As Karl Lagerfeld once said, “j’aime la publicité.” I love media manipulation, and the Right is particularly good at it. A local company, Veritas Communications, writes a newsletter I subscribe to, Touchdowns & Fumbles, which picks apart the PR strategies evident in news stories.

Sorta.

Mostly it gives Touchdowns to Right-wing groups and Fumbles to the Left, regardless of the campaign. The newsletter itself is propaganda. For example, being involved in culture jamming or Occupy earns an instant Fumble.

It’s hard to tease out, because the Left really is worse than the Right at mass communication, but it’s worth watching as a Lefty — learn the use of the master’s tools or whatever: learn the minds of the people who professionally prevaricate to detect said manipulation in your own life.

Out.

Just catching up on my Daily Show. In the episode on the twelfth Jon’s full-episode interview pillories Jim Cramer.

Cramer’s on his heels the whole show, surrendering and apologizing. Jon cuts him down in real time with relentless moral logic and videotape evidence. He whips the live studio audience into a towering, patriotic moral outrage before calling for criminal charges against NBC to the howls of the live studio mobience.

Cramer comes off as the first of the old guard to throw himself on the mercy of The People and offer to name names.

Jon Stewart, Lictor Populusque.