August 5, 2017

"Don’t assume anybody likes you. You begin this quest providing one of the most popular services in the world..."

"... used by two billion people. But don’t think that means YOU are popular. As a recent poll of a hypothetical 2020 matchup showed you perform worse against Trump—tying him 40-40—compared to established Democratic politicians. Nearly half of Americans don’t have an opinion about you. Of those that do, for slightly more it’s a negative one. That may suggest a need to shed your image of the socially awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt. Or it may reflect the conflicted feelings many people have about Facebook and its effect on privacy, safety and political polarization. Even among those 24 percent of Americans with a favorable opinion of you are not clamoring for presidential run. There is only one #DraftZuck group, Disrupt for America. It has 15 Facebook likes. There’s no passion behind a Zuckerberg candidacy. At least not yet...."

From "Memo to Mark Zuckerberg: So You Want to Be President/Unsolicited advice for the Facebook CEO," by Bill Scher (Politico).

Could there ever be passion behind a Zuckerberg candidacy? I think he is cool — not in the sense the Scher used the word ("awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt") — but in the sense of seeming to lack emotion. I think he should lean into that coolness and make it feel compelling to us as an alternative to the overheatedness of Trump. Invite us into the coolness, a new low-emotion, high-intelligence kind of politics.

This is something that in retrospect we can see that Hillary should have done. Just be flat and robotic and nerdy. The uncoolness becomes cool, and we could get excited about a very flat, nerdy character, if he were authentic. Don't try to heat it up. That's the Hillary mistake. I think of all that video of Hillary coming out on the stage open-mouthed and laughing (at nothing) and gesturing wildly and pointing (at nobody, but with an insane impression of recognizing that nobody). It was, if not horrific, unsettling.

I say be yourself, Zuckerberg. We might get used to you and bond with you. Don't "shed your image of the socially awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt." Be the socially awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt if that's what you really are. That's essentially what Trump did. He showed himself to us, and it was weird as hell, but he didn't try to change. He just said, I've been successful in business and I'm offering my services now to you the people. And the people bought it. Not all of the people, but enough to work... at least when the opponent felt fake.

121 comments:

rhhardin said...

Trump took on political correctness. It was that, and not being himself, to that extent that differs, that got him support.

rhhardin said...

Zonked Zuckerberg vs Trump.

Michael K said...

Facebook is fluff. At least Trump built things.

And the point about Political Correctness is right on.

Humperdink said...

AA: "I think he is cool — not in the sense the Scher used the word ("awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt") — but in the sense of seeming to lack emotion."

To me, lacking emotion = zero charisma. He will not overcome that. He is and will always be Zuckerdork.

Bay Area Guy said...

If you're 33 years old and worth $70 Billion, why not pursue the Presidency? There's not many more hills to climb. And, no doubt, he would be better than any Democrat hack who has to toe the party line (more abortion, more illegal immigration, more taxes, more govt spending, etc, etc)

gspencer said...

Oh I definitely want to get behind a guy who's helping Germany and China (et alia) identify anyone who says anything not favored by the government, whether it be Islam, Muslim crime, or the Chinese Communist Party. With all his practice, once Z becomes president we'll have the Two Minute Hate down pat.

Owen said...

"Hi! I'm Mark Zuckerberg and I know entirely too much about you, more every minute, and there's nothing you can do about it. I am getting granular with your reality and reshaping it in ways that I like to think you will like, if I let you think about it. So vote for me!"

Achilles said...

The problem for Suckerburg is he is anti-freedom. He is a crony capitalist in the worst way willing to team up with government against the little people. He has cultivated a culture of group think at Facebook.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Resist Facebook.

rhhardin said...

Nothing about facebook works on my computer, so there's that.

Wince said...

I think of all that video of Hillary coming out on the stage open-mouthed and laughing (at nothing) and gesturing wildly and pointing (at nobody, but with an insane impression of recognizing that nobody). It was if not horrific, unsettling.

A trip down memory lane.

This is something that in retrospect we can see that Hillary should have done. Just be flat and robotic and nerdy. The uncoolness becomes cool, and we could get excited about a very flat, nerdy character, if he were authentic. Don't try to heat it up. That's the Hillary mistake.

Didn't she try that?

Meade said...

Valuable advise. Zuck should hit your PayPal button for, at least, a cool mil.

tcrosse said...

This is something that in retrospect we can see that Hillary should have done.

As we say in Vegas, you can't polish a turd.

Owen said...

Meade: totally agree. $70B net worth split among 60+ million voters = $1K each so the latecomers will get the short end of the arithmestick. Act now!

Narayanan said...

Has Zuck realized that he will need to divest Facebook if he became president? Will he still be billionaire money to toss around then?

Somebody please explain Facebook valuation!!???

Humperdink said...

If Z'dork runs against Trump, the insults write themselves. Not that I would be in favor, mind you.

Ken B said...

Richard Speck. Bernie Madoff. Kaepernick. Guys I think less of than I do of Zuckerberg.

Narayanan said...

More exactly Zuckerberg needs to explain to himself valuation of Facebook.

bagoh20 said...

My God, you are such a Democrat. Always with the style over substance. Obama was that. Hillary was not. I mostly hate Trump's style, except for the fighting back part, but with the things he's doing in the background with regulations, I can live with it just fine.

Derek Kite said...

Hillary was fake down the the and's and but's. She had to be. She is an awful person.

Trump had many years of practice working in the public sphere in TV and in his various media battles. He was able to deal with the chaotic nature of the media and politics.

I have yet to read anything that describes the world he grew up and made his career in. I know that industry and when I see what he is doing in the white house it looks very familiar. Utter chaos, daily catastrophes and hard realities that require action only to accomplish a goal that is likely a few years from realization. The ability to see a finished product in what looks to others like the results of a tornado. Competing interests each with the power to halt the project. The value of individuals become very clear over a relatively short time, and either shuffled out or promoted. Everybody hates you until it is finished.

These cloistered and utterly uselessly educated twits who make up the media wouldn't even know where to start.

Known Unknown said...

I wouldn't underestimate Zuckerberg at all. He's convinced millions of people to be his product and make him a billionaire.

buwaya said...

He has a great deal going for him. He can 100% self finance. There will be fellow billionaires begging to throw money his way besides that. He has a popular internet platform to exploit, that he owns.

He doesnt need to beg or kowtow to financiers or power brokers. Heck, he could buy most of the overt portions of the Democratic party outright.

His personality doesnt much matter - Trump, much less wealthy, used his own personality to subsitute for limited resources, as even he could not fully finance his own campaign and the billionaires mostly hated him. Trumps "weird" was a positive, not a negative.

Zuckerberg can hire personality as required, with a bit of care.

His real problem is finding a need. Trump found a need that no-one else wanted to address. Zuckerberg hasnt got one, yet.

Bay Area Guy said...

If you tell me what Zuckerberg's 10 favorite books are, I will tell you whether he'll be a decent President or simply a rich schmuck.

john said...

It needs to be a black T shirt. Like Musk has. ...... and Jobs.

Wince said...

The only one more politically tone-deaf than Hillary is her daughter.

Chelsea Clinton Wants Films to Be Rated on Whether or Not They 'Defy Gender Stereotypes'

Chelsea Clinton ✔ @ChelseaClinton
Thank you @CommonSense for your work helping parents choose films for our kids with positive gender representations: http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/08/goodbye-mars-and-venus …

traditionalguy said...

He has charm but does not communicate to people at all. His only offer is Trust Me, but no one who has ever trusted him was happy that they did.

Ann Althouse said...

"To me, lacking emotion = zero charisma."

But that's the point. You rock that.

buwaya said...

Facebook does not need to justify its valuation until it does.
When, who knows. Next week or in a generation.
Zuckerberg will probably need to sell some of his equity to finance his ambition.

buwaya said...

Zuckerberg can hire someone to tell you what his favorite books are.

Ann Althouse said...

Zuckerberg should hire me as an adviser. But I like my freedom and I'm financially independent, so I'd like to say he can't pay me enough. But he can pay me enough.

Bruce Hayden said...

A Facebook election would be fascinating legally. How does he separate Facebook from his campaign? Ban political networking in his favor? A lot of networking goes on there. And any used for him might be considered in-kind contributions. How about their data mining? Are they going to sell their collected demographic and interest info to the Republicans, or just the Democrats? And, indeed, I would expect any serious attempt at campaigning to elicit DoJ antitrust scrutiny.

He might get though have some advantages over more traditional Dem candidates, above and beyond the money. One of the reasons that Trump won was the micro-targeting operation put together by his son-in-law (as contrasted to Crooked Hillary's son-in-law who used his Clinton connections to scam them with Greek sovereign debt). Wonder why Trump trusts Kushner? Part of it is probably that he was the brains behind his win.

The flip side is that all he has is online expertise and gobs of money, so that he can self-finance. How does he connect to middle America? Can he give rousing speeches? Not likely? Has he spent that much time honing his TV personality? Unlikely.

Still, he is a new face, and that. Is really what the Dem party needs. And a different, more youthful direction.

buwaya said...

Zero emotion doesnt mean zero charisma.

Consider Ben Stein. Extreme skill at deadpan.

tcrosse said...

This guy would be a scream on talk shows.

Meade said...

Sure, he can pay you enough, but can he over pay you enough? That's what I'd like to find out.

Rae said...

Clinton will make sure he doesn't make it through the primary.

Fernandinande said...

rhhardin said...
Nothing about facebook works on my computer, so there's that.


XP?

I keep two profiles; one uses privoxy (linux) to block adverting & tracking, along with facebook, twitter, cnn, yahoo (been meaning to add fNYT and msnbc) and ...

"Your request for http://althouse.blogspot.com/ was blocked.
Block reason: From HOSTS
See why this block applies or go there anyway."

I'm a very weak person and always hit "go there anyway", but at least I feel guilty about it.

You can block all this google stuff and blogger/email/youtube still work:
$ grep google /etc/privoxy/user.action
.google-analytics.
.googleads.g.doubleclick.
.googletagmanager.
.googletagservices.
.pagead2.googlesyndication.
.partner.googleadservices.
.plusone.google.
hangouts.google.com
safebrowsing.google.com
safebrowsing-cache.google.com

Matt Sablan said...

He would have to run independent. The rumor and innuendo about him stealing Facebook will sink him in the Democrat primary when Kamala Harris or someone asks if they want to trade one business oligarch for another or want real change.

buwaya said...

Althouse would be one heck of an adviser.
On the other hand its not certain that Althouse advice would work in all markets, or enough markets.
In spite of appearances, politicians arent stupid. They do what they do for good reasons.

Bay Area Guy said...

I'm not saying I'd vote for Zuckerberg. If he ran against Trump, I'd vote for Trump.

But I do think he'd be a step up from all these loser Dems (Sanders, Warren, Lincoln Chafee et al)

M Jordan said...

Zuckerberg is Gen X, right? Or is he a Millennial? I can't keep them straight. At any rate, he's if this zen world where you act cool, calm, and casual. No drama Obama and all that.

Sorry, but that train left the station. We're back into the Id. Trump is leading the charge. Zuckerberg gets 40% tops.

buwaya said...

The Democratic party is a criminal enterprise thats for sale at all levels. With enough money properly distributed I dont see him losing primaries. He can buy Kamala Harris (who is most definitely for sale).

Matt Sablan said...

Also, how does he party his dealings with hateful foreign governments and acquiescing to their hate policies and surveillance? How many foreigners have suffered due to Facebook's lack of moral business courage?

Matt Sablan said...

Parry not party.

M Jordan said...

I'll say one thing for Zuckerberg: his wife looks intelligent. Really, she does. I've often wondered, what makes a person look intelligent? I think it's the eyes ... a kind of focused look.

mockturtle said...

The real question is: "Could a robot be elected President?"

Ann Althouse said...

"The real question is: "Could a robot be elected President?""

Yes, but only if it was manufactured in the United States at least 35 years ago.

So it will never happen, because 35-year-old robots will always be considered utterly obsolete.

Sebastian said...

It's not true that Zuck is unemotional: Facebook started as a hot-or-not chick-bait service.

But he should run: it's only fitting that the party of billionaire crony capitalists runs a billionaire candidate, rather than the multimillionaire grifter trash from Arkansas. But he'll be up against not-cool feel-your-pain PC billionaire Oprah.

Ann Althouse said...

"I'll say one thing for Zuckerberg: his wife looks intelligent. Really, she does. I've often wondered, what makes a person look intelligent? I think it's the eyes ... a kind of focused look."

It worked for Chauncey Gardner.

Ann Althouse said...

"To me, lacking emotion = zero charisma. He will not overcome that. He is and will always be Zuckerdork."

It worked for Pat Paulsen.

Sam L. said...

Zuckerberg is not on my "even consider to vote for" list.

mockturtle said...

So it will never happen, because 35-year-old robots will always be considered utterly obsolete.

The hardware may be old but the software is being continuously upgraded.

Owen said...

Prof. A: "...Pat Paulsen." Yes!

Derek Kite, Bruce Hayden, buwaya: awesome comments. You (and others) are working this topic in exemplary fashion.

Mountain Maven said...

He's a rapacious unprincipled megalomaniac. With no vision for the country. No experience beyond clawing his way to the top of SV. Way too young. Changes his religious beliefs on a dime.
U can say he's just like Trump, but Trump has vision, a platform and a huge constituency who turned out to elect him President.

Anonymous said...

Ah yes, President Pat Paulsen. Kudos to our host for bringing up that great statesman.

Sure worked for him. Worked for his VP too; Jackie Vernon.

Achilles said...

Blogger Bay Area Guy said...
"If you tell me what Zuckerberg's 10 favorite books are, I will tell you whether he'll be a decent President or simply a rich schmuck."

He wrote a book:

"How to sensor occupants of a country so the totalitarians running the country will let me make money there"

Anonymous said...

lacking emotion = zero charisma

It worked well for Michael Dukakis. At least it did from my perspective.

Derek Kite: excellent points.

rehajm said...

The uncoolness becomes cool, and we could get excited about a very flat, nerdy character

Sheldon Cooper for President!

mockturtle said...

All humor aside, I wouldn't vote for Zuckerberg for dog catcher. He's a globalist Prog--the antithesis of Trump.

Virgil Hilts said...

I thought MZ was kind of an idiot (relatively speaking) when he was turning down $1 billion offers for his company at the age of 22. Won't underestimate him again. Socially awkward? GMAFB -- Socially awkward people end up working in cubicles, not launching as a teenager and then running maybe the most successful startup the world has even seen. Also - the Social Network is a great book. Don't base your sense of MZ on the movie (also great); the book gives you the real sense of how brilliant the guy is. MZ would be the best candidate fielded by DNC since Bill C.

dreams said...

As if we didn't have enough psychopaths in politics already.

Mountain Maven said...

Living in Sili Valli for many years, I know guys like him. They have no core, no center. Life is a collection of equations and algorithms to be solved. People are simply input and variables. No way I want him as president. Middle America will find him revolting.
The Dems have no one. Their bench was wiped out when they lost 900 state level races 08-16.

cacimbo said...

Considering how many people get their news from fb his power is massive. Exactly which sites will fb ban as fake news to help their leader.

Narayanan said...

Which will appreciate/maintain value?
Match off between president candidates ...
Twitter/Facebook/Oxygen

Need to allocate bettng/portfolio!!!???

Humperdink said...

Humperdink said: "To me, lacking emotion = zero charisma. He will not overcome that. He is and will always be Zuckerdork.

buwaya responded: Zero emotion doesnt mean zero charisma.
Consider Ben Stein. Extreme skill at deadpan.

AA also responded: It worked for Pat Paulsen.

Allow me to disagree. Ben Stein used his deadpan personality to the fullest in his movies. On the Fox Business roundtable discussions, he is as passionate as they come.

Regarding Paulson, yes his lack of charisma was a hit on the Smothers Brothers television show.

Wiki has this to say on his presidential aspirations: his (Paulson's) campaigns for President of the United States in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992, and 1996, which had primarily comedic rather than political objectives, although his campaigns generated some protest votes for him." As I recall, most considered his campaigns as jokes.

I am not sold that a "dud" for a personality will generate much of a following. OTOH, $70 billion might do it.

Mark said...

Talk about your ultimately emptiness and hollowness - no there there. And what there is there is ephemeral and fleeting.

I've never "gotten" Facebook. Either as an every day phenomenon or its crappy interface. And I'm talking about both the product and its developer.

Paco Wové said...

There are probably no circumstances under which I would vote for him, but I would encourage him to run. Spend a million. Spend ten million. Spend 100 million. Spend, spend, spend. It's probably the least harmful thing he can do with all that money.

Portlandmermaid said...

Lord, those photos of Clinton laughing, Reminds me of nutcrackers, always with that creepy, clacking jaw.

Zach said...

Be the socially awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt if that's what you really are. That's essentially what Trump did. He showed himself to us, and it was weird as hell, but he didn't try to change.

Yes, but Trump really is off the charts as a self promoter. Think about how prominent he's been in popular culture since, what, the '80s? That's an astoundingly long lifetime for a media personality.

Look at it this way -- right now, the Kardashians are inescapable, famous for being famous. Their father, Robert Kardashian, got famous for reading OJ's famous letter / suicide note on the day of the white Bronco chase. That was 1994 -- 23 years ago.

Trump's first appearance in the New York Times was in 1973 -- 21 years before that.

Trump acquired Trump Tower in 1978.

The "short fingered vulgarian" quip from Spy Magazine was 1988.

The famously libel-proof "BEST SEX I'VE EVER HAD" New York Post headline was 1991.

I have no doubts that Zuckerberg is a more accomplished businessman than Trump. But as a media personality, Trump is sui generis. There are very, very few people who can stay consistently in the public eye for 40 years.

pacwest said...

American presidential elections have become about the same as high school popularity contests, so why not Zuckerberg? Anybody can parrot the necessary talking points. If the media decides to run him he's in. No relavent experience you say? Hahahaha.

Zach said...

Put it this way -- when I was trying to think of someone who had been famous for being famous as long as Trump, I originally thought of Madonna. But Madonna's big break came in 1982 -- 9 years after Trump cracked the New York Times.

None of this has anything to do with being President, but it has a lot to do with the ability to run a campaign against Trump. He was saying entertainingly bizarre things to attract media attention since before there was cable TV. If Zuckerberg wants to go against him by meeting regular people in Iowa and eating ethnic food for photo ops, he won't be able to get any oxygen -- just like a dozen more qualified candidates couldn't get any oxygen last year.

Humperdink said...

I'll believe Z-dork is serious about a presidential run when I see him on the cover of Newsweek.

Michael K said...

"I have no doubts that Zuckerberg is a more accomplished businessman than Trump."

No, I suspect he just hit on a fad that will run its course. People will need places to live forever.

Eastman Kodak had a great run for almost 100 years,. It came to an end. They even invented the digital camera that ended the company.

Facebook is fluff.

Jael (Gone Windwalking) said...

~
Zuckerberg will never out-cool Trump.

Not even if Zuckerberg hires Steven Wright as Zuckerberg’s naturally too-cool-alter-ego-press secretary while Zuckerberg stays eternally (God please! - make it so) out of sight.

MacMacConnell said...

Zuckerberg isn't an "awkward boss trying to look cool in a t-shirt". Zuckerberg just dresses the same way his mother sent him off to school as a child.

Unknown said...

Being who you are only works when people like who you are.

pacwest said...

Zuckerberg has a bit of the Debbie Wasserman-Schultz look, so at least he has that going for him.

Kevin said...

"As we say in Vegas, you can't polish a turd."

We're never supposed to know what is said in Vegas.

Mountain Maven said...

"Blogger mockturtle said...

All humor aside, I wouldn't vote for Zuckerberg for dog catcher. He's a globalist Prog--the antithesis of Trump."

FTW

Earnest Prole said...

So the 2020 Presidential race will feature not one but two autistic narcissists?

Left Bank of the Charles said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Left Bank of the Charles said...

Zuckerberg for President! Althouse and all of you make the sexist assumption that it's Mark but what if it's Priscilla? Mark may be the beard, the stalking horse. Priscilla rocks the hot young asian-american chick doctor tech billionairess philanthropist mom thing. I'm in.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

President Priscilla, it has a nice ring to it.

Narayanan said...


priscilla queen of the desert

Narayanan said...


https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/05/us/politics/2020-campaign-president-trump-cotton-sasse-pence.html?referer=http://www.drudgereport.com/

Bob Boyd said...

Who will America trust to strip him, shave him and check him head to toe for the mark of the beast?

Ralph L said...

I'm waiting for Facebook to go the way of MySpace. Then what happens to his billions?

Bill Peschel said...

First The Rock, now Zuckerberg. The Democrats can't change their free immigration, job-killing minimum wage, economy-killing climate change, single-payer death-panels policies so they have to disguise it with a big-name candidate and a compliant media.

"This is something that in retrospect we can see that Hillary should have done. Just be flat and robotic and nerdy."

Can't disguise the corruption.

Achilles said...

Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"The real question is: "Could a robot be elected President?""


Yes, but only if it was manufactured in the United States at least 35 years ago.

So it will never happen, because 35-year-old robots will always be considered utterly obsolete."


What about humans with robotic implants?

How much cybernetic equipment before the age of the individual is determined by the implants?

Inga said...

"He's a globalist Prog--the antithesis of Trump."

All the more reason to vote for him, besides the fact that he's brilliant, but Trumpers prefer a President with dementia. Got it.

Ralph L said...

Did Bill Clinton invent the pointing at no one shtick? He'd rattle off a lot of people to thank or recognize at the beginning of a speech to cover the falseness of the trick.

Bob Boyd said...

You know what rolls off the tongue really nicely?

Motherfucking Zuckerberg

Go ahead, try it.

Michael K said...

"I'm waiting for Facebook to go the way of MySpace. Then what happens to his billions?"

Steve Jobs called it "The Next Big Thing" except his next big thing was cancer that he tried to treat with celery juice or something equally effective,

Bob Boyd said...

Use it in a sentence.
For example:

Dat Muddafuckin Zuckabug, he don't give a shit...

Achilles said...

Unknown said...
"He's a globalist Prog--the antithesis of Trump."

All the more reason to vote for him, besides the fact that he's brilliant, but Trumpers prefer a President with dementia. Got it.

The democrat party is on it's last legs. It is corrupt to the core and openly serves the Globalist Oligarchs. It is losing elections at every level of government and can only really maintain what it has with voter fraud.

But no matter how bad the democrat party is it will always find somebody dumb enough to support it.

tcrosse said...

Did Bill Clinton invent the pointing at no one shtick?

Oldest trick in the book. Pharoah probably did it when he entered the throne room.

Bob Boyd said...

"besides the fact that he's brilliant"

So was Rainman.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Earnest Prole said...
So the 2020 Presidential race will feature not one but two autistic narcissists?

8/5/17, 2:06 PM

No. You see, President Trump will be running, and you will not.

Bob Boyd said...

"Pharoah probably did it when he entered the throne room."

That's exactly right. I was Pharoah in a past life.
I used aim a finger gun at no one in particular, wink and click my tongue. People hated it, but screw them. I was frigging Pharoah. What were they gonna to do?

lonetown said...

Zuckerberg is a lot like Bloomberg. Both are no doubt very smart but seem rather stupid.

Michael K said...

It's interesting to watch the supercilious self described "elites" pontificate,

For example, the guy described in this post.

Lots of people in West Virginia can't support themselves or speak English.

That was a reaction to the Trump WVa speech. Lawrence Tribe even weighed in. He is supposed to be smart because he;s a law professor. I wonder how well he does differential equations ?

Thinking about Zuckerberg and his fortune, some of us remember vast fortunes in software products that vanished.

Without a trace.

Mark said...

What about humans with robotic implants?

You mean like when Nixon's head on a jar on top of a giant robot was elected President of Earth in 3000?

bagoh20 said...

Is anyone going to offer a reason why he would make a good President, or is that irrelevant now?

I got nothing. He's a guy who got lucky with an app he wrote. Really lucky, but many others have done the same to a lesser degree. The app and the people addicted to it made him rich and known, but I don't know any more of his story that suggests any wisdom, ability or strengths that would serve us any better than would any other random nerd.

Say Facebook never got that initial viral launch that was pretty much just luck. Where would he be without that singular winning lottery ticket. The app is not anything special. It was the timing of showing up just when boomers were looking for an alternative to Myspace. After that, everything was formula.

Meade said...

Use it in a sentence.
For example:

Dat Muddafuckin Zuckabug, he don't give a shit...


Bob Boyd meets a simple-minded gardener:

Bob Boyd: Bullshit. Who sent you here, boy? Did Dat Muddafuckin Zuckabug, send you, boy? He don't give a shit...
Gardener: No. Mr. Thomas Franklin told me I must leave the old man's house. He's dead, you know.
Bob Boyd: Dead, my ass. You tell that asshole, if he got somethin' to tell me, to get his ass down here himself! You got that, boy?
Gardener: If I see Zuck a bug, I will relay your message.

Comanche Voter said...

Hillary may have tried to "heat it up"---but her heater was broken, and never worked. Not in 2016 not in any other year since 1893. No hot in that tot.

Bay Area Guy said...

These billionaire liberal guys are floating a new meme about making it - they had the safety net of wealthy parents - giving them the luxury of taking wild entrepreneurial risks that paid off handsomely. Had their risks failed, they simply would have fallen softly back into the safe arms of the upper middle class professional class.

It's a variation of Obama's "you didn't build that" meme.

Some really successful folks feel guilty for having so much abundance, while others do not.

Or, as Dire Straights once sang, "money for nothin' and your chicks for free".

I'm merely a middle class dude, in a very expensive part of the country. But I don't feel that guilt, but feel more a sense of gratitude.

Zuckerberg is only 33 - he's got a lotta living to do. He'd be a fool to go full liberal.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

And isn't Mark the perfect husband for a President? He's accomplished, but his personality wouldn't overshadow the President.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Lean in, Priscilla.

Bob Boyd said...

Zuckabug: [In the midwest for the first time] This is just like the Facebook campus, only you can see much further.

Bob Boyd said...

Zuckabug is seated with an Iowa family at their dining table. Everyone is eating except Zuckabug.

Mr. Johnson: Aren't you hungary Mr. Zuckabug?

Zuckabug: I like to watch.

Mrs. Johnson:[stands and puts her hands on her hips] You like to... Looky here Motherfucker, I slaved over a hot stove all afternoon because you invited yourself to dinner at my house. Now eat before I cut your Harvard ass!

Zuckabug: [picking up a fork] As long as my rump is not severed all is well and all will be well at Facebook.

Fabi said...

"I have no doubts that Zuckerberg is a more accomplished businessman than Trump."

I'd like to hear more about your analysis. Do you have a newsletter?

Meade said...

Hm. Well, Mr. Zuckabug, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I've heard in a very, very long time.
I admire your good, solid sense. That's precisely what we lack on Capitol Hill.

Fabi said...

Zuckerberg starts with several potential strikes.

He's very young. Youth is not bad in the absolute, but at 36 or so at the time of the next election, it's difficult to claim he has a lot of real world experience.

He's short. Five-seven. The taller candidate usually wins.

He's a beta male. How are rust belt voters going to feel about voting for a wimp?

He's very wealthy. How will this sit with the wealth inequality crowd? I thought income and wealth inequality were destroying the country.

He's Jewish. Aren't they still out of favor with the left? How will the Muslim crowd react to this?

He went to Harvard. Aren't the democrats trying to appeal to the common man and woman now? How do you sell yet another Ivy wonk to the swing states?

Fabi said...

A few more.

There were lawsuits regarding Facebook's ownership. I believe these were all settled, but for amounts that were staggeringly small compared to Z's seventy billion dollar haul. I assume the settlements included non-disclosures, but tech types are impressive in their ability to hold a grudge -- so I wouldn't be surprised to see some payback being dished out if he runs.

There were lawsuits -- some ongoing -- related to the FB IPO. Claims were made about improper accounting regarding earnings. There were also some "interesting" trades made by the underwriters during initial trading. I've never owned the stock, so I'm not entirely up to speed on specifics, but I remember some rumblings from other investors at that time.

Point being -- he's been largely protected by the press because he's a "good" capitalist, but his primary and -- if he is the nominee -- general election opponents won't be so kind.

Earnest Prole said...

You see, President Trump will be running, and you will not.

We are in violent agreement.

Bad Lieutenant said...

I wonder.

Wilbur said...

The Sanders people haven't gone away. If they perceive another candidate is gaming the system to take the candidacy from their beloved Bernie (or Warren), they may have a tantrum and go third party.

And Trump wins in 2020. We would then get to watch Chris Matthews commit seppuku on live TV.

iowan2 said...

Zuckerberg used $100 million of his own money, and $millions more in matching donations to fix Newark NJ schools. He failed. Not Just failed, but failed to move the needle. He involved thousands of experts to make the decisions on what to spend money on (Starting with $20 million on hiring experts) My dad's recommendations back in the 70's would have totaly fixed education.

His first foray into govt seems to have a totally "clueless to the problem" feel to it.

Chuck said...

I am trying to imagine a voter -- purely hypothetical of course and I am not suggesting that I know who such a person might be -- who supported the elections of Barack Obama, then Scott Walker, then Donald Trump, and finally Mark Zuckerberg.

Bad Lieutenant said...

You seem to confuse not ignoring with supporting. Which is funny because you can't leave President Trump alone.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Chuck, you think about Trump like a holy man thinks about God.

Anonymous said...

And so, we have the prospect of our third straight celebrity president. This is what American has been reduced to.