Who Knew how much Sykes carried The Bulwark

His departure laid bare how much the publication centered around his anchoring it. There is a place for center-right anti-Trump media, but we shouldn't idolize them. They all had a hand in his rise

From the WaPo article linked at the end.

In early February, founding member of The Bulwark, a bastion of Never Trump former Republicans — Charlie Sykes — announced that he was stepping away. In his late 60’s, he maintained a grueling, punishing editorial schedule, 5 days a week a first thing in the morning newsletter, and an afternoon podcast.

I was a paying member largely because while I knew Sykes was a right wing radio talk host in the mid-west (Wisconsin) I had read several OpEds he had published in both the NY Times and the WaPo in the Trump era that made me think he had reformed, and was truly trying to atone for his complicity in the coarsening of the rhetoric, and the polarization that accelerated in the Obama era with the rise of the Tea Party, and its explosion when Trump picked up the mantle in 2016.

For 3 years, I gladly paid the $100 a year, happy to read some chastised Republicans, people I would regularly spar with in the before times, but who I found common cause with on the absolute jackass-ery of Trump and what he wrought on the government.

Sure, I still had some beefs with them, their hawkishness and at times pig headed thinking on things like immigration, and law and order, but by and large I could support their efforts, realizing that once the chaos of Trump was dealt with, we could go back to our fairly rational arguments over policy and foreign policy.

But last summer and fall, I became disillusioned with their efforts. Sure, they said a lot of the right things, but I didn’t see much “action” to address it. Furthermore, there was a hostility towards Biden, and a beating of the drums to get him to step aside and let one of their preferred candidates (Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, or Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania) step in, a better option.

Of course, this was always fantasy sports, and should Biden bow out, the natural replacement was someone they truly detested, Kamala Harris (and in fact some of the Bulwark staff botch the pronunciation of her name, driving me insane), or the only other Democrat with national name recognition, Gavin Newsom.

If I had to point to a single event that caused me to withdraw my financial support, it was their hiring of the abysmal A.B. Stoddard. Already a far too frequent podcast guest, her distaste for the Democrats was palpable, and her rage against Joe Biden was irrational, and off-putting. No, the day they announced her joining the staff was the day that I pulled the trigger to not renew (I paid annually) and I spent the next 3 months watching the discourse degrade, confident that I made the correct decision.

In October when my sub expired, I kept reading the “free” items. I love the legal takes by Kim Wehle, the Tuesday freebie of Press Pass (Joe Perticone is great), and the morning shots.

While I read, I pretty much was reading at a distance, not getting into the comments or the rest of their media.

Then Sykes announced his departure. I thought for certain this would be the time they brought their favorite “Liberal” counterbalance, Ruy Texiera, on staff. But I was surprised it didn’t happen.

Instead, the daily Morning Shots is now co-authored by Bill Kristol and Eggers (don’t remember his first name) and they seem to talk about 3 days a week about how Biden is old, and that he should step aside and make way for Whitmer.

Tim Miller, who I think is probably the most contrite of his complicity in the degradation of the political environment as a comms person in Republican politics took over the daily podcast. Alas, he is no Charlie Sykes, and his guests are meh, and his interviewing style is droll. I admit that I am disappointed.

I am beginning to read less and less and listen to less and less.

But why am I writing this? Because this afternoon, a guest OpEd dropped on the WaPo by Charlie Sykes, and I was reminded that he gets it, and while I don’t fully agree with him on policies, he is an honest critic of Trump, and the clown car that the Republican Party has become.

Enjoy this gifted link, and see if you are not nodding to his explanation about how Trump is the Luckiest politician ever

Oh well, I do pay Rick Wilson for his Substack, because he, and the Lincoln Project are really good at getting under the shit-gibbon’s skin. And that is worth it to me.

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