Sunday, April 6, 2008

Bullshit

George Carlin says we shouldn't worry about the decline of the auto and steel industries because they were never America’s leading industries anyway. He says what America has always led to world in, and where we still excel, is the manufacturing and selling of bullshit -- A#1, Grade A, bullshit.

If there was ever any doubt, it disappeared with the revelation that, since leaving the White House, the Clinton's have made more than $109 million manufacturing and selling bullshit. I don't mean this pejoratively. We all have our personal bullshit. I've made a living for almost 30 years selling my own brand. But what else can you call it when people are paying you vast sums to listen to you talk or to read your written bullshit?

And the $109 million is only the tip of the iceberg. The Clinton’s raised another $500 million to fund the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library where their bullshit will be on display long past the end of their mortal selves. This is multi generational, multimedia, manufacturing and selling of bullshit on a scale rarely seen outside of Hollywood or network television.

I once got to see it up close and personal. WJC attended a Fortune magazine conference in 1988 while he was the Governor of Arkansas, and I sat at his table at dinner one evening. I was in awe, and still am today, of his interpersonal skills and ability to appear to really care about whomever he is talking to. Hillary has the same willingness to sling it, but lacks the skills to sell it like Bill – however, sometimes it is less about ability than it is about connections.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The only one today who can beat Billy on the BS scene is Obama. The Illinois Senator is the ultimate smooth talker. He's young, smart, good looking -- with an easy-going demeanor who exudes an air of Harvard-crafted neutrality.

Whenever Hillary Clinton opens her mouth, she comes off like a total scold -- yelling at you for not supporting her!!

Obama knows this, and has crafted his entire political persona as Mr. Neutral, a man without race, ideology, geographic allegiances, with no sharp edges of any kind. You can't run against him on the issues because you can't even find him on the ideological spectrum.

Smooth, liquid BS...

Anonymous said...

It's the donations to the Clinton Library I'm interested in. Rather than a $2300 cap per person for a campaign donation, the sky's the limit on amount donated to the library. And one doesn't have to be a citizen of the good old USofA to contribute. Consider every penny donated to the library a campaign contribution to HRC.

On another topic, interesting to learn John Edwards was going to endorse Obama until a meeting with him shortly after withdrawing from the campaign. He felt Obama was aloof and condescending and, so, has withheld. Gore has not endorsed Obama only because his contempt of Hillary is known so the endorsement wouldn't mean anything. What a bunch of crap this whole thing is.