Legal Commentary

Does Making Fun Of Tom Friedman Still Matter?

By Big Tent Democrat

There was a a time when I wrote about the Media as much as anything. Now I almost never write about the Media. Mostly I suppose it is because it does not interest me anymore. But part of it is because I think it does not matter very much. Tom Friedman's ridiculous column on the Tea Partiers garnered a lot of ridicule. I do not question that the ridicule is appropriate. Indeed, Tom Friedman is the most ridiculous figure in the Media. But does Tom Friedman matter? Steve Benen writes:

One of the reasons I'm inclined to write about the Tea Partiers is that there are still many in the political establishment who believe the political mainstream should do more to take the Tea Party crowd and its hysterical cries seriously. [. . .] Thomas Friedman has a column today suggesting Tea Partiers strive to "become something more than just entertainment for Fox News."

Steve believes that Tom Friedman still matters. Does he? I seriously doubt it. Indeed, I ask for any evidence that anything Tom Friedman has written or said has affected the policy discourse since Iraq. Friedman provides fodder for ridicule. But little else. Ezra Klein is much more influential now imo.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 26, 2010 (boomark / email).