Blood Feud: Edward Klein v. His Critics

I just finished reading Marion Davies' memoirs about her life with "W.R." Hearst (she called him by his initials) entitled The Times We Had. I highly recommend this book, which can be found on Amazon or even at the Hearst Castle, because it details how great a love the two of them had for each other and anecdotes about the people they met. She didn't actually write the book but instead dictated her memoirs onto tape, and some years after her death, they were transcribed into book form.

It's sad the two of them never could marry, but W.R.'s wife wouldn't give him a divorce. The two had been estranged for a number of years when he met Marion, and he was smitten with her right away. The feeling was mutual despite the Grand Canyon age gap. Reading the memoirs it seemed he was a big old teddy bear of a guy who would do anything for her and for people he cared about. On her part, she seemed to be self-depreciating, especially when it came to her intelligence. She was much smarter than she ever gave herself credit for, plus people remembered her as being lovable and kind.

So why do I mention the two of them in connection with tabloid writer Ed Klein? Because there was a part in Marion's book where she mentions criticism and how W.R. never read criticism of himself because of how it affected one's confidence and belief in himself or herself. Ed Klein should take that advice from his numerous critics.

Although it's still early with the rotten tomatoes from his newest book, Blood Feud, which was just published today, we can assume they will be thrown if reviews of his previous books are any indication.

The reviews truly are bipartisan.

Maybe There is Hope for Bill Clinton After All

According to that reliable source the Daily Mail, despite the truce between the Clintons and the Obamas following the messy and brutal 2008 campaign, both sides hate each others' guts. Actually, it isn't so much the Mail making that claim as it is paraphrasing a new book that's come out about it.

Considering Obama was the Manchurian candidate for the neolibs deciding they needed to pollute the Democratic Party to destroy it and make it an imitation of the GOP, only with a little more benign exterior, I can't blame the Clintons if true.

Unfortunately, Bill Clinton was often a tool of the same people only he did hold some traditional Democratic Party principles. However, his screwing over the poor on "welfare reform," his signing ruinous trade agreements, his signing of the Glass-Steagall repeal, and his being in bed with Robert Rubin and Alan Greenspan make my choosing sides in this "feud" complicated. Both sides cancel each other out.

I don't want the Clintons anywhere near the White House anymore. They need to retire from public life.

We don't need any more neoliberals, or "neos" of any kind. We need real Democrats who believe in traditional Democratic Party principles and who believe in democracy, not in privatizing the public sector.

Given the author is one who has trashed both sides before, it probably isn't a reliable book, no matter how much I wish it to be true. The kicker is Klein many years ago was a legitimate journalist who worked for Newsweek, but at some point he found there was a lot more money carrying water for right-wing interests.

The fact it is published by the infamous Regnery publishing house makes it even less reliable, not to mention there was a split between Klein and HarperCollins a couple of months ago over the reliability of this reporter:

Two publishing sources blamed the contract termination on Klein’s reporting, which has been called into question in the past by his subjects and the political press. Klein’s agent and publisher would not comment on the reasons for the split. Both said their author left HarperCollins’s William Morrow imprint by choice.

But the feud is an early sign of the new challenges facing an unsteady conservative book business — and of the stakes accompanying a reborn anti-Clinton industry.

However, thanks to bulk purchases, despite this era of renting books via Kindle, it'll probably be a bestseller.

Anyway, back to the "feud":

The Clintons have become convinced that Obama will not back Hillary for 2016 and that he is seeking to endorse Joe Biden or a new, young politician, just like he was.

'He’s convinced himself he’s been a brilliant president, and wants to clone himself — to find his Mini-Me,' says Bill Clinton according to Klein.

'He’s hunting for someone to succeed him, and he believes the American people don’t want to vote for someone who’s been around for a long time. He thinks that your mother and I are what he calls ‘so 20th century.’ He’s looking for ­another Barack Obama.'

If Obama really thinks he's been a "brilliant president," he needs a goddamned shrink, not be a king maker. I can just see him promoting a candidate like Cory Booker who is even a bigger fraud than he is.

Besides, Obama's presidency has been a train wreck from start to finish.