I'm seeing Charles Pierce tonight - thoughts on an interesting question?

[MannyGoldstein]

He lives in my town and is giving a talk tonight. If I have the opportunity to ask a question (audience will be large), I'm thinking about asking him to expound on his recent piece:

I Hate Centrism

and given that more of us hate it every day, what he sees on the road ahead in politics.

But if anyone has a suggestion on a question that would be both amusing and informative... I'm all ears.

[GoCubsGo]

1. Ask him from where he got his way with words.

His latest piece on the Cheney sisters' catfight over gay marriage is absolutely priceless!

I'm jealous! I love Charlie Pierce!

[MannyGoldstein]

6. That's an interesting question/

My own suspicion is that writing is fundamentally genetic, but it requires a good bit of honing.

[Laelth]

2. I only recall having disagreed with Charles Pierce once.

That was when he described Noam Scheiber's recent New Republic essay on Elizabeth Warren as "nonsense." He also said it was too long. I found both these comments rather superficial. Ask him, if you would, how one should go about recruiting Elizabeth Warren to run for President. I might also like to know whether he has reconsidered his opinion on the Scheiber essay.

Thanks, Manny. Hope it goes well.



-Laelth

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Do you have a link to that piece?

I *thought* I remembered him complaining more extensively in the piece I linked to, either I'm misremembering or he fixed it up a bit later on.

[Laelth]

8. Yep.

Here. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/elizabeth-warren-hillary-clinton-2016-111113

Not sure if it has been recently revised.



-Laelth

[MannyGoldstein]

11. Thanks!

My Google-fu was weak when I looked for that.

[Laelth]

12. No prob. n/t

-Laelth

[Scuba]

3. Ask if he sees parallels between writing about the whores in DC and being published in Penthouse.

My guess is the porn stars are classier.

[joeybee12]

4. They earn their money too, are more honest, are more trustworthy...

Boy, this could be a long list.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. I have to keep living in this town...

And some of the people in attendance have been, or will be, in DC at some point - we're near Harvard, MIT, etc. So I think I'll have to resist the urge.

(Most of those people are awesome, BTW. A few, however...)

[sabrina 1]

9. Ask him if he has a list of Progressive Candidates he would support running for the WH in 2016

Maybe if you can fit in another question, ask him if he agrees that there is only candidate who has the RIGHT to run for that office on the Dem side. Would love to hear his take on the presumed lack of people qualified to run.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. That's an entertaining angle

"You say you hate centrists, yet Hillary is inevitable..."

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Does he think decent political journalism can overcome the Politico 'Win the Day' nonsense

or is the fluffy, click-driven celebrity-obsessed coverage inevitably going to win from profitability?

The question may not be amusing, but he sure can be on the subject.