John Heilemann, the shiny-headed former journalist best known for collaborating with Mark Halperin of sexual harassment fame, and who now operates as a hype man for political scam artists like Steve Schmidt and Michael Avenatti, went viral this weekend for his desperate, cloying defense of the corporate media on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher.
Facing off against actor, comedian and sex enthusiast Russell Brand, Heilemann found himself in the unenviable position of being a man in a Joy Division T-shirt with a recent hand tattoo standing up for the cause of Morning Joe and the cast of rebellious media rapscallions housed at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It did not go well.
There's a reason why establishment pundits can't understand @rustyrockets's worldview, so resort to screaming "far-right!". There's also a reason he has his ]show on @rumblevideo, where – after just 6 months – his audience size exceeds many cable shows:pic.twitter.com/a60kPwT4YF
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 4, 2023
It’s no fun to be the man, and Cockburn hears Heilemann’s obvious tension with Brand continued after the show finished taping, even extending to calls with others the next day. Brand’s approach particularly got under Heilemann’s skin because Heilemann thinks of himself as being “one of the coolest guys in media.” Really, he does. Which prompted a laugh from Cockburn.
Time comes for us all, especially the sweet summer children of 1966, and Brand’s rude awakening seems likely to stick with Heilemann. Cockburn suggests he crawl into Mark McKinnon’s cowboy hat and have a good Gen X ugly cry about it.
