Is Politico Too Insidery?

The New Republic has a fascinating interview with the editors of Politico, John Harris and Jim VandeHei.

Nate Silver: “It’s striking how preoccupied Harris and VandeHei are with the perception that Politico is too ‘insidery’. My personal critique of their work cuts a little deeper than that, however. It’s not that they are too ‘insidery’ per se, but that the perceptions of Beltway insiders, which Politico echoes and embraces, are not always very insightful or accurate. In other words, the conventional wisdom is often wrong, especially in Washington.”

Andrew Sullivan: “The distortive effect of Politico actually corrodes democracy, in my view, because it constantly prioritizes the 6-hour news cycle and the higher inside-bullshit to tell us allegedly what is happening in Washington… We’d be better off if they disappeared into the ether. But, of course, they will continue to thrive.”