January 2016

[Commentary] The Republican Party's immigration split was reflected in the two responses hand-picked party members gave -- one in English, one in Spanish -- to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. The Spanish version, offered by a Cuban-American congressman from Miami, was decidedly softer.

Here's what Gov Nikki Haley (R-SC) said in English: "No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country. At the same time, that does not mean we just flat out open our borders. We can’t do that. We cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally. And in this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined. We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration. And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion. Just like we have for centuries." Here's what Rep Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) said in Spanish (translation is ours): "No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love the United States should ever feel unwelcome in this country. It's not who we are. At the same time, it's obvious that our immigration system needs to be reformed. The current system puts our national security at risk and is an obstacle for our economy. It's essential that we find a legislative solution to protect our nation, defend our borders, offer a permanent and human solution to those who live in the shadows, respect the rule of law, modernize the visa system and push the economy forward."

[Commentary] Imagine you run a global media conglomerate. Say you’re Robert A. Iger, the chief executive of Disney, or Brian L. Roberts, of Comcast, or perhaps you’re slightly lower down on the ladder of behemoths — the boss of Twenty-First Century Fox or Time Warner, perhaps. In any case, you own a lot of valuable stuff: movie studios, broadcast and cable TV networks, perhaps a broadband infrastructure, maybe some theme parks with roller coasters and a few impressive castles.

So here’s a question for you, my media-mogul friend. How worried are you about Netflix? And more to the point: are you worried enough? What if Netflix is the Amazon of the entertainment industry — the embodiment of a slow, expensive, high-risk effort to consume the entirety of your business? The good news for you is that there are lots of reasons that Netflix’s strategy won’t work. The bad news: So far, it just keeps working.