Commentary
Dipsticks Vs. Dipshits
- by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, October 23, 2024
In the battle of the everyman campaign soundbites, watching Tim Walz work on his 1979 International Harvester Scout comes across as a lot more authentic than watching Donald Trump serve fries at McDonald's.
Watching Walz get under the hood, grease rag in hand, you know it's something he does regularly. You also get the feeling that he knows the difference between a dipstick and a dipshit, which gave him permission to call Trump/Vance rally twirl Elon Musk for "jumping around and skipping like a dipshit" next to Donald Trump on the stage.
"Think about that," Walz said during a Harris/Walz campaign event in Madison, WI, Tuesday, adding, "That guy is literally the richest man in the world spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election. They're saying the quiet parts out loud now.
advertisement
advertisement
"Donald Trump has already promised that he would put Elon in charge of government regulations that would oversee the businesses that Elon runs. That's a hell of a buy. He could spend billions to make $10 billion on the back-end.
"In other words, Donald Trump in front of the eyes of the American public, is promising corruption. That's what he's promising you."
In retrospect, Kamala Harris could not have picked a better candidate for her ticket, because unlike all the contrived, performative shenanigans, you know he's the real deal, which gives him the authority to call Musk out for what he is.
Meanwhile, in the backlash surrounding a McDonald's franchisee owner's decision to close shop in order to produce Trump's version of an "everyman" campaign event, the fast-food giant's HQ has distanced itself from the stunt, but the scrutiny on big brands leaning into or out of either ticket is reaching a new height, so I wouldn't expect to see many more stunts like that.
But I'd like to see more consumer brands promoting a message I received from Patagonia this week.
In an email subject-lined "Anxious about this election?," Patagonia used its outbound marketing to advocate its consumers try their hand at canvassing, and provided some FYIs and links for how to do it.
The link goes to a sign-up page for the League of Conservation Voters, which I just signed up for, because, well, see below:
Joe Mandese is the Editor in Chief of MediaPost. You can reach Joe at joe@mediapost.com.
Meanwhile, in real political news from an actual journalist: Matt Taibbi reported yesterday how the very-popular-on-MediaPost "Center for Countering Digital Hate" is fronting for the UK's Labour Party, with distinct stated objectives to "Kill Musk's Twitter" thru "Advertising focus," i.e. harass his advertisers.
The very-popular-on-MediaPost CCDHate held a private conference with anti-free speech people on the American left to organize against Musk: The Biden White House, Congressman Adam Schiff, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Biden/Harris State Department officials, Canadian MP Peter Julian, Media Matters for America and others.
This is true "election interference," except it comes from England, not Russia, and it's concrete evidence, not the spin, hype, secrets and lies that that have plagued the controlled corrupt collectivist corporate criminal clown media for nearly a decade.
All the evidence is here, along with the supposition that some members of the corporate media are being paid to push these seditious anti-free speech, anti-Constitutional, anti-American advertising boycotts.
As George RR Martin wrote: "When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar. You're only telling the world that you fear what he might say."
At this juncture, anyone promoting advertising boycotts intended to silence dissent or buttress the non-American/anti-American CCDHate should likewise have their nationalist (as opposed to globalist) bona fides questioned extensively.
https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/election-exclusive-british-advisors
More MAGA whining from the usual suspects on Mediapost. Advertisers not spending money in a brand-unsafe environment like X is not "election interference" no matter how elaborate your mental gymnastics. Not to mention this has NOTHING to do with the article you're commenting on, unless you're bristling at the observation that Musk is literally and explicitly attempting to buy votes in Pennsylvania for your beloved cult leader.
"Dipsticks vs Dipshits"
And here I was thinking this would be a lighthearted piece about the intercompany basketball tournament at MediaPost.
"independent" Mandese who can't see the forest through the trees....
@Tom Siebert: Speaking of real political news from real journalists, you might want to check this one out:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/10/23/dougan-russian-disinformation-harris/
For what it's worth, whether the source material of Taibbi's reporting proves out or not, there's a big difference between political parties coordinating political marketing activities, and state actors mounting sophisticated, clandestine influence campaigns. But you're the expert on benevolent propoganda, so I'm sure you're right.
And despite your pesistent slamming of MediaPost, we still love you.