(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . One of the worst Washington Post articles I've ever read - and that's saying something (updated) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-30 Yesterday I read one of the worst articles I’ve ever read at the Washington Post. It made my blood boil. Given the long length of the piece and the prominent placement of the piece (yesterday it was at the top of the digital edition although you can’t find it prominently placed online today), it clearl appeared that the paper thought this was going to be a hard-hitting “gotcha” attack piece against Kamala Harris — timed to be released on the same day as her closing argument speech on The Ellipse. But after you read it you realize that its an embarrassing piece of drivel. Here’s the gist of the piece: Harris’ brother-in-law Tony West (husband to her sister Maya) dared to have a successful legal, government and corporate career. And he also had the gall to take a leave of absence from his position as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Uber to take a volunteer position to help his sister-in-law win the U.S. presidency. That’s it. All you need to know about the article is covered in one paragraph buried in the middle: There is no prohibition on West, who is married to Maya, from working for the campaign and returning to his corporate work. Nor would Harris, if elected, be required to recuse herself from decisions that could benefit West and Uber, given that presidents are exempt from conflict-of-interest laws on grounds that they have so much power that anything they do could pose a conflict. The rest of the piece is full of innuendo and inferences meant to make it seem that something wrong is going on here, when in fact it is a big nothing-burger. The article cites anonymous concerns by “some critics” of whether West’s deep corporate background might influence Harris’ position on corporate issues, and cites anonymous “people close to the campaign” who are concerned about a family member’s involvement in the campaign. (Huh??). The article devotes one sentence to noting that “West’s allies dismissed those concerns and also said they pale in comparison to the breadth of potential conflicts among former president Donald Trump’s senior advisers.” Well, that’s certainly an understatement. But then they continue on to try — and fail — to smear West for, um, something? The article is also bristling with backhanded racism, as I see it. WaPo seems obsessed with the fact that West is a successful Black man who’s making a lot of money, and they cite his impressive career and accomplishments as something to be suspicious of. (If a white guy makes millions that's just fine. But if a Black guy makes millions, something must be fishy.) The article also spends a lot of time going through his career and citing times that he (gasp) disagreed with this sister-in-law on different issues, and although they are clearly trying to imply something nefarious it all just reads like the impressive resume of a clearly smart, talented and successful man. After all the drivel the article ends like this: Whatever happens in the election, according to West’s associates, he will continue to play a crucial role in Harris’s life. I know it’s a shocker to all of us that Kamala Harris’ brother-in-law will continue to be an important part of her life. I’ll pause while get up off the floor after fainting from this insightful revelation. I find it beyond appalling — but not surprising — that the Washington Post is desperately trying to dig up dirt on Kamala Harris during the final week of the campaign. It makes me even happier that I’ve cancelled my subscription. UPDATE As justmy2 noted below, the comments for this article on the WaPo site have been absolutely brutal (which might have played a role in the paper quickly burying it). HT to FishOutofWater for pointing out one of the more popular comments about the piece-of-crap piece: As long as Harris doesn’t make him an advisor to the president, ignore him failing to qualify for a security clearance and put him in charge of Middle East negotiations, all should be fine. He might miss out on the opportunity to obtain $2 billion from the Saudis, but you can’t have everything. UPDATE 2 Washington Post subscription cancellations have now exceeded 250,000 — 10% of its subscription base — CNN reports. In addition three Washington Post journalists have stepped down from their positions on the editorial board: Molly Roberts, David E. Hoffman and Mili Mitra, representing nearly one-third of the board. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/10/30/2280917/-One-of-the-worst-Washington-Post-articles-I-ve-ever-read-and-that-s-saying-something Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/