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erronis

(21,903 posts)
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 11:11 AM Sunday

R.I.P., Washington Post -- Tom Sullivan

https://digbysblog.net/2025/11/09/r-i-p-washington-post/

Welcome to Cloud Cuckoo Land

Hardly a wonder, isn’t it, that so many of its columnists left the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post in 2025 after he announced its change of editorial focus to “personal liberties and free markets“? A quick search includes among them Jonathan Capehart, David von Drehle, Perry Bacon Jr., Molly Roberts and David Hoffman (both on the editorial board), Philip Bump, Jennifer Rubin, and Eugene Robinson. Some accepted buyouts. Others just left.

The Bulwark last week announced that Catherine Rampell has joined their team. She left the Post in July after 11 years.

The Post’s remaining editorial board has relocated to Cloud Cuckoo Land, or else to a billionaire prepper bunker.

. . .

The board is back this morning with an editorial that might have originated in the right-wing echo chamber (emphasis mine):

A new era of class warfare has begun in New York, and no one is more excited than Generalissimo Zohran Mamdani. Witness the mayor-elect’s change of character since his Tuesday election victory.

Mamdani ran an upbeat campaign, with a nice-guy demeanor and perpetual smile papering over a long history of divisive and demagogic statements. New Yorkers periodically checking in on politics could understandably believe that he simply wanted to bring the city together and make it more affordable. That interpretation became much harder after his victory speech.

Across 23 angry minutes laced with identity politics and seething with resentment, Mamdani abandoned his cool disposition and made clear that his view of politics isn’t about unity. It isn’t about letting people build better lives for themselves. It is about identifying class enemies — from landlords who take advantage of tenants to “the bosses” who exploit workers — and then crushing them. His goal is not to increase wealth but to dole it out to favored groups. The word “growth” didn’t appear in the speech, but President Donald Trump garnered eight mentions.


It goes on, but you get the point.
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bronxiteforever

(10,952 posts)
10. Agree and the guy who rented the city of Venice
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 12:28 PM
Sunday

for his wedding wants to tell us it’s class warfare.

Squaredeal

(690 posts)
3. I was tempted by their $1 subscription, but no.
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 11:30 AM
Sunday

When I was in the military and serving for a time in Washington in 1971, it seemed to me that just about all the civilian employees came to work with the Washington Post tucked under their arm. Now, I wonder how many of these civil servants still consider the Post as their primary news and editorial source.

PatSeg

(51,448 posts)
13. I keep seeing Washington Post ads on Facebook
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 01:09 PM
Sunday

They make some incredible offers to get people to "come back", but the comments indicate no one is buying it. Some of them are priceless.

Bezos has destroyed one of the most respected newspapers in the country, maybe the world. Maybe Elon Musk can buy The New York Times and turn that into a right-wing rag as well.

mvd

(65,788 posts)
6. I looked at the editorial page
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 11:46 AM
Sunday

This article certainly isn’t alone - the editorial board is like a right wing rag now. It’s so disappointing.

Lonestarblue

(13,115 posts)
12. Will Lewis, who now heads the Post, is a product of Rupert Murdoch.
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 12:57 PM
Sunday

Bezos knew he was hiring a corrupt right-wing propaganda nut with a less than stellar background at a Murdoch publication in London, as in illegally tapping Prince Harry’s phone. Lewis is turning the Post into another Republican mouthpiece like Fox.

spanone

(140,655 posts)
7. Once bezos nixed the Kamala Harris endorsement, I was out.
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 11:52 AM
Sunday

They are dead to me. This is beyond the pale.

Farmer-Rick

(12,277 posts)
9. Jeffy boy has his lips firmly attached to Pedo Trump's
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 12:19 PM
Sunday

Well, you know what body part Jeffy boy is sucking up to.

It seems that once you takeover your wealthy grandfather's 300,000 acre ranch and establish a resell company, you lose your humanity, your common sense and your morals.

It's never enough for these psychos. But they do get their rocks off on the suffering they cause.

617Blue

(2,139 posts)
11. "personal liberties and free markets" - Tramp ain't a Capitalist and The USSC tramples on personal liberties.
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 12:36 PM
Sunday

Not a peep from the WaPo.

Hekate

(100,129 posts)
14. As I read this aloud to hubby, I paused before the editorial & said, "Remember we listened to Mamdani's speech together"
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 01:23 PM
Sunday

“Just hold that in mind” said I.

He did, and was as gobsmacked as I was by the extreme slant and outright dishonesty of this editorial from a once-great newspaper.

We’ve been cautious about embracing the young and charismatic Zohran Mamdani. We’re Californians, not New Yorkers — altho while I was growing up haole on O’ahu, my husband was growing up immigrant Jewish in New York City, so he really does have a different perspective than mine about what goes on there.

We were impressed with Mayor-elect Mamdani’s victory speech. The absolute worst that could be said about it was that he over-promised — but that’s just us being old, I think. He’s got the right stuff — now let’s see what he can do with it.

Bezos should be ashamed — but apparently most billionaires pause to have their shame-instinct removed along with botoxing their wrinkles away.


sarisataka

(22,144 posts)
15. They died over a year ago
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 02:34 PM
Sunday

When they cowardly capitulated and refused to make an endorsement in the Presidential election last year

IzzaNuDay

(1,189 posts)
16. As a long time WaPo reader
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 02:40 PM
Sunday

it pains me to see what’s happening to this paper. Back in the Watergate days over 50 years ago, WaPo had been a beacon of accountability in the press. To now see it capitulate to the White House is tragic. I predict WaPo will be bankrupt within 5 years.

Sparkly

(24,785 posts)
17. I was a longtime subscriber
Sun Nov 9, 2025, 11:26 PM
Sunday

but left around the same time their best columnists did last year, when the paper refused to endorse Harris and to publish some opinions, including Ann Telnaes!

I wonder if they've heard the president's acceptance speech, or ANY speech? Any "nice-guy" there? The hypocrisy is amazing.

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