Following the Contrarian’s recommendations — nay, exhortations! — I watched Street Fight tonight. It’s a great film, highly recommended.
One thing that struck me, watching the film, is the kind of person it takes to succeed in politics… and governance. We’re about to elect a sitting U.S. Senator to the White House for the first time in almost 50 years. I’ve always been sympathetic to the argument that you need a good manager, a good executive, in the office. But I’m not sure that’s right. You also need an evangelist.
Booker, like most insurgent reformers, is a little insane. Irrationally optimistic. You have to be to do what these guys do, get up every day and push, push, push. Could you have woken up every day for 3 months in Hillary Clinton’s position, going through the rituals of 3 or 4 campaign stops a day, hours and hours in makeup, for what you had to know was a totally doomed effort? I couldn’t.
Good executives know when to quit. I’m not sure the same is true of good politicians.
Loved this movie. An eye opening experience, even for a jaded bastard like me. It proves, however, that refusing to pander and taking the high road can succeed in the face of Rove-ian smear tactics.
And the codas, especially the ones extending beyond the movie, have proven to be just as fascinating as the movie.
Totally. it was good to see him make it in the end. The parallels to The Wire were also pretty incredible.
And it was depressing to watch the Dem machine come down so heartily for Sharpe James (McGreevey, Sharpton, etc.).