(Larry Weisenthal) said:Quoted message said:Quoted message said:is there
anything besides his cancer story and his notariety that make him a
good
political prospect <<
Without the latter, would Reagen, Schwartzenegger, Edward Kennedy, or
George W Bush (I read that a very significant percentage of Texans who
voted for the latter in his first race for Governor were under the
impression that they were voting for George HW Bush) have been good
political prospects? Or Jeb Bush? Or John McCain? Or any of thousands
of politicians who got into politics at all levels because of some
fortuitous "notariety?"
True enough.
Quoted message said:To make it in big time politics, one increasingly needs either great
"notariety" or great wealth.
Yep.
Quoted message said:In addition to notariety, Lance has demonstrated determination and
capacity for hard work, ability to withstand withering attacks on his
character and integrity, and he is quite good in interviews. He's also
telegenic.
A major question in my mind is to what extent he's able to live with
delegation of authority. As "The Boss" in the pelaton his tendency was
very much to take matters into his own hands (granted, sometimes out of
necessity) rather than rely on teammates like most other GC contenders
in many situations.
Quoted message said:I also get the impression that he is the one who is the true master of
his domain; he is not the product of agents, sponsors, and "handlers,"
unlike certain successful politicians, who have required the latter to
succeed. I think that, like John McCain, he's likely to be his own man,
which, by itself, will make him way above average for a national
politician. On the other hand, this independence may well get him into
trouble. It takes only a single ill-considered comment/guote to kill a
political career.
I tend to agree that his independence may well work against him, and I
don't take issue with the positive elements you've identified. But to
a certain extent, lining Lance up for politics as kind of a forgone
conclusion (not your words, but the general feeling I get from among
his proponents at large) is kind of like assuming a person is going to
have a great career in art because:
- He's desperately poor
- He has a bandage over one ear
- He's well aquainted with the gallery intelligencia
- He looks good in a beret
- He named his first daughter Gertrude
In a nutshell, I'm looking for some genuine content in the way of a
political outlook to reinforce the idea that he'd succeed in politics.
I.e., not merely his opinion on a given issue for opinion's sake - but
something to show he's able to address the issues intelligently, and
that he has a genuine interest in doing so.
Quoted message said:I'm glad that he eschewed whole brain radiation, which he did out of
concern that it would affect his balance and coordination. That, and
the somewhat unconventional chemotherapy (chosen also to preserve his
full athletic potential) were gambles which paid off.
Yeah, those where gutsy calls that definitely paid off - although a bit
of brain damage might have better equipped him for Austin/Washington
:-).
- Al
