Arianna Huffington's ideological transformation

The Washinton Post ^ | February 9, 2011 | Dana Milbank

[Oratam]

Did Arianna Huffington just sell out her fellow progressives?

In the literal sense, she undoubtedly has: The sale of Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million (including a large pile of cash going to Huffington herself) means this powerful liberal voice is formally joining the "corporate media" its writers have long disparaged

[Oratam]

But in the late 1990s, Huffington began to reinvent herself. She covered the '96 political conventions for Comedy Central with Al Franken. She broke with Gingrich. She disparaged Bob Dole. She promoted Warren Beatty for president. She published a book favoring campaign finance reform. In 2000, she hosted a "shadow convention" protesting both parties.

I used to think that Arianna was just someone who really craved celebrity. Now, I'm convinced she has no core beliefs. In fact, she's only in it for the money. Ideology for sale.

[r9etb]

I used to think that Arianna was just someone who really craved celebrity. Now, I'm convinced she has no core beliefs. In fact, she's only in it for the money. Ideology for sale.

Not mutually exclusive ... indeed, one expects those things to go together.

I think it helps, too, that she's batsh!t crazy.

[investigateworld]

I never understood how one man could look at another man's hairy - pimply backside and think; “MMM mmm mmm”, till I heard her voice.

[r9etb]

lol

[Wizdum]

“We’ve already established WHAT you are, now we’re just negotiating the price.” - Winston Churchill

[ClearCase_guy]

I believe that almost all pundits are that way. Many of our Conservative "friends" in the media don't care about us at all.

I trust no one.

[JPG]

Milbank writes about Ariana Huffington but you know he craves Palin. His self-imposed Palin blackout for February has to have him itchin’, twitchin’ and doolin’. PDS stage IV.

[Marty62]

She married a bi-sexual rich guy, Michael Huffington (natural gas exploration).

She always follows the money.

[Sans-Culotte]

I used to think that Arianna was just someone who really craved celebrity. Now, I'm convinced she has no core beliefs. In fact, she's only in it for the money. Ideology for sale.

I was watching a program on the early career of Hitler the other night on the History or Military channel. Historians have never been able to definitively pinpoint when Hitler began to hate Jews. One suggestion was that he merely saw that Jew hatred and his identification with it stood him in good stead in Munich where anti-Jew sentiment was high. He may have simply adopted Jew hatred as a means to political popularity.

I don't think James Carville has any core beliefs, either. I think that is why he and Mary Matalin stay together. The two of them know he is paid well to be a hired gun for the left, so they take the money and run.

[Seruzawa]

Now, I'm convinced she has no core beliefs. In fact, she's only in it for the money. Ideology for sale.

Like Michael Moore. Talking the liberal crap and living like a capitalist baron. I'll bet he doesn't believe any of his own BS either. I don't buy his ballcap clown outfit for a second.

[Retired COB]

She married a bi-sexual rich guy, Michael Huffington (natural gas exploration).

She always follows the money.

Believe it or not, she used to profess to be a conservative. She appeared regularly on National Empowerment Television (NET) with Paul Weyrich. I used to watch him regularly back in the days of the big satellite dishes (1990 - 1995).

I believe she flipped over to the liberal side after the marriage broke up.

[Bernard Marx]

I think that is why he and Mary Matalin stay together. The two of them know he is paid well to be a hired gun for the left, so they take the money and run.

Nor does Matalin have any core beliefs. Otherwise she could never tolerate Carville. They have "professional" admiration for one another.

[ClearCase_guy]

I think a lot of it is "acting" in a very literal sense. Now, I don't really expect Keith Olbermann to show up on Fox and be further to the right than Glenn Beck, but if that actually happened, I wouldn't be shocked. These guys are playing a role, and roles can change.

Back in Classical Greece, the sophists would use their great skills in rhetoric to sway a crowd to one side of an argument, then they would use those skills to convince the crowd that, in fact, the reverse position was actually true.

This has always been the mark of a great debater -- can you win both sides of the argument simultaneously? It takes real skill, and the people in the business see the skill and respect the skill.

Those of us in the real world who are looking for character and principles are going to end up disappointed. Our politicians are now figure-heads, advised by sophists. It's not good.

[Oratam]

I do like that all those earnist leftists blogged for free for years and Arianna walks away with millions. How much content did she actually produce, I wonder?

[Bernard Marx]

believe she flipped over to the liberal side after the marriage broke up.

The woman is totally self-involved. She'll say or do anything to become richer and get more media attention. She's a sociopath.

[isthisnickcool]

I just looked at the Huffington Post for the first time ever.

All I can say is that if the Huffington Post is worth $315,000,000 then Free Republic must be worth at least half that.

[isthisnickcool]

I just looked at the Huffington Post for the first time ever.

All I can say is that if the Huffington Post is worth $315,000,000 then Free Republic must be worth at least half that.

[Oratam]

I remember her being the “conservative” on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect . . . even after it was obvious she had made the switch.

[exist]

What about her ex-Husband’s sexual transformation. you know, i think it’s an abomination and all? but being married to her, i can’t really blame him.

[Charles Henrickson]

HUffie the Sellout Alert!