Andy Martin says no one would seriously consider Senator Barack Obama (or Hillary Clinton or John Edwards) as turnaround artists or crisis managers
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
OBAMA AND THE BOARDROOM:
WOULD ANY TROUBLED CORPORATION HIRE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA TO BE A “TURNAROUND ARTIST” OR CEO?
CLINTON OR EDWARDS? NOT LIKELY
WHICH DEMOCRAT WOULD YOU TRUST WITH YOUR MONEY?
(CHICAGO)(January 21, 2008) The Democratic Party has three major candidates for president who say America is in a mess and they know how to fix it. OK. Which one would you hire?
Each of the candidates promises to be what in corporate–parlance is a “turnaround artist,” someone who is brought in to clean up the mess of a prior management.
By looking at the presidential election as a corporate problem rather than a governmental one, we may be forced to confront the limited qualifications of the junior candidate in the race, Senator Barack Obama, and then look at the other candidates, Senator Hillary Clinton and former senator John Edwards, and disqualify all of them.
And, rather deliciously, we have a full plate of troubled corporations that have hired or are looking for new CEO’s, from Merrill Lynch and Citigroup in New York to the collapsing Countrywide Financial in California. Let’s use these companies as templates. Would any of these troubled businesses hire Obama to lead their turnarounds? Clinton? Edwards? I doubt it.
Some of my audience believes, incorrectly, that I have a personal agenda or personal hostility to Mr. Obama. That is not really the case. I live in Chicago and Barry O, as I call him, is being marketed as a “Son of Illinois,” which is grossly misleading, considering that he is really a creature of Chicago Machine Democratic Party politics in this state. Has Obama occasionally been a maverick or independent? Of course he has, when it suited his personal interest in political advancement.
But once ensconced in the “management” of his law firm or the state senate or U. S. Senate, Obama has been a reliable management vote for the local establishment. Obama has never turned anything around.
And no, I am not a closet supporter of the “likeable enough” Hillary Clinton. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has noted that Clinton has never managed anything, not a business, not a state, nothing. As for Mr. Edwards, I have opined that he would probably be the Democrats’ strongest candidate in November. Edwards, at least, has proven to be a successful trial lawyer. Being a good courtroom lawyer does require management skills. But all of them want to “manage” what they claim is the most troubled government in the world. Not so fast.
Back to Obama. Can you envision any troubled corporation hiring Mr. Obama to lead a turnaround? Would you hire him if you had troubled finances? Is “hope” a substitute for experience? I don’t believe so.
And yet the Democrats argue we have a troubled economy. We have a troubled foreign policy. We have a troubled nation. Why would any voter hire any of them to be a crisis manger and turnaround artist if the United States was a corporation instead of a government? Would you trust your money to a company that hired Obama (or Clinton or Edwards) to turn around your investment? I don’t think so. You would sell your shares.
Bottom Line: The Democrats fail the Boardroom Test.
------------------------------------------
Chicago-based Internet journalist, broadcaster and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He is currently a candidate for U. S. Senator from Illinois. http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Comments? E-mail: AndyMart20@aol.com. Media contact: (866) 706-2639. Web sites: ContrarianCommentary.com.
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
OBAMA AND THE BOARDROOM:
WOULD ANY TROUBLED CORPORATION HIRE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA TO BE A “TURNAROUND ARTIST” OR CEO?
CLINTON OR EDWARDS? NOT LIKELY
WHICH DEMOCRAT WOULD YOU TRUST WITH YOUR MONEY?
(CHICAGO)(January 21, 2008) The Democratic Party has three major candidates for president who say America is in a mess and they know how to fix it. OK. Which one would you hire?
Each of the candidates promises to be what in corporate–parlance is a “turnaround artist,” someone who is brought in to clean up the mess of a prior management.
By looking at the presidential election as a corporate problem rather than a governmental one, we may be forced to confront the limited qualifications of the junior candidate in the race, Senator Barack Obama, and then look at the other candidates, Senator Hillary Clinton and former senator John Edwards, and disqualify all of them.
And, rather deliciously, we have a full plate of troubled corporations that have hired or are looking for new CEO’s, from Merrill Lynch and Citigroup in New York to the collapsing Countrywide Financial in California. Let’s use these companies as templates. Would any of these troubled businesses hire Obama to lead their turnarounds? Clinton? Edwards? I doubt it.
Some of my audience believes, incorrectly, that I have a personal agenda or personal hostility to Mr. Obama. That is not really the case. I live in Chicago and Barry O, as I call him, is being marketed as a “Son of Illinois,” which is grossly misleading, considering that he is really a creature of Chicago Machine Democratic Party politics in this state. Has Obama occasionally been a maverick or independent? Of course he has, when it suited his personal interest in political advancement.
But once ensconced in the “management” of his law firm or the state senate or U. S. Senate, Obama has been a reliable management vote for the local establishment. Obama has never turned anything around.
And no, I am not a closet supporter of the “likeable enough” Hillary Clinton. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has noted that Clinton has never managed anything, not a business, not a state, nothing. As for Mr. Edwards, I have opined that he would probably be the Democrats’ strongest candidate in November. Edwards, at least, has proven to be a successful trial lawyer. Being a good courtroom lawyer does require management skills. But all of them want to “manage” what they claim is the most troubled government in the world. Not so fast.
Back to Obama. Can you envision any troubled corporation hiring Mr. Obama to lead a turnaround? Would you hire him if you had troubled finances? Is “hope” a substitute for experience? I don’t believe so.
And yet the Democrats argue we have a troubled economy. We have a troubled foreign policy. We have a troubled nation. Why would any voter hire any of them to be a crisis manger and turnaround artist if the United States was a corporation instead of a government? Would you trust your money to a company that hired Obama (or Clinton or Edwards) to turn around your investment? I don’t think so. You would sell your shares.
Bottom Line: The Democrats fail the Boardroom Test.
------------------------------------------
Chicago-based Internet journalist, broadcaster and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He is currently a candidate for U. S. Senator from Illinois. http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Comments? E-mail: AndyMart20@aol.com. Media contact: (866) 706-2639. Web sites: ContrarianCommentary.com.
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