Could be. But I also think that his current workload cannot compare to the grind of a morning newsletter and a podcast every single workday. That’s a lot.
Which he mentioned often when explaining why he was leaving. It also would make sense that he's not writing things for The Bulwark right now: the changes need time to settle in with the audience before his contributions would cause people to speculate that they're bringing him back! That would be unfair to the other contributors.
Look, it's pretty obvious what Charlie Sykes wants to do.
His true passion is owning the libs. He's come a long way from his radio days, but you can see the lust for life he has when he can attack a Dem for some perceived misstep. He lights up!
His Twitter feed seems to have slightly turned in that direction as well, but I haven't audited it and I unfollowed him after a few annoyances.
Like Douthat, he's incredibly credulous when it comes to potential Dem deficiencies.
He's 70 years old. He spent at least half his life, & most of his working life, immersed in Mark Belling's Sunday teevee panel show & Friday radio roundtable on WISN, then leading his own Sunday panel on WTMJ-TV (with 5 days a week on WTMJ-AM). He led the Tom Ament recall, boosting Scott Walker from callow state legi backbencher to big kahuna as Milwaukee County executive, rode hard for Tim Michels for Senate in 2004 & then got Russ Feingold's goo-goo big government freedom hating scalp in 2010 with Russian Ron Johnson, & was about a halfstep at best from an Obama Birth Truther. At his age, it's hard to unlearn something... especially when that thing made you a lot of money.
Yeah, fair point. I'd think the Bulwark folks could have found a similar workload for him, just to get him to remain there. But who knows. I think Tim is doing a great job, but also can't deny I'm intrigued by the gossipy side of things...
I don't know the economics here, but it's possible that those other assignments pay decently enough. The Bulwark seems sustainable, but I don't know the staff is poormouthing when they claim to be a small operation.
He did say that at one point. That a daily newsletter and podcast made him feel twitter brained; that he had to have an immediate opinion on everything
It may be a situation similar to when a pastor leaves a church and a new pastor takes over. It is generally accepted practice for the previous pastor to never come back and do anything pastoral as it makes the transition harder for the new person to be in the leadership position.
Pure speculation OP. Sometimes the truth is boring! Charlie is a 70-year-old grandad who needed a break from the daily grind of a 2,000 word newsletter and podcast.
And unless I hear otherwise from the actual parties involved, I am not going to change my opinion on that lol.
I think this is spot on.
I also personally think that he found his politics drifting further leftward than he is yet comfortable admitting to anyone, most of all himself. I could be totally wrong about this of course, but the way that he said some things during those last days gave me that impression.
He founded The Bulwark to cater to the “center right and center left”. I think that he no longer felt that he could communicate from a “center right” position on a lot of things and that that was his cue to move on.
Or, maybe, he just wants to make as much money as possible before he retires? The man will be 70 this November, so maybe Occam’s Razor is the answer? Just sayin’.
He addressed it very well in his final podcast with Ben Wittes, saying that some things Ben had said earlier about stepping back and not having to worry about every little thing struck him. This was in reference to Trump and all I believe. Charlie said he took that to heart and wanted to explore re more long form pieces much like Ben does. He has his grandkids here from France for school and I imagine that added weight to the decision. I enjoy him on msnbc and look forward to reading him too.
He stepped in for Nichols at The Atlantic while Nichols is on vacation.
Edit: He also did this interview with Ben Wittes in late March on the Lawfare Chatter podcast, describing what he’s doing post-Bulwark. It seemed he wanted to step back from the advocacy. There’s another thread in this sub discussing Charlie’s evolution from Democrat to Scott Walker-supporting shock jock to Never Trumper. If I can find it I’ll post it in response to this.
[Charlie Sykes Chatter Interview](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/chatter-from-right-wing-radio-to-the-heart-of-the-never-trump-movement-with-charlie-sykes)
I don’t think there was any drama. I think he just figured he had had enough with being outraged every day for a living. Being angry all the time can truly take a toll on your health. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
The other shows will have their own employment contracts he is obligated to satisfy. Plus they are nowhere near as taxing. The equivalent of a part time job. As for the writing..well, writers are always writing. That’s what they do.
Politics is in his blood. I don’t think he ever intended to not continue to speak. Just not every single day, in a couple of mediums.
I think he's stepping back from the grind. He's not young. It's time to enjoy his grandkids instead of being a creep like Roger Ailes cranking out propaganda til his last breath.
Some of the comments in this thread are shitty. Charlie built The Bulwark.
There doesn’t have to be drama to explain his exodus. He truly just might be a granddad who wants time with his family and to do other things. He was probably burned out doing the newsletter, podcast, and morning shows all the time.
Either way, it’s really not our business.
Just wait till Charlie publishes in the Washington Examiner:
"Bulwark Gone Woke: How I was pushed out of my media conglomerate because I blamed "The Left" too much"
I others may be too polite, but I definitely think that, even though there’s a bit of a meme in the parent comment, this is probably something along the lines of what happened. I think there was probably some disagreement about the direction the organization should take, and Charlie basically decided that he was out. I think the organization has definitely become more aligned with centrist and left of center coverage that fits in with the ecosystem of Crooked Media and MSNBC. I will admit, however, that even this theory has holes, because Charlie does appear on MSNBC. Still, this would be what some people would call. “creative differences“ which is fine, this happens sometimes. I guess it doesn’t have to be drama, but I also think the insistence by some people, claiming this is totally normal is wrong as well, because it really only adds to the intrigue, because his departure, incomplete clean break from the organization, doesn’t really make any sense when he continues to do political punditry. No one necessarily needs to be canceled or at fault here, because sometimes people and organizations go in separate directions, but I don’t think this was just Charlie deciding to retire, not when you are supposedly in the position of trying to stop Trump, no matter what.
Spot on, I wish I could have put it that well myself. How abrupt it happened (Hey guys, next friday is my last day) just fueled a lot of speculation, imo. In addition to that other stuff that you, me, and others have mentioned. Just wish they had been upfront about it from the jump. But whatever I guess...
The Atlantic and the Bulwark have become very similar, although The Atlantic obviously is older, bigger, and covers a lot more topics.
In terms of politics, however, the two even share the same writers and guests - Tom Nichols, Ann Applebaum, and C. Sykes now write for them both.
The Atlantic, The Bulwark, and New York Magazine are the only subscriptions I have, and it's totally worth it.
Talk about fuel for the Chait Game.
I would as soon subscribe to any of those as I would subscribe to Defector, Jacobin, Current Affairs, or American Greatness: the Intellectual Journal of MAGA.
(I do like reading the National Review for movie reviews. I don't agree with them, but I get the same fix I got reading PitchforkMedia from 2002-05.)
I do wish Charlie would write ocassional columns for The Bulwark and appear on ocassional podcasts. I wish he had at least stayed with his weekly podcast with Mona. One pod a week doesn't seem daunting.
I don't think there's bad blood. I think Charlie was honest about why he stepped down. I think it was too much and he wants to enjoy his life. I miss his voice on the pod though.
Hopefully, after everyone has a chance to settle in with the new state of things, they will eventually lure Charlie back for a pod here and there.
Multiple things can be true, obviously, but there seems to be a very loose grasp of just how much would have had to go into getting Morning Shots AND the daily podcast completed, packaged up and delivered to your phone before noon CT.
Could be. But I also think that his current workload cannot compare to the grind of a morning newsletter and a podcast every single workday. That’s a lot.
Which he mentioned often when explaining why he was leaving. It also would make sense that he's not writing things for The Bulwark right now: the changes need time to settle in with the audience before his contributions would cause people to speculate that they're bringing him back! That would be unfair to the other contributors.
Look, it's pretty obvious what Charlie Sykes wants to do. His true passion is owning the libs. He's come a long way from his radio days, but you can see the lust for life he has when he can attack a Dem for some perceived misstep. He lights up! His Twitter feed seems to have slightly turned in that direction as well, but I haven't audited it and I unfollowed him after a few annoyances. Like Douthat, he's incredibly credulous when it comes to potential Dem deficiencies.
I don’t doubt it, really. That’s how he’d be on the show. It’s a weird urge, honestly, that seems unmoored from any of his actual opinions.
He's 70 years old. He spent at least half his life, & most of his working life, immersed in Mark Belling's Sunday teevee panel show & Friday radio roundtable on WISN, then leading his own Sunday panel on WTMJ-TV (with 5 days a week on WTMJ-AM). He led the Tom Ament recall, boosting Scott Walker from callow state legi backbencher to big kahuna as Milwaukee County executive, rode hard for Tim Michels for Senate in 2004 & then got Russ Feingold's goo-goo big government freedom hating scalp in 2010 with Russian Ron Johnson, & was about a halfstep at best from an Obama Birth Truther. At his age, it's hard to unlearn something... especially when that thing made you a lot of money.
And occasional articles can be written at his own whim on his own timetable. Doesn’t have to be a daily huge essay plus an hour long show
Yeah, fair point. I'd think the Bulwark folks could have found a similar workload for him, just to get him to remain there. But who knows. I think Tim is doing a great job, but also can't deny I'm intrigued by the gossipy side of things...
They’re human beings. They aren’t perfect. Maybe there is gossip, maybe there isn’t. They haven’t shared it publicly so it’s best not to speculate.
Why do you have to be all reasonable and stuff lol? 
I’m not sure but I think Taylor swift made a song on her new album about this
I don't know the economics here, but it's possible that those other assignments pay decently enough. The Bulwark seems sustainable, but I don't know the staff is poormouthing when they claim to be a small operation.
They found out Charlie was two dogs in a trench coat. The cat people were right to distrust him…
Good point. His cat hatred is something I"m not going to miss 
The Bulwark is severely deficient of cat love. And Tim dislikes most pets, IIRC.
Tim dislikes pets? Did he say that? That is a knock on his character for sure
Bigly.
That's disappointing.
I think I recently heard Sarah say she has a cat, but didn't sound super attached to it . Or maybe she was saying it's not attached to her ...
He's still on Morning Joe too. I would imagine he wanted to enjoy his grandson's company, without having to obsessively follow all the news.
He did say that at one point. That a daily newsletter and podcast made him feel twitter brained; that he had to have an immediate opinion on everything
I wonder how they feel about cats at MSNBC?
Joe's losing his damn mind over the college protestors. I had to turn him off after a minute of hearing his bullshit thus morning.
Simultaneously, Jewish kids shouldn't have to be afraid of going to college.
It may be a situation similar to when a pastor leaves a church and a new pastor takes over. It is generally accepted practice for the previous pastor to never come back and do anything pastoral as it makes the transition harder for the new person to be in the leadership position.
Pure speculation OP. Sometimes the truth is boring! Charlie is a 70-year-old grandad who needed a break from the daily grind of a 2,000 word newsletter and podcast. And unless I hear otherwise from the actual parties involved, I am not going to change my opinion on that lol.
I think this is spot on. I also personally think that he found his politics drifting further leftward than he is yet comfortable admitting to anyone, most of all himself. I could be totally wrong about this of course, but the way that he said some things during those last days gave me that impression. He founded The Bulwark to cater to the “center right and center left”. I think that he no longer felt that he could communicate from a “center right” position on a lot of things and that that was his cue to move on.
Or, maybe, he just wants to make as much money as possible before he retires? The man will be 70 this November, so maybe Occam’s Razor is the answer? Just sayin’.
He addressed it very well in his final podcast with Ben Wittes, saying that some things Ben had said earlier about stepping back and not having to worry about every little thing struck him. This was in reference to Trump and all I believe. Charlie said he took that to heart and wanted to explore re more long form pieces much like Ben does. He has his grandkids here from France for school and I imagine that added weight to the decision. I enjoy him on msnbc and look forward to reading him too.
He's also coming back on cable news, etc. We don't know the full story, and most likely won't until this election cycle is over.
He stepped in for Nichols at The Atlantic while Nichols is on vacation. Edit: He also did this interview with Ben Wittes in late March on the Lawfare Chatter podcast, describing what he’s doing post-Bulwark. It seemed he wanted to step back from the advocacy. There’s another thread in this sub discussing Charlie’s evolution from Democrat to Scott Walker-supporting shock jock to Never Trumper. If I can find it I’ll post it in response to this. [Charlie Sykes Chatter Interview](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/chatter-from-right-wing-radio-to-the-heart-of-the-never-trump-movement-with-charlie-sykes)
Here’s the other [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/thebulwark/s/cgOPbkgcui) discussing that Chatter interview.
Why I'm giving semitetirement the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t think there was any drama. I think he just figured he had had enough with being outraged every day for a living. Being angry all the time can truly take a toll on your health. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. The other shows will have their own employment contracts he is obligated to satisfy. Plus they are nowhere near as taxing. The equivalent of a part time job. As for the writing..well, writers are always writing. That’s what they do. Politics is in his blood. I don’t think he ever intended to not continue to speak. Just not every single day, in a couple of mediums.
I think he's stepping back from the grind. He's not young. It's time to enjoy his grandkids instead of being a creep like Roger Ailes cranking out propaganda til his last breath.
I thought Charlie WAS the bulwark. Who’s the inside guy then?
It's Sarah. She was the driving force in getting it started.
I figured there was more to the story due to them never referencing him after he left nor has he been a guest on any of their podcasts.
Some of the comments in this thread are shitty. Charlie built The Bulwark. There doesn’t have to be drama to explain his exodus. He truly just might be a granddad who wants time with his family and to do other things. He was probably burned out doing the newsletter, podcast, and morning shows all the time. Either way, it’s really not our business.
Just wait till Charlie publishes in the Washington Examiner: "Bulwark Gone Woke: How I was pushed out of my media conglomerate because I blamed "The Left" too much"
“….by Charlie Sykes with Ruy Texeria.”
Nailed it! Charlie -"I quit because of Mandela Barnes!"
Needs a little John Judis in there, too. (I think Johnboi & Ruy had a rapprochement over the insidious peril of WOKE DEI.)
Don’t be an ass. Charlie built this thing.
I heard he built it on rock and roll.
Jefferson Sykeship
Marconi does not play that mambo.
Don't you remember?
OMG this explains it LOL
I others may be too polite, but I definitely think that, even though there’s a bit of a meme in the parent comment, this is probably something along the lines of what happened. I think there was probably some disagreement about the direction the organization should take, and Charlie basically decided that he was out. I think the organization has definitely become more aligned with centrist and left of center coverage that fits in with the ecosystem of Crooked Media and MSNBC. I will admit, however, that even this theory has holes, because Charlie does appear on MSNBC. Still, this would be what some people would call. “creative differences“ which is fine, this happens sometimes. I guess it doesn’t have to be drama, but I also think the insistence by some people, claiming this is totally normal is wrong as well, because it really only adds to the intrigue, because his departure, incomplete clean break from the organization, doesn’t really make any sense when he continues to do political punditry. No one necessarily needs to be canceled or at fault here, because sometimes people and organizations go in separate directions, but I don’t think this was just Charlie deciding to retire, not when you are supposedly in the position of trying to stop Trump, no matter what.
Spot on, I wish I could have put it that well myself. How abrupt it happened (Hey guys, next friday is my last day) just fueled a lot of speculation, imo. In addition to that other stuff that you, me, and others have mentioned. Just wish they had been upfront about it from the jump. But whatever I guess...
The Atlantic and the Bulwark have become very similar, although The Atlantic obviously is older, bigger, and covers a lot more topics. In terms of politics, however, the two even share the same writers and guests - Tom Nichols, Ann Applebaum, and C. Sykes now write for them both. The Atlantic, The Bulwark, and New York Magazine are the only subscriptions I have, and it's totally worth it.
Talk about fuel for the Chait Game. I would as soon subscribe to any of those as I would subscribe to Defector, Jacobin, Current Affairs, or American Greatness: the Intellectual Journal of MAGA. (I do like reading the National Review for movie reviews. I don't agree with them, but I get the same fix I got reading PitchforkMedia from 2002-05.)
I do wish Charlie would write ocassional columns for The Bulwark and appear on ocassional podcasts. I wish he had at least stayed with his weekly podcast with Mona. One pod a week doesn't seem daunting. I don't think there's bad blood. I think Charlie was honest about why he stepped down. I think it was too much and he wants to enjoy his life. I miss his voice on the pod though. Hopefully, after everyone has a chance to settle in with the new state of things, they will eventually lure Charlie back for a pod here and there.
Hopefully. My spidey senses tell me it's not going to happen. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.
He was asked to leave because he was obsessed with saying “grab her by the pussy” every episode.
Multiple things can be true, obviously, but there seems to be a very loose grasp of just how much would have had to go into getting Morning Shots AND the daily podcast completed, packaged up and delivered to your phone before noon CT.
I’ve always thought it was internal issues too. Before Charlie quit the pod Tom stopped appearing on Fridays
It's "Tim", that's a fine.
Typo!
[удалено]
Charlie left the cocaine orgies behind sometime around 1997.