Monday, February 21 2005
ESTRICH CROSSES THE LINE: Once said, some things can't be taken back. They can be apologized for, but they can't be excused. Susan Estrich said just such a thing last week when she wrote to Michael Kinsley:

My suggestion that your publishing it would be better (for you too) than my having to go outside somehow constitutes me blackmailing you is so outlandish that it underscores the question I've been asked repeatedly in recent days, and that does worry me, and should worry you: people are beginning to think that your illness may have affected your brain, your judgment, and your ability to do this job.

Far from her previous assertion that she's "a nice girl at heart," Estrich's reference to Kinsley's disease (Parkinson's) seems to confirm the opposite. Furthermore, it leaves such a bad taste in one's mouth it distracts from whatever merit there might be to her argument.

On Friday morning I wrote something of a defense of Kinsley based on what I know about other op-ed pages around the country and what I think Michael Kinsley's responsibilities are as an editor. Nevertheless, I don't know Kinsley personally so I can't speak to the issue of whether he's a chauvinist who is actively discriminating against women.

But Jack Shafer has worked with Kinsley. And on Friday afternoon he launched this stunning attack against his former boss:

"And before I go, I'd like to second Susan Estrich, who has attacked Michael Kinsley on the charges of sexual discrimination, which he feebly attempts to repel. In his long, miserable chauvinist career, Kinsley has done more to block women, their views, and their professional aspirations than any journalist I know. Just ask Dorothy Wickenden, Ann Hulbert, Jamie Baylis, Emily Yoffe, Helen Rogan, Suzanne Lessard, Jodie Allen, Judith Shulevitz, Jodi Kantor, Margaret Carlson, Dahlia Lithwick, Kathleen Kincaid, Lakshmi Gopalkrishnan, June Thomas, and others. They'll fill you in."

I don't know Jack Shafer either, so I can't say what personal politics might possibly be behind this remark. But Shafer's willingness to throw out a host of names in public to corroborate his opinion doesn't seem like the move of someone who thinks he'll be proved wrong. (UPDATE: Shafer's slam seemed weird to me, but I clearly missed the sarcasm he intended. After being alerted and rereading the passage it seems pretty obvious these are all women whose careers advanced under Kinsley's leadership and who would vouch for him, not condemn him. My apologies for being so embarrassingly slow on the up take.)

One last note. Kevin Drum has weighed in with a thoughtful post on the matter that is worth reading. Kevin speculates on why it's not only the op-ed pages around the country that are dominated by men (even those with female editorial page editors) but the barrier-free blogosphere as well. - T. Bevan 8:32 am Link | Email | Send to a Friend