This is a political blog, but let me venture an opinion which might be even more controversial: the dispute between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. I used to watch at least the first half hour of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on a regular basis. I watched O'Brien on his late show on several occasions, and the humor was more quirky to my tastes. I never did understand why the network would retire Jay Leno whom was in his prime, winning his time slot, and happy to remain in his position. I was doubtful that the Jay Leno primetime show would succeed, and given O'Brien's inability to reach Leno's numbers, it's only natural NBC would consider something like Leno's show bumping O'Brien back a half hour. O'Brien's traditionalist argument of maintaining that first-half hour anchor is not persuasive. Word is that O'Brien will leave NBC in a buy-out of his contract. It will be nice to see Jay Leno returning to the job he never should have left in the first place.
A Clipping from a Former Student
It may not sound that impressive that a student would give me a clipping from a magazine (I was unfamiliar with the product or the essay). It was from one of my Asian graduate students whom took my human factors in information systems class at Illinois State in 1990 (I was a visiting professor, and it turned out to be the last year of my academic career, in the middle of a recession.) [A good definition of human factors is "a multidisciplinary field devoted to optimizing human performance and reducing human error. It incorporates the methods and principles of the behavioral and social sciences, engineering, and physiology.It may be described as the applied science which studies people working together in concert with machines. Human factors involve variables that influence individual performance, as well as team or crew performance."] I think together they are the highest compliment ever from any of my students.
She wrote the following letter (unusual in terms of former students). (I'm omitting a couple of suggestions she gave regarding the reading list of articles I had for the course.)
Dr. Guillemette:
Thank you for much for teaching me this semester. I have really learned a lot from you. You helped the students to find the articles that they wanted. You collected some very good, useful articles for us to read. Every assignments, exams, and project you designed is creative and challenge. You spent a lot of time to grade our assignments. From any activity that you did for this course, I can tell you are one of a kind of teachers who really think the teaching is their responsibility and would like to spend much time on the students to help them understanding what have been taught in the class. You did prepare for this course as much as you can. You are a knowledgeable and hardworking person. I belief that the knowledge I've learned from you will help me in the future....As a foreign student, I am so appreciate for learning a lot in the class though I worked very hard (nobody can imagine).She attached a copy of an ad quoting Thomas McManus. Legendary rock 'n roll singer Elvis Presley reportedly had a copy of the same essay framed and placed in his home office:
The Penalty of Leadership
In every field of human endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or in a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man’s work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone - if he achieve a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a commonplace painting. Whatsoever you write, or paint, or play, or sing, or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work has been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest genius. Multitudes flocked to worship at the shrine of Wagner, while the little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could not build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is the leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy - but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant. There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions - envy, fear, greed, ambition, and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains - the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed, and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live - lives.
By Theodore F. MacManus
Why am I putting this in a political blog post? I think clearly there is a lesson for national leadership. There was a recent CNN poll appraising Obama's first year in office: 47% rated it a success, and 48% rated it a failure.
For me, it has been a variety of things, e.g., Obama's premature decisions (e.g., Gitmo closure), inability to accept responsibility (Bush bashing), "finger-in-the-wind" politics (publicly reversing his administration's stand on unpopular AIG bonuses, despite the fact as a lawyer, he knew the contracts were valid), exaggeration of his accomplishments (a self-grade of B+, and his claim that he staved off a depression), his muted involvement in the development of key legislation (e.g., setting forth his minimum requirement for health care reform and his signing of an omnibus budget bill, despite his previous vow in the 2008 Presidential debates not to sign earmarks into law), and his willingness to resort to corrupt bargains (e.g., union concessions in healthcare and bankruptcy for the domestic automakers) rather than follow-up on his promise of a post-partisan Washington. (And then he has the audacity to call his opposition obstructionist because they won't go along with his partisan bills!)
I am not really that surprised due to one telling incident during the general campaign. During the economic tsunami, McCain suggested that both campaigns suspend operations. McCain rightly understood that the economic tsunami would impact the first years of the new administration. (I think when Obama refused, McCain should not have suspended his operation unilaterally, especially since the Democrats controlled the Congress and had no desire to give him a bipartisan accomplishment just before the election.) Obama's reaction was rather revealing: Obama said that his presence wasn't needed because he had a cellphone available and was being briefed regularly by the Democratic leadership; second, he accused McCain of trying to duck him in the first Presidential debate (on military and foreign policy, McCain's strong suit). What Obama should have said was something of the nature "too many cooks spoil the broth", he had confidence in the views of the Democrats on the committee, and he would participate in relevant Senate votes. Instead, Obama seemed to imply that he could manage a crisis with occasional cellphone calls, while sticking to the more pressing duties of giving standard stump speeches in different cities.
I have no doubt Obama loyalists will try to find something in MacManus' essay that applies to him, but the fact is that Obama is more popular than his policies. His decision making process is hardly bold and timely; take, for instance, his Afghanistan surge decision, where he split the difference between the lowest surge staffing recommendations while at the same time, to address concerns of anti-war partisans, simultaneously announced a withdrawal schedule for the surge.
I'm not really satisfied that our political leaders show, as JFK may say, profiles in courage. There are heavy prices I paid during my academic and professional career, which I won't discuss in this blog, for doing the right thing. Some say that Barack Obama is willing to sacrifice his chances of a second term by getting the Democratic Party Health Care Bill enacted. That's not correct. It would be one thing if he was pushing an idealistic bill. Staking one's career on this bill is not noble; it's a political death wish.
Political Cartoon
Lisa Benson, I'm sure, is taking a shot at Barack "Deep Pockets" Obama's well-referenced position against predatory lending and suggesting that the after-the-fact surcharge on banks (I believe Citibank is the only one whom hasn't already repaid the TARP loans in full--yet) is a form of usury. If you're AIG, Fannie Mae or one of the auto giants, you are apparently exempt. So Obama punishes the successful, those whom pay on time or before.
Musical Interlude: The Greatest Song Ever: "Yesterday"
I'm going to start a short series in my musical interlude featuring the greatest group ever, the Beatles. I'll include group and/or individual hits by each of the four musicians. I start the series with what I regard as the greatest pop song ever:
