Andrew Golis

I wrote previously about the Barack-roll:

Mash-up culture is funny, it was always when not if someone would produce an Obama Rick Roll.  There’s kind of a monkeys producing Shakespeare effect: get enough people out there pounding away and there are just some pieces of media that HAVE to exist.

Earlier, a commenter of Ezra Klein’s wrote about John McCain’s inability to count his own homes:

“maybe Feist can make up a new numbers song for a political ad.” Oh, if only. “1,2,3,4, lost a house right by the shore, 5,6,7,8, gotta find it before debates…”

And sure enough:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhuMgUkiVOY]

It’s not feist herself, obviously, but in the age of mash-up culture, who cares?

It’s a strange world:

And makes a vital point about MSNBC supposedly being a lefty Fox:

I question how partisan MSNBC really is. Yes, they now have prime-time slots for Maddow and Keith Olbermann. But unlike, say, Fox News, where the only liberal on the team is the addlepated Alan Colmes, MSNBC hands over its entire morning show to Joe Scarborough. It’s quite the stretch to say the cable networks are mirroring the red-blue split of America. In fact, the reason that liberals are thrilled with Maddow’s promotion is that lefty perspectives are underrepresented on all cable news networks, including MSNBC.

I shot at Zimmerman with a bb gun, Glenn Greenwald brings a bazooka.  A typically thorough and devestating takedown.

Via: Atrios’s Wanker of the Day post.

Update: I love that Greenwald describes me as “[t]he normally mild-mannered Andrew Golis.”  Not sure whether it’s good or bad, but it tickled me.

• …My heart’s in Accra » The Economist visits with three digital nomads
  Very cool.
  (tags: mobile economist new.media ethan.zuckerman)
• No, Tim. We’re Not As Bad As The New York Times
  Arrington responds to Tim O'Reilly's concern that websites are only linking in. It's basic economics, Tim.
  (tags: hyperlinks techcrunch new.media blogging finance metrics)
• Obama's Wide Web – From YouTube to Text Messaging, Candidate's Team Connects to Voters
  Great profile of the Obama web team
  (tags: new.media new.politics obama youtube facebook social.networking 08 video mobile wapo)
• US: Mobile news market nearing maturity, according to NYT – editorsweblog
  Mobile! The very important next step of the moment.
  (tags: mobile new.media nyt finance statistics)
• What Makes for a Good Blog? | 43 Folders
  Nice list.
  (tags: new.media blogging 43.folders internet)

This is exactly the crap that drives liberals crazy about the “Very Serious People” over at TNR.  Yes, Rachel Maddow getting her own show is indicative of the trend toward ideological cable news.  But unless Sacha Zimmerman has some plan for ridding the world of Fox News and fundamentally changing the political DNA of our country and its media markets, denying her a show because of this would amount to (continued) liberal unilateral disarmament.

And more importantly, Rachel Maddow, while obviously liberal, is the person on cable least likely to further the actual problems that Zimmerman believes come with this increasing media polarization: “that we are more and more retreating to our comfortable trenches and refusing to acknowledge anything but spite, paranoia, and conspiracy theory when it comes to the other side” and “knee-jerk reactions” passing “for smart commentary.”

In short, Zimmerman is arguing that Rachel Maddow shouldn’t have her own show because Sean Hannity is an asshole.  Great.

Update: I’ve posted a slightly extended and revised version of this post over at TPMCafe.

• The Washington Monthly – MOVING TIME….
  Kevin Drum goes to MoJo.
  (tags: mother.jones washington.monthly kevin.drum new.media blogging)
• Spectra newsreader – Josh Spear, Trendspotting
  So, apparently MSNBC spent a lot of money so that people who are on acid can enjoy reading the news.
  (tags: msnbc new.media visualization)

I agree with Sullivan:

Fascinating to see how many themes remain the same, and how, even at that young age, Obama seems preternaturally composed. It’s also striking to me, given how so many have raised questions about his membership inTUCC, that his determination to confront racial polarization and his cultural centrism (as well as liberal politics) have always been front and center.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBxUSLCPlmc]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tFuzfrYPg]

Ezra Klein on Maddow getting her own show:

You know, when I was young, this world had rules. And standards. And liberals did not get TV shows. And liberals who had TV shows did not write on DailyKos. And liberals who had TV shows and wrote on DailyKos did not get TV shows for their even more liberal guest hosts.