The FishbowlDC Interview With The Daily Caller's Senior Editor Jamie Weinstein

Say hello to The Daily Caller's Senior Editor Jamie Weinstein. You might have caught him on FNC's "Red Eye," where he appears approximately every two weeks. He lives in Chinatown but prefers cabs to the Range Rover he rarely drives. A brief duck theme emerges in his interview. Completely unintentional, he claims: "My duck phone ring is because someone changed it as a joke and I decided to keep it." Weinstein grew up in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. but wasn't a beach bum. "I didn't go to the beach very much," he says. "Just because it's there. It's just like in D.C., you have all the monuments but you don't really go to see them." He arrived to The Daily Caller after finishing grad school at the London School of Economics, where he earned a degree in the History of International Relations. Out of the blue, he explains, they were looking for a deputy editor. He jumped in with both feet. In June he switched roles from Deputy Editor to Senior Editor. In his former role he worked with the daily stream of newsroom copy. In his new one, he makes TV appearances, writes long form and does more video interviews. If he has his druthers he'd follow in the footsteps of his mentor and boss, Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson. "I like what Tucker has done as a career as a writer and on television," he says. "If I was lucky to have a small part of what Tucker has been able to do, I would be happy." Career aspirations aside, the weirdest thing about Weinstein may be his penchant for eating tomatoes - he can't get enough of them. Speaking of who he might like to throw a tomato at, we asked him who is the TV personality he can't bear to watch. Weinstein names MSNBC's Ed Schultz. "He might be the worst broadcaster on television ever," he says. "It's amazing he has come this far. One, he is clearly not a smart person. Secondly, his voice has a tone that people don't want to listen to for long periods of time." Referring to his "Lean Forward" ad, he adds, "I don't think America needs two shows of Ed Schultz." If you were a carbonated beverage which would you be? Bling H20 (sparkling, of course) How often do you Google yourself? Easier to say how often I don’t Google myself. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor (or vice versa)? I try not to speak to my fellow editors. Who is your favorite working journalist and why? I’ll give you three: Matt Labash, Michael Lewis and Christopher Hitchens. I never miss anything they write. Do you have a favorite word? No (that’s my favorite word). What word or phrase do you overuse? the Who would you rather have dinner with – MSNBC’s Chris Matthews or FNC’s Chris Wallace? It depends. If I’m tired, I would say Chris Matthews --- I wouldn’t have to do any talking. Otherwise, Chris Wallace. You are ordered to go on a road trip to an undisclosed location. You can go with White House Spokesman Jay Carney or Bo, the President’s Portuguese Water Dog. No ones feelings will be hurt. Who do you take? Bo --- he’s closer to the president. He more likely knows President Obama’s innermost secrets and was probably privy to some of his most uncensored comments. If I get a few drinks in him, I am sure he will spill it all. Plus, I prefer Portuguese Water dogs to lapdogs. What’s the name of your cell phone ring? Duck (and this is not a joke). It’s 3 a.m. and you get up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water. Do you check your BlackBerry? No, but only because I don’t have a BlackBerry. But I do check my iPhone --- want to see if any great Nigerian investment offers have come in. What swear word do you use most often? Ah, shucks [He assures me he does swear, but doesn't have a favorite.] If you weren’t a journalist what would you be? The guy who comes up with ideas for reality TV shows. You’ve just been told the big news: You get to have your own Sunday morning talk show. Who will be on your roundtable? (Pick four journalists or pundits types.) Charlie Manson, Pat Buchanan, Charles Barkley and Jackie Mason. When you pig out what do you eat? I have a strange habit. I eat tomatoes often at every meal. I eat tomatoes with vinegar on it, oftentimes multiple orders. This has been going on almost the entirety of my life. My dad used to have it when I was younger, occasionally. For some reason I eat it all the time. When did you last cry and why? When John Bolton decided against running for president. Ten years after 9/11, I felt al-Qaida had scored its first victory. Who is your mentor? [Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief] Tucker Carlson. He will actually take time out of his day to give you advice on almost any issue that arises professionally or not. He's a great model of what journalists of his stature in D.C. should wish to emulate insofar as when you meet him he makes [you] feel like you're the most important person in the world. Find out about Weinstein's purple velvet jacket after the jump... What TV show is your guilty pleasure? Piers Morgan Tonight What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? I’ve been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit (approaching 60 countries.) But I recently took a great trip to Singapore, Malaysia, India, Oman and Dubai which I chronicled in four parts for The Daily Caller. What is your absolute favorite item of clothing in your closet? We want the fabric, the brand, the store and the price if possible. I have a purple Hugo Boss velvet jacket that I am fond of. Pick one: Will Ferrell’s Bush impersonation or Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin? Norm MacDonald’s Bob Dole impersonation. Do you read your astrology? Sore subject --- can’t read. Tell us a secret not many people know about you. I did a TV pilot when I was in high school that went nowhere called “Palm Beach Motors.” What and where was your first job in journalism? I was the Collegiate Network Journalism Fellow at Roll Call from 2006-2007. I wrote for the publication and was the assistant to Morton Kondracke. What’s your most embarrassing career moment? Having not won a Pulitzer Prize yet, it's hard to even look at myself in the mirror. Have you ever been fired? Not yet, unfortunately. I’m working on it though. Which one interview of your career did you enjoy most? This is a hard one. I am tempted to say either Mike Gravel or Rod Blagojevich because crazy people always make excellent interviews. But my favorite interview in terms of product was probably with Matt Labash for his book Fly Fishing with Darth Vader: And other Adventures with Evangelical Wrestlers, Political Hitmen and Jewish Cowboys. Simply hilarious. What’s the biggest scoop you’ve ever had? I recently was the first to get the tape of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) praising Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria on Syrian state television despite his initial denials he did any such thing. When and why did you last laugh so hard you had tears in your eyes? When I saw MSNBC’s recent post debate analysis panel. When and why did you last lose your temper? I don’t loose my temper often, but if my computer starts malfunctioning, I can get enraged. Which movie title best describes your journalism career? The Mighty Ducks II Who would you want to play you in a movie? Nancy Reagan Name jobs you've had outside of journalism. (Can start as young as teenage years): I was a superhero and a grad student for a time. But I was attracted to journalism for the money. Do you have a me-wall? If so, who’s on it? It is not up on a wall, but I do have a poster board somewhere. A bunch of people are on it, from Will Ferrell to Donald Trump. Who should just call it a day? Probably Muammar Gadaffi. Seems like it might be a good time for him to call it quits. Or Paul Krugman. One of the two. Finally, please come up for a question for our next FishbowlDC interviewee. Make it good. What was the first thing you did after being released from prison?

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The FishbowlDC Interview With The Daily Caller's Senior Editor Jamie Weinstein

Betsy Rothstein

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Betsy Rothstein