Listen up, Dems. Tom Friedman and the NYT have some news for you

[senseandsensibility]

You're gonna regret calling the R's weird. It's gonna backfire.

OOOOHH... I know I'm scared. What about you?

Or, back on earth one, Friedman's concern and mansplaining is a sign that R's fee fees are hurt, and it's working!

Keep trying, NYT. The problem is, people are onto you now. And yes, he wrote a scolding piece for the NYT today which I will not link to.

[NoveltySocks]

1. The NYT has become such a weird outfit.

I'm glad my spouse ditched their subscription.

[BigDemVoter]

63. It certainly IS weird! I ditched my subscription too. . .

I got tired of the weird headlines and the weird articles about how 'incapacitated" Biden was., and the weird way the NYT failed to address **$$Y-Grabber's weird comments like electric boats & sharks. . .

[NoveltySocks]

85. Yay! Who needs that weird af old rag, anyway?

Their decisions on what to cover vs. what not to cover are super weird.

[onecaliberal]

2. I got news for the fascist rag. Stop being weird and supporting rapists.

[Happy Hoosier]

3. More weirdness. It just never ends.

I admit I am finding this cathartic. Finally.... people are realizing just how weird all this is.

[Walleye]

4. That's how you beat them, get them sputtering, it's working pretty good so far

[pwb]

5. How about Wackos?

Freaks?

[lkinwi]

57. Whacko is fine.

But I like whackadoodle.

[DFW]

93. Whacko is a city in northern Texas, only a few hours' drive from Dallas.

I'm sure you've heard of it. The spelling varies, depending on whether or not you live there.

[Think. Again.]

6. Hey NYT, when are you going to bring back BatBoy?

[NBachers]

7. What kinda weird shit they puttin' out now??

[lame54]

8. It's weird how the NYT supports Trump

[Hugin]

9. So what if it backfires?

I already know I am weird and the Trumpanzees have called me far worse over the years.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

46. This 👆

[samsingh]

10. who trusts anything the NYT prints anymore ? i don't.

[samsingh]

11. i regret ever supporting the NYT

[Passages]

12. WEIRD how the NYT and every major publication in the U.S. did not

run a coordinated front page headline: Donald Trump, convicted of 34 felonies must drop out of the race for the good of the country.


I'm not even a great fan of the weird message, but the NYT just might convince me otherwise.

[orthoclad]

13. Seems to be working better than "deplorable"

[MontanaMama]

74. Deplorable is too big of a word

for most MAGAts.

[orthoclad]

91. And it's a word almost nobody uses

"Weird" is universal. Short and sweet.

[dem4decades]

14. They called Trump and Vance weird, which they are.

If he's comparing this to Hillary calling Trump's supporters deplorable, I don't think it's the same.

[CentralMass]

15. I just looked for the f'cks I give but I couldn't find any.

[GreenWave]

16. Watch out Friedman of the NYET, hungry IQ 45 sees you as a fried man!

[CentralMass]

17. Now " he funny too."

[SocialDemocrat61]

18. I stopped listening to Friedman

over 20 years ago. Have never regretted it.

[Sky Jewels]

24. I'm still waiting for that POS to apologize

for being a cheerleader for Dubya's brutal invasion and slaughter of Iraq for corporate profit.

[senseandsensibility]

25. Yes, his history of bad opinions and takes

is whitewashed and he is listened to now even by some Dems. Weird,

[Norbert]

19. Would f#cked in the head be better?

[dobleremolque]

20. Dear Mr. Friedman...

I shall struggle to live with your disapproval and scorn from my place on the low road after Democrats win and win massively this November. Not.

[Kid Berwyn]

21. Tom married a billionaire.

Helps me put his column that never fails to praise the rich and justify the powerful into perspective.

[RockCreek]

64. This !!!! That finally explained his "success" to me. N/t.

[Kid Berwyn]

94. Want to Save the Earth? We Need a Lot More Elon Musks.

by Thomas L. Friedman
The New York Times, November 16, 2021

If I am brutally honest, there is only one motto I would give to the movement to stem climate change after the Glasgow summit: “Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.”

On the one hand, liberal greens will tell you that the world is ending — but that we must not use nuclear power, an abundant source of clean energy, to stave it off. On the other hand, conservative greens will tell you that the world is ending, but that we can’t burden people with a carbon tax or a gasoline tax to slow global warming.

On a third hand, suburban greens will tell you that the world is ending, but that they don’t want any windmills, solar farms or high-speed rail lines in their backyards.

Snip…

We will get there only when Father Profit and risk-taking entrepreneurs produce transformative technologies that enable ordinary people to have extraordinary impacts on our climate without sacrificing much — by just being good consumers of these new technologies.

In short: we need a few more Greta Thunbergs and a lot more Elon Musks. That is, more risk-taking innovators converting basic science into tools yet to be imagined to protect the planet for a generation yet to be born.

Continues…

NYT Reprint here: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/want-to-save-the-earth-we-need-a-lot-more-elon-musks-1051575.html

Tom helps one understand the myriad, sundry side issues while ignoring the central problem: trickle down economics and the resulting kleptocracy.

[Abolishinist]

76. I had no idea!

So I looked it up, got engrossed in a very good article on him, and 3/4 of the way through, as Ted Kennedy still seemed to be alive, I looked at the publication date and it was written in 2006. A little dated, but then again, maybe not. This from the article written by David Sirota (A Few Good Men happens to be a fave of mine)...

To paraphrase Jack Nicholson from "A Few Good Men," deep down in places they don't talk about at parties, they want billionaires like Friedman dictating the debate because they need someone creating public rationales for policies that enrich Big Money interests, sell out America and guarantee the next fat campaign contribution.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/billionaire-scion-tom-fri_b_26164

[Kid Berwyn]

96. A Word From the Wise

By Thomas L. Friedman
The New York Times, March 2, 2010

I was traveling via Los Angeles International Airport — LAX — last week. Walking through its faded, cramped domestic terminal, I got the feeling of a place that once thought of itself as modern but has had one too many face-lifts and simply can’t hide the wrinkles anymore. In some ways, LAX is us. We are the United States of Deferred Maintenance. China is the People’s Republic of Deferred Gratification. They save, invest and build. We spend, borrow and patch.

Snip…

I had a chance last week to listen to Paul Otellini, the chief executive of Intel, the microchip maker and one of America’s crown jewel companies. Otellini was in Washington to talk about competitiveness at Brookings and the Aspen Institute. At a time when so much of our public policy discussion is dominated by health care and bailouts, my public service for the week is to share Mr. Otellini’s views on start-ups.

While America still has the quality work force, political stability and natural resources a company like Intel needs, said Otellini, the U.S. is badly lagging in developing the next generation of scientific talent and incentives to induce big multinationals to create lots more jobs here.

Snip…

These local incentives matter because smart, skilled labor is everywhere now. Intel can thrive today — not just survive, but thrive — and never hire another American. Asked if his company was being held back by weak science and math education in America’s K-12 schools, Otellini explained:

“As a citizen, I hate it. As a global employer, I have the luxury of hiring the best engineers anywhere on earth. If I can’t get them out of M.I.T., I’ll get them out of Tsing Hua” — Beijing’s M.I.T.

Continues…

NYT reprint: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/03/03/a_word_from_the_wise_230325.html

Thank you for the heads-up on the HuufPo profile. Tom really knows who to blame for society’s ills: the unwashed masses. He spells out who to trust with saving Western civilization every time: no, not the US taxpayer — our brave capitalists.

In 2008, a banking crisis unmatched since the Great Depression threatened the USA and planet, a short time before the proceeding column ignores…

Know your BFEE: Phil Gramm, the Meyer Lansky of the War Party, Set-Up the Biggest Bank Heist Ever.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4055207

[mcar]

22. Isn't it funny that only Dems get scolded

if they step out of line, per the media. Rs scream filth at us all the time and it’s hunky dory with that lot.

[Cosmocat]

41. All the derision Rs have thrown at Ds

The last 40 years ...

Never once have the likes if Friedman admonished them.

[yardwork]

67. I'm so glad that we're finally fighting back.

Bullies always run and tell the teacher when people stand up to them.

[msfiddlestix]

86. I don't think it's funny, I actually truly think it's effin Weird.

[mcar]

87. Well said!

[Quiet Em]

23. I'm tired of the NY Times trying to normalize Trump

From Friedman's own opinion piece, he wrote

"They hate the people who hate Trump more than they care about any Trump policies."

Well Tom, that's weird. It's cultish. They won't be won over whether we call them weird or not.

Also, not every working class white guy is a weirdo, creepy, Trump cultist.

[senseandsensibility]

27. And yet, we are supposed to tailor our message to appeal to these

cultish weirdos? That's weird. No thanks, Tom.

[Quiet Em]

28. Exactly.

.

[spooky3]

51. Tom loves to collect big speaking fees and book sales

telling the privileged what they want to hear.

Just for fun, he tells women and POCs what we do not need or want to hear, too.

[Prairie Gates]

26. The media hates "weird" because they know they are culpable in normalizing Trumpism

They've pretended that the ludicrous ideas of a Steve Bannon or Stephen Miller, or Trump's own insane policy proposals, are anything other than crazy Uncle ranting at the end of the bar at the rehearsal dinner. They've taken seriously what is inherently unserious, and therefore shown themselves to be unserious in the process. Looking at you, Jake Tapper, you fucking fraud.

[senseandsensibility]

31. Yup

Agree with every word including the JT slam. He more than deserves it. He was always horrible, but when I caught a few seconds of his style on Sunday when he interviewed Walz I was shocked. I haven't heard him in a month or so and he is off the rails. Might as well be on FAUX. Very disapproving and "judgy" with Walz but a friendly stenographer with no pushback for Tom Cotton.

[D23MIURG23]

90. To be fair, Friedman was an obviously clown show LONG before Trump was in politics. n/t

[Prairie Gates]

92. True

Who can forget his Taxi Driver Interview Series, or the Dubya Love Affair?

[PJMcK]

29. Here's a slightly contrary view

Mr. Friedman's point is found in the last sentence of his column:

If this campaign is descending into name-calling, no one beats Trump in that arena.

Actually, I believe VP Harris already came up with the winning slogan, "We're not going back!"

[Hugin]

32. We're not going back!

[unblock]

33. I beg to differ. He's actually pretty bad at name-calling.

He just does it a lot and people don't effectively counter it. But the names he calls people usually aren't particularly clever or poetic or anything. He ain't no Billy Shakespeare when it comes to insults.

He just seems good at it because no one fights back. They just look lost that he insults rather than coming back with anything coherent about the issues.

Kamala is fighting back. She's laughing and we're throwing insults back.

It will soon become apparent that Donnie was never much good at this. He has no talent for anything, really.

[Hugin]

35. Trump is bad at everything and it's weird...

Quite frankly.

[spooky3]

54. He's good at scamming certain groups of people. Nt

[rubbersole]

47. Well, he called desantis "meatball Ron".

A lot more PG rated than what I came up with.

[yardwork]

68. The campaign is not "descending into name calling."

Trump put it in the gutter years ago and nobody at the Times ever complained.

[rsdsharp]

30. I wonder if he said anything about mush mouth John Kennedy

repeatedly calling the Vice President a “ding dong.”

[The Wizard]

37. Kennedy is stealing Pat Butrum's act

as Mr. Heney on "Green Acres."

[spooky3]

55. Several liken him to Foghorn Leghorn too, though

that rooster wasn’t mean, as I recall.

[Zoomie1986]

83. Foghorn Leghorn was mean

He's a Looney Tunes character, after all, so sadism is always on the menu.

[spooky3]

84. I stand corrected. Nt

[rubbersole]

49. Probably his safe word.

[SWBTATTReg]

34. Well, I have a message for the NYT and Tom F. Where were you when tRUMP was manufacturing all of these so-called

cute nicknames to call his victims? Seems like that was the only thing he did in so-called running an administration, is to come up w/ this insulting 3rd grader nicknames. Wasn't it time to move on from this stupid stuff a long time ago? Obviously your toddler candidate didn't think so and still is trying to come up w/ stupid nicknames. So, UP yours!

[Mz Pip]

36. They call us the enemy

And communists, and all manner of rude ad hominem attacks.

Weird is pretty mild in comparison.

[spanone]

38. Never cared for friedman's commentary

Care even less now.

[dobleremolque]

39. I hear some harrumping up there on the high road, but can't quite make

it out. Tom Friedman, is that you? You'll have to speak up for those of us experiencing success on the low road to hear you clearly. Not that we'd pay any attention, though.....

[maxsolomon]

40. Friedman's column is not the NYT Editorial Board.

It's his take. Sulzberger doesn't ghost-write the Columnists' Op-Eds.

This is one week where there's over half a Friedman Unit left in the campaign. We'll move on from "weird" shortly.

[senseandsensibility]

42. So? Did I say the NYT editorial board

is the same as Tom Friedman? They suck too of course and there are plenty of examples. Please don't imply that I'm saying something I'm not. And if you'd like to start a thread defending the editorial board, feel free my friend.

[maxsolomon]

50. You conflated the two.

Listen up, Dems. Tom Friedman and the NYT have some news for you.
You're gonna regret calling the R's weird. It's gonna backfire.

That's what you wrote, yes?

Defending the NYT Editorial Board in an OP on DU is a fool's errand. The hate is too strong.

[blm]

43. Media always has RULES for Democrats, while GOP is deemed rule-less.

[Cha]

44. My reply to Tom Friedman & the NYT is

FO.. We' Got This... Keep your Damn Fucking Fascist Nose Out of it.

[maxsolomon]

53. You think Tom Friedman is a Fascist?

Really?

Because of this column?

[LiberalFighter]

45. Have to wonder how often Friedman interacted with Trump?

And the circumstances

[ramapo]

48. i'm so done with the NYT

I finally cancelled my subscription. Good riddance.

[Skittles]

52. repukes can try to overthrow the government

but don't call them WEIRD

[oasis]

56. If Tom don't think that "weird" will pass

Wait ‘till we go full Dolomite on Trump’s mutha fuckin’ ass.

[BigDemVoter]

58. Fuck him.

Friedman is so tiresome, and he's always wrong. Wasn't he one of the cheerleaders for the war on Iraq? That sure turned out great, didn't it?

[senseandsensibility]

66. Absolutely

We really need to remember his history. He seems to have an unearned "moderate" reputation now for some reason.

[Bucky]

59. To be fair, I don't think it helps us win votes

It's fun and it's fair game, but it's a pep rally punch line, not a marketing message.

I think our core campaign message should be we've been working on solving America's problems and list them (infrastructure, deficit reduction, supporting NATO, prescription price caps, ending their pandemic, etc), while all they ever do is throw around insults... even when they're in power and are failing to deliver on any of their campaign promises.

[Bitbit]

60. Seen on FB regarding Trump (by very nice elderly lady)

Demented, Old, Convicted Felon
Should sit down and stfu.

[MaryMagdaline]

61. Haven't read Friedman or the NYT since he/they backed the Iraq War

I’ve done some stupid things in my life. I’ve made bad predictions but that was such an obvious train wreck to anyone except people wanting a taste of blood.

[Warpy]

62. I'm desperately in need of a laugh today (don't ask)

so if I could remember my stupid password, I might read this article as one of the three I'm allowed per year or whatever parsimonious amount the NYT has doled out to people who live almost 2000 miles away.

Friedman can be an epic whiner.

[AverageOldGuy]

65. I unsubscribed weeks ago, told them why

Not that they care.

[regnaD kciN]

69. Waiting for The Ever-Insufferable David Brooks️(tm)...

…to lecture us on “civility.”

[yardwork]

71. I'm surprised he hasn't weighed in.

[ShazzieB]

70. Calling them weird really seems to be getting to them!

Methinks they doth protest too much!

All the consternation over the word "weird" is really ironic, when you consider the insults Trump throws around. He's constantly making up nicknames like Crazy [name], Crooked [name], Sleepy [name], Sloppy [name], Lyin' [name], and on and on.

And let's not forget the ever popular Little [name]. The fact that he's so fond of using "little" as an insult says a lot about him, imo. No, Donald, being taller than someone does not make you smarter or stronger or better in any way whatsoever, and calling people you don't like Little [name] just reveals your own stupidity and pettiness.

So yeah, he flings that crap around ALL the damned time, and then he and his minions get bent out of shape over a word like "weird." Give me a break.

I love the way that word is affecting the denizens of Trump World, and I intend to use it every chance I get, from now on for Trhmp, Vance, and anyone else it fits, starting now:

WEIRD weird weird WEIRD weird WEIRD weird
weird weird WEIRD weird weird WEIRD weird WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD. So there, you big orange WEIRDO!

[senseandsensibility]

72. Lol!

You know why it hurts so much? Because it's true unlike the insults cheato flings around.

[bullimiami]

73. That's just foolish. I guess he had a story due and had to come up with something.

BTW. They’re not just weird.
They are really fucking weird.
It’s about time someone said it loud enough to be noticed.

[PatSeg]

75. Yes, I think you're right

After all those NYT's editorials asking Biden to step aside, I'm not inclined to take anything those journalists have to say seriously anymore. Too often, they're just creating news where none actually exists.

Meanwhile, Thomas Friedman has made a science out of being wrong for well over two decades. Yet he still writes and people still read him.

[paleotn]

77. Fuck you, Friedman.

I can't believe people actually pay him good money to spew stupid bullshit. He's been spewing for years. Such is the state of our scribbler class. I wouldn't piss on the lot of them if they were on fire.

[PatrickforB]

78. NYT is no longer relevant. I cancelled my subscription to them a month ago. n/t

[JoseBalow]

79. I dumped that rag with no regrets

Fuck 'em

[Hassler]

80. What cabdriver gave Friedman this pearl of wisdom.

[Zoomie1986]

81. Friedman is so stupid that

People named a time unit after him for how wrong he always was. It was called the Friedman Unit for how everything would turn around in the Iraq war in '6 more months.'

So Freidman can, as my former cousin-in-law from Jersey used to say, 'bite my bippy.'

[senseandsensibility]

82. Welcome to DU!

Thanks for that reminder about Friedman.

[peggysue2]

88. I dunno

A bunch of men obsessed with a woman's reproductive system . . .

So obsessed they want to track menstrual cycles, so obsessed they want travel surveillance to guarantee pregnant women not leave abortion banning states, so bent that Project 2025 directive calls for women being denied chemotherapy bc it would harm a fetus, so cult-invested that a pregnant woman is required to have a belly full of blood before any medical intervention is permitted, so twisted and insecure that divorce (even from abusive marriages) would be denied, so myopic and cruel that ten-year old girls would be forced to carry rape and incest pregnancies, so completely captured by pro-birth ideology that contraception is considered evil and against 'natural law' sounds . . .

Pretty Damn Weird to me.

In fact, the word 'weird' is possibly too kind under the circumstances.

Don't like it? Tough shit. Fee-fees being pinched doesn't mean squat vs millions of women's lives.

We're coming for you, weirdos!

[D23MIURG23]

89. How does this clown still have a job?

He's been wrong about literally everything since George W Bush took office. How many more Friedman units before Iraq turns around, Tommy?

[Torchlight]

95. The defensive reactions against so benign a word

indicates to me its immediate success. The meritless push-back using "we're supposed to be better than this!" simply reinforces that opinion.

By next week, I expect to see the GOP unveil its new, professional, and very adult-like "I know you are but what am I?" strategy.