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Cementing The Title

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Media
Posted on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:03:29 AM EST
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While I was suspended yesterday for my bad commenting behavior, Atrios named Tom Friedman Wanker of the Decade. I demurred in that I believe Fred Hiatt the most worthy of the title. But score one for Atrios, as Friedman delivers on cue.

I suppose I could take the time to explain the wankerificness of Friedman's column today, or link to other blogs explaining it, but is it really necessary? I think not.

Speaking for me only

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    Cementing The Title | 20 comments (20 topical)

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    did you suspend yourself? (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:20:54 AM EST
    I had no idea. I'm glad it was only a one day suspension!

    Jeralyn, your influence is subtle and profound (5.00 / 4) (#3)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:28:01 AM EST


    Parent
    Yep (none / 0) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:31:46 AM EST
    I broke the comment rules.

    Parent
    But you did it with panache. (none / 0) (#15)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 09:27:00 PM EST
    Sometimes, a few f-bombs need to be dropped on a richly deserving target -- and I can think of nobody more deserving of f-bombing than Joke Line.

    Parent
    Sorry I missed it. That's what happens (none / 0) (#18)
    by ruffian on Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 09:14:42 AM EST
    when I take a break from TL to do some work.

    Parent
    Joke line eh? (none / 0) (#20)
    by AngryBlackGuy on Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 10:04:06 PM EST
    All for liking Sullivan.

    That's what has me laughing.

    Parent

    A truly wonderful column (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Addison on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:27:05 AM EST
    The next president has to have a mandate for Friedmanism. Therefore, a Friedman Party candidate should enter just for the debates to "shake things up" and then lose/drop out. The two candidates will gravitate toward this sure-loser's positions to get some of his vote. This will give either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney a mandate to pursue Friedmanism -- and then [there's a missing step at this point in the process] they actually WILL pursue it.

    When political teams win the presidency they attempt to implement their agenda as forcefully as possible. They don't look back and think about the "mandate" they got to pursue some third-party loser's agenda, and pursue that instead of their own agenda.

    Also, as he himself notes, Friedman says the next president must have a strong mandate for the kind of reforms Barack Obama has generally shown an affinity for, and not the kind of things Mitt Romney has generally shown an affinity for. So, even if Mitt Romney were to get a strong mandate via Tom's non-sensical method, it would be for war with Iran, humiliating public sector education unions, no new taxes on "dirty energy", kicking out all the illegals, and tax cuts for the rich -- NOT for strengthening America's public infrastructure (Amtrak's supposed faults being the rhetorical reason for this realization).

    Memorandum (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by Addison on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:32:17 AM EST
    To: Tom Friedman
    From: The World of Internet Memes
    Re: "One for the Country", 17 April 2012

    Tom, please view attached image as soon as possible. Thanks.

    ---

    Attachments:

    Image 1


    Parent

    Hey Tom, last time I checked you (5.00 / 3) (#8)
    by ruffian on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 01:05:57 PM EST
    inexplicably had a column in the last major newspaper. You also write a book a year. And show up way too often on my teevee. If you want tax reform, why don't you explain and push for it yourself, not tell people to waste their money and our time on a presidential campaign?

    From the ashes of Unity '08 (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by andgarden on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 02:19:06 PM EST
    rises the phoenix of . . . the Wanker of the Decade!

    :D

    OMG! How could you even think ... (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 09:23:11 PM EST
    ... of offering Fred Hiatt the title of Wanker of the Decade? Tom Friedman's column today is the equivalent of a four-game World Series sweep. I mean, Mayor Bloomberg should run for president? Really?

    You know what? I want a job as an op-ed columnist with the New York Times. Just give me my trusty bong and a frosty pitcher of margaritas, and I could churn out this sort of flat-earth schtick with regularity, too -- and I guarantee you, it would be much more entertaining.

    Tom! (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by Addison on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 10:59:30 PM EST
    Oh, oh, oh, but it's not even that Bloomberg should run for president. It's that Bloomberg should run president and lose, like some sort of centrist Jesus on the cross, sacrificing a small portion of his absurd wealth to bring Friedmanism to the masses. That'll do, Tom. That'll do.

    Parent
    Good Matt Taibbi take-down of Friedman from 2009 (5.00 / 2) (#19)
    by tworivers on Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 06:19:28 PM EST
    Like The World is Flat, a book borne of Friedman's stirring experience of seeing IBM sign in the distance while golfing in Bangalore, Hot,Flat and Crowded is a book whose great insights come when Friedman golfs (on global warming allowing him more winter golf days:"I will still take advantage of it--but I no longer think of it as something I got for free"), looks at Burger King signs (upon seeing a "nightmarish neon blur" of KFC, BK and McDonald's signs in Texas, he realizes: "We're on a fool's errand"), and reads bumper stickers (the "Osama Loves your SUV" sticker he read turns into the thesis of his "Fill `er up with Dictators" chapter). This is Friedman's life: He flies around the world, eats pricey lunches with other rich people and draws conclusions about the future of humanity by looking out his hotel window and counting the Applebee's signs.

    More here.

    Friedman is far too impressed with his own "insights", and comes off as insufferably smug. I wholeheartedly agree with Atrios.

    Speaking of titles. This one's (none / 0) (#6)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 11:33:09 AM EST
    Terrific.  

    So did you and Ozzie (none / 0) (#7)
    by me only on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 01:04:21 PM EST
    hang out for the day?

    I guess Atrios is lefty thing.  The links were not worth reading, let alone commenting on.

    Heh (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 01:06:08 PM EST
    Well, we both had to abjectly and profusely apologize.

    Parent
    Moustache smokes the rag (none / 0) (#11)
    by Mr Tuxedo on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 02:44:01 PM EST


    Friedman (none / 0) (#12)
    by AngryBlackGuy on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 04:51:15 PM EST
    Is deserving of the no.1 position.

     Used the Friedman Unit for years after Atrios coined the term (i liked him back then).

    the Legendary Billmon was instrumental in pointing out his wankerishness in the years after the start of the war.

    I thought the Fried Guy was (none / 0) (#13)
    by kmblue on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 06:03:34 PM EST
    most famous for his cheerleading for the Iraq war
    with "suck on this".

    The thing that annoys me most about Friedman is . (none / 0) (#16)
    by Luke Lea on Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 10:46:46 PM EST
    his insufferably smug lower lip, the way he sticks it out.  Or maybe it's just me.

    Cementing The Title | 20 comments (20 topical)

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