Category Archives: Political Commentary

An NPR Head Rolls

This shouldn’t be enough to save them, though:

The Board has expressed confidence in Vivian Schiller’s leadership going forward. She accepted responsibility as CEO and cooperated fully with the review process. The Board, however, expressed concern over her role in the termination process and has voted that she will not receive a 2010 bonus.

NPR also announced that Ellen Weiss, Senior Vice-President for News, has resigned.

As noted at the post, she was treated a lot better than Juan Williams was.

And NPR should still be defunded. This incident wasn’t a reason, but it will serve as a good excuse to do what should have been done long ago on principle.

Shut Up And Sell Books

While there are some fundamental structural reasons for book stores to be failing, I’m sure that being politically stupid didn’t help Borders. It’s not a great business model to go out of your way to alienate many of your customers. It’s actually the same problem that much of the media has.

I have to say, though, that the downfall of the chain does sadden me, for nostalgic reaons. I knew Borders when no one had ever heard of it, when it was just the best book store in Ann Arbor three decades ago, before it became a chain. I wonder if the original one (actually, the original one moved into Jacobsons department store after it went under) in Ann Arbor will survive?

Exit

lying:

At her final press conference as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “Deficit reduction has been a high priority for us. It is our mantra, pay-as-you-go.”

The numbers tell a different story.

Well, no surprise. It’s the way she came in. For the last two years, we’ve been ruled by liars and thieves. Fortunately, they didn’t manage to rig the elections.

[Update a few minutes later]

And what a contrast with the incoming speaker:

Was all this humility a pose or was it real? Of course, I don’t know. But I suspect it was a mix, as many things are. Still, I would like to think that Boehner is a genuinely humble man because he is a assuming the role of speaker at what is arguably the most critical moment of our history since WWII.

True humility would give him remarkable strength against his adversaries who have been destroying themselves and us with over-weaning hubris. As we all know, our country is in jeopardy of spinning into serious economic decline. And no doubt the world would go with it. Supposedly brilliant minds have tried to save us from this, but to no avail. In many ways things have gotten worse.

It’s clearly time for a little humility. No more Mr. Know-It-All, governing with a sense of entitlement out of all proportion to reality. Will Boehner be the Anti-Obama?

We sure need one. More thoughts here: “Is John Boehner the real deal?”

[Update a few minutes later]

Compare and contrast:

A man who brags that his humility is profound is not humble. A man who claims certainty that his nomination is the moment when the entire planet will begin healing is not humble.

Boehner, on the other hand, didn’t talk about himself being humble. Genuinely humble people rarely do. Boehner simply spoke humbly. Falsely humble people rarely do.

Sincerity is one of life’s most important attributes. If you can fake that, you have it made.