# And here come the little duckies: another government paid Bush policy collumnist **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698 "2005-01-26T03:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/1 "2005-01-26T03:21:51Z")
As always, real reporters do the work, bloggers take the credit for the scoop! [http://drudgereport.com/flash3mg.htm](http://drudgereport.com/flash3mg.htm) > [@](#): > > In 2002, syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher repeatedly defended President Bush’s push for a $300 million initiative encouraging marriage as a way of strengthening families. > > But Gallagher failed to mention that she had a $21,500 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help promote the president’s proposal, reveals Howard Kurtz in Wednesday runs of the WASHINGTON POST. Man, she really got ripped off, didn’t she? Only 21,500? So now we have two taxpayer-paid propagandists, both of whom share the apparently endemic “never occured to me” problem with disclosure of your sugardaddies. Who’s next? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/2 "2005-01-26T03:24:01Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > As always, real reporters do the work, bloggers take the credit for the scoop! > [http://drudgereport.com/flash3mg.htm](http://drudgereport.com/flash3mg.htm) > > Man, she really got ripped off, didn’t she? Only 21,500? > > So now we have two taxpayer-paid propagandists, both of whom share the apparently endemic “never occured to me” problem with disclosure of your sugardaddies. Who’s next? She’s gotta look at the quarter million Armstrong Williams got and kick herself in the ass. Although, it is a matter of television versus syndicated newspaper space. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/3 "2005-01-26T03:28:08Z")
You know, in another 20 years, when we try to tell our grandchildren that there used to be something called “journalistic ethics”, they’ll never believe us. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/4 "2005-01-26T03:38:41Z")
I hear that NIMH paid for installing Bob Novak’s stainless steel rectum. Might be just a rumor. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/5 "2005-01-26T03:44:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I hear that NIMH paid for installing Bob Novak’s stainless steel rectum. Might be just a rumor. Well, they always have dealt mostly with rats… ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/6 "2005-01-26T03:47:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Gallagher explains to Kurtz: “Did I violate journalistic ethics by not disclosing it? I don’t know. You tell me.” Why yes, you most certainly did violate journalistic ethics, you stoopid whore. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/7 "2005-01-26T03:51:00Z")
You know, while I do have to admit that I deeply love the sound of the term “manwhore,” I do think it’s out of line to call this woman a whore, denigrating her I’m sure completely heterosexual and hence non-deviant enough to get married sexuality and gender. No no: She’s a government paid hack. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/8 "2005-01-26T04:37:23Z")
Still, I can’t help wondering how much she and Armstrong Williams charge for blowjobs. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/9 "2005-01-26T05:23:09Z")
Let’s be a little fair here. What she did was not as bad as what Williams did. Her work at least had the veneer of her doing some ghostwriting work for government initatives instead of JUST grandstanding for a policy. But then again, she’s a major anti-gay marriage voice, so I don’t feel too awful bad. As Josh Marshall notes: > [@](#): > > Which suggests a point. Were they really worried that Gallagher would come out for free love without the cash incentive? Neither she nor Williams is really known for their independent streak. In Gallagher’s case – and to some degree in Williams’ too – this seems less like a matter of payola than a Bush administration make-work program for third-tier GOP pundits. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/10 "2005-01-26T05:34:55Z")
OK, maybe a hijack, but what was that “$300 million initative” all about, anyway? They were gonna pay people to get married, or what? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/11 "2005-01-26T06:23:08Z")
Ah yes. Good old Gaggie Mallagher, a familiar face from my news digest. I wish I were even the tiniest little bit surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/12 "2005-01-26T06:33:13Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > OK, maybe a hijack, but what was that “$300 million initative” all about, anyway? They were gonna pay people to get married, or what? I wish. THAT would probably have been FAR more effective than a media and educational (and, perhaps, puditry) campaign that the vast majority of people would ignore. As with Armstrong, what a waste of taxpayer money! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/13 "2005-01-26T06:40:15Z")
I’d pimp marriage for the government if the price was right but it would have to be six figures (and it would include the pimping of gay marriage). I’m not so much surprised that Gallagher is a whore but that she’s such a _cheap_ whore. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/14 "2005-01-26T10:11:09Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > As always, real reporters do the work, bloggers take the credit for the scoop! Always? Just from lately, who broke the 60 Minutes fake document fiasco? And from way back, who broke the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/15 "2005-01-26T12:37:43Z")
What we need here is some form of union. That way all the paid members of the unofficial press corps get the right amount. I mean, there’s just such a huge discrepancy here. We need a defined pay scale. :eek: Maybe it’s because she’s a woman. Curse you glass ceiling!! ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/16 "2005-01-26T18:35:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Just from lately, who broke the 60 Minutes fake document fiasco? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t drudge. He linked to the work and research of others. Albiet bloggers themselves. But hyping isn’t the same thing as reporting. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/17 "2005-01-26T19:08:34Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > And from way back, who broke the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal? I’m pretty sure that the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal was being investigated by Newsweek, which was about to break it. Drudge had a source at Newsweek and took the story from them before they could print. ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/18 "2005-01-26T19:30:51Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I’d pimp marriage for the government if the price was right but it would have to be six figures (and it would include the pimping of gay marriage). Carl Hiaasen already has his[rate card](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/carl_hiaasen/10702391.htm) out: > [@](#): > > For a mere $25, I’ll drop a line into my next column that says: ``Privatizing Social Security isn’t nearly as reckless or goofy as the president’s critics would have you believe.’’ > > For $50, the line would be: ``Privatizing Social Security is an intriguing concept, and one that should be seriously explored.’’ > > For $99, I’d do two sentences, including a bonus exclamation mark: ``Privatizing Social Security is a bold idea whose time has come. Kudos to President Bush!’’ > > For $199.99, a fully punctuated paragraph: > > ‘Here’s food for thought. If, instead of dull old Treasury bonds, you’d been allowed to invest your Social Security deductions in Enron stock (and then dumped it when Kenny Lay dumped his, before the company turned turtle), you might have doubled your earnings. Hey, if privatization is such a `risky gamble,’ then deal me in!’’ > > For a flat $500, I’d give them a whole scary column, beginning with: > > ‘If Congress doesn’t get behind our president and privatize Social Security, we hard-working `baby boomers’ are doomed to a hellhole retirement straight out of a Dickens novel – impoverished, miserable, bleak. Those puny monthly checks from Uncle Sam (assuming they don’t bounce!) won’t be enough to fill our cupboards with stale cat food and Sterno. . . . ‘’ > > And finally, for $999, the big enchilada – the screamer to end all screamers: > > ``If those wimps in Congress don’t wake up and privatize Social Security now – I mean this week! – President Bush will be forced to invade Nassau, the Caymans and possibly Liechtenstein in search of tax-sheltered assets to replenish the soon-to-be-bankrupt Social Security coffers. > > ``My own mother has burned her AARP card and rushed off to Washington, D.C., to demonstrate in support of the president’s innovative private-investment plan. She can’t wait to cash out her T-bills and sink her retirement savings into Halliburton . . .’’ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/19 "2005-01-26T20:08:14Z")
I love Carl Hiaasen. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698/20 "2005-01-26T20:44:15Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I’d pimp marriage for the government if the price was right but it would have to be six figures (and it would include the pimping of gay marriage). > > I’m not so much surprised that Gallagher is a whore but that she’s such a _cheap_ whore. To quote the old punchline, “We both know what you are, dear, we’re just quibbling over price.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-here-come-the-little-duckies-another-government-paid-bush-policy-collumnist/286698.md?page=2)