"Bork is the classic modern instance of someone who made it easy for his opponents, in part because of his demeanor," he added. "I don't think he ever cracked a smile." For former Sen. Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, the personal criticism of Mr. Bork reached absurd heights. "They turned him into a gargoyle," he said.And Bork had that beard, remember. Is it any surprise people keep zeroing in on Bolton's mustache?
April 24, 2005
Should we screen out mean?
The fuss over the Bolton nomination leads to a more general examination of the phenomenon of mean people in politics. Apparently, there have been plenty of people with various nasty character traits who attained high positions of power. How can you disqualify someone for something that could be said about all the various people named in this article (including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as well as many, many senators)?
Well, it worked against Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork:
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But Gerry, it's perfectly appropriate that meanness only disqualifies conservatives. Conservatism itself is mean, so you've got a case of double mean. But liberals love. Even a mean liberal still drips with syrupy love for humanity, which balances off the nastiness felt by those in close proximity.
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