that's his wife's trust (0.00 / 0)

He's made a fair amount of money, I'd think, though not billions.

It's interesting to learn that he married a billionaire.  I had no idea, and it's pretty disturbing to think that this guy is out there pretending to be a normal person.

New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.

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by: Hopeful in NJ @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 20:12:31 PM CST

Friedman offends me as an "expert" (4.00 / 1)

He's been so wrong for so long. How is he an expert, and not just another selfish and self-righteous douchebag?

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by: danthrax @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 20:15:32 PM CST

Then you'll be happy to read.... (4.00 / 2)

"The End of Experts?" by Thomas Friedman*

*I wish!

We the People...participating in our democracy again!

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by: ProgressiveMews @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 02:48:45 AM CST

[ Parent ]

This is totally random, but whenever I see him, he looks like he'd have (0.00 / 0)

VERY bad breath.

For some reason, it seems that Obama has some pathological and deep-seated psychological need for Republicans to like him.  Seriously.  It's weird.

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by: avenged savant @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 20:31:44 PM CST

According to several cab drivers he's met (4.00 / 5)

his breath is wonderful, just like the fresh breath of a flattening world thanks to the wonders of globalization.  

Saxby Chambliss  

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by: bosdcla14 @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 20:54:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Just give it... (4.00 / 7)

...six more months, I'm sure the market will be on the path to victory.

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by: Aaron Veenstra @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 20:58:26 PM CST

He might like it (0.00 / 0)

He's made millions on his books, and he gets $50K per speech. The upside of his wife's fortune dropping by 99% is that he's still worth tens of millions and he's no longer as much of a kept man.

Oh, and now I'm sure he thinks he can identify with all those who are suffering during the downturn.

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by: Joe Buck @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 21:30:46 PM CST

While $25 million is huge... (0.00 / 0)

It is kind of stunning to think of how deeply he plunged from $1 billion.  What he has now is like 2.5% of what he had (I think... I suck at math).  It would be like someone who makes $100,000 a year suddenly making $2,500 a year.

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by: wilder @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 23:45:02 PM CST

Not *exactly* like, of course (0.00 / 0)

$25 million is still fabulously wealthy, but it would be that sort of dramatic drop.

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by: wilder @ Fri Nov 14, 2008 at 23:45:45 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Friedman (4.00 / 3)

Stock market to Friedman:  suck.  on.  this.

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by: Notorious P.A.T. @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 00:31:34 AM CST

hEH (0.00 / 0)

"Tom, what part of "downturn" don't you understand?

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by: Ed in Montana @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 15:24:41 PM CST

[ Parent ]

As Kent Brockman once said: (4.00 / 1)

"This is from the 'It's funny when it happens to them file..."

John McCain.  Wrong for America.

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by: ArkansasLiberal @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 00:58:32 AM CST

Billionaire Tom Friedman's Fortune On Brink of Bankruptcy (0.00 / 0)

Billionaire Tom Friedman's Fortune On Brink of Bankruptcy 4 hours 40 min old; Getting Big and Visionary at the FCC: Break the Cable Kings 5 hours 37 min old. The casino operator, which is controlled by the 91-year-old billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.
============================
Brian
pennsylvania drug rehab

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by: brian2008 @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 01:17:34 AM CST

A coulple of rejoinders (4.00 / 1)

1) Globalism has worked... for the globe, but not for America. There is a big distinction there.

If you are an American nationalist you don't want open borders and free trade because the flow of wealth will be out of America.

2) The total growth of global wealth will not be enough to offset the losses we face in America, even at this late stage. Even now it benefits us to renege on GATT, WTO Etc.

3. Most Progressives are not nationalists; they are globalists who lament the political costs of globalism, not its effect. In fact, one cannot be a Progressive nationalist in my opinion: they are anti-thetical.

What have the effects been? To undermine the hegemony of white working class America. And you wonder why they viscerally hate you? The cost has been the loss of the white working class voter which caused a 40 year detour from "Progress", Starting with Nixon. Know thy history.

4) There are two ways to globalize; One where America races to the bottom and we all rise together. Another where America protects its wealth and everyone catches up to us. As a self-styled Freudian conservative, I'm for the latter. I don't want a fascist coup in America above all things.

5) We should practice Confucius's Rectification of Names; in other words: straight talk. Be honest about the winners and losers of any proposal. Don't tell the average person that your plan will make them better off while you fund robotic research, for instance. We already have self-driving cars and trucks. What will the technology be in 10, 15 years? The 30 year old trucker wont have a job at 50. And you want to "save" his Social Security? No wonder they cling to guns and religion! They have no where else to turn in our so-called Intelligentsia!

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by: Paul Goodman @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 07:24:44 AM CST

Dammit Dave (4.00 / 2)

Keep your shit together, will you?

Real estate is not something that is subject to "free trade" policies for the very simple and obvious reason that real estate is in a fixed location and cannot be moved overseas.

I don't think Friedman is going to be concerned no matter what happens considering he has several best selling books and works for the NY Times.  This guy ain't hurting.

The case against him can be made sufficiently without recourse to stupid ad hominems about his wife's family, his personal wealth, and class loyalty.  

Normally, I like what you write, David, and I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but this is some stupid bullshit.

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by: Reece @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 07:31:54 AM CST

rich (4.00 / 1)

I took this to mean that Friedman's complete advocacy of any policy that benefits the rich is funny, considering he may not be rich much longer.  

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by: Notorious P.A.T. @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 08:32:49 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Tom Friedman Gave Us The Iraq War (0.00 / 0)

Lest we not forget Friedman used his column and TV appearances to push and sell the Iraq war, big time.  For that I do not wish him bankruptcy, I wish he would go directly to HELL!

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by: steve katz @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 08:13:35 AM CST

His Green push (4.00 / 1)

I've not read his book on the green economy, but I did see him on David Letterman - and what he said there was very sensible, probably much better than Obama's ideas. I take it that his idea is that the US govt should create policies (like standards and tax code) that create a level playing field for green developers and favors green industry over others - like oil. out of this would arise much green industrial entrepreneurial speculation. this differs from Obama in that his plan - as I currently understand it - is to pump federal dollars into favored technical speculation. Freedman's idea strikes me as being much better at putting the market place to work.

Im not here to defend Freedman's Iraq War support which he should be forced to really take a credibility hit for. But the guy is not a full blown idiot either, or just a simple classist shill as suggested. He's really quite good at marketing ideas, and his green one strikes me as very strong.

~* the * Will * to go on *~

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by: ObscureName @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 10:21:09 AM CST

Yes (0.00 / 0)

It's interestingly ironic that we're crapping on a guy whose latest book argues for a massive, immediate government intervention aimed at A) protecting the environment B) ending U.S. dependence on foreign oil, thereby significantly reducing the ability of despotic regimes to stir up trouble and C) making the U.S. the leaders in the next product cycle, thereby greatly protecting what's left of our advantage in standard of living.

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by: Matt H @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 14:13:04 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Or maybe... (0.00 / 0)

Maybe - just maybe - he'll start realizing that the free-market fundamentalism he's been preaching for so long has some downsides.

Maybe publishers and Radio/TV yapfests will start realizing that Friedman is a great buyer of marketing for shallow, silly conventional wisdom.

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by: DaveW @ Sat Nov 15, 2008 at 11:54:55 AM CST