AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS POST IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN THE RECORD (THE BERGEN COUNTY NEWSPAPER)
This was not what Teddy Roosevelt was contemplating when he coined the phrase "bully pulpit". It was, in its original intent, an elevated platform from which one's ideas would be heard and considered. No longer.
This was not what Teddy Roosevelt was contemplating when he coined the phrase "bully pulpit". It was, in its original intent, an elevated platform from which one's ideas would be heard and considered. No longer.
The dissection of Marco Rubio by Chris Christie was the
schoolyard bully at his best, or worst. A flustered and shaken Mr. Rubio
went on "tilt" with his scripted and repeated response to Mr.
Christie's accusation that he was merely an actor with rehearsed lines,
not a candidate with ideas. It was a direct and brutal hit and Mr. Rubio
would have been counted out if he were a fighter in a ring.
The Republican debate season has been marked by its lows,
led by the idea free Mr. Trump who spouts conclusions without
underpinning, and who mocks and taunts rather than considers and
contrasts. It has been a sandbox for bullies, which is Mr. Christie's
natural habitat.
In the bizarre universe that is the field for the
Republican candidate, there is little reason to know if last night's
dismal performance was a death knell for Mr. Rubio. But for those
watching the heavyweight beat up the suddenly 98 pound weakling, it was
an uncomfortable and defining moment in viewing this party's 2016 notion
of the bully pulpit.
2 comments:
What a perfectly written article...I loved that you thought to update the idea of a "bully pulpit"
J
What a great letter!
Christie is a bully, as is his mentor, Trump. They both should be restricted to the sand box, throwing sand at each other. Let's hear positive ideas to deal with problems. We want to know what and how they would fix problems
D
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