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GANNON!

Who among us would ever have guessed that Jeff Gannon – THE Jeff Gannon, on whose word we relied for lo, these many decades – might one day be brought down? Why, if you’d been told two years ago that Jeff Gannon (Gannon! Journalistic superbeing! Titan of the White House press corps! The main guy at Talon News!) would somehow lose his supreme authority, you’d have laughed until your lungs bled.

Well, nobody’s laughing now … now that we live in the post-Gannon era:

Jeff Gannon (or if you prefer, James Guckert) has been elevated by an unnamed Democratic strategist to cult like status. According to an article posted on Raw Story, we are all now living in something the fringe left calls the “post-Jeff Gannon era.”

NYT fringe leftist Frank Rich is also alert to the awesome historical forces now in play:

“The death of Thompson represents the passing from the Age of Gonzo to the Age of Gannon,” wrote Russell Cobb in a column in The Daily Texan at the University of Texas. As he argues, today’s White House press corps is less likely to be invaded by maverick talents like a drug-addled reporter from a renegade start-up magazine than by a paid propagandist like Jeff Gannon, a fake reporter for a fake news organization (Talon News) run by a bona fide Texas Republican operative.

The Age of Gannon. His mighty influence and tragic legacy humble us all.

UPDATE. Stop the Gannons!

Posted by Tim B. on 03/06/2005 at 07:50 AM
  1. Lefties can detect things that humans can’t.

    Posted by rhhardin on 2005 03 06 at 09:31 AM • permalink

  2. The Age of Gannon. His mighty influence and tragic legacy humble us all.

    Oh, that is just too funny, Tim. I hope to Christ you never cast your gaze in my direction and put pen to paper.

    Posted by taspundit on 2005 03 06 at 09:31 AM • permalink

  3. Slow on the uptake as always, these guys. Some of us realized weeks ago that nothing would ever be the same again.

    Posted by Paul Zrimsek on 2005 03 06 at 09:49 AM • permalink

  4. Link fixed.

    Posted by Paul Zrimsek on 2005 03 06 at 09:52 AM • permalink

  5. ”...a paid propagandist like Jeff Gannon, a fake reporter for a fake news organization…”Frank Rich ought to be concerned that this description applies to himself as much as it does to Gannon!  The NY Time fakes news, published Jayson Blair (fake reporter with fake stories),publishes Seymour Hersh, Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd and those wonderful editorials.

    Posted by Jabba the Tutt on 2005 03 06 at 10:08 AM • permalink

  6. GA—-NNON! GA—-NNON! GA—-NNON!
    ~scene from Bravejeff~

    Posted by guinsPen on 2005 03 06 at 10:08 AM • permalink

  7. “...wrote Russell Cobb in a column in The Daily Texan at the University of Texas.”
    A writer cloaked by fantasies surrounded by a bodyguard of paranoia. Sorry Mr. Churchill.
    But a writer for the student newspaper at the most liberal state-funded institution in the most liberal city in Texas needs to have his reality meter recalibrated. Either that or he and Molly Ivins shouldn’t be getting so sloppy drunk together. Neither will happen though.

    Posted by bc on 2005 03 06 at 10:09 AM • permalink

  8. ~Bravehard~ ?

    Posted by guinsPen on 2005 03 06 at 10:20 AM • permalink

  9. Of course, “James Guckert” is one of the more famous real names of famous people (e.g. “Archie Leach”).  N-SYNC would actually check into hotels under the name “James Guckert”.

    Posted by dorkafork on 2005 03 06 at 11:27 AM • permalink

  10. guinsPen — More like the immortal Python:

    Gannon! Gannon!
    Gannon of the White House Press!
    Gannon! Gannon! 
    Gannon of the White House, Gannon of the White House, Gannon of the White Pre-e-e-e-s!

    “It’s a man’s life in the White House Press Corps!”

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 01:20 PM • permalink

  11. Christ, it’s like walking in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. They killed Jeff Gannon! The bastards!

    Frank Rich is a collossal prick. Always has been, always will be.

    Posted by David Gillies on 2005 03 06 at 01:57 PM • permalink

  12. If permitting a reporter from Talon News daily passes to White House press briefings constitutes such a serious threat to the New York Times, etc., imagine what would happen if they let bloggers in…

    Posted by Bruce Rheinstein on 2005 03 06 at 02:34 PM • permalink

  13. I have no idea, now that Gannon is gone, where I’ll get my news from.

    Even when the left believes they obtained a great victory against the VRWC, it merely gives us a reason to make fun of them.  And this is fun.

    Wouldn’t you think they would catch on?

    Posted by wronwright on 2005 03 06 at 02:46 PM • permalink

  14. I don’t think the Lefties realize their work is not done.  Just on the basis of simple statistics, based on the size of the White House press corps and demographic breakdowns, there could be as many as a dozen more gays in that group.  Surely, if the Left is possessed of any intellectual rigor, they must be exposed and outed!

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 03:23 PM • permalink

  15. I believe the Left’s position is that a conservative cannot be gay.  If he or she is, then they have to be exposed and shamed.  Because it’s hypocrisy to be gay and conservative.  Well actually, it’s just bad to be anything and conservative.  And being gay is anything, so that’s bad.  The conservative part.  Which is not what the furor is about.  It’s being gay.  Unless they’re not conservative.  In which case, they’re good.  Because they’re gay.  Unless they’re conservative.  In which case, they’re bad.  And gay.  Which is bad, no, good, but could be bad. 

    Hey don’t make fun of me.  That’s as lucid as they get on Daily Kos.  (gives squinty eye to Andrea, wonders whether Tim Blair even reads the comments).

    Going on, outing any left liberal person as gay is different, because regardless of their occupation, doing so is a egregious act of blatant homophobic HATRED deserving of termination from one’s career and ostra—, er, ostraci—er, not letting them do stuff with them.

    Posted by wronwright on 2005 03 06 at 03:57 PM • permalink

  16. That’s elevation.
    I guess you cannot serve both God and Gannon.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2005 03 06 at 04:29 PM • permalink

  17. My God, I really would have thought the left’s capacity for desperation would be finite.

    Posted by Mike Jericho on 2005 03 06 at 05:01 PM • permalink

  18. wronwright — Congratulations on your first culmination! ;D

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 05:03 PM • permalink

  19. I hadn’t paid much attention to the Gannon thing, but I did a search last night for something else and ended up running into quite a few sites claiming that Jeff Gannon was actually Johnny Gosch (famously never-found paperboy kidnapped in Des Moines around 1982). Apparently he’s a big part of some sort of Republican male prostituation ring. Eh, who knew?

    Posted by Sonetka on 2005 03 06 at 05:24 PM • permalink

  20. I still can vividly recall where I was and what I was doing when I heard of who he was and his fiery demise all at the same time. It’s etched into to my mind just like when I found out the Detroit Lions didn’t make it to the Super Bowl for the 38th straight time.

    Posted by zefal on 2005 03 06 at 05:35 PM • permalink

  21. Interesting that Frank Rich of The New York Times prefers to get his information and commentary from a college newspaper in Texas. I would, too.

    Posted by lyle on 2005 03 06 at 05:38 PM • permalink

  22. Congratulations on your first culmination!

    Uh, I’m not exactly sure what that means.  But it sounds dirty.  My god, is the whole VRWC just a bunch of Jeff Gannons?

    Posted by wronwright on 2005 03 06 at 06:15 PM • permalink

  23. “A close reading of the transcripts of televised White House press conferences reveals that at uncannily crucial moments he was called on by the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, to stanch tough questioning on such topics as Abu Ghraib and Rove’s possible involvement in the outing of the CIA agent Valerie Plame.”

    Don’t you just love this quote, presented without any cites, and without explaining how someone’s innocous question could “staunch tough questioning”. What did these reporters—the cream of the crop—did when Gannon flashed his baby blues and tossed his softball query. Were they hypnotized by his buff, gay demeanor? Were they drooling so much they couldn’t ask a coherent question? These tough Ruyonesque dudes were beaten away from “tough questioning” by a fake reporter/male escort?

    Frank Rich doesn’t explain, but, then, as a member of the media, finding answers isn’t his job.

    Posted by Bill Peschel on 2005 03 06 at 06:20 PM • permalink

  24. Rich got one thing right:

    “The bar is so low these days that authenticity may well constitute a major journalistic accomplishment in itself.”

    Posted by debo.v2 on 2005 03 06 at 06:27 PM • permalink

  25. I, for one, praise the lefties on their sudden discovery that things like softball questions from friendly media figures and gerrymandering are bad for democracy.  May this journey of discovery take them far.

    *snork*

    No one heard of Talon News before this, and one dumb question plus one un-read news outlet is supposed to be a Karl Rove Media Conspiracy?  Or, wait, like the fake Rather memos maybe it’s all a trap to lure in Kurious Kos Kids!

    Man, NO ONE is that smart OR that stupid to pull off crap like this.  Rove’s got the easiest freaking job in the world.

    Show up to work, grab some donuts, play some solitare and by lunchtime your political opponents have already dug their own graves and are beating themselves to death with their shovels outside on the street until Brit Hume resigns.  By quitting time Howard Dean is not only DNC Chair, but he’s touring the red states making weird, hateful and racist speaches, and YARGHing a little every now and then. 

    Show up for “work” the next day to pick up your check and Bill Maher is outdoing Ward Churchill for hateful anti-American rhetoric on his own show and cartoon hack Toles is drawing the Ba’athist Syrian dictator as Winnie the Pooh. 

    By the time you are driving to the bank, listening to light FM and having another Krispy Kreme, the Democratic Party will probably have built a rocket to escape to the moon and forgotten to pack any extra oxygen.

    If you get a call from Dubya asking how to best deal with Hilary Clinton four years from now, you can assure him that by 2008 she’s going to have to run in the Republican Primaries in order not to be laughed at.  Then you can go out for some BBQ.

    Posted by Sortelli on 2005 03 06 at 07:57 PM • permalink

  26. Wronwright — Different thread a few days back.  And yes, it is dirty if you do it right…

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 07:57 PM • permalink

  27. I AM THE CULMINATION OF ALL WHO CAME BEFORE ME.  RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

    Posted by Sortelli on 2005 03 06 at 08:03 PM • permalink

  28. The Lefty bloggers that helped uncover the ‘Gannon scandal’ couldn’t understand why other bloggers had no interest. Even when they had pictures and other ‘proof’ of Gannon’s lifestyle, the non-reaction (except for laughter) from Bush supporters seemed to puzzle them.

    The reason they dug into Gannon’s lifestyle with such glee was they were anticipating a backlash against Gannon from Bush supporters. The bloggers that outed Gannon believe that Bush supporters are knuckle dragging homophobes. It would make sense, to them, that Bush supporters would be horrified to learn about Gannon’s lifestyle.

    I think they were expecting the ‘far right’ (to them) bloggers to denounce Gannon for being gay. I think they were anticipating a homophobic reaction that never materialized. At least, it never materialized on any blogs I read.

    I think they were very puzzled when Bush supporters did not react as the homophobes they believe us all to be.

    Posted by CJosephson on 2005 03 06 at 08:08 PM • permalink

  29. wronwright — Backstory

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 08:09 PM • permalink

  30. CJosephson—that’s what I figure, too. They have a mythical image of homophobia and its extent on the right. When the reaction didn’t fit their mental models, they were confused.

    Posted by Rob Crawford on 2005 03 06 at 08:13 PM • permalink

  31. all your culminations are belong to us…

    Posted by guinsPen on 2005 03 06 at 09:22 PM • permalink

  32. r mcenroe,
    my man!

    Colonel: (knocking the photo aside) Right! No, I warned you, no, I warned you about the slogan, right. That’s the end. Stop the programme! Stop it.
    (Cut to referee blowing whistle.)

    Posted by guinsPen on 2005 03 06 at 09:33 PM • permalink

  33. The lefty blogs think they’ve forced us into the greatest boner of all time by outing Gannon, but they did not realize that THEY were commiting the boner!  They’ve pulled the greatest boner ever!

    Posted by Sortelli on 2005 03 06 at 10:40 PM • permalink

  34. Link:  http://www.superdickery.com/oneshot/6.html

    Curses, bonered again.

    Posted by Sortelli on 2005 03 06 at 10:41 PM • permalink

  35. Don’t you just love this quote, presented without any cites, and without explaining how someone’s innocous question could “staunch tough questioning�. What did these reporters—the cream of the crop—did when Gannon flashed his baby blues and tossed his softball query. Were they hypnotized by his buff, gay demeanor? Were they drooling so much they couldn’t ask a coherent question? These tough Ruyonesque dudes were beaten away from “tough questioning� by a fake reporter/male escort?

    That’s the point. The Mighty Gannon held such unrestricted power over the meek White House Press Corps that he simply had to be removed by any means necessary, or no Bush-bashing question could ever have been asked again without drawing the wrath of The Mighty Gannon.

    More seriously though, zefal nailed it. When these lefties grow old, they’ll tell their grand-children where they were and what they were doing when they heard that Gannon had quit his Talon News job, much like people today talk about the first Moon landing. It’s really quite pathetic, but then, lefties of the Kos bent apparently don’t have much going for them in their lives.

    Posted by PW on 2005 03 06 at 11:47 PM • permalink

  36. guinsPen — I wondered where you’d got to.

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 06 at 11:59 PM • permalink

  37. guinsPen — Poor Gannon’s gone, and never called me mommy…

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 07 at 12:07 AM • permalink

  38. Hmmmm.

    You know it would be pretty funny if a bunch of people wrote blogs under the pen name of “Jeff Gannon”.  A blog version of an old tv game show.

    Posted by memomachine on 2005 03 07 at 12:24 AM • permalink

  39. Per Instapundit the White House has just issued press credentials to its first official blogger!

    Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 03 07 at 01:01 AM • permalink

  40. Blogger Strikes Again!
    Read Michael Totten on Syria - what a blast.
    http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/000758.html

    Posted by blogstrop on 2005 03 07 at 05:44 AM • permalink

  41. I think softball questions are getting a bad name.  Roger Mudd interviewed Ted Kennedy back in 1980, when he was running for President.  The killer questions was ‘Why do you want to be President?’  Poor Teddy didn’t have an answer and his campaign sunk from that moment on.  What could be a softer softball question than this?

    Posted by Jabba the Tutt on 2005 03 07 at 09:05 AM • permalink

  42. I AM THE CULMINATION OF ALL WHO CAME BEFORE ME.  RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.Sortelli, you forgot the next line:  ALL YOUR BASE BELONG TO US. ;^)

    Posted by Jabba the Tutt on 2005 03 07 at 09:47 AM • permalink

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