Thomas Friedman

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Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Thomas Friedman's Crib Is Ballin' Out Of Control, Y'All
Thomas Friedman Calls the Troops 'Dumb'
The Wit and Wisdom of Thomas Friedman
James Franco Totally Screwed UCLA's Grads, Brah
Thomas Friedman Enrages the Proles of the Globe
Thomas Friedman Is $75,000 Poorer
Thomas Friedman Will Have to Sell His Moustache For Food
Thomas Friedman Googles Stuff
Maureen Dowd and Thomas Friedman Play Make-Believe

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gawkimo
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Actually, a one-party autocracy is worse than a one-party democracy, because in the former people do not choose who leads them.

Oh, and the earth is actually round.
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Aidan_
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Bad as things are over here, and I'll admit they're pretty bad, I don't think we need to be emulating the Chinese. Not with old women being beaten to death by rent-a-cops in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

And yeah, the difference between Democrats and Republcians is pretty slim (at least in terms of practical outcome), and yes international corporate interests make actual democracy extremely difficult.

But at least we're not China...
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Uncle_Billy_Slumming
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Hee hee, he's just saying that because the family is about to put their houses on the market and he wants to generate some buzz.
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kimsama
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
There was a decent op-ed maybe a week ago about how the US has become essentially ungovernable because of the money that corporations can throw into the campaign process, and into advertising and PR against whatever interests would cost them money (energy issues, health care reform, etc). The real root of all evil in this country is the fact that corporations (which may pay taxes, but do not have a vote!) influence so much of our political system.

I may be a nerd, but I'm interested to see how Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission turns out (interested, but sad in advance).
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keyamarie
09/09/09

@kimsama: Actually, a lot of corporations in the U.S. do NOT pay income taxes. "The Government Accountability Office said 72 percent of all foreign corporations and about 57 percent of U.S. companies doing business in the United States paid no federal income taxes for at least one year between 1998 and 2005. The study showed about 28 percent of large foreign corporations, those with more than $250 million in assets, doing business in the United States paid no federal income taxes in 2005 despite $372 billion in gross receipts, the senators said. About 25 percent of the largest U.S. companies paid no federal income taxes in 2005 despite $1.1 trillion in gross sales that year, they said." (Reuters)

So, they have tons of influence, but a lot of them aren't even paying taxes.
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kimsama
09/09/09

@keyamarie: Servicey! Thanks for the numbers, I will add them to my angry, angry spiel next time I'm drinking with my think-tank friends.
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Rhymenocerous
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Didn't we pass cap-and-trade, too? I seem to remember a Glenn Beck rant about it.
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La Mareada
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Communist? For the last 25 or so years China and its leaders have been disciples of that other Friedman, Milton.
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snugbug
09/09/09

@La Mareada: You are so on the RMB! ..My favorite Milton Friedman quote of all times is, "Hong Kong is the purest iteration of capitalism in the modern world." Sadly out of date now that Beijing has been shifting the financial markets over to Shanghai, but as someone who lived in Hong Kong, I still treasure it as a succinct and gorgeous definition of that city.
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Smitros
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Did he mention the elimination of inefficiently redundant cultures like the Tibetans and Uighurs?
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Botswana Meat Commission FC
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Friedman, you'd be the first against the wall in the Cultural Revolution!

Oh, I disagree. Friedman would adapt. He'd be more like Rod Steiger's character in Doctor Zhivago, the one who makes powerful friends no matter who's in charge.
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MrInBetween
09/09/09

@Botswana Meat Commission FC: Yes. That's perfect.
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snugbug
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Either this opinion piece is an elaborate ploy to f*ck with Jake Lodwick’s brain, or Friedman was three sheets to the wind when he wrote it.

I'm a fan, because TF writes extremely engagingly and accessibly about complex geopolitcal issues, but he jumped the rails on this one.
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johnny_carsick
09/09/09

@snugbug: also, get ready for some asshole to use the column as further "evidence" of barack obama's ultimate fascist/socialist/communist plan to kill mom and ban apple pie. 'cos him and friedman are besties.
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Edited by johnny_carsick at 09/09/09 11:48 AM johnny_carsick was starred johnny_carsick was unstarred

Seanibus
09/09/09

@snugbug: I find that Friedman writes engagingly and accessibly about incredibly weird stuff. And he's getting progressively weirder.
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snugbug
09/09/09

@Seanibus: Well, I own "From Beirut to Jerusalem," and I found it to be a brilliantly written tome of much practical use. It truly helped me understand the political mindfu*ckery that contemporary Middleast is.
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Seanibus
09/09/09

@snugbug: Ok, maybe I'll give it a try, even with an open mind. But I reserve the right to sigh deeply and complain while reading it, if necessary. And make fun of his mustache.

I am just wrapping up Neil MacFarquar's "The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday," which was quite interesting on the mindset of the Middle East.
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johnny_carsick
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
i mean, i'm all for a bit of devil's advocate, but China? seriously?
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ManchuCandidate
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
Like Tom's many assertions and profundities, it fails because it does not take into account such things like reality.

Such as the reality the Dems are a cohesive force and not split into a group of well meaning chickenshits who flee at the first sign of trouble, a small but muzzled progressive wing and a small wing of GOP wannabes.
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Botswana Meat Commission FC
09/09/09

@ManchuCandidate:
Hey manchu... you still commenting on Wonkette much these days?
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ManchuCandidate
09/09/09

@Botswana Meat Commission FC:
Yup. Where did you go?
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FattyCatty
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
I once had a job that put in me in contact with a lot of Americans doing business in China and they said pretty much the same exact thing (behind closed doors, that is). Basically, they felt that getting their way (ie, making more money) in the US was too hard, what with our voting and laws and representative democracy and all. A big-business-friendly autocracy was much more preferable.

Of course, the problem occurs when the autocracy's priorities conflict with your own - then it's all, "we need representation in the government."
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ManchuCandidate
09/09/09

@FattyCatty:
Hey, it worked out great for the American Revolution!
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PaisleyPajamas
09/09/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman Demands Communist Revolution
He was on one of the round tables Sunday morning and DAMN was he fired up. I'm not surprised by this column AT.ALL.
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gawkimo
07/26/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman's Crib Is Ballin' Out Of Control, Y'All
Meh, they wouldn't be impressed by that hillbilly shack. Here's King Abdullah's summertime retreat. And yes, that's cruiser-sized yacht parked in the personal lagoon.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=jeddah+saudi+arabia&sll=38.714447,-90.265388&sspn=0.078624,0.151405&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=21.665644,39.099934&spn=0.005853,0.009463&z=17&iwloc=A
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Edited by gawkimo at 07/26/09 3:55 PM gawkimo was starred gawkimo was unstarred

blahniksforlife
07/26/09

In reply to Thomas Friedman's Crib Is Ballin' Out Of Control, Y'All
Friedman didn't pay for the house his wife is (or was) worth $100 million. That's her dough (and maybe her bad taste) at work.
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