The Democratic National Convention is taking place in Chicago this week. President Joe Biden will formally hand over the baton as his Veep Kamala Harris becomes the party’s nominee to take on Donald Trump. In media, circles the focus seems to be on one man – Ezra Klein.
Tl/dr: Klein rose to prominence as a wonky blogger, writing the aptly named Wonkblog for The Washington Post. That’s how I first came across him. He quit that to start Vox and then quit that to take up a berth at the New York Times. Now Bustle is writing profiles of him in which they discuss whether everyone is “horny for Ezra Klein”. I’m not sure I can make a judgment on that. However, I like how he used the power of blogging to have a real impact, on journalism, politics and culture more broadly.
As Max Tani of Semafor noted, as well as trips to The White House, “Klein, 40, has also become the subject of fixation among the terminally politically online.” However, Tani revealed things might not all be well on home turf. “The Ezra Klein Show” podcast has become a huge success, but “his outsized profile at the Times and his role inside Democratic politics make it hard to argue that the organization stands above the electoral fray.” Indeed, it was a Klein-read audio essay that really triggered a Dem-debate about whether Biden should run for another four years in office.
The Ezra Klein Election?
As much of the buzz in recent days has noted, this is not the first time Klein has been the subject of attention. There’s a CJR profile from back in 2012 which makes for fascinating reading. (It also mentioned the writer’s looks and apparent attractiveness to women.) Beyond its core subject, the piece perfectly encapsulates the media at that time.
The current wave of excitement seemingly comes from a mix of the political moment, the fact that Klein got a big call right and his deft use of digital to build his name within an iconic brand. No doubt his pieces and podcast are going to have more influence from now until November. Never mind X or Threads. We might just be about to have the Ezra Klein election.
[Image credit: lrn on Wikimedia]
