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This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Random Ben Stein story

Random Ben Stein story

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Ben Stein is suing a company called Kyocera for not using him in is commercials. Felix Salmon summarizes:

The whole suit is ludicrous, of course: Stein is claiming breach of a nonexistent contract. (The closest thing the suit comes to saying that there was any contract at all is the part when it says that Stein’s agent, Marcia Hurwitz, “considered the deal done”. Which, obviously, she was wrong about.

The basic story is simple. Kyocera wanted to hire Stein to do some TV commercials, but the company is very environmentally conscious, and it decided not to use him after learning of his anti-science views on global warming.

Stein somehow manages to turn this into a question of religious freedom, claiming that Kyocera’s refusal to let him pitch their products constitutes “wrongful discharge in violation of fundamental public policy”…

I don’t have much to add except ha-ha to the New York Times for employing this clown as an occasional economics columnist.

Reader Interactions

68Comments

  2. 2.

    cmorenc

    Ben Stein is at least one of the more pleasantly entertaining GOP clowns. That is, during his intermittent moments when he hasn’t shifted into wingnut assclown mode, which tends to happen whenever he suffers periods of believing in his own bullshit instead of being an all-around skeptic of everything.

  4. 4.

    catclub

    And I have pre-emptively bought a Kyocera ceramic knife.
    Take it and spend it suing Ben Stein into the ground, guys.

  8. 8.

    Yutsano

    Ben Stein almost ran me over on a bicycle. He didn’t hire me either. I REALLY should sue the bastard now.

  12. 12.

    EconWatcher

    He and Kimmel were actually pretty funny back in the day, on Ben Stein’s Money. Now they’re both unintentional clowns.

  13. 13.

    KG

    I practice in California, the fact that the lawyer didn’t bother to attach any document as an exhibit to the complaint which would constitute the “contract” is red flag. You either have to attach the written contract or plead the material terms of the contract. This complaint is rather vague. Bad lawyering there, or more likely a lawyer doing the best he can with limited info/docs from his client. Either way, rather dumb.

  18. 18.

    Zifnab

    I hope anyone that ever even considers hiring Ben Stein takes the lawsuit as a strong lesson. Scrub him from your roladex. Erase him from your speed dial. Don’t get anywhere near his agent. Or he’ll sue you!

  19. 19.

    ericblair

    I’m sure Kyocera will give him a nice nonexistent settlement for his nonexistent contract. I suppose at this level of wingnut welfare you just expect people to hand you money because of your awesome awesomeness. I wouldn’t know, because I’m just not that awesome, I guess.

  23. 23.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Zifnab: heh. not a smart move, is it, when you earn a living being a quirky d-list celebrity, to give yourself a reputation of being not only difficult but expensive to deal with.

    I knew Stein was a right-winger, but I didn’t realize he was nuts till I saw him on the old Maher show, screaming at Doris Kearns Goodwin, with a much younger and non-ironic Jon Stewart screaming back at him.

  25. 25.

    ruemara

    Blizzard did not hire me. They did hire fashion challenged minorities somewhere within their organization, some of whom are older than 35. This is a clear breach of the contract that is unwritten. I own the dumpy minority look. I CAN HAZ LAWSOOT NAOW?

    Poor Ben Stein, he’s become a parody conservative.

  26. 26.

    General Stuck

    Random Wingnut Story

    This made me laugh, as most of the GOP clowns do these days. When I’m not crying

    In an evolving power struggle, religious conservatives are feuding about whether a weekend meeting in Texas yielded a consensus that former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is the best bet to stop Mitt Romney’s drive for the Republican presidential nomination.

    Yet another evangelical political organizer who attended the meeting said he witnessed a possible incident of ballot-box stuffing. In at least one instance, the witness said, a participant was seen writing Mr. Santorum´s name on four separate ballots and putting all four in the box

    Quick, somebody pass a voter suppression fraud law. There is hanky panky ACORN shit goings on Planet Wingnut

  27. 27.

    Lev

    I thought it was entirely legal to fire someone for their political beliefs. I remember a mediumish-size story about someone getting fired from their job in 2004 for supporting Kerry. Anyone else remember that?

  28. 28.

    bemused

    @Mark S.:

    So if this new guy is also on the tv news shows frequently, they probably don’t want him and Stein in the green room together at the same time.

  29. 29.

    geg6

    Don’t leave CBS out of the hall of shame consisting of idiots who continue to let Stein have access to precious airtime and column space. It’s one of my few but insistent criticisms of CBS Sunday Morning. I scream at my tv when they have him on.

  31. 31.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    I love how a little old lady suing MacDonald’s after suffering hideous 3rd-degree (iirc) burns, was a frivolous lawsuit11!1, but this probably is not, according to winger-juris-prudence.

  33. 33.

    MattF

    In fact, Stein lost his NYT gig because of a blatant breach of the Times conflict-of-interest rules, I forget the details. I’m sure the archives of Salmon’s blog has all the gory details under “Ben Stein Watch.”

    However, it is fair to ask how the Times ever justified hiring him in the first place. It was pretty unbelievable and I was relieved when he was forced to go. And I suspect that a fair proportion of the Times’ business writers were also relieved.

  35. 35.

    kindness

    So Stein now feels this company ‘owes’ him?

    Doesn’t this sound exactly like what conservatives usually say about how liberals are? Yes it does. Maybe it’s more informative of Conservatives than liberals.

  37. 37.

    geg6

    FYWP.

    Why the fuck am I in moderation now? Did not use any terminology involving games of chanc. Did not use any words that could be in any way related to male enhancement drugs. Did not use the common word for footwear. Fuck.

  38. 38.

    mai name

    My last four phones were kyocera. I love their phones. I would have bought another one like my last one if they were still making it. Now I have another reason to like them even more.

  40. 40.

    lamh35

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Speaking of the debate tonight, anyone else think it’s a weird idea to have a debate on MLK Day or on any holiday actually.

    Also, what’s the over under on FoxNews actually asking a question involving MLK? I’m expecting a softball question like the ones children are given when asked about MLK. Ya know “what does MLK mean to you” or some such bs.

    Rev Al said maybe they’ll ask about the Confederate flag as it pertains to SC.

  42. 42.

    gex

    @Lev: He’s using the fact that his religion is his source for that particular political belief, and therefore this is a violation of his religious freedom.

    Of course, he is free to practice his religion. Firing him doesn’t interfere with that. But that’s not how right wingers understand the First Amendment. They get to say whatever they want, everyone else has to shut up and be compliant.

    ETA: Oh, and I remember one story of a woman who was fired by her boss for having a Kerry sticker on her car out in the lot. She ended up working for/with Kerry-Edwards that campaign.

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @ImJohnGalt: That’s a sickening video. I totally missed in a last cycle what an unmitigated, contemptible asshole this man is. I thought he was just a soulless weasel.

  44. 44.

    Martin

    @ruemara:

    They did hire fashion challenged minorities somewhere within their organization, some of whom are older than 35.

    Black people? In Irvine? I think I would have read about that in the paper if it had happened.

  45. 45.

    Yutsano

    @ImJohnGalt: Romneybot3000 did not understand question in full. Must resort to default answer and disengage from situation. Handlers will do a reprogramming later.

  50. 50.

    gaz

    @ImJohnGalt:

    Mitt Romney has done a stellar job campaigning.

    His rhetoric is effective, and it so clearly gets the message across.

    He is the single greatest campaigner in the history of American politics.

    While should be eternally grateful for all the hard work put in by *every one of his* campaign team, special recognition should be given to Romney for his exceptional service to the Obama 2012 campaign.

  51. 51.

    les

    At least Stein admits that global warming denialism is religion, not science. Most of ’em won’t be that honest…

  52. 52.

    MikeJ

    @lamh35:

    Also, what’s the over under on FoxNews actually asking a question involving MLK?

    MLK is how they talk about ending affirmative action. Judged on the content of their characters, etc.

  53. 53.

    gnomedad

    @EconWatcher:

    Way OT, but is there REALLY another debate tonight?????

    They will probably feel obligated to say something to acknowledge Dr. King, and the spin should be interesting; which is to say, excruciating.

  54. 54.

    Quaker in a Basement

    Kyocera makes solar panels for crying out loud. And Ben wants to be their spokesperson? Seems like a potentially destructive career move if he wants to keep his anti-science street cred.

  55. 55.

    Gust Avrakotos

    I’m just amazed that a clown like Stein is able to find any work at all. acting or professional.

  56. 56.

    Cassidy

    If I were a real asshole, liberal producer, I’d offer Stein a role playing a super-hippy liberal and spend the next 90 mins denouncing everything he believes in….for a nice huge pay day.

  58. 58.

    Linda Featheringill

    @les:

    At least Stein admits that global warming denialism is religion, not science.

    And what religion would that be? Based on what?

    If he’s talking about Christianity, I must point out that nowhere in the Bible does it say that irreversible changes cannot happen to the earth.

    Religion of wishful thinking, perhaps?

  60. 60.

    quannlace

    Go back to game shows, Stein.

    Really. I think that was the one useful thing he’s ever done. And if memory serves, the one segment when he was in the quiz booth, one question was “Earth Day is in what month?” He didn’t have a clue.

  61. 61.

    Brachiator

    @Linda Featheringill:

    If he’s talking about Christianity, I must point out that nowhere in the Bible does it say that irreversible changes cannot happen to the earth.

    Actually, crazy religious people make the argument that only the deity can destroy the Earth, and that nothing that humans do can cause permanent damage, and it is arrogance to believe so.

    Yes, I have heard people actually say this.

  62. 62.

    toujoursdan

    I know Ben Stein is Jewish but seems to be a group all by himself. He doesn’t dress like one of the Orthodox sects, but Reform, Reconstructionalist and Conservative Jews generally have no problem with evolution or climate change.

  63. 63.

    malraux

    @MattF:

    However, it is fair to ask how the Times ever justified hiring him in the first place. It was pretty unbelievable and I was relieved when he was forced to go. And I suspect that a fair proportion of the Times’ business writers were also relieved.

    His dad was a relatively notable economist (stein’s law is one of my favorite laws of all time), thus Ben Stein was a legacy hire in the same way that Megan McCain is.

  64. 64.

    YellowJournalism

    The other useful thing Stein did was that episode of Animaniacs where he told the long, winding story of meeting Bob Barker.

  66. 66.

    Loviatar

    Kyocera

    – Kyo = Kyoto: hometown of company

    – cera = Ceramics: company was founded on ceramics and is still the largest producer of ceramic items in the world (knives, tools, decorative items, manufacturing items, etc.)

    Kyocera is also one of the world’s largest producers of solar panels and solar power generating systems. Recently (last 10 years) they made green technology and being environmentally friendly a huge part of their corporate mission and their branding philosophy. So yeah having a global warming skeptic as one of their spokesman would be a huge problem.

  67. 67.

    maus

    ha-ha to the New York Times for employing this clown as an occasional economics columnist.

    I don’t see what’s inconsistent.

    If they use grade-A Asshole Thomas Friedman, why wouldn’t they employ people just as clueless?

  68. 68.

    DanielX

    Ben…bubby….write this down so you don’t forget it. A deal is done when a contract is signed. Get a new agent.

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