![]() FROM THE FINLAND STATION! Quoting Kopp and praising the Finns, Tom Friedman has some hot data: // link // print // previous // next //
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009 Stolberg over Shuster: We never disagree with Boehlert. Except this morning, that is. At issue is yesterdays news report by the New York Times Sheryl Gay Stolberg. In our view, Boehlert is one of the giants of the past dozen yearsand he thought Stolobergs piece was dreadful. He made some perfectly decent points. But on balance, we disagree with his judgment. Stolberg reported on a budget proposal Obama made at Mondays cabinet meeting. Heres the way she started:
Without question, Stolberg adopts a semi-rollicking style. But lets be honest: Everyone does something dumb at some pointand in this case, Obama was taking his turn. Did budget analysts burst out laughing when they heard about this proposal? If not, they pretty much should have. The proposal really is fairly laughable. (For what its worth, we wouldnt assume that burst out laughing is meant to be taken literally. Several years ago, Michael Steele got an excellent Baltimore Sun columnist fired for having used a similar phrase in a non-literal manner. We were stunned that the Sun let itself be cowed by Steeles absurd complaints.) Eric suggests that mainstream scribes must have taken their cue from that Republican Study Committee release. We doubt it. The release was issued at some point on Monday; in that mornings Washington Post, Michael Fletcher was already rolling his eyes at Obamas forthcoming proposal (click here). Why was Fletcher less than impressed? Because the proposals inherently silly! Good God! The proposed spending cuts would represent one thirty-six thousandth of this years federal budget! At some point, we all do something a little bit dumb. This was Obamas turn. (In todays paper, the Post devotes this editorial to Obamas proposal. Trust us: They didnt need the RSC to give them their cue.) Should Stolberg have yukked it up that much? Possibly, possibly not. But consider: For the past many years, we liberals have begged the mainstream press to drop its magisterial pose. No more of this on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand stuff, weve implored; reporters should just come out and tell us when something is false, we have said. If thats our view, why shouldnt they do the same when a proposals just basically silly? In our view, the Times tends to let its political reporters show a bit too much of their attitude. But wed have to say that Stolbergs report was better than David Shusters. By far. Ah, Shuster! Guest-hosting on Monday nights Countdown, he called in reliable Margaret Carlson to help him review this same topic. Carlson spent the 1990s (and a few years beyond) mocking the Clintons and Gore, of course, helping send Bush to the White House. (She had a very high profile on CNN during that period.) But shes been re-purposed for a new careerand on Monday night, she happily played along with a groaning presentation by Shuster. If you watched Countdown, you were told that the Republican Party (and Fox News) had criticized Obamas proposalbut you werent allowed to know that anyone else had said or thought any such thing. (Someone had asked Obama a question at his cabinet meeting, but you werent told who it was.) Carlson quickly said that this peculiar conduct meant that the GOP was engaging in cognitive dissonance; she cited cheering actors from the movie Dave in support of Obamas idea. This was the start of their exchange, which was defiantly dumbpure propaganda. If MSNBC ever posts the transcript, it will post it here:
A post at the FNC website had compared Obamas proposal to a proposal made in Daveso Margaret rushed to turn the comparison. As she continued, she came pretty close to putting her foot in her mouth:
Oops. It almost sounded like she was saying that Obama had rolled out a stunt. (To watch this whole segment, click this.) Trust us: Carlson understood how silly Obamas proposal was. But increasingly, MSNBC has adopted the methods of Fox. They treat you like thingslike youre dumb as rocksjust as Fox has done all these years. We think this is bad for progressive interests. And you cant run a nation on dumb.
We never disagree with Boehlert, a person whom we deeply admire. This morning, though, on balance, we do. Stolbergs report was basically right. Elsewhere, those who rail at Fox were once again using its methods. PART 1THE LATEST CUT-AND-PASTED DATA: Yesterday, we read this highly incoherent essay in Time, written by Walter Isaacson. Among other things, we wondered where Isaacson got the data found in this gloomy passage:
The U.S, ranks 15th in reading on international tests? On what tests? Out of how many countries? As often happens when the nations Big Dogs declaim on the need for higher achievement, Isaacson failed to include these basic, bone-simple facts. Where did Isaacson get his data? The answer should have been fairly obvious: Someone had been handing them out! This morning, another journalistic Big Dog orates on this same topicTom Friedman, in the New York Times. He at least explains the source of his data, the same data (and framework) which Isaacson had:
We havent reviewed the McKinsey report, which seems to be exciting Big Scribes as much as the Kinsey Report once did. But Friedman is much clearer than Isaacson; were no longer told that the the U.S. ranks 25th in math scores on international tests (plural). More clearly, were told that U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 25th (out of 30) on one such measure. To be honest, the measure sounds extremely narrow, thus perhaps just a tad cherry-picked. And were told where the data appearin the McKinsey Report. Question: Do U.S. students typically score this low, when measured against other countries in math? To the best of our knowledge, the answer is no. In 2007, for instance, U.S. fourth-graders ranked eleventh (out of 36 participating countries) in the math portion of the TIMSS, the best-known international measure; U.S. eighth-graders scored ninth in math, out of 48 countries. (For fuller data, click here.) And as we noted not long ago, the U.S. has been gaining against the rest of the world on the TIMSShas steadily improved its standing since 1995. No matter! When Big Dogs write on this gloomy topic, they typically copy from each others papers. They repeat the same gloomy tales, cutting-and-pasting the same gloomy datadata they have usually cadged from The Latest Gloomy Report. Of course, in an actual high school with real standards, such cut-and-pasting students would fail. In the curious world called Big Media High, they simply rework the latest incoherent demands for action. Isaacsons essay is deeply incoherent. Friedmans column isnt much better; he tops Isaacson in one comical way. And, as has been decreed by God, he ends by quoting Wendy Kopphaving heaped praise on the wonders of Finland! But so it typically tends to go when Big Dogs proclaim about this topic. Everybody has the same data; everybody has the same framework! Meanwhile, no one shows a very strong sign of knowing what hes talking about.
Has there ever been such a know-nothing gang in the whole history of human affairs? Tomorrow, well look at Friedmans pronouncements. Then, its on to the Isaacson Station! |