What Conservative Columnist Could Freely Write for The New York Times? |
The Left's perennial scolds of CBS News churned out barrels of umbrage over hiring conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat as part of the new team of correspondents at 60 Minutes. They suggested this was some sort of "desperate" lurch to the right, an obstreperous overthrow of Pelley-esque arrogance on 57th Street.
But that created a vacancy at the Times that may prove challenging to fill. Douthat has often been pitched as the "thoughtful liberal's favorite conservative," as if "thoughtful liberals" can stand being in the same room as a conservative.
After all, take a look at the opinion lineup on the Times homepage. The remaining columnists are from left to center-left: Jamelle Bouie, Maureen Dowd, David French, Thomas Friedman, M. (formerly Masha) Gessen, Michelle Goldberg, Ezra Klein, Nicholas Kristof, Carlos Lozada, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Lydia Polgreen, and Bret Stephens.
French and Stephens came to the Times from conservative salons, but like David Brooks before........