Vanity Project

Magazines have a problem. (Aside from the fact they're magazines and thus on the way out.) They put a later date on the cover than when they publish, so their product can stay fresh on the newsstand.  Not necessarily a big problem, unless they post-date something topical.

Vanity Fair's December issue--with the Adele cover--came out in November, and was written before the election.  In particular, let's look at the "Editor's Letter" from Graydon Carter--"The Deciders And The Damned."  Carter made his bones decades ago, mocking Donald Trump at Spy, and today, like many an editor of a slick magazine, writes with Olympian disdain at the fools whose politics differ from his (certain his readers agree).

He starts this way:

At this point, I suspect that Donald Trump is deeply regretting his rash decision to run for the presidency.

He goes on:

In drawing attention to himself, which is the basic point of his political career, Trump got more than he bargained for—but also as much as someone like him warrants. [...] Trump’s family members, exposed to myriad slights, speculations, and accusations, no doubt wish he had left it all alone. The brand, such as it ever was, is tarnished, perhaps permanently. Trump has learned the hard way that decisions made brazenly from the gut can have dire consequences. [...] And poor [Jon] Stewart—his decision to retire before Trump’s ill-fated run for the presidency will probably haunt him forever.

The piece may be set in a present just before the election, but it's clearly meant for a world soon to have President-Elect Hillary Clinton. Instead, it's a world where Graydon Carter has egg on his face.

But don't feel bad for Graydon.  Unchastened, he'll now write editorial after editorial against President Trump, certain he knows what next month will bring, and more certain his readers will agree.

PS  Literally seconds after I wrote this, I read that Donald Trump is tweeting nasty things about Graydon Carter.  Not about the Editor's Letter, though.  Apparently he's angry at a negative review of Trump's New York restaurant Trump Grill.  Here's the tweet:

Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFairMagazine.  Way down, big trouble, dead!  Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!

I'm feeling nostalgic.  The two were feuding back in the days of Spy.  Trump predicted the magazine would be out of business in a year, so Spy ran that quote every issue, with a countdown calendar.

Of course, back then, Trump was merely a short-fingered vulgarian.  Now he's President-Elect.  You'd think he has better things to do than help out his old pal Graydon.