6 ms·

This will probably get me some hate, but that speech was genuinely funny. Anyone who can't put aside their political differences and laugh along with it is a w

This will probably get me some hate, but that speech was genuinely funny. Anyone who can't put aside their political differences and laugh along with it is a wet blanket. And it points out how ridiculous the Verizon shill claim is — Pai worked there from 2001-03 when he was 3 years out of law school, then worked for DoJ and various congressional committees, then went to the FCC in 2007. Claims that he's beholden to Verizon are exactly as absurd as that Manchurian Candidate sketch.

thg 9y ago
> Claims that he's beholden to Verizon are exactly as absurd as that Manchurian Candidate sketch. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171205/10255738745/days-before-doing-verizons-bidding-ajit-pai-gives-talk-verizon.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171205/10255738745/days-... He sure isn't making a very good job at not looking corrupt beyond any doubt.
- rory096 9y ago
  Color me unimpressed. Tom Wheeler spoke at the 2016 event and their 2015 annual convention. [0] https://www.iicom.org/events/telecommunications-and-media-forum/item/tmf-washington-2016 https://www.iicom.org/events/telecommunications-and-media-fo... [1] http://www.iicom.org/events/item/annual-conference-2015-confirmed-speakers http://www.iicom.org/events/item/annual-conference-2015-conf...
  - bduerst 9y ago
    Tom Wheeler didn't promote the removal of net neutrality protections, an act which would benefit Verizon. This "it's just a joke" is about as funny as if Tom Wheeler had said the same thing Pai did while taking the same stance. That's because it's indefensible, which is why you're pointing fingers to Wheeler instead of defending it.
    - rory096 9y ago
      It's almost like speaking at an International Institute of Communications forum is not correlated with shilling.
- RoyTyrell 9y ago
  According to the itinerary for the event, then I suppose Robert L. Strayer from the State Department, Boutheina Guermazi from The World Bank, Nuala O'Connor from the Center for Democracy & Technology, Mozilla, Facebook, and Microsoft must all be corrupted/on-the-take by Verizon too? http://www.iicom.org/events/item/tmf-washington-2017-event-programme http://www.iicom.org/events/item/tmf-washington-2017-event-p...
jbob2000 9y ago
3 years is plenty of time for him to drink the kool aid and be turned to their way of thinking. Verizon doesn't need to maintain contact to have him enact their plans, they just need him to be aligned with their reasoning. It's not ridiculous to call him a shill when he plays the exact same cards Verizon would. And in the face of huge public backlash, he still continues with his plans! If he wasn't a shill, he'd be a little bit more than dismissive of the public.
shmerl 9y ago
A shill makes fun of himself being a shill, while at the same time pretending he is not a shill? It's more of a bad farce, than a worthy humor.
moomin 9y ago
It’s strawmanning.
1_2__4 9y ago
Wow. Four whole years. That’s amazing and obviously disabuses anyone of any notion of conflict of interest. Yep. This puts the issue to bed forever thanks for clearing it up.
hsod 9y ago
Maybe I'm a wet blanket, but I don't find it particularly funny when rich/powerful people laugh about screwing over the rest of us.

thg 9y ago

> Claims that he's beholden to Verizon are exactly as absurd as that Manchurian Candidate sketch. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171205/10255738745/days-before-doing-verizons-bidding-ajit-pai-gives-talk-verizon.shtml https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20171205/10255738745/days-... He sure isn't making a very good job at not looking corrupt beyond any doubt.

rory096 9y ago
Color me unimpressed. Tom Wheeler spoke at the 2016 event and their 2015 annual convention. [0] https://www.iicom.org/events/telecommunications-and-media-forum/item/tmf-washington-2016 https://www.iicom.org/events/telecommunications-and-media-fo... [1] http://www.iicom.org/events/item/annual-conference-2015-confirmed-speakers http://www.iicom.org/events/item/annual-conference-2015-conf...
- bduerst 9y ago
  Tom Wheeler didn't promote the removal of net neutrality protections, an act which would benefit Verizon. This "it's just a joke" is about as funny as if Tom Wheeler had said the same thing Pai did while taking the same stance. That's because it's indefensible, which is why you're pointing fingers to Wheeler instead of defending it.
  - rory096 9y ago
    It's almost like speaking at an International Institute of Communications forum is not correlated with shilling.
RoyTyrell 9y ago
According to the itinerary for the event, then I suppose Robert L. Strayer from the State Department, Boutheina Guermazi from The World Bank, Nuala O'Connor from the Center for Democracy & Technology, Mozilla, Facebook, and Microsoft must all be corrupted/on-the-take by Verizon too? http://www.iicom.org/events/item/tmf-washington-2017-event-programme http://www.iicom.org/events/item/tmf-washington-2017-event-p...

jbob2000 9y ago

3 years is plenty of time for him to drink the kool aid and be turned to their way of thinking. Verizon doesn't need to maintain contact to have him enact their plans, they just need him to be aligned with their reasoning. It's not ridiculous to call him a shill when he plays the exact same cards Verizon would. And in the face of huge public backlash, he still continues with his plans! If he wasn't a shill, he'd be a little bit more than dismissive of the public.

shmerl 9y ago

A shill makes fun of himself being a shill, while at the same time pretending he is not a shill? It's more of a bad farce, than a worthy humor.

moomin 9y ago

It’s strawmanning.

1_2__4 9y ago

Wow. Four whole years. That’s amazing and obviously disabuses anyone of any notion of conflict of interest. Yep. This puts the issue to bed forever thanks for clearing it up.

hsod 9y ago

Maybe I'm a wet blanket, but I don't find it particularly funny when rich/powerful people laugh about screwing over the rest of us.