Politics & Communication with Joshua Gee

Since I am trying to get back into blogging but also trying to be more efficient at work, here is a quick rundown of what I don’t have time to write about.

• The above logo is Blackwater’s attempt at rebranding. Apparently they are transitioning from the mercenary business and focusing more on their copier division. I just want to know if the subpoenas will still have the bear claw.
• Political TV commercial production and ad buying for dummies.
• Time’s feature on “Why The Taliban is Winning the Propaganda War.” I would like to see a little more nuance on the Afghan media landscape and more details about what the Afghan government’s communications apparatus looks like. But then again, I am a nerd.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari were both on Meet the Press yesterday, capping off a week-long goodwill tour of U.S. I can’t remember when in my political education I realized that people don’t go on Meet the Press in order to talk to the public at large or discuss ideas, but rather to campaign among a very specific subset of policy elite. It was odd to see elected leaders of countries that the United States sort of controls (or in the case of Pakistan props up the government) spending precious campaign time talking to David Gregory. I guess they feel those policy elite are a key constituency in getting them reelected. Imperialism is weird, man.

Depressing, depressing video on Afghanistan about Marine trainers in Afghanistan and the state of the Afghan army. Why can’t American TV news do anything like this?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/mar/27/obama-afghanistan-military

Other money line?

“I give a fuck about your chai. I care about the mission.”

• The Big Picture has some heartbreaking recession photos.
• Are PR Agencies a Dying Breed? My short answer: No. My slightly less short answer: shut up bloggers. My long answer: upcoming.
• I need to pay more attention to special and off-year elections. Especially ones in New York.
• One and Two quality foreign policy articles from The Washington Post