How Leftist Pundits and Bloggers Work Together to Smear Their Opponents

Roger Pielke, Jr., a political scientist and professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado, has written a devastating analysis of how top leftist pundits in the mainstream media, such as Paul Krugman and Thomas Friedman, work with prominent leftist bloggers to discredit and demonize their opponents. Pielke, Jr. is a political liberal himself, but that has not protected him from vicious smears by the likes of Joe Romm, Brad DeLong, and Gavin Schmidt. His crime? Although he believes anthropogenic global warming is a serious problem, he doesn’t think that global warming alarmism should be promoted in the public policy debate by bogus studies, false claims, and misleading arguments. Here’s a sample of Professor Pielke’s understated prose: “In the case of Romm and DeLong they also engage in outright lies and character assassination.” Although he’s talking only about the global warming issue, I think it’s an accurate assessment of the whole leftist media establishment—from the New York Times to the Huffington Post.