare was so screwed up is because of uncompromising Republicans. That would be a joke in another time, but here the person is saying something he actually believes, and he isn't stupid either.; 9/26/12, 8:56 PM
Revenant said...: People expect you to swallow such garbage these days, like the "Rich" pay their share, when they are accumulating massive amounts of wealth, and paying 17% on their income (that is, what gains they take), compared to a married filing jointly couple paying up to 37% of their gross income.

I'm sorry -- was that whole thing meant as an example of the kind of garbage people swallow? It was worded oddly. :); 9/26/12, 9:00 PM
george said...: He was being ironic.

We used to call this being an asshole but the left has decided that irony sounds more sophisticated so they assign all of their gaffes and preplanned outrages or lies to that category now.

Then they are surprised and mortified when people think they are just a bunch of retarded assholes. Ironically, retarded assholes are similarly outraged when they are perceived as leftists.; 9/26/12, 9:06 PM
george said...: He was being ironic.

We used to call this being an asshole but the left has decided that irony sounds more sophisticated so they assign all of their gaffes and preplanned outrages or lies to that category now.

Then they are surprised and mortified when people think they are just a bunch of retarded assholes. Ironically, retarded assholes are similarly outraged when they are perceived as leftists.; 9/26/12, 9:06 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: They used to be a place to go for information but now they are the place to go for satire. You say politico, I think, The Onion, except not the slightest amusing.

It's not misinformation, it's malinformation. That's politico. So when you see them in print or on any panel on TV then think also, well there's the satire.; 9/26/12, 9:14 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: More media picked up this "bad" satire and reported it as fact... than reporters caught the continuing Obama lie at the UN... that a video caused our ambassador to get killed.

Romney just hopes those bad calls at NFL games can somehow, in the minds of the voters, translate to the calls reporters constantly blow against Romney and for Obama.; 9/26/12, 9:18 PM
Anonymous said...: WE LOVE, LOVE SIMON AT THE WH. WE LOVE HIM. THE DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY AT STATE, PHILLIPE REINES SAID TO ME OTHER DAY: THIS MAN IS OUR NEXT WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN.

The new polls, based on the simulation on Mira (read at The Atlantic) Super-Computer suggest:

The great and the best POTUS Obama is up by 10% in national polls and over 340 electoral votes.

IT IS OVER FOR ROMNEY. Today I was in the NYT editorial room, they had cup-cakes by GeorgeTown gals in the shape of oval office with a sign: Obama owns the WH till Jan. 2017; 9/26/12, 9:18 PM
Mike said...: I called BS on it when it first surface because it was inconsistent with Ryan's character. I didn't recognize it as satire.; 9/26/12, 9:19 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: What Chip just said..; 9/26/12, 9:19 PM
n.n said...: The job of the "journalist" is to manipulate perception in order to influence the realization of a preferred reality.

There are few journalists, historians, etc., which is why the traditional advice to inquire of multiple (independent) sources remains valid today.; 9/26/12, 9:20 PM
Mark Nielsen said...: That explains a lot! Those D+9 and D+12 polls are really meant to be *satire*.; 9/26/12, 9:20 PM
William said...: In defense of Simon, I would say that one way to tell your sarcasm isn't too heavy handed is when some people take it at face value. For the prosecution, I would argue that if most people don't get the joke, then it's not a joke. SO the question becomes is this a failed joke or agitprop? To prove that it's not agitprop, he should write a delicate satire about Obama butchering the White House dog, Bo, and serving it at a special meal with the winner of his dinner raffle.; 9/26/12, 9:22 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: What made it clear was the distancing he said is occurring between the R and R and then going on the the AARP boos. Right off at the top. Just bullshit right off. Who gets to the second page? Instead, I ask, who linked me to this obvious bullshit? And it's you, someone I like, but they are to be viewed with a jaundiced eye always. They made all that clear in the primaries where their chief interest was in serial elimination to Romney because he would be easiest to eliminate at last. Stage one complete, stage two in progress.; 9/26/12, 9:24 PM
Cedarford said...: Mr. D said...
This guy's been around for over 30 years -- I remember reading his column in the Chicago Sun Times back in the early 1980s.
=============
And he has known Axelrod that whole 30 years. Friends, fellow liberals, attended the same Synagogue in Chicago...that sort of stuff.

He is a Democrat and White House surogate. Not a journalist.; 9/26/12, 9:25 PM
McTriumph said...: I see where Presidents McGovern, Gore and Kerry all endorsed Obama today. They were all very opitmistic about Obama's victory predicted by the current polls five weeks out. The media as always concured.; 9/26/12, 9:35 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: They are making new now.

CNN and MSNBC Pundit Arrested for Vandalizing Anti-Muslim Ad In N.Y. Subway System.; 9/26/12, 9:35 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Clearly I meant to say making news.

That's 'making news'

Making News... as opposed to reporting it.; 9/26/12, 9:41 PM
McTriumph said...: I'm just very glad I'm not young in America.; 9/26/12, 9:49 PM
sakredkow said...: The media as always concured.

Victims of the media. You need special accommodations.; 9/26/12, 9:49 PM
McTriumph said...: No more than the members of the media when this fantasy economy crumbles and the shit hits the fan.; 9/26/12, 10:12 PM
gadfly said...: Satire? This piece has more hate speech than the convicted Amish hair cutters.

Putting the shoe on the other foot for just a minute, what white guy would dare write something this mean and distorted about Obama and live through tomorrow?

I suspect that Roger Simon is proud that he could find another way to mention the false meme that Mitt is losing support.

I also suspect that the reactions from the left media was coordinated in advance. How else could that many writers and commentators misread that Ryan called Romney "The Stench?"

Dirty politics is all that is left for Zero.; 9/26/12, 10:12 PM
gk1 said...: This is such horseshit. The media is reduced to manufacturing stories on Romney then turn around and call it a "gaffe". They are really that desperate. Not the steps of a confident campaign.; 9/26/12, 10:14 PM
Dr Hubert Jackson said...: Maybe if their "satire" wasn't so indistinguishable from their normal hit pieces and half telling of the truth it would be readily apparent.; 9/26/12, 10:23 PM
chickelit said...: phx projects: Victims of the media. You need special accommodations.

No one called anyone a victim. People are free not to listen to this stuff. I find Drudge and numerous Twitter feeds to be "better" news sources anyways. I put "better" in quotes because I think Drudge is going to get punked one of these days before November.

I enjoyed see that "newswoman" have her meltdown on the subway today. I hope it was the first of many on-air career suicides.*
____________
*Not suicide suicide, but oe McCarthy-style memorialized meltdowns. Good stuff!; 9/26/12, 10:26 PM
McTriumph said...: Ben
BINGO!; 9/26/12, 10:32 PM
Gabriel Hanna said...: I think Simon's piece was obvious satire on the first page--if you read past the first couple paragraphs. Finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan? McCain's strategy sessions with his bowl of farina?

That's how good satire works--start with stuff that's somewhat plausible and gradually load more ridiculous details in. See, oh, anything by Mark Twain. Not that this writing rises to that level.

Then again, a lot of non-satirical writing is so loaded with snark that comments such as the bowl of farina might pass by undetected.; 9/26/12, 10:36 PM
chickelit said...: And if I were to be killed, Willard, I would want someone to go to my home and tell my son everything – everything I did, everything you saw – because there's nothing that I detest more than the stench of lies. And if you understand me, Willard, you will do this for me.

~Apocalypse Now
___________

I didn't (and refuse to) read the Simon "satire." But was he at all inspired by that Apocalypse Now quote? I thought the juxtaposition of "Willard" and "the stench" a little obvious.; 9/26/12, 10:47 PM
Anonymous said...: Does anyone know if Simon is still beating his wife?; 9/26/12, 10:58 PM
Ralph L said...: Althouse gets results: they've put a disclaimer of sorts at the beginning.
"Editor’s note: Some readers were confused that this Roger Simon column was satire. Please see Roger’s note at the end … .
"; 9/26/12, 11:04 PM
Revenant said...: I think Simon's piece was obvious satire on the first page--if you read past the first couple paragraphs.

Here's a question, then: what is it satirizing?

Obvious exaggeration for comic effect -- e.g., the PowerPoint and "bowl of farina" remarks -- isn't the same as satire. Snide remarks aren't the same as satire either. Simon's article reads like a generic left-wing attack on the Romney campaign. It could easily have been written by Paul Krugman (which may be why Krugman thought it was real too).; 9/26/12, 11:09 PM
Patrick said...: Refs are back.; 9/26/12, 11:17 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I just heard the NFL Ref lockout is over.; 9/26/12, 11:20 PM
tacotaco said...: Ann Althouse: terrible law professor, great conspiracy theorist.; 9/26/12, 11:22 PM
McTriumph said...: Journalism is dead in America.; 9/26/12, 11:40 PM
Gabriel Hanna said...: @Revenant: The way you can tell we live in a decadent age is that it IS so hard to tell satire from the real thing.

Irony is the default pose--it's the antithesis of humor, and anyone can do it, talented or not.

You know what would not surprise me? That after this, Romney and Ryan start calling each other Stench and Gilligan.; 9/26/12, 11:42 PM
Gabriel Hanna said...: @Revenant: I quit reading the Onion because the stories they printed kept coming true. Specifically, they had one about fat people suing candy companies--this was at the time of the tobacco lawsuits. Only took about a year for it to come true with fat people suing McDonalds.; 9/26/12, 11:50 PM
Mark said...: Hey Axelrod, glad you're enjoying Mexican tonight.; 9/26/12, 11:55 PM
Andy said...: Though Ryan had already decided to distance himself from the floundering Romney campaign, he now feels totally uninhibited. Reportedly, he has been marching around his campaign bus, saying things like, “If Stench calls, take a message” and “Tell Stench I’m having finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan and will text him later.”

Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened? You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?

You people amaze me.; 9/27/12, 12:08 AM
Anonymous said...: Fake but accurate.

It's the Obama/Inga the Lying Obama Whore/Garbage/Andy R. the Child Molester/Shiloh the Wonder Bitch/Obama Lapdog Media way!

Seig Heil, Mein Obama! All is subservient to the state! Re-education for all who oppose!; 9/27/12, 12:10 AM
Andy said...: Simon intentionally put a fake quote out there knowing it would be taken as real.

Which quote from the article is Ann talking about?; 9/27/12, 12:13 AM
Anonymous said...: Love how the lefties have reverted to their pathetic, tired, overused defense of "It's obviously irony! If you didn't get it, you're just not cool!"

It's how that ebola-worthy cretin, Jon Stewart, gets away with his propaganda, as do all leftist propagandists. "Did we go too far? Was it too far in disgust or too close to outright lying? Wel... we were being ironic! Yeah, that's the ticket! You're just too dumb to get how sarcastic we are! (Phew! Another crisis averted! Call David Axelrod, I want my check!)"

Seig Heil, Mein Obama!; 9/27/12, 12:13 AM
Gabriel Hanna said...: @Andy R:You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?

You people amaze me.

Wasn't obvious to Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, or a lot of bloggers on your side of the aisle. Some of whom still refuse to admit it was satire.; 9/27/12, 12:14 AM
Revenant said...: Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened?

No, but Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman was, as were a number of leftie journalists.

I think I'll hang onto the memory of your little snit; it'll come in handy the next time you expect us to take leftist media seriously. :); 9/27/12, 12:31 AM
PoNyman said...: This reminded me of the stories that came out about McCain and Palin. I may have to look at those again, maybe they were satire, too.; 9/27/12, 1:26 AM
Methadras said...: They are lef-tards for a reason.; 9/27/12, 1:37 AM
Alex said...: Picture Andy in an SS uniform, I sure can.; 9/27/12, 1:58 AM
Alex said...: I've never seen an election so decided by the media. Maybe the economy is not so horrible as to cause the swing voters to want to overwhelmingly throw Obama out, but the media has been so one-sided that they can't help but think Romney is TEH EVIL.; 9/27/12, 1:59 AM
Revenant said...: Um, the election hasn't been "decided" yet, Alex. :); 9/27/12, 3:12 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: AprilApple,

The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace.

Yeah - just like bullshit partisan rhetoric. But you've got one thing right:

The Republicans are about as clumsy at it as can be.

There's more than enough "disgrace" to go around this year,...; 9/27/12, 4:31 AM
DEEBEE said...: And Michelle O is tired of BHO spending too much time praying five times a day. She is calling him a "kneeler" instead of a "bower" /sa..; 9/27/12, 5:04 AM
Rusty said...: AprilApple said...
The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace.

Our internet friend , garage, assures us that lying is a virtue. He engages in it at every opprtunity.; 9/27/12, 5:58 AM
Matt Sablan said...: The best part? This means people like Krugman can't be assed to click through to page 2 of an article.

Intellectually incurious indeed.; 9/27/12, 6:40 AM
Matt Sablan said...: "Why try to make this a media bias/political thing when it's so obvious (and so much easier to prove) that's he's just an awful, awful writer?"

-- As an editor, I can tell you, that piece should never have flown as is. Something clearly satirical should've been in the lead so that people "got" it. It was not, so yes, he is a bad writer.

But, the -reason- that people like Krugman and many others fell for it is because they are biased hacks. Simon unintentionally turned on the lights and the cockroaches did not hide.; 9/27/12, 6:43 AM
Brennan said...: I believe they really are determined to ruin their profession.; 9/27/12, 6:50 AM
Curious George said...: "Andy R. said...
Though Ryan had already decided to distance himself from the floundering Romney campaign, he now feels totally uninhibited. Reportedly, he has been marching around his campaign bus, saying things like, “If Stench calls, take a message” and “Tell Stench I’m having finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan and will text him later.”

Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened? You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?

You people amaze me."

I forwarded your commnent to Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman and he replied "Tell him he can blow me."

Before you start strapping on the kneepads, this too, satire.; 9/27/12, 6:52 AM
Matt Sablan said...: "Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened? You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?"

-- Ask Paul Krugman, CNN and the other news outlets who fell for it.; 9/27/12, 6:53 AM
Matt Sablan said...: I honestly think if various news media didn't do follow-up reports saying it was true, most people would not have been fooled. I initially read the piece after being forwarded to it by someone I trusted. I assumed that Simon just got it wrong and that Ryan was playing off the "Stench" quote like a friend who makes fun of another friend with a put down nickname. It wasn't until I got through the whole article that I realized the person linking me had been had.; 9/27/12, 7:00 AM
Brennan said...: Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened? You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?

You people amaze me.

Sometimes I have a hard time believing you are a real person. The people that were dumb enough to think this actually happened are Rachel Maddow and Paul Krugman.; 9/27/12, 7:10 AM
Brennan said...: New rule. Everything Politico publishes is satire until readers rule otherwise.; 9/27/12, 7:11 AM
Tank said...: Wait, Ann and all the people complaining were dumb enough to think this actually happened? You think Page 1 of this article isn't obviously satire?

You people amaze me.

You people?

Classic racist dog whistle.

Andy the Bigot thinks we're all black. Or .... ????

Why is Andy using a phrase that everyone knows is racist, historically and culturally.

Now I'm not saying that

ANDY IS A FLAMING BIGOT

but why does that phrase come so easily to him ??? Hmmm?; 9/27/12, 7:38 AM
ElPresidenteCastro said...: This is an incredible satire. Never seen such devastating send up of the media. The fact that the media picked up on it and reported it as fact only makes it more delicious.; 9/27/12, 7:54 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Anry R - Are you stupid or just refusing to pay attention? The entire pro-Obama Pravda media picked up the "satire" and ran with it as fact.; 9/27/12, 8:01 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: This misunderstood satire is like the Obama presidency.

Obama does something and it causes something to happen and Obama will be the first one to say he is not responsible.

The Solyndras (there is more than one), Fast & Furious, the jobs the 'stimulus' was supposed to create, the US credit downgrades, the runaway deficits, the steady above 8% unemployment, the Arab Spring tuning into winter.

Obama didnt 'build it', he had nothing to do with them, despite Obamas own Handel like chorus, four years ago, that his predecessor was responsible for everything wrong under the sun...

It is we that misunderstand him!

So when he continues to say that our ambassador was killed because of a video, we are most likely once again misunderstanding him.; 9/27/12, 8:07 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The Obama presidency was invented to euthanize the this country.; 9/27/12, 8:09 AM
machine said...: R-yan...R-yan...R-yan....

oh wait....

Rom-Ney--R-yan...Rom-Ney--R-yan...

Everyone all together now...; 9/27/12, 8:11 AM
Darrell said...: PowerPoint was actually invented to castrate Lefties like Simon so they wouldn't reproduce.; 9/27/12, 8:12 AM
Darrell said...: Be careful what you say to AndyR. After that kid shot himself in the head in a crowded hallway in school to get attention, AndyR has been thinking about how a similar stunt can keep Obama from losing.; 9/27/12, 8:18 AM
Farmer said...: AprilApple said...
The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace.

The right doesn't lie!; 9/27/12, 8:21 AM
Anonymous said...: I call bullshit. People don't read and read down into an article. Simon intentionally put a fake quote out there knowing it would be taken as real. You have to get 2/3 of the way into his piece to see the euthanize-cattle nudge. That's not the way people read these days.

Give it up. You're just embarrassed that you didn't even realize it was satire when you were commenting on an article that described the statement as satire.

Why can't admit, just this once, you were foolish?; 9/27/12, 8:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Machine, "Oh, sweet Mother of God", that was pretty funny.; 9/27/12, 8:27 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Farmer,
Everyone is capable of lying. Left/right/center whatever. The left love to lie. It is second nature to them and they have no problem embracing lies. They have no problem covering each other’s lies.
They lie to themselves and others without a care in the world.
Lying comes easy, and they are proven masters at it.

A lie can spread halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its shoes on.
The left exploit this daily.; 9/27/12, 8:29 AM
Anonymous said...: That was satire, he actually said, "Oh Sweet Jesus".; 9/27/12, 8:30 AM
machine said...: "The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace."

Which side lied to the American people in order to start a war? and sent American soldiers to fight and die based on the lies?

pretty masterful/disgraceful....; 9/27/12, 8:31 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I wonder if Matt Lauer &/or Diane "OWS is spreading to thousands of countries!" Sawyer are going to cover this big story today on the AM shows?
How will they spin it? Mention the quote as if it were real and then casually cut off the truthy part?; 9/27/12, 8:34 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Machine - Why did the Democrats vote OK on the Iraq war?; 9/27/12, 8:36 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Machine - If the wars in the ME are all frauds based on faulty intelligence, why are we still in Afghanistan?; 9/27/12, 8:39 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The Madonna "Obama black Muslim in the White House" comment is also part of what would call leading by misleading... a creation of a fake controversy in order get attention away from the disaster that has been this administration.

Its really easy... no need to collude... the tools are available to everyone... take to twitter say something to cause our hypersensitive sensibilities to go into overdrive... and then explain that it was satire.

My point being... dont fall for the chicanery... we are not like the hypersensitive Muslims... or are we?; 9/27/12, 8:39 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: April Apple - Sawyer saying "thousands of countries" was a classic one- it showed hee pretty little talking head was sorta empty.; 9/27/12, 8:46 AM
furious_a said...: Althouse: He kept his deniability, but he put it way down where no one would read.

...kind of like the page B16 correction/walkback of a page A1 Romney "gaffe", or party ID of a Democrat headed for jail.; 9/27/12, 8:48 AM
ErnieG said...: There is ample precedence for this effect, and Simon knows it. Although SNL is a comedy show, and Tina Fey is a comedian, there are many people who believe that Sarah Palin is so stupid that she actually said that she could see Russia from her house in Alaska.; 9/27/12, 8:53 AM
Andy said...: I looked at the Krugman post, and it's crazy that he fell for this. Maybe he is only book smart and not street smart.

What did CNN do with it? Did they run with it on air?

I guess at the point where a Republican is openly talking about the stench of Romney, maybe nothing is beyond the point of plausibility. When Republicans at a Republican campaign rally dislike Romney so much they won't chant his name, and the last VP nominee when rogue against her own candidate's wishes, perhaps the bar has been so lowered that satire writers have a higher standard in terms of what they say about a Republican campaign for it not to be mistaken as real reporting.

Apologies for suggesting that some/all of you were dumb enough to fall for this.; 9/27/12, 8:55 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: The inability to acknowledge you've been punked, rick-rolled, Simonized, etc. reveals an interesting character trait. It wasn't very good satire, but still should have been impossible to believe unless you wanted to believe, like Krugman.

I don't think the old saying that W mangled -- (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me -- applies when the media is involved. The media is not trustworthy after hundreds of attempts to fool.

Blame yourself if you got punked. Maybe you're not as smart or savvy as you thought you were, or maybe you are too willing to accept things as true without sufficient basis to do so.; 9/27/12, 8:59 AM
furious_a said...: I forwarded [AndyR's] commnent to Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman and he replied "Tell him he can blow me."

Krugman had better clarify he meant that figuratively or he's going to get a visitor.; 9/27/12, 9:01 AM
BarrySanders20 said...: As Andy peddles the old fake but accurate line.; 9/27/12, 9:03 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: btw.. I didnt go the link story.. I dont want to reward dirty tricks.

Although I understand why the professor linked to it... (or at least I think she did).
Althouse is trying to uphold standards of fairness Politico and others treat like that stuff that comes out of your nose when you sneeze.; 9/27/12, 9:05 AM
machine said...: Today's Etch-a-Sketch moment:

"Mitt Romney pointed to the health care law he signed as governor of Massachusetts one of his signature achievements Wednesday, a move that has drawn swift and strong rebuke from conservatives in the past."

more to come...; 9/27/12, 9:19 AM
Rusty said...: machine said...
"The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace."

Which side lied to the American people in order to start a war? and sent American soldiers to fight and die based on the lies?

pretty masterful/disgraceful...

The executive and both legislative houses.
Your point?; 9/27/12, 10:32 AM
Known Unknown said...: Roger Simon is POLITICO’s chief political columnist.

And funnyman!; 9/27/12, 3:31 PM
Known Unknown said...: The great and the best POTUS Obama is up by 10% in national polls and over 340 electoral votes.

AP, let me know when he gets over 600.; 9/27/12, 3:36 PM
Known Unknown said...: Today's Etch-a-Sketch moment:

"Mitt Romney pointed to the health care law he signed as governor of Massachusetts one of his signature achievements Wednesday, a move that has drawn swift and strong rebuke from conservatives in the past."

more to come...

Thanks for staying on fucking topic. You're as SQUIRRELLY!!!! as Garage.; 9/27/12, 3:41 PM
Methadras said...: AprilApple said...

The left love lying. They are masters at it. It's a disgrace.

They love lying because they never have anything to lose. It's easier to lie than look at the truth and if the truth isn't in their favor they will lie about it fabricate entire narratives and story lines out of whole cloth. It's what they do because being a leftard is easy. Everything is arbitrary and relative. Standards mean nothing to a leftard, this is how they can conceive these mental exercises and get away with it because their co-conspirators in the media will provide cover and shelter for them at ever step of the way.; 9/27/12, 6:01 PM