Weigel Not Alone: For Rank Partisanship, Consider NYT's Gail Collins

This week, we saw partisan Washington Post blogger David Weigel resign for getting caught showing his private but unabashed disdain for conservatives. Weigel, who was hired by Post editors for his perceived thoughtful analysis of the issues, was actually a conservative hater and liberal lover in scribe’s clothing. But were we really surprised? It happens every day.

It’s happened again with Gail Collins of the New York Times. But the difference between Weigel and Collins is that the Times celebrates her. Since there are so few conservatives who read the Times anymore, except in self-defense, I thought I would remind them why we decided to stop buying it.

This morning I stumbled on a Times piece when a friend posted it on Facebook. The title alone caught my attention because it was so unbelievable, “The Age of Nancy.” Writer Collins wrote an unabashed anthem to Nancy Pelosi that was filled with talking points straight from Nancy’s staff –

Let us sing a song about the wonderfulness of Nancy Pelosi.

What a run she’s been on. This week — with the big financial reform package edging toward completion, and the House approving a major campaign finance reform bill — was a reminder of what an incredibly productive speaker she’s become.

The piece actually made me laugh out loud because it was so emotional and partisan. Collins employs outdated metaphors and demonstrates that she’s not only a devoted and obsessive fan of the Speaker of the House, but also a profoundly uninteresting and unoriginal writer. It’s brazen public relations spin from the Times and another example of their blatant advocacy for their favorite causes and politicians.

You will not be surprised to learn that Collins served as the top editor of the editorial page for several years before becoming a regular columnist. This explains why so many of the Times‘ editorials over the years have been so partisan and predictable. They inevitably endorse the Democrat running for office, they always write on issues related to climate change, they obsessively pound the Republicans in Congress (the minority party), they still take cheap shots at George W. Bush, they give President Obama a pass on most issues – they’ve become a reliable megaphone for the Democrats in Washington.

I can only hope that when CFO James Follo contemplates the Times‘ dire financial situation and wonders why revenue has plummeted over the years, he realizes that the paper has become one-sided and filled with advocates, not journalists. And that Collins understands that she helped steer the Times into the ditch with blatant partisan pieces like today’s ode to Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi is an idealist working in the practical now. She genuinely sees her party as a vehicle for good and her pragmatism is not the least bit cynical. She is the most powerful woman in the country, the most fearless person on Capitol Hill and on track to be one of the most productive speakers in history.

I don’t know about you, but that kind of knocks me out.

Me — not so much.