As these have become a cultural phenomena, I think we need a new word for stories that get the Taiwan animation treatment. How about “twam” – as in “Jon Stewart gets twammed.” Other suggestions welcomed.

Generally, I completely understand these things with or without the translations, but a few of the elements in this one went over my head. Who is the guy coming out of the bathroom? And what does this have to do with McRibs? Product placement?

Since I’ve posted a few of these on my blog, I’m now on their mailing list. Without further comment, the verbatim NMA/tv blurb/explanation:

“Comedian John Stewart plans to hold a rally for viewers and fans in Washington on October 30. Dubbed the “Rally to Restore Sanity,” the event is seen as a response to a similar rally held by Glenn Beck over the summer. Lending their support to the rally are high-profile liberals such as Arianna Huffington and Oprah Winfrey. Conservative critics allege Stewart is attempting to mobilize young viewers and influence the November 2 elections. Indeed, the rally is seen as benefiting Obama and the Democrats, who are likely to the polls next week. Obama in turn plans to appear on Stewart’s show. Whether Stewart’s fan base can stay energized and show up at the polls remains to be seen. November 2, after all, marks the return of the McRib sandwich at McDonald’s.”

I liked the Stewart/Obama mutual back scratch sequence, and can’t wait to see how The Daily Show responds.

How is his new role at Fox News fitting him?

Like a glove!

Here’s what he said this morning:

This is evidence of one-party rule and one sided thinking at NPR that leads to enforced ideology, speech and writing. It leads to people, especially journalists, being sent to the gulag for raising the wrong questions and displaying independence of thought.

I also like that Williams claims he was fired for telling the truth.

That’s right. You were fired for telling the truth. Your truth.

And NPR had every right to fire you. Especially since it was against their ethics code…

10. In appearing on TV or other media including electronic Web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist. They should not participate in shows electronic forums, or blogs that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.

Now, should they have fired you? That’s not for me to decide, but I bet they wished they would have handled it differently. Let your contract expire or something along those lines.

But you’ve got a choice. You can turn into a professional victim/hack Fox News “journalist” or you can realize you said something dumb, take your lumps (and your new $2M contract) and grow up. Do you really want to be remembered for saying you were scared of Muslims who are dressed in traditional garb? You do realize that the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 (and everybody after who has attempted attacks in the US) were dressed in plain clothes, right?

Juan, seriously…think of your legacy, think of your credibility and just move on.

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So much for Google’s mantra of “Don’t be evil.”

Bloomberg has more…

Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda.

Wait, that’s just $3.1B. What about the other $56.9B?

Well, the rest isn’t Google’s. The other money comes from corporations who have followed a similar path. And that includes Facebook and Microsoft.

And so…

Google, the owner of the world’s most popular search engine, uses a strategy that has gained favor among such companies as Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The method takes advantage of Irish tax law to legally shuttle profits into and out of subsidiaries there, largely escaping the country’s 12.5 percent income tax. (See an interactive graphic on Google’s tax strategy here.)

The earnings wind up in island havens that levy no corporate income taxes at all. Companies that use the Double Irish arrangement avoid taxes at home and abroad as the U.S. government struggles to close a projected $1.4 trillion budget gap and European Union countries face a collective projected deficit of 868 billion euros.

But wait. There is definitely much, much more…

The tactics of Google and Facebook depend on “transfer pricing,” paper transactions among corporate subsidiaries that allow for allocating income to tax havens while attributing expenses to higher-tax countries. Such income shifting costs the U.S. government as much as $60 billion in annual revenue, according to Kimberly A. Clausing, an economics professor at Reed College in Portland, Oregon.

Is this fair?

Well, let me put it to you this way…

Is it fair that you pay your current tax rate, which includes local, state and federal income tax as well as FICA (Social Security) and Medicare withholdings, while Google pays an effective corporate income tax rate of 2.8%?

Discuss.

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She’s not a witch She’s you.

God bless you Tea Party.

(NOTE: If Christine O’Donnell wins, I reserve the right to post often about her.)

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I was not intending to post about this, as I though the entire incident was blown out of proportion. However, since I am apparently the only one in the blogosphere that thought so, here is an open thread for any in the commentariat who want to weigh in.

A couple of thoughtful posts on the subject:

Glenn Greenwald:

“I’m not someone who believes that journalists should lose their jobs over controversial remarks, especially isolated, one-time comments. But if that’s going to be the prevailing standard, then I want to see it applied equally. Those who cheered on the firing of Octavia Nasr, Helen Thomas and Rick Sanchez — and that will include many, probably most, of the right-wing polemicists predictably rushing to transform Juan Williams into some sort of free speech martyr sacrificed on the altar of sharia censorship — have no ground for complaining here. Those who endorse speech-based punishments invariably end up watching as the list of Prohibited Ideas expands far beyond the initial or desired scope, often subsuming their own beliefs. That’s a good reason to oppose all forms of speech-based punishment in the first place. There’s obviously a fundamental difference between (a) being punished by the state for expressing Prohibited Ideas (which is isn’t what happened here) and (b) losing a job for doing so, but the dynamic is similar: those who endorse this framework almost always lose control over how it is applied. And that’s how it should be.”

Conor Friedersdorf:

“Contrary to what Mr. Williams implies, it is irrational to fear for one’s safety upon seeing someone on a plane dressed in “Muslim garb.” The vast majority of people who dress in the way he alludes to aren’t terrorists, the odds of a plane carrying people in Muslim dress being hijacked is minuscule, and actual Islamist terrorists don’t advertise their faith. Nor is there anything inherently scary about identifying oneself “first and foremost” as a Muslim. The equivalent sentiment among Christians is quite common.

But I don’t think that Mr. Williams should be fired by NPR, or that it’s good practice in general to fire people based on a single remark, however offensive. (There are exceptions. This isn’t one of them.) I say this as someone who is glad that there is a strong social stigma against bigotry. There is an upside to this stigma that is under-appreciated: it signals to some people that bigotry is wrong, even if they don’t quite understand why.”

My take – Juan Williams comments betrayed irrational bigotry toward Muslims, but not maliciously so. He should have had an opportunity to acknowledge the mistake and keep his job. That said, I understand and appreciate that any media outlet or broadcast entertainment organization, whether public or private, are well within their purview to dismiss on-air talent who make public statements that alienates their audience, subscribers, and advertisers.

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Early in July, we took note of a CNBC panel discussion worrying about a Double Dip and Ron Insana offering an explanation for a stock market rally in the midst of unrelenting bad economic news.

On that day the Dow closed up 276 points at just over 10,000, and since then added another 10%+ (trading at 11,126 as I write this). As I have said before, I do not believe there is any case to be made for a statistical correlation between market direction and political parties in power that will stand up to rigorous mathematical scrutiny over the long term.

However, in the short term, if investors believe that divided government is good for markets, then that expectation can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. That may be what we are seeing in the market now in anticipation of the November results. This expectation of divided government is gaining momentum and the meme is getting traction in the MSM. Two recent examples:
Read the rest of this entry »

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With another decisive and bitter election coming up, it looks like further gridlock as Americans split further apart politically, socially and economically.  Names and labels are replacing concepts and ideas that once brought people to the table.  Not to be too romantic or idealistic but what ever happen to the concept of What you can do for your country?  Have we become a self centered, hedonistic, spoiled brat of a nation?  Or am I just a foolish cartoonist who thinks this country can still come together with action instead of words?  This is a rhetorical question by the way ;)

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I don’t know the answer to Justin’s question of whether last night’s senate debate in Nevada will swing the election, but I did watch the entire debate in stunned, silent horror. Some saw a clear-cut outcome. For me, it was all I could do to write this open letter of sincere condolence to our unfortunate fellow citizens facing this decision in Nevada:

Dear People of Nevada,

I just watched your Senate debate, and I am just so… so… sorry. I feel so bad for you. I mean – WTF?? Look, I don’t know how this happened, but you really should try and avoid choices like this in the future.

What to do? If you want to vote None Of The Above, I get it. It is a tempting, some might even say – right choice under the circumstances. But for those of you willing to “man up” and make a decision – lets take a clear eyed look at your options.

There is a real difference. You can choose between a lightweight incompetent, or a craven, duplicitous, heavyweight partisan hack incompetent. Neither is going to be good for Nevada. You should consider what is best for the country. Obama is going to be President for the next six years. My advice – take one for the team and vote for the lightweight. It is the only way to limit the damage. I’m sorry – it is just the right thing to do. Look, it’s only six years. In 2016 you can vote for a new Senator and President. Try to give yourself better choices next time.

Your Friend, MW

x-posted from “Divided We Stand United We Fall”

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No mystery. I’ve been VERY busy. And I didn’t want to keep posting about being very busy. So I figured, upon returning, I’d just let everybody know what’s going on. Between work and other projects (film and multimedia), my time has been completely consumed. My apologies if it seemed like I don’t care about the blog. I do, but life oftentimes gets in the way.

Also, to be honest, I’ve been bored with politics lately. Especially since it’s either about A ) what Bill Maher will post about Christine O’Donnell next, B ) something stupid a Tea Party candidate has said or C ) something smart that Jon Stewart says about something stupid a Tea Party candidate has said.

But now the horse race is starting to heat up and the polls are getting interesting. So I’m getting back into it. Not making any promises that I’ll post as much as I have in the past election cycles, but you’ll see an uptick. My goal is to post at least once a day. I think I can make that work.

Onward and upward.

(PS – The pictures have absolutely no meaning. Consider it a non sequitur treat from me to you.)

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Will last night’s debate swing the race?

I didn’t see it, but I’m hearing that Angle looked sort of like a Senator and that may be all she needs to defeat the wildly unpopular Senate majority leader.

Here’s the trending from Pollster…

Will Reid squeak this one out?

Will Angle be the Tea Party’s biggest triumph in this election cycle?

Sound off!

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As noted here before, Taiwanese animation is the future of news. This week, Republican Senate hopeful Christine O’Donnell gets the animation treatment and is explained to the domestic China/Taiwan audience by the Taiwan NMA News Network:

In addition to the entertainment value, perhaps there is something we can learn about ourselves from these animated NMA episodes. We know NMA does not have a news staff on the ground. The animations are simply a humorous distillation of US media coverage on a particular story. To some extent, NMA is holding up a mirror to the US media, permitting us a peek at the perspective of an outsider digesting our media buffet. US stories selected by NMA for animation get the treatment because the stories have achieved some sort of critical mass in US coverage, and there is enough media grist for the animation mill.

This begs the question asked by Chris Cillizza: Why does Christine O’Donnell get so much coverage and attention from the media and Democrats?:
Read the rest of this entry »

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Normally sports fall under another category but this time I thought it was interesting how social media is changing the ways we see these figures in the media.  The question I posed will it change their behaviors?

News Link…

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What better day and time to update our “10 in 10″ election prognostications? Last we checked in – Nate Silver (our polling analyst of choice) showed that 9 of the 10 seats most likely to change parties were all held by Democrats and he was forecasting a net 6-7 seat Republican gain in the Senate. One month later…

… with less than a month to go – 10 of the top 10 seats most likely to change parties are all held by Democrats and Nate is forecasting an 8-9 seat gain by the GOP. So – despite the nomination of a GOP clown candidate in Delaware (virtually guaranteeing a Democratic victory in that state) the odds of a GOP Senate takeover continue to improve.

Nate still gives the Republicans less than a 1 in 4 chance of retaking the Senate majority outright. But then he is basing his odds purely on the November 2nd mid-term results. As I have maintained throughout, the GOP need only take 8 or 9 more seats to make changing parties an attractive proposition to Lieberman and/or Nelson, and eight or nine seats look likely now.

Most surprising continues to be the race in Nevada. Sharron Angle is a terrible candidate. Harry Reid, as it turns out, is worse. “None of the Above” may be a spoiler.

The most disappointing potential race result for me is the one one that hits closest to home. Fiorina needs to make up some ground, and that will be tough in a state like California with less than 3 weeks remaining. But then… Scott Brown did what Scott Brown did in Massachusetts. Maybe there is just enough of that magic left over to surprise everyone on the left coast. Why wouldn’t California vote for a senator who throws down a shot of tequilla before delivering a stump speech? My last political contributions this season will go to Carly in California, and Kirk in Illinois. These are the seats that will make the difference.

I will make one change to my earlier prediction. Then I thought it unlikely that the GOP would take control of the House, invoking the “100 year Rule” and expecting the GOP to come up just short. My new, improved, and updated prediction is that the most likely scenario is that the GOP will go into 2011 with majority control of both the House and Senate. Nate and Charlie convinced me.

Apparently, Political tidal waves don’t care about 100 year rules, nor how deep a hole the GOP dug for itself in the last two cycles, nor how unconventional the candidates riding the wave may be.

It Looks like I’ll be changing teams again in November.

Suddenly I have a taste for a tall, icy glass of kool-aid.

Originally posted from Divided We Stand United We Fall.

UPDATE: 10-14-10 Some links added and updated since original post

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On the Left:

The most important part of our jobs as United States Senators is to create jobs in our states. That is especially true in times like these, when so many are reeling from so much economic pain – Harry Reid

and on the Right:

in my view it’s an insult to the millions of Americans who want us to focus on jobs – Mitch McConnell

They’re having a big ol’ soundbite fight!

They’ve chosen their words carefully and positioned themselves firmly on the correct side of the aisle. Now they can skip off with their corporate campaign finances and continue the show.

A responsible legislature would let this bill come up and have the JOBS discussion over a potential piece of legislation. A functional media would report without bias upon the proceedings and possible effects of the legislation. A thoughtful, engaged populace would pay attention and decide for whom to vote.

Instead, Republicans and Democrats feint toward legislating with bipartisan political burlesque (now playing in “We the People’s Theater”); the media fans the partisan flames and drools psychotically over the polls; and a distracted populace remains ignorant and fiercely protective of their partisan views.

It’s easier for our elected officials to smack-talk in the substance-free campaign world than it is to govern responsibly. It pays better too.

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It’s jumped considerably since the 2008 election.

But do people really want the Tea Party to be the third way?

Gallup with more…

My gut tells me that most folks understand that the Tea Partiers are just really angry conservatives who are lashing out at their own for supporting fiscally irresponsible behavior. And yes, there are some independents who identify with that too, but once those folks scratch the surface of the Tea Party, I guarantee 90% of them will not like what they find. And the other 10% were conservatives who just liked to call themselves independents.

And to that point, note how the number of conservatives wanting a third party has shot up more than any other group. Coincidence?

Still, liberals and independents want a third way more and I think there’s appetite for a moderate left/middle progressive-lite alternative to the Tea Party message. One that stresses fiscal responsibility, social justice and basic fairness…all wrapped up in a populist “let’s get back to work” message. It won’t happen in the next election cycle, but don’t be surprised if it pops up in 2016 if Obama wins or Obama loses in 2012.

Either way, it’s on the horizon.

What say you?

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Kevin Drum shares this sobering chart, which shows the share of total earnings that go to each income bracket. It pretty clearly demonstrates how supply side economic policies have benefitted the rich and the super rich. Meanwhile, everybody else is left holding the bag.

Where’d he get the data? The CBO.

Here’s more…

If you look at the raw CBO figures, they show that a full tenth of the national income has shifted since 1979 to the top 1% of the country. The bottom quintiles have each given up a bit more than two percentage points each, and that adds up to 10% of all earnings. That 10% has flowed almost entirely to the very tippy top of the income ladder.

Is the middle class worse off because of this? Of course they are. Income matters even if plasma TVs are cheaper than they used to be or if CPI mismeasures middle class consumption or if average households now contain 2.6 members instead of 2.7. If this massive income shift hadn’t happened, middle class earnings would be higher, they’d be able to buy more stuff, and they probably wouldn’t be in debt as much. And the top 1% wouldn’t have quite so much idle cash lying around to do stupid things with.

Your thoughts?

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We’ll have to see how all of the Tea Party candidates fare, but if they do well I’d bet $1,000 that she’s running.

From Fox News:

“If the American people were to be ready for someone who is willing to shake it up, and willing to get back to time-tested truths, and help lead our country towards a more prosperous and safe future and if they happen to think I was the one, if it were best for my family and for our country, of course I would give it a shot,” she said.

“But I’m not saying that it’s me. I know I can certainly make a difference without having a title. I’m having a good time doing exactly that right now.”

But, could she win the nomination? Well, again, I think it has to do with the state of the GOP at that point. But it’s very likely that many of these candidates will start announcing in early 2011 to get a jump on fundraising. Remember, Obama formally announced on February 10, 2007, but a month earlier had formed an exploratory committee.

So when you hear talk like this from candidates who are very popular, the die may already be cast.

More as it develops…

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