Friday, March 07, 2008
Loss of Power
Or, alternatively, gone, baby, gone.
Today is a bad day for Harvard prof and Barack Obama advisor Samantha Power. (Full disclosure: Though I don't know her well, she's a friend.)
First, Power gave an interview to the Scotsman newspaper in which she called Hillary Clinton a "monster." Whoops. Page one of the NY Daily News, and pretty much everywhere else too.
Then a legal blog asserts that she is romantically involved with Cass Sunstein, the [married] U. of Chicago professor who just announced that he's leaving U. of C. for Harvard. [Sunstein and his wife, Martha Nussbaum, were on 02138's list of power couples about a year ago. Things change.]
It appears that Professor Sunstein may be part of a new "power couple" -- in the most literal sense. Rumor has it that he's romantically involved with Professor Samantha Power -- a beautiful, brainy professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, who is roughly 15 years his junior. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner who has also been profiled in Men's Vogue (see glamorous photo, at the top of this post). What's not to like?
Martha Nussbaum gave the blog a quote which it seems important to repeat here:
Cass Sunstein and I want to inform you that, although, as I said, we separated some time ago, no third parties were involved in the separation on either side -- although of course we are dating other people now. It was a completely different issue, which we have not been reluctant to discuss with our friends and colleagues, but which really doesn't belong on your blog. Yours sincerely, Martha Nussbaum
As if that isn't enough, Power just resigned from her position as an adviser to the Obama campaign.
“I made inexcusable remarks that are at marked variance from my oft-stated admiration for Senator Clinton and from the spirit, tenor, and purpose of the Obama campaign,” Power said in a statement.
From what I know of Power, her emotional statement about Hillary Clinton isn't out of character: She's a passionate woman given to speaking her mind.
(And as a pro-Barack friend of mine said, "Well, Hillary is a monster.")
Power made her reputation writing about human rights as an outsider looking in at the system. Ultimately, that may be where she is most effective.
Today is a bad day for Harvard prof and Barack Obama advisor Samantha Power. (Full disclosure: Though I don't know her well, she's a friend.)
First, Power gave an interview to the Scotsman newspaper in which she called Hillary Clinton a "monster." Whoops. Page one of the NY Daily News, and pretty much everywhere else too.
Then a legal blog asserts that she is romantically involved with Cass Sunstein, the [married] U. of Chicago professor who just announced that he's leaving U. of C. for Harvard. [Sunstein and his wife, Martha Nussbaum, were on 02138's list of power couples about a year ago. Things change.]
It appears that Professor Sunstein may be part of a new "power couple" -- in the most literal sense. Rumor has it that he's romantically involved with Professor Samantha Power -- a beautiful, brainy professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, who is roughly 15 years his junior. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner who has also been profiled in Men's Vogue (see glamorous photo, at the top of this post). What's not to like?
Martha Nussbaum gave the blog a quote which it seems important to repeat here:
Cass Sunstein and I want to inform you that, although, as I said, we separated some time ago, no third parties were involved in the separation on either side -- although of course we are dating other people now. It was a completely different issue, which we have not been reluctant to discuss with our friends and colleagues, but which really doesn't belong on your blog. Yours sincerely, Martha Nussbaum
As if that isn't enough, Power just resigned from her position as an adviser to the Obama campaign.
“I made inexcusable remarks that are at marked variance from my oft-stated admiration for Senator Clinton and from the spirit, tenor, and purpose of the Obama campaign,” Power said in a statement.
From what I know of Power, her emotional statement about Hillary Clinton isn't out of character: She's a passionate woman given to speaking her mind.
(And as a pro-Barack friend of mine said, "Well, Hillary is a monster.")
Power made her reputation writing about human rights as an outsider looking in at the system. Ultimately, that may be where she is most effective.
Comments:
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This sucks! Her connection with Obama was a key factor in throwing my vote in his hat. I really, really hope that he will re-instate her if he clinches the nomination.
# posted by 
: March 7, 2008 3:53 PM
: March 7, 2008 3:53 PM
I am not sure Obama should have fired her, as opposed to laying out clear parameters for all his advisors going forward. But she was arrogant and dumb to do this to his campaign at this juncture.
# posted by : March 7, 2008 3:57 PM
: March 7, 2008 3:57 PM
Who on earth thinks she's beautiful? Striking, yes -- but hardly the same thing.
# posted by : March 7, 2008 4:09 PM
: March 7, 2008 4:09 PM
Certainly helped, but as you can imagine, this has been a subject of discussion within the 02138 offices; Samantha is a pretty prominent Harvardian. As is Barack.
As someone who has met Hillary numerous times, and worked with her a bit in the Clinton White House, the notion that she is a "monster" is just laughably absurd. She is a compassionate, generous person with a lovely sense of humor. Is she ambitious? Yes. So what? Isn't that what we require in a presidential candidate? Someone who actually proves to us that he/she wants the job.
Samantha Power is just simply pathetic. She wrote one decent book and translated that into her 15 minutes of fame. I say good bye and good riddance.
Samantha Power is just simply pathetic. She wrote one decent book and translated that into her 15 minutes of fame. I say good bye and good riddance.
# posted by : March 7, 2008 5:11 PM
: March 7, 2008 5:11 PM
Look at that! Think Twice is Madeleine Albright. Right here on this 'lil ol' blog.
# posted by : March 7, 2008 5:36 PM
: March 7, 2008 5:36 PM
Think Twice, I think your characterization of SP is too harsh—she made a mistake—but you're certainly right: Hillary is no monster. It was clearly a comment made in a heated moment, and I'm sure that even Samantha doesn't think so.
My irritation about it is that she completely killed what should have been a good news day for Obama, during which the media focused on Howard Wolfson's inane Ken Starr analogy.
My irritation about it is that she completely killed what should have been a good news day for Obama, during which the media focused on Howard Wolfson's inane Ken Starr analogy.
I don't know, I just didn't feel like this was so bad. I guess because "monster" can come out so many different ways. You know, it doesn't always mean the Dr. Mengele sort of monster, sometimes it can just mean an intimidating, relentless force.
Too bad an apology wouldn't do - honorable move on her part (assuming she volunteered before being asked).
- Egret
Too bad an apology wouldn't do - honorable move on her part (assuming she volunteered before being asked).
- Egret
# posted by : March 7, 2008 5:50 PM
: March 7, 2008 5:50 PM
What is this, blogger Amateur Hour? Obviously the post should have been titled "Power Outage."
If you can't find a real Harvard angle for this story you might as well just put up little links to the other sources. Quantity of juiciness does not equal quality crimson meat.
Focus on promoting your book until it's time to blog with more than a third of your brain, RB. I'm serious.
SE
If you can't find a real Harvard angle for this story you might as well just put up little links to the other sources. Quantity of juiciness does not equal quality crimson meat.
Focus on promoting your book until it's time to blog with more than a third of your brain, RB. I'm serious.
SE
SE, I'm with you on R-Brad's unhealthy preoccupation with Muslims at the gym. But you've asked in a couple of places today, Why did you post this? We know Rich posts on whatever he likes--it's his blog--and there is a faint Harvard aspect to the Power outburst & resignation; and a lot of the blog has been about Elections '08 recently; of which this is a part. Sounds like you think there should be an SITD "mission statement" (words I never heard before coming to Harvard in '99); for which it might be more amusing if you were the one to compose it...
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# posted by : March 8, 2008 2:02 PM
: March 8, 2008 2:02 PM<< Home
