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November 18, 2004

Bloggers Rumored to Be Selected as Time's "Persons of the Year"

I call the idea hooey, myself. And on that score, A Small Victory seems to agree.

I actually think a decent case could be made. Blogging is of course not the most important story of the year (although it's probably are the most important meta-media story of the year).

But since Time magazine won't give the nod to George W. Bush, they need someone else to give it to, right? It would be a deft, if transparent, PR move on Time's part, I guess. Bloggers would get off Time's case for a least a month or so.

Then again, who reads Time any more anyway?

The Politboro Diktat takes on Michele's case point-by-point and concludes it's a pretty swell idea. He compares blogging to the PC, which was made "Man of the Year" in 1982-- when the home PC had almost no visibility or impact in society yet, but would of course explode within a decade.

One problem I have with the Comrade's analysis: no mention whatsoever on the implications of any of this on that crazy blog-money I've heard so much about. It's a real oversight on his part.

On Second Thought Update: Maybe I don't want Time to do a cover on bloggers, anyway. Senator Philabuster predicts -- with almost guaranteed precision-- that it just means more crazy blog-money for the Daily Kos and Wonkette:

The cover will feature Kos, Wonkette!!!!, Sully, and Oliver Willis (by himself on the fold out page, obviously).
Then within the body of the article Instapundit and Drudge will probably get a head nod, but only during the boxed "Talking Points Memo" interview with Josh Marshall where he trashes them.

So the lefty blogs get all the sweet attention and lucrative endorsement deals, and the blogs straddling the right side of the divide get the same acknowledgment from Time that they did from the recent NY Times article: diddly-squatt.

He's so right. So, Time, do us both a favor and let's not but say we did.

Unrelated Update: Michele posts a link to this long, and often very difficult, quiz on eighties pop culture. A quick once-over tells me I don't know more than 20% of these.

And when I say "us," I mean people besides me, because he's never heard of me. Still, he's almost sorta-kinda maybe heard of people that may have linked me at one time or another, so that's still pretty cool.

posted by Ace at 08:34 PM

Comments

Thought I read somewhere Time is kind of "over" using nameless/faceless things as "people of the year" - I thought it was in the same article they were talking over nominating Bush. Then again, I could be 2-3 days behind the curve.

Whatever, Mt. St. Helens might have just blown up. And, if not, I like to start rumors.

Posted by: fat kid on November 18, 2004 08:39 PM

Oh there will be crazy blog money alright....

The cover will feature Kos, Wonkette!!!!, Sully, and Oliver Willis (by himself on the fold out page, obviously).

Then within the body of the article Instapundit and Drudge will probably get a head nod, but only during the boxed "Talking Points Memo" interview with Josh Marshall where he trashes them.

So the lefty blogs get all the sweet attention and lucrative endorsement deals, and the blogs straddling the right side of the divide get the same acknowledgment from Time that they did from the recent NY Times article: diddly-squatt.

But hey, who does read Time anymore? Ace, if you Rusty, Allah, our favorite commie, Michele, the Corner and Hugh Hewett want some true exposure I know some dudes at "Sky and Telescope" that would probably be interested in featuring you. Provided you were willing to plug that whole SETI@Home thing......

Posted by: senator philabuster on November 18, 2004 08:53 PM

Sorry, Fat Kid, you nearly got me to click on that awful link last time and you're not going to fool me again!

Posted by: See Dubya on November 18, 2004 08:59 PM

See Dubya,

He got me too and now I can't sleep at nights. I make my wife turn on the light and check the tub before I will go into the bathroom.

Posted by: BrewFan on November 18, 2004 09:09 PM

Time mag sends me press releases and 'scoops'. They seem to kind of 'get' the whole blog thing.

Posted by: Karol on November 18, 2004 10:18 PM

Ouch - that's actually a link to my blog, which then links to the web cam on mt. st. helens (NOT tubgirl) , though I can now see your concern.

I guess you guys missed my "no more dirty links on Ace's" - I'm a man of my word. Trust me on this one.

Promise.

Posted by: fat kid on November 18, 2004 10:31 PM

And yes, I know "trust me" is the cry of a guilty soul.

Posted by: fat kid on November 18, 2004 10:32 PM

Wait... Hitler was man of the year once. Obviously, they'll use this to prove that all the conservative bloggers are Hitler, and we should all ignore them and only trust MSM. Either that or the foil in my hat is leaking again.

Posted by: Schlega on November 19, 2004 12:26 AM

Schlega,

Close but no cigar in your analysis.

Since Time already featured Hitler thay will use that as their excuse not to feature BusHitler. After all, nothing bores readers more than redundancy.

/democratic underground.

Posted by: senator philabuster on November 19, 2004 12:31 AM

Two bits says Arafat wins Person of the Year.

Posted by: Justin on November 19, 2004 02:18 AM

I see what you mean about that 80's quiz.

I guess I must have been drunk during most of the 80's so I missed who "Turbo and Ozone" were.

Posted by: Superhawk on November 19, 2004 03:58 AM

MSM understands what kind of influence BLOGS had on this election (and I don't mean KOS). Our BLOGS exposed Rather and were instrumental in Republican grass roots efforts (whether intended or not). I would even argue they tipped the scale in our favor. The DEMS (Hillary) can't approach 2006 - 2008 without lefty BLOGS becoming an integral part of their efforts/strategy. This article (POY) will be used as an effort to bring BLOGS into the MSM/DNC sphere of influene.

Posted by: Winston on November 19, 2004 10:14 AM

The cover will feature Kos, Wonkette!!!!, Sully, ...and Oliver Willis (by himself on the fold out page, obviously).

Oh...my...God... I can see it now. Blogger porn. Wonkette and Oliver Wills in a nude centerfold spread in the middle of Time...

THE HORROR...

God forbid we should write about serious bloggers....or was that last oxymoronic?

Posted by: Cassandra on November 19, 2004 06:23 PM

I was at the Time luncheon this week at which they had their yearly panel debate regarding POY. Of course, it in no way dictates the editorial decision of Time, but the front-runner among the panelists (the panel consisted of Andrew Sullivan, Al Sharpton, Brian Williams, Coleen Rowley, and a New York Times TV Critic) was Karl Rove. Williams and Sharpton got an argument over whether it should be Bush or Rove with Williams saying the president not his operative should be tapped. Bloggers were brought up by an audience member but it didn't seem to get a GREAT deal of play.

Posted by: ken on November 19, 2004 06:42 PM

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Funniest thing I've read about the Virginia mess. Back when they were hustling the referendum through the assembly both Senators, Warner and Kaine, advised them to go slow and play by the rules. Louise Lucas said she respected them but didn't need advice from the "cuck chair" in the corner. The gerrymandering was overturned and Louise is heading for the big house. Edward G. Robinson voice "where's your cuck now?"
Posted by: Smell the Glove

I posted his post on twitter and it's gotten 25K views so far. Thanks, Smell the Glove

Chris
@chriswithans

"Ahhhhh ahh I put my career on the line for Louise Lucas and Jay Jones thinking they'd vault me into presidential contention and we ended up costing Democrats 20 House seats and unleashing a Reverse Dobbs ahhhhh ahhh"

Forgotten 80s Mystery Click That Sums Up the Democrat Communist Party Today
Something is wrong as I hold you near
Somebody else holds your heart, yeah
You turn to me with your icy tears
And then it's raining, feels like it's raining

TJM wonders about world building in stories, mostly The Hunger Games

"It's f**king f**ked."
-- reportedly a genuine comment offered by a "senior Labour source"
Correction: I wrote that Labour is losing 88% (now 87%) of the seats it is "defending." I think that's wrong. The right way to say it is the seats they are contesting -- that is, they don't necessarily already hold these seats, but they have put up a candidate to run for the seat. It's still very bad but not as bad as losing 87% of the seats they already held.

Basil the Great
@BasilTheGreat

🚨ED MILIBAND [a Minister in Starmer's government] SAYS KEIR STARMER WILL RESIGN AS PRIME MINISTER

He has reportedly reassured Labour MP's that Starmer will be resigning following the disastrous results tonight

It's over

"The end of the two party system in the UK" as first the Fake Conservatives and now Labour chooses political suicide rather than simply STOPPING THE INVASION
Incidentally, the only reason this didn't already happen in the US is because of the Very Bad Orange Man (who is right on 85% of all policy calls and extremely, existentially right on 15% of them)

No political party that is NOT also a doomsday religious cult would EVER choose a cataclysmic loss -- and possible extinction as a party -- to support a toxically unpopular favoritism of NON-CITIZEN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS over actual citizen voters.

Only a cult does this.

Now they've lost 84%.

Annunziata Rees-Mogg
@zatzi
If this continues Labour loses 2,148 seats tonight.

That is much worse than the worst case predictions I’ve seen.

Cataclysmic

Update: They've now lost 88% of the seats they're defending. As I mentioned earlier, I think I heard that London will not bail them out, as many of those Labour seats will probably flip to "Muslim Independent" or Green. Detroit's 5am vote will not save them.

Yup, Labour is losing 80% of its seats...

The British Patriot
@TheBritLad

🚨 BREAKING: Labour have lost 80% of all seats contested as of 2:25 AM.<
br> If this continues, Keir Starmer will be out of office next week.

Reform has surged and projected to pick up between 1700-2100 seats.

Wow, up to 1700-2100 seats. It's not incredible that this is happening. It's incredible that the Davos crowd is so absolutely determined to privilege Muslim "migrants" over the actual native population who elects them, no matter how loudly the natives scream that they want to be prioritized, that they will gladly self-extinguish as a party rather than simply representing the interests of their own voters. Astonishing.
Remember, when they call other people "cultists" -- they are the ones so imprisoned in their social reinforcement and discipline bubbles that they will choose political death rather than dare upset the Karen Enforcement Officers of their cult.
Update: Now they've lost 83% of the seats they were defending.

(((Dan Hodges)))
@DPJHodges

Reform are basically wiping Labour out in the North. It's not a defeat. It's not even a rout. Labour are simply ceasing to exist.

Nick Lowles
@lowles_nick

Tonight’s results are calamitous for Labour. Not just for Keir Starmer's leadership, but for the very future of the party

STARMERGEDDON: In early returns, Reform gains 135 seats, Labour loses 90, the Fake Conservatives lose 36 (and I didn't even know they could fall any further), the Lib Dems lose 4, and the Greens gain 6. Note that the only other party gaining seats is the Greens and they're only gaining a handful of seats.
Update: Reform now up 145, Labour down 98.
Labour projected to lose Wales -- where they've ruled for 27 years.
Fulton County Georgia just discovered 400 boxes of ballots for Labour
Update: REF +156, LAB -107, CON -45
Brutal: In four out of five council seats where Labour is defending, they've lost. 80%.
I'm sure it's not this simple, but Reform is straight taking Labour's and the "Conservatives'" seats. They've lost almost exactly what Reform gained. If understand this right (and warning, I probably don't), all of London's council seats are up for election, and Labour might lose hugely there, as their old voters abandon them for Reform, Muslim Indenpendents, and the Greens.
REF +190, LAB -134, CON -56.

Updates on the Labour collapse in council elections -- which wags are calling #Starmergeddon -- from Beege Welborne. There are about 5000 seats up for grabs, Labour is expected to lose 1,800, Reform will probably gain 1,580, up from... zero. So this would be more than that.
People claim that while Labour has adopted the Sharia Agenda to appeal to the million Muslims it allowed to migrate to the country, those voters are ditching Labour to vote for the Muslim Independent Party or the Greens. Delicious. This shadenfreude is going straight to my thighs.
Oh, and if Starmer loses about as badly as expected, Labour will toss him out of a window Braveheart style and replace him. He will announce he is resigning to spend more time with his Gay Ukrainian Male Prostitutes.

Media bias and senationalism are as old as, well, the media:

That was written by Denny O'Neill and illustrated by, get this, Frank Miller. Editor to the Stars Jim Shooter was in charge at the time.
I always thought the gag was original to the comic book, but in fact the "Threat or Menace" headline was a satirical joke about media bias and sensationalism for a long while. The Harvard Lampoon used it in a parody of Life magazine: "Flying Saucers: Threat or Menace?"

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