Interview with Tom Friedman and the closing (“New Rules”) of the show.
It was a better than usual panel discussion this week featuring Martin Short, Ben Affleck and Bernie Sanders, the Independent Senator from Vermont.
A couple of quick thoughts on Maher’s conversation with Friedman. He mentioned the situation in Icleland which in case you didn’t know has gone essentially bankrupt after three of the country’s largest banks collapsed. The result? Most foreigners and other banks won’t trade the krona and suppliers from abroad are asking for cash upfront before they are willing to send any supplies. Consequently, there’s been a mad rush to the stores where Icelanders have pretty much cleared whatever they can from supermarket shelves. A spokesman for the largest discount grocery store in the country said they have less than 10 days worth of supplies left in their warehouse. Yikes!
The other thing is the central notion floated in his new book and that is the shift to new energy technology. It drove me completely mental that during the last election, and leading up to it, Stéphane Dion was hopelessly incapable of creating a broader framework and context for his “Green Shift” and it therefore simply became, as described by the Conservatives, a “tax on everything.” Once again, liberals demonstrate how, in recent years at least, they consistently get outfoxed by conservatives when it comes to “framing” issues. When will they ever learn these simple lessons? Oy.
In some of the Liberal commercials they mentioned “green jobs” or something like that, but there was no substance to it other than being a pleasing expression. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why he didn’t discuss some of the exciting new technology that’s emerging that the government could have helped to facilitate with various incentives. Most people would probably agree that Stephen Harper isn’t exactly a man of vision — except to the extent of imaging Canada as being an “energy superpower” with oil extraction programs of “Brobignagian “ proportions (yes, he actually said that). And yet, we see our manufacturing sector and industrial infrastructure gradually falling apart — whether because demand for the products being made is diminishing (much of the automotive sector… wrong vehicles at the wrong time) or because it’s simply no longer “competitive” in a low-wage global race to the bottom. What’s needed is investment to revitalize that sector of the economy focusing on technologies of the future, not trying to prop up the remains of soon-to-be legacy industries. Anyway, it’s just a thought…
Red Tory v.3.0.3 
Stéphane Dion was hopelessly incapable of creating a broader framework and context for his “Green Shift” and it therefore simply became, as described by the Conservatives, a “tax on everything.”
The only thing I’m faulting the Liberals for was not finding some way to get around the gatekeepers that is our right wing media.
Consistently blaming one person for being incapable of shifting the thinking of millions of people who are pre-disposed to cringing whenever he speaks (or who only ever hear what he says through an annoying voice-over provided by a simultaneous translator), being incapable of busting through a news media dominated in Western Canada by a bankrupt media empire and having to deal with a public that, by and large, is insensate to the point that they themselves think in soundbites is a lot to ask for.
Anyway, there’s never been a parade Tom Friedman won’t find and get in front of, so this is just more of the same. I highly doubt regular foreigners really are telling him that they’re pining for the so-called lost optimism of America. Most foreigners have viewed it as magical thinking at best. What most people would like to see is a return to a functioning democracy and accountable government.
Ti-Guy — I have my reservations about the “Moustache of Wisdom” too — particularly with respect to his misguided support for the Iraq war — but he does seem quite good at capturing what could be called the “meta-narratives” of global economics and putting them in terms that are more easily understood and appreciated by the general public. It’s not for nothing that so many of his ideas (albeit unoriginal) have entered into the lexicon of political discourse as widely accepted “memes” or whatever you want to call them.
I highly doubt regular foreigners really are telling him that they’re pining for the so-called lost optimism of America. Most foreigners have viewed it as magical thinking at best.
I strongly disagree and would suggest that the enormous rally in Berlin is a testament to the very sentiment that Friedman describes which utterly refutes your assertion. It may well be “magical thinking” as you put it, but I rather doubt it’s regarded as such by “average” people who likely have quite a vague notion of what America is all about, let alone understanding how its government actually works (or should work).
I strongly disagree and would suggest that the enormous rally in Berlin is a testament to the very sentiment that Friedman describes which utterly refutes your assertion.
You seem to forget that I lived in Germany and speak German and my understanding goes a little deeper than a rally in Berlin.
There are always two currents at play with regard to America…a cheap snobbery that elites and social climbers adopt to elevate their own self-esteem and a more rational, reality-based understanding that the wealthiest, most powerful nation on Earth (both highly arguable characteristics at this point), by its sheer scale and influence, has to be very careful about how it behaves.
Although I’m quite capable of it myself, I know that cheap snobbery is tiresome when it comes to Americans. It’s also trivial with regard to what are some very real issues that America has to address to recapture the ideal we are told the rest of us hold it up to (which I destroyed forever during Vietnam). But, as Friedman says, only the next six months will tell.
Anyway, my perception of this post is coloured by your gushy enthusiasm for Thomas Friedman and his “memes.” I could barely keep the contents of my stomach in place as he promoted his latest coinage “ET…Energy Technology.” (OMG…that’s so brilliant!) Yeah, that’ll be on everyone’s lips any minute now, just like “The World is Flat” has managed to dislodge “The Global Village.”
I would just like to know what McCain was doing in that photo. Coughing fit?
I think that was part of his spastic little double-take when he realized he was heading off in the wrong direction when they got up at the end of the debate. It was kind of amusing in real-time, but it made for some pretty embarrassing photos.
No, I hadn’t forgotten that you lived in Germany and are well traveled in that part of the world. I was just going by what I read in the papers, see on TV and elsewhere… that sort of thing.
As for Friedman, I wouldn’t allow your utter contempt for the man to dismiss the concept that he’s promoting. It’s about time such an approach started gaining more widespread acceptance rather than simply being regarded as some “fringe” idea or part of a kooky leftist conspiracy as seems to be the case amongst some right-wingers with their “drill baby, drill” mantra and so on. If he can help popularize the idea of a more sustainable, innovative approach to energy independence, that’s great.
As for Friedman, I wouldn’t allow your utter contempt for the man to dismiss the concept that he’s promoting.
My contempt for Friedman has never extended to the beliefs he holds. Ever since I read From Beirut to Jerusalem I’ve had quite a great deal of respect for him. But it’s gone, only because he has consistently refused to use his reputation and the media access he is accorded to stake his credibility on telling people what they need to hear, as opposed to what he can get away with to protect his own career and bank balance.
Some people just need to go after a while, Red and Friedman’s one of them. There are plenty of other, better thinkers champing at the bit to present (and popularise) ideas and alternatives that we all need to be familiar with, and it doesn’t help to have Thomas Friedman’s big fat face crowding them out all the time.
I can appreciate that. Still, it’s better than having him running around claiming that climate-change is bunkum and there’s a limitless supply of abiotic oil…
Well, now that the wars for oil are definitely showing diminishing returns, Friedman has no other choice. Although I personally believe he should start writing children’s books, or doing cartoon voice overs….or infomercials: “The Friedman Grill: Runs on the inexhaustible supply of hot air emanating from Tom’s very own mouth!”
By the way, I finally got around to finishing off listening to that interview with Richard Dale that you recommended. I loved the after-comment from a sociologist who said that “business studies” types and “Smithist economists” could hardly be expected to see beyond the “twisted loop of their own warped tautologies.” Zing!
Oh let’s see what brilliant green investments government has involved itself with: ethanol, carbon sequestration, fuel cells and the hydrogen economy.
In my view government would do better to stick to regulation rather than picking stocks with public money.
That’s an entirely fair point, but you have to consider who and what the government is backing when they sink money into boondoggles like “clean coal” or the harebrained “hydrogen highway” or throw scads of money in the form of subsidies for ethanol… it’s got nothing to do with fostering new technology or real diversification away from the existing energy model — they’re just specious distractions. Rather expensive ones, but nonetheless… Consider who benefits and follow the money…
Yep, it easily becomes pork barrel politics.
The means are there for companies with good ideas to gain access to far more capital than what the government would give.
I forgot clean coal… banning the incandescent lightbulb is another stupid idea.
It goes well beyond funneling capital this or that way — although that’s certainly part of the puzzle. When I say “facilitating” it’s actually kind of a complex mix of regulation, prescriptive legislation, taxation, incentives, etc. A “not-so-invisible hand” shall we say.
The means are there for companies with good ideas to gain access to far more capital…
I don’t think there’s any real capital left.
Ouch.