Are Republicans crazy? Readers of GQ might think so.
The January edition of the men’s magazine featured a list of “the craziest politicians of 2014,” naming 16 Republicans, three Democrats, and one county sheriff.
Fair?
A number of political commentators have said no.
Calling out the magazine for engaging in “some serious media bias,” Boston Herald columnist Adriana Cohen said this morning on Fox News:
If there were a bipartisan media objective, this list would have been 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans. But when they’re calling out 17 ‘crazy’ Republicans and only three Democrats … this is teetering on propaganda at this point.
Among the chosen “crazies” were 2016 presidential contenders Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Also making the cut were a number of incoming Republican freshmen in the 114th Congress, including Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Reps. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Jody Hice of Georgia and Mark Walker of North Carolina.
After bashing Ernst for her outspoken views on the Second Amendment, GQ told readers to “think of her as Michele Bachmann with a more sensible haircut.”
The three Democrats cast as “crazy” were Vice President Joe Biden and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Hank Johnson of Georgia.
“The reality is that Democrats just aren’t keeping pace right now in the crazy department.” @GQMagazine
Biden’s offense, according to GQ, is “Crazy enough to run again for president!” GQ, meanwhile, used this for its description of Cruz:
Leans so far right that even fellow Republican John McCain classified him as a “wacko bird”; one of Cruz’s supporters put the nickname on a hat, and he proudly displays it in his office.
In defense of his editorial judgment, author Stephen Sherrill attached a note to the bottom of article, in which he denied any media bias. “[T]he reality is that Democrats just aren’t keeping pace right now in the crazy department,” he wrote.
Is he right?
Publishing its own list of 16 “crazy” Democrats, the New York Post is now giving GQ a run for its money.
On it, readers will find Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, who earlier this year said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker gives women the “back of his hand,” and California Rep. Barbara Lee, who called for a $26 minimum wage.