The Nation

Here’s a dog-bites-man story if there ever was one. Alterman, who once blogged for Media Matters for America, takes issue with a conservative writer with a prominent platform.

First Alterman criticizes some of Rubin’s pre-WaPo work that caused a stir, including a piece she wrote for Commentary Magazine titled “Why Jews Hate Palin.” In the story Rubin wrote that “American Jews” firmly believe that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is “uncouth, unschooled, a hick, anti-science and anti-intellectual.”

“[Rubin] developed a specialty in venomous attacks on liberal American Jews” at Commentary, Alterman says (side note: Rubin herself is Jewish).

Other razor-sharp bits Alterman throws at Rubin:

• “Barely a day goes by without a Rubin post filled with nasty name-calling attacks on a group or individual…”
• “[Rubin is] a writer who cares nothing for the truth, but rather dedicates herself to spewing childish insults at the president of the United States as well as the millions of people who reject her ideological obsessions…”
• “[W]hile the talk of Nazis and Obama’s alleged love for Islam have been tamed a bit, Rubin’s penchant for hate-filled fantasy has not.”

And so it goes, graph after hate-filled graph.

Predictably, Alterman speaks highly of WaPo‘s liberal blogger Greg Sargent, whom he hails as “a hard-working professional journalist who advances news stories regardless of whether they critique or flatter his own side.” (This part is somewhat inconsistent with Alterman’s criticism of Rubin, given that later in the story, he cites Rubin as tearing into former GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. He called Rubin’s writing on them “abusive invective.”)

Also predictably, Alterman has favorable things to say about other liberal writers such as Slate‘s Dave Weigel, whom Rubin replaced at WaPo after Weigel resigned in 2010 amid the “journolist” controversy.

Weigel told us he’s “a huge Rubin fan” and his sole criticism of her blog is that interviews she conducts aren’t transcribed in Q&A format. He said he didn’t believe her work at WaPo has hurt the paper’s reputation.

Back to Rubin. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a law degree. She worked as a labor lawyer for 20 years. She’s done countless TV hits, written for Politico, and has been featured by Washingtonian magazine. She has no fears about publicly going after her liberal colleagues like Sargent and Ezra Klein. Alterman identifies her as “a former Hollywood lawyer” who worked “briefly as an editor for the right-wing Pajamas Media and as a blogger for Commentary.”

Once you get past this and the 14 rabidly anti-Rubin graphs, Alterman redirects his venom back to WaPo at large. “It is true that the Washington Post has bigger problems than the serial inaccuracy and incivility of its right-wing blogger,” he writes. “But the question for the house that Ben Bradlee and Katharine Graham built is not merely whether it will survive, but how.”

Though criticism of Rubin makes up the bulk of Alterman’s piece, he told us she’s not his “main concern with the paper. She’s just the one about which [he] chose to focus in this particular article.” As for his own nasty tone toward her, he said he had no personal reasons to attack her and even admitted that he has never met her. “This is my job and I try to do it as well as I can,” he said.

FBDC reached out to Rubin for comment.

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WaPo‘s Rosie Powers is one hell of an intern.

Today WaPo sent a newsroom wide link to statements from interns explaining what drew them to WaPo. The bios are posted on an internal WaPo site called “The Source.” And Rosie’s is absolutely stellar. Not only does the web production intern properly kiss up to her employers, but she’s highly entertaining and informative.

She writes:

“I was not only motivated by the Post’s status as a strong and prominent nationally-circulated paper, but I was also influenced by a book my mom had given me the previous year: “Personal History” by Katherine Graham. Graham, for those who may be unfamiliar with her, was a former owner of the Post whose son, Donald Graham, is still the CEO of the Washington Post Company today.”

For those who may be unfamiliar with Katharine Graham? That’s right, Rosie just introduced the CEO of the Washington Post to the staff of the Washington Post. She also spelled Graham’s name wrong. But don’t let that detract from Rosie’s charm. Asked our tipster, “Where do they find these kids?”

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Mary Kathryn Covert and Michael Steel

On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of celebrities, journos and politicos packed the nine bedroom, 7,000 square foot mansion of businessman and Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein.  The former residence of legendary publisher Katherine Graham, the historic Georgetown home (sold in 2002 for $8 million) provided a picture-perfect setting for the annual garden brunch co-hosted by Tammy Haddad, Ted Greenberg, Kevin Sheekey, Hilary Rosen, Mark Ein, Alex Castellanos, Anita Dunn, Bill Knapp, Jim Courtovich, David Adler, Steve McMahon and Franco Nuschese. Honorary chairs Wendy Murdoch and Susan Axelrod added a charitable component to the event which benefited CURE Epilepsy and the White Ribbon Alliance.

Journos enjoying mimosas, greyhounds and bloodies packed several tiers of decks behind the home and trickled off into the backyard for a little fresh air.  The sprawling estate provided plenty of hiding spots for celebrity guest who would have been forced to mingle more openly at Haddad’s home – the previous venue for the brunch.  Spotted through a cracked VIP room door (new this year) were Chace Crawford and Maria Bello.  We bumped into the Palin family, Jeremy Piven, Tim Daly and Morgan Fairchild mixing with the “commoners” outdoors and caught up with Chelsea Handler who breezed into the brunch about 20 minutes before it ended.  Representing the political elite were Susan and David Axelrod who shared their daughter’s struggles with epilepsy, White House communications gurus Jen Psaki and Dan Pfeiffer, Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Ebs Burnough, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel and McCarthy spokeswoman Erica Elliott.

The list of journo attendees was unwieldy but we owe a special shout out to Patrick Gavin‘s pants that seemed to mock the day’s cause (*see seizure-worthy pattern) and wife Anne Bracken Gavin who looked stunning and svelte after giving birth to the couple’s first child only a few weeks ago.

L to R: Anne Bracken Gavin, Patrick Gavin, David Axelrod

Bloomberg’s Phil Mattingly and Erica Elliott, press secretary for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-22)

L to R: Tammy Haddad, Slice, Pam Dornic, Glenn Ballard, Christine Delargy and Topspin.

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