Slate's Bizbox
the breakfast table: An e-mail conversation about the news of the day.

Russ Smith and Ellen Willis

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516171819
from: Russ Smith

Giuliani, Springsteen, and Other Bosses

Posted Monday, Aug. 16, 1999, at 3:48 PM ET

ELLEN:

Still on the possible Hillary Clinton run for Senate in New York, I'm not sure why you think Nita Lowey, should the first lady drop out, would be the best Democratic candidate. Perhaps she best represent your politics, and those of many New Yorkers, but she certainly doesn't have the juice to defeat Giuliani, a politician who gives most people the creeps. But that's why Giuliani will probably win: People know he's mean, that he grandstands, that he's a control freak. So he's somewhat immunized against such lapses in a campaign. Lowey wouldn't stand a chance. RFK Jr. would win going away; Andrew Cuomo would have an even shot.

Like the Clintons, Ken Starr is a lame duck. Any report he issues will have a two-day news cycle life. Starr, whom I believe is a decent, courageous man, was one of Bill Clinton's victims. He ended up as a zealot, unprepared to deal with the likes of Sidney Blumenthal and James Carville. He had a terrible sense of public relations, and was demonized successfully by the Clinton spin machine. However, he wasn't Bill Clinton's last victim. That honor goes to Al Gore. I assume you won't be voting for George Bush; do you prefer Gore or Bradley? Or Warren Beatty?

You may be correct, but where do you get your information that the stock market is "shaky"? It certainly was last October, with a recession looming, but the rapid communications system in place today alerted the people who could do something about it, unlike the recession of '90-'91.

Back to your old turf. I don't know if you read the Times today, but there was an unspeakably awful article by Neil Strauss about a Bruce Springsteen concert in the arts section. As a woman who's written memorable rock criticism, what do you think of today's reviewers? Strauss' worship of Springsteen was very hard to read. Only at the end of the piece does he acknowledge the pop star's vast wealth, but still gives him a bye. He writes: "But at the same time he has gotten more than he wanted only to discover that a dream fulfilled is no longer a dream; it is a new and heavier weight." Yikes. I'll bet the unemployed blue-collar workers Springsteen sings about so mournfully would trade places with him in a second.

Best,
RUSS

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516171819
from: Russ Smith

Giuliani, Springsteen, and Other Bosses

Posted Monday, Aug. 16, 1999, at 3:48 PM ET
Print This ArticlePRINTDiscuss this in The FrayDISCUSSEmail to a FriendE-MAIL
Share on FacebookPost to MySpace!Share with MixxDigg ThisShare with RedditShare with del.icio.usShare with FurlShare with Ma.gnolia.comShare with SphereShare with Stumble Upon
Russ Smith is the editor in chief and owner of New York Press, the Manhattan weekly he founded in 1988. He writes the column "Mugger" for the paper. Ellen Willis directs the cultural journalism program at New York University. Her latest book, Don't Think, Smile! Notes on a Decade of Denial will be published this fall.
Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum
What did you think of this article?
POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES
Washington Post