Klein claimed Alterman mistook criticism of leftist Democrats as criticism of liberal Democrats -- but Klein's previous smears made no such distinction

Summary: Joe Klein responded to Eric Alterman's report that on April 11, Klein declared that Democrats will not succeed in future elections "if their message is that they hate America -- which is what has been the message of the liberal wing of the party for the past twenty years." In his response, Klein claimed: "Alterman had me castigating the 'liberal wing' of the party, which I was careful not to do. There is a crucial difference between liberals and leftists." In fact, as Alterman noted, Klein regularly attacks "liberals" and Democrats in general, making no distinction between "liberals" and "leftists."

In an April 14 entry in The Huffington Post, Time magazine senior writer and columnist Joe Klein responded to media critic Eric Alterman's report that, at an April 11 event, Klein declared that Democrats will not succeed in future elections "if their message is that they hate America -- which is what has been the message of the liberal wing of the party for the past twenty years."

From Klein's April 14 entry in The Huffington Post:

What I actually said was "the hate America tendency of the [Democratic Party's] left wing" had made it harder for Democrats to challenge Republicans on foreign policy. Alterman had me castigating the "liberal wing" of the party, which I was careful not to do. There is a crucial difference between liberals and leftists.

Alterman responded to Klein on the same day, also in a Huffington Post entry:

When one speaks of the "left wing" of the party -- that is, people who are running for office which was the clear context of the discussion -- one is clearly referring to the likes of [Sen.] Ted Kennedy [MA], [Sen.] Russell Feingold [WI], [Rep.] Barney Frank [MA], and the late [Sen.] Paul Wellstone [MN]. Those are the people whom everyone at the assembled breakfast understood Klein to be smearing, as he has done repeatedly in Time and elsewhere.

In fact, as Alterman noted, and as Media Matters for America documented, Klein regularly attacks "liberals" and Democrats in general, making no distinction between "liberals" and "leftists" -- in at least one instance characterizing Democrats as "a party with absolutely no redeeming social value."

—S.S.M.