Davos Newbies

You’d think that an MP from the governing party would have lots of avenues for sorting out a constituency problem. That’s undoubtedly the case, but it’s revealing that Tom Watson is using his blog to force mobile phone operator O2 into action. Far better than a note on House of Commons stationery it seems.

What on earth is The New York Times doing giving its valuable op-ed space to Henry Blodget to write about the good aspects of the dotcom boom?

Blodget, for those with short memories, was the Merrill Lynch analyst who shot to fame for his hugely exuberant hyping of every Internet stock that came down the pipe. He refers to his fame-making forecast for Amazon.com in his op-ed, and jokingly to the fact that it eventually meant the end of his Wall Street career. He was actually fined millions for his deceptive practices.

Of course many good things came out of the dotcom boom, as Blodget explains. But he and his ilk were the villains, not the innovators or visionaries.

Update: Chris Nolan voices her outrage far more eloquently:

Here’s why it pisses me off: Because Bloget was knee, no hip-deep in the process of delusion in which everyone connected with the birth of Internet willingly, freely, happily and enthusiastically participated. His punishment? A fine, a ban from working on the Street, a book deal and a gig with Slate. For a guy who started out as a production assistant at CNN, that’s not a bad writing career. See, crime might not pay - Bloget’s fine was in the millions - but unethical behavior sure as hell does. I’m looking forward to reading a Times op/ed from Marc Rich on the benefits of the presidential pardon system.

Tyler Cowen: “I am requiring my Ph.d. macro class to read some blogs, and yes there will be a test. They are to read Brad DeLong, Brad Setser, Macroblog, Nouriel Roubini, and some of Econbrowser, all to be found on the blogroll to the left. I am a proponent of debate as a means of educating; we are programmed to remember interpersonal exchanges better than written or spoken drones.”

Kevin Drum: “Clinton, partly by nature and partly because he had to deal with a Republican Congress during most of his term, instinctively understood that America’s foreign policy goals are best accomplished via persuasion and compromise. Bush, partly by nature and partly because he has no domestic opposition to speak of, instinctively believes that successful foreign policy is best accomplished via hectoring and stubbornness.”