The New York Times and other mainstream liberal media outlets, like the post office, find themselves in a brave new world. CNN, MSNBC, and the major TV networks find themselves regularly trounced by a single center-right cable news outlet, Fox News. Progressive/liberal radio talk shows are not even competitive with more conservative offerings. But basically even though the Wall Street Journal has proven an Internet subscription model can work (with some exclusive premium or extended content), the liberal papers have struggled.
The FTC is considering an unnecessary, counterproductive scheme, perhaps using a sham rationalization of an expanded copyright law to tax certain distributors of links or various news items and redistribute some revenue to news sources. The salient point here is that the existing news distribution system evolved without Big Nanny creating a viable business model. The idea that the federal government, with an intrinsically corrupting influence by potential abuse of its tax and regulatory authority, can somehow "save" news media which have failed to adapt to changing technology and business models, is pure hubris; the federal government itself cannot fix its own model.
Bonus Video: The Flotilla Choir: "We Con the World"
An amusing satire, takeoff on the famous "We Are The World" pop song fundraiser (Africa and Haiti), mocking international outcry over the last-resort, self-defense killing of "humanitarian" thugs; this flotilla, of course, was little more than a public relations propaganda stunt intentionally designed to manipulate gullible mainstream media outlets.
Political Potpourri
Looking at the RCP 2010 polls, particularly with the Senate, we see a number of changes. Most notably, Majority Leader Harry Reid has made up ground on most of his Republican opponents, with RCP rating it now a toss-up. As I predicted a couple of weeks back, Richard "I Served in Vietnam" Blumenthal has bounced back to roughly a 20-point lead over GOP challenger, former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, which places the race into the "likely Dem" column. Mark Kirk (R-IL) has been caught dressing up his solid, legitimate military experience in a couple of spots, throwing the contest with his failed family banker opponent back into the toss-up territory. The best "good news" for the GOP is that former gubernatorial "losing" candidate Rossi has agreed to run against Murray (D-WA), putting the race in the toss-up area. Remarkably, Rand Paul (R-KY) has appeared to weather the storm over his unforced error in discussing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This week's "Super Tuesday" shows that Whitman and Fiorina are overwhelming favorites to take the California GOP nominations for governor and senator, Sue Lowden's (R-NV) nomination seems to be tanking at the wrong time, and if I was a betting man, an incumbent winning less than 50% of the primary vote (i.e., Lincoln D-AR) in an anti-incumbent year like this will probably lose the right to lose to Boozman this fall. The Dems are closing the gap in many races, but as a recent Gallup Poll showed, the GOP generic ticket is beating the Dems by roughly 7 points, largely because of increasing independent/moderate dissatisfaction with Democratic agenda items and performance (i.e., economic recovery). I would not like to be a Democrat with less than a 5-point lead heading into the election.
Political Cartoon
Chan Lowe points out that gas-guzzling SUV owners should think twice before supporting any restrictions on domestic energy production; continuing drops in production will make us even more vulnerable for foreign supply shocks, never mind contributing to an unsustainable trade deficit bubble.
Quote of the Day
An ulcer is an unkissed imagination taking its revenge for having been jilted. It is an undanced dance, an unpainted watercolor, an unwritten poem.
John Ciardi
Musical Interlude: The AFI Music Top 100 (continued)
#85. "Come What May"
#86. (I've Had) the Time of My Life
#87. "Buttons and Bows"
#88. "Do Re Mi"
