But, ain’t we got fun?

Interesting take on the carney’s slick persuasion and manipulation skills as “a true education in marketing for freelancers.”

Wholesome lessons like:

You’d Better Know How to Hustle

You’d Better Be Wise to People

You’d Better Be Willing to Give and Take

You’d Better Be Able To Sell

You’d Better Be Okay with Persuasion

Man, that’s a Ph.D.

But demonstrating these lessons in rigged games, wheeling and dealing and over-priced prizes?  All justified because “happy (but broke) people walk away hugging some prize”.

Isn’t that the standard rap against salesmen and pushy advertisers?

It’s ok, you freelancers.  Lie, cheat and manipulate (but call it influence and persuasion). “Every one wins. No one loses.”  Not even the “People (who) leave broke, tired and dirty.”

What’s next?   The John Dillinger School of Fund Raising?

Is it just me or are the presidential candidates playing the Midway instead of the Big Tent? Shouldn’t Paris be in the Sideshow while McCain and Obama tame the terrorist tigers and master international tightrope walking in the Center Ring?

Jeez! Tire gauges and Miss Cowchip, I’ll give you $5,000 - No, I’ll give you $7,000. Drill here, drill there.

We’re talking about being arrogant enough to think we can be the leader of the free world - that kind of arrogance is a good thing. We’re looking for someone who’s the best and the brightest - that’s not elitist, that’s smart. We need a leader who’s looking down the road 20 or 30 years and not just to the next congressional election.

Either we’re all grown-ups here or this kind of lowest-common-denominator high-school-gotcha campaigning will determine who leads us further down the road in the same handbasket we’ve been in for the last generation.

Bert & Harry Piel proved it in the 60’s.  David Ogilvy put it this way, “People don’t buy from clowns.”

Denny Hatch  shows his sense of humor in this take on the Legal Sea Foods ads on the sides of Boston’s trolleys.

Maybe Krusty will disagree.

Rick Butts really kicked the hornets’s nest with his recent post on launch overload, triggered by the Stompernet launch.

Seems he hasn’t had enough yet.

Go read Unsubscribe From Whomever Emailed You Stompernet

Ken McCarthy goes to the sideshow in his interview with Ann Convery, who will be on the faculty at the 2008 System Seminar in Chicago in June. Ken uses the example of the outsider talker building the crowd (the tip) and telling them enough to get them inside the tent (turning the tip.)

Ann’s specialty is designing a good hook to bring the tip up close, and inside.

Click here to listen in.

Seth Godin is feeling noise creep. Too much incoming info of little to fair value drowning out the good stuff.

What’s the average information sink to do?

The unsubscribe button helps a lot. But do you keep your top 10 or 50? Or Scoble’s 21, 224 on Twitter?

How much info helps before it strangles?

Tonight, we watched Pope Benedict head home after his inspiring visit to the US this past week. Recognizing a good marketer when he sees one, Vice-President Cheney noted, “All Americans respect your message of peace, justice and freedom.”

Not to be outdone, Dr. Joe Vitale, Mr. Fire himself, tells how he and Steve Reeves conspired to” contribute peace to the world.” Check out his story at blog.mrfire.com/cars/attracting-hercules-car/

Seth Godin has announced the Pope is coming.  I suspect it’s just prepub buzz for his new book.