Klobuchar’s comb was a bridge too far. She's going to be asked about the comb in every interview from now on. Every time they talk about her, the analysts on TV will ask if she can overcome the comb factor. When she tries to get past it, they'll say she is uncomfortable or unlikeable. That is, if it goes like other trash scandals the NYT has started.

I was paying them $15 a month. I had been a digital subscriber since 2010.

Until now I have chosen to stay with the NYT as a subscriber each time they do something like this, figuring there was still enough value to continue. But this was too much, too deliberate, too unnecessary. She was hungry, so she ate a salad with a comb instead of her fingers, because there was no fork, and then told her assistant to get it cleaned. This is how they open a story about what a shitty boss she is. I don't have to read the rest if this is what they thought was the strongest point. I suspect that's not why they put it up front. Rather it's an image that stays with you, for me because there's another image of a politician putting his comb in his mouth, many years ago. It was horribly embarrassing, it was impossible to shake the image, and it was wrong that the press made that an issue too.

At this point this isn't a news org I care to read, or support. They brought us Hillary's Emails and the Iraq war, and lots of fake scandals. I don't know how people get so depraved, because now our country is in deep trouble and our political system is at the core of it. And the NYT and other supposed high integrity news orgs are at the center of problem in our political system. I won't be reading the NYT, and I won't be passing on links. I'll freeze the NYT river. I guess I will continue to listen to the Daily podcast, it's not behind a paywall. Which is the shame of it, there are still journalists at the NYT doing good work. But they work alongside some irresponsible out of control people.

Also here's a screen shot of the transcript I had with their chatbot, who was trying to convince me to stay. I mistakenly entered my name as Cancel my subscription at the beginning of the chat. Heh. That actually makes the transcript more interesting. ?

Update: I recorded a 12-minute podcast with bigger lesson from where we're at in the 2020 election and not letting the major news orgs make the same mistake they made in 2016.