Regarding his old school leanings and perspectives getting misunderstood at MJ:
Even his own loyal readership frequently expressed considerable grievances against some of his posts on his site. Too even-handed (or not left enough) for them (and of course, maybe sometimes he was just wrong).
I have been reading him for probably more than 20 years (back to the CalPundit days), and I always found his perspectives and his careful research and iconic charts very valuable. Even when I disagreed, I welcomed the challenge to re-examine my views, and sometimes did change them upon further consideration.
Although I knew about his health problems and how they were worsening in this new crisis, hearing about his passing was an emotional blow to the gut. He was certainly a blessing to me personally, and to so many others. RIP, Mr. Drum.
”And do you know what he did for the entire time I was at that company (and apparently the years before I arrived)? He turned down every raise, including COL, and explicitly had them redirected to the fellows. At any other company in America, he would have been paid fairly half a million to $750k a year. He brought in many times more revenue than that.. But he never made more than $85k. He asked every single year that they take the money and put it into paying the fellows more and giving them a better stipend or lower premium for healthcare…. ”
My apology for extracting a large quote. I know a few people like Kevin. Unfortunately, most people don't realize what that's worth until it is gone. Makes you want to scream. Too bad for Mother Jones. Especially bad for us.
Kevin Drum was a vanishing type. He may have had some blind spots, but he really did want to search for the truth. The Mother Jones debacle was horribly telling but unsurprising.. It was an example of what is wrong with the American left today.
There is a lot of "Heathers" among left-leaning folk, especially the younger set. Kevin did not seek their social approval; he only sought the truth as he saw it. Worse yet, he was the demographic stereotype of a Republican: white, cishet male, always calm, well-off from a successful business career, Orange County, STEM, and middlebrow of style. No wonder some of the MoJo staffers couldn't stand him. I hope some day they will figure out the meaning of "diversity."
I'll miss Kevin. His combination of a passionate intellect with dispassionate mien and analysis is hard to find.
I subscribed to Mother Jones during Peak Drum period for that magazine because I was an avid follower/commentator of Drum at that time (followed from Calpundit). I unsubscribed after two years because I was flabbergasted that a magazine literally founded in the name of Mother Jones had somehow become a mixture of neoconservative and neoliberal claptrap. Sounds as if it was even worse than I thought.
I didn't expect anyone to always *agree* with Drum; FWIW, I don't think anybody should *always* agree with anybody.
But one of my litmus tests was, "if you are *mad* at Kevin Drum, you are wrong". I would re-write the "Krugman Laws" as follows:
1. Kevin Drum was honest, polite, intelligent, and good.
2. If you think Kevin Drum was dishonest, impolite, stupid, or malevolent, see 1.
Regarding his old school leanings and perspectives getting misunderstood at MJ:
Even his own loyal readership frequently expressed considerable grievances against some of his posts on his site. Too even-handed (or not left enough) for them (and of course, maybe sometimes he was just wrong).
I have been reading him for probably more than 20 years (back to the CalPundit days), and I always found his perspectives and his careful research and iconic charts very valuable. Even when I disagreed, I welcomed the challenge to re-examine my views, and sometimes did change them upon further consideration.
Although I knew about his health problems and how they were worsening in this new crisis, hearing about his passing was an emotional blow to the gut. He was certainly a blessing to me personally, and to so many others. RIP, Mr. Drum.
OMG, What a loss! R.I.P.
”And do you know what he did for the entire time I was at that company (and apparently the years before I arrived)? He turned down every raise, including COL, and explicitly had them redirected to the fellows. At any other company in America, he would have been paid fairly half a million to $750k a year. He brought in many times more revenue than that.. But he never made more than $85k. He asked every single year that they take the money and put it into paying the fellows more and giving them a better stipend or lower premium for healthcare…. ”
My apology for extracting a large quote. I know a few people like Kevin. Unfortunately, most people don't realize what that's worth until it is gone. Makes you want to scream. Too bad for Mother Jones. Especially bad for us.
Thanks for the link to the MJ back story. No one is so sure of themselves as a true believer.
Kevin Drum was a vanishing type. He may have had some blind spots, but he really did want to search for the truth. The Mother Jones debacle was horribly telling but unsurprising.. It was an example of what is wrong with the American left today.
RIP
There is a lot of "Heathers" among left-leaning folk, especially the younger set. Kevin did not seek their social approval; he only sought the truth as he saw it. Worse yet, he was the demographic stereotype of a Republican: white, cishet male, always calm, well-off from a successful business career, Orange County, STEM, and middlebrow of style. No wonder some of the MoJo staffers couldn't stand him. I hope some day they will figure out the meaning of "diversity."
I'll miss Kevin. His combination of a passionate intellect with dispassionate mien and analysis is hard to find.
I subscribed to Mother Jones during Peak Drum period for that magazine because I was an avid follower/commentator of Drum at that time (followed from Calpundit). I unsubscribed after two years because I was flabbergasted that a magazine literally founded in the name of Mother Jones had somehow become a mixture of neoconservative and neoliberal claptrap. Sounds as if it was even worse than I thought.