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Signing Off
As Josh writes, just short of my three thousandth post at TPMm I am raising my rake and roaming on to other mucky pastures.
One thing I've learned here at TPM is to appreciate Josh's ability to put things better than I could. And in his typically generous spirit, he has.
But I also wanted to take a moment to thank the thousands of TPM readers who have commented on posts, sent in tips, or joined me on doc dump dives, and especially those special few dogged readers (you know who you are) whose muckraking have managed to regularly make me look good on countless occasions. There are a number of things that make working at TPM unique and special, but the experience of such an engaged and intelligent readership has impressed me the most.
I hope you'll check in at ProPublica next month. But you can be sure that TPMm won't miss a beat.
Josh
Zachary
Take care Paul. Will check you out at your new web addy. ;)
I have enjoyed reading your posts here. Spot-on always dude!
May 16, 2008 7:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish you the very best and guarantee that you will have a faithful reader at your new place.
Best wishes and a huge thank you for all you have done and will undoubtedly continue to do.
Live Frankly
May 16, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for all your hard work, you will be missed. Good Luck wherever you land.
May 16, 2008 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to FEC records, Herbert Sandler, Propublica chairman, and his wife, Marion, are big Democratic contributors.
That's somewhat of a relief. A couple of weeks ago, Grover Norquist's latest flunky, David All, wrote that TPM and especially TPM Muckraker, is problematic for the right wing. Then seemingly out of the blue, Paul Kiel quits to go to work an outfit with no operations just as campaign season switches into high gear.
Hmm...
I wonder if Propublica will permit comments. It'd be nice if it had a section for amateur researchers to swap info. Someone associated with John Kerry recently told me that he was considering a grassroots type research site but nothing seems to have come of it.
That said, 2006 was a blast. Every day, I looked forward to reading about the latest corrupt Republican exposed in the TPM Muckraker.
Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Curt Weldon, Jerry Lewis, Conrad Burns, Ralph Reed, Mitchell Wade, Brent Wilkes etc etc etc...2006 was a banner year in the annals of muckraking.
(Why aren't the 2006 archives available? We're missing some classic Kiel posts!)
Thanks for the laughs, Paul, and best wishes.
May 16, 2008 10:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for all of your hard work, and best of luck! Let no muck stay your journalistic rake.
May 16, 2008 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Paul, it's been a pleasure working with you! Thanks for listening to the rants, the suspicions and for trying to make sense of it all.
May 16, 2008 11:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
TPM won't miss a beat, but they will miss you, Paul.
Thanks for the memories, and we look forward to your new gig, you will no doubt bring them some experienced "traffic" just by signing on.
May 17, 2008 12:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paul:
It must be satisfying to close the Spakovsky file even as you're cleaning out your desk.
You have maintained the high standards that the time-honored term "muckraker" has come to imply.
Good luck at ProPublica, and keep recirculating the compost. Send a few nuggets back this way.
May 17, 2008 4:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paul:
Just adding another heartfelt Thank You! for all your good efforts at TPM Muckraker. I'm sure you will continue in the same vein at Pro Publico.
Good Luck!
May 17, 2008 5:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paul, thank you for 3000 of the best mucky posts ever recorded. The Pink Sugar (Katherine Harris) posts used to make my day. Who gave her the nickname, you or Justin? You will be missed.
May 17, 2008 8:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow 3000 posts! Time for you to get a real job, huh? *g*
Thanks for all our hard work Paul, I'll definitely be checking into your new diggs and I'll be putting you as a new entry under NEWS in my bookmarks.
Congratulations.
May 17, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paul-- I'm glad you were still here to see your work on von Spakovsky bear fruit. The repugs REALLY wanted that douchebag on the commission, for painfully obvious reasons. I believe the work you've done here has really made a difference, and the archives will be invaluable come next spring when Obama's AG (Edwards?) starts building cases against all these cretins.
Best of luck, and thank you!
May 17, 2008 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm surprised none of Tommy K's family has dropped by to thank Paul for your coverage and a forum to fight their family battles.
May 17, 2008 10:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Paul,
How about ProPublica looking into what McCain covered up in his Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearings on Jack Abramoff? Maybe Senator Byron Dorgan could give you a hand.
We already know that Chairman McCain knew at the time Federici and Griles testified that they had had a long time romance yet McCain ignored that fact publicly. He also knew how close Federici was to Gale Norton.
McCain's investigators would have had access to CREA's 990s so they knew Federici and R. Jared Carpenter weren't paying payroll taxes. (BTW, what ever happened to Carpenter?)
McCain never released thousands of documents from the senate Abramoff investigation. What's in them?
For that matter, Jack Abramoff has been spilling his guts for a couple of years now. Is anything ever going to come of his testimony or will the notes be shredded when a Dem is elected? What's going on with the Curt Weldon investigation?
Maybe someone at Propublica will take a look at Wes Gullett, John McCain's BFF. When Karl Rove gives you a cover story in the WSJ, something is up.
Gullett, then McCain's senate admin assistant, came to McCain's rescue when drug-addicted Cindy McCain brought home two very sick babies from Bangladesh and he adopted one.
Gullet went on to manage McCain's campaigns and is an advisor to this one. He has been described as someone who plays hardball. He has also accompanied McCain on 14-hour stints at the craps table.
According to Rove, Gullett never paid any of his adopted daughter's medical bills. Presumably, the McCains paid them. What other financial arrangement does Gullett have with the McCains?
Gullett has also been named as a conduit in at least one of the squirrelly AZ land deals that McCain voted for.
I'd also like to know more about Cindy McCain's finances. Whatever happened to the development deal she did with Charles Keating, for example?
In any case, I'm sure you will be busy. After reading about ProPublica's mission, I agree that it is much needed in this day and age.
Again, thank you for your hard work and thank you for keeping the wingnuts crooks on their toes. Just recently, the Iowa Future Fund had to reorganize as the Iowa Progress Project as a result of one of your posts.
May 17, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Re Wes Gullett- I checked the Senate lobbyist database and Gullett registered his first federal client in 10/03, the Yavapai Ranch, in connection with "ranch, land exchange." Gullett never filed any other Yavapai Ranch reports other than the initial registration.
Catch this one. The initial registration for the Guidiville Band of Indians on behalf of Indian gambling was dated 11/29/05 and filed in 12/05. But then an amended one was filed a month later dated 1/04.
Gullett was secretly lobbying on behalf of Indian gambling in 2004 and 2005 at the same time that McCain was investigating Indian gambling.
May 17, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hang on a sec.
Both the Guidiville Pomo Band of Indians and IDA registrations were filed in 12/05 and dated 11/29/05. Amended regs for both entities were filed in 1/06 and both client were terminated 7/06.
The IDA amended reg was also dated 2004 but it looks like it was changed to 2006.
Walter Gray, Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians testified before McCain's committee in July 2005. Why would he have hired Gullett in 11/05?
I would think that the Pomo Indians paid for access to McCain's committee before the hearing.
Maybe Gullett registered his clients as an afterthought in case anyone ever questioned whether he lobbied McCain on their behalf.
For a guy who gambled at the craps table in 14-hour stints with one of the most senior members of the Senate, Gullett sure didn't have very many clients or at least, he never reported having very many clients.
May 17, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Paul -- you've done fantastic work; I've much appreciated your posts and insights. Without doubt, you've helped build & fortify an indispensable portion of TPM's rock-solid foundation.
Best of luck in your next venture, and keep fighting the good fight!
May 17, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Big shoes to fill, and a big rake to hold...
Who's next?
May 18, 2008 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I read this on TPM on Friday but just got around to reading this thread. Your work has been quite influential in the traditional media- I hope that your voice will only get louder as you get older and move up. You will be missed here, but fortunately will be not be completely missed as we can find you elsewhere. Looks like it's time to add to my favorites.
May 18, 2008 10:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bye Paul
Sigh
May 19, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm glad to see that your reporting expertise won't go unused in your new job. I truly enjoy TPM and its related sites, and the reason is the quality of its journalism.
Best of luck.
May 19, 2008 11:30 PM | Reply | Permalink