Thomas Friedman, you have NO moral authority on this matter.

[Sophree]

Mr. Friedman, you pseudo-intellectual, you who passes for a "great mind" (says Tweety) in MSM "journalism" today.

You have no right, no right, sir, to pass judgment on anyone, including the Michigan Congressional Delegation, on the automobile crisis. Or point fingers at anyone on the current economic crisis and credit crunch that YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE IRAQ WAR CAUSED. We're in debt BECAUSE of the war. Credit is tight, frozen because of this debt and the IRAQ WAR which you whole-heartedly supported.

You neo-liberal flunky, you globalization toady. You water-carrier for the Bush Doctrine.

You, sir, have no moral authority on this or any other matter.

(End Keith Olberman-esque rant) about Tom Friedman on Meet the Press.

:rant:

[Orrex]

1. I don't know why anyone gives him any credit for anything

From the first time I heard him, he seemed like an obvious and unoriginal hack. Yet still he gets credit from people who should know a whole lot better.

[LeftishBrit]

14. I don't know his whole body of work; but he's certainly coming across as a pompous hack right now!

A bit too big for his boots, IMO.

[Sophree]

17. He's completely pompous.

I haven't read all of his work, either. But I used to read his column in the New York Times, before he started waving the flag for the invasion of Iraq. After that I couldn't even read his columns- I'd just skip right over them.

The book that we were talking about- "The World is Flat" and the articles that accompanied the book are complete fluff.

[fascisthunter]

16. "corporate" media...

corporate part likes the policies Mr. Friedman cheerleads. That's why...

[Sophree]

18. Yes they do.

They love the policies he touts.

And then they can also claim that they've had a "liberal" viewpoint represented on the show.

:grr:

[fascisthunter]

19. Ha!... I Know. I Also Know He ain't no Liberal

but he sure does fit the description that right wing AM radio and corporate America loves to paint us.

Someday the meat heads on the right may actually find that all their information, everything they thought they knew about the left was a corporate/GOP cartoon character to keep them from ever listening to our side.

People like Friedman play their part...

[MichiganVote]

2. I wasn't aware that Friedman had ever run anything but his mouth. Mr. CremePuff

merely has another book out. meh...

[Sophree]

3. His books-

His books are another disturbing thing to me. I work in the academic realm (librarian) and what is so unbelievable is the number of professors who have their students reading "The World is Flat." What a piece of junk that book is. And yet so many swooned over it- suckered by its "cleverness."

I swear they're brainwashing students to be unquestioningly pro-globalization. I can't see any other explanation.

[MichiganVote]

5. I read that book and I seriously couldn't believe what passes as erudite prose,

logical conclusions and sound research. I thought it was terrible. An amateur collection of what seemed to be a cross between tarot cards and a farmers almanac.

[Sophree]

7. Totally.

Amateurish, weak arguments, illogical. Junk, just Junk.

I still can't believe it's required reading in so many college-level courses- Business classes, Political Science classes. Argh!

[MichiganVote]

9. I remember when it came out I didn't even understand the "Flat" part.

I was like...'didn't the human race spend like centuries debating the whole the earth is round bit and now to prove a point about competitive economic playing fields you want to claim the world is "flat". Half the time his arguments seemed to dispute each other and that did seem "flat".

Sure made out like a bandit for the intellectually challenged tho'.

[Sophree]

11. As so many writers do.

He did make out like a bandit, that's for sure. As so many hack writers do. I don't mean to sound snobby about books- as long as people read, well, that's a good thing.

I just have a problem with his work being considered worthy of such undeserved praise and its widespread use in academia.

I'm hoping he's just a passing fad.

[MichiganVote]

13. It does seem to be a fad, this long litany of political books. Some have been good

and of course I read largely the liberal end of things. Woodward's books are another exercise in literary futility. Not to mention the false claims and the items he has conveniently left out of his books.

I've gone back to reading the tried and true. Current literature, films, and so called "fact" books all seem to have gone the way of TV with its "reality" shows. We laughingly refer to culture in the US as 'idiotocracy' at my house. And even that movie was not of the caliber of something Mel Brooks would have put together.

I am a book snob. I admit it. After 8 years of Bush, it may be the only thing I will have to be snobbish about. :)

[Odin2005]

12. IMO most college Economics departments are noting but centers of Neo-Liberal indoctrination.

Students get the "protectionism is horrible" BS brainwashed into them from day one, and are constantly told that "protectionism" is nothing but politicians buying votes and similar BS, or at least that is why a friend of mine, who has a master's degree in economics and an unabashed old-school Keyensian, told me.

Neo-Liberalism is to the Right what Marxism is to the Left, a religion masquerading as something scientific.

[Sophree]

15. I think you're probably right.

I figured that this is what is happening, which is just really sad- what has happened to critical thinking? Exploring all sides of issues? Allowing students to form their own opinions?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftchick]

6. for a while there I thought I was watching

"The Tom Friedman Show" :puke:

[Sophree]

8. I know, me too.

The way the MSM blows smoke up his ass is sickening. :puke:

[iamahaingttta]

10. He's like the Anti-Bill Kristol

They're opposite sides of the same coin, and both always wrong.

[aldo]

20. Tom Friedman is a lying, un-American, antipatriot POS

He's also a goddamned billionaire (by marriage). I guess he sees himself as part of the global elite, not an American. He's also a pompous windbag.