Amity Shlaes, my favorite living writer, is being recruited to run for the Senate in New York by Adam Brickley of The Dogcatcher Project. Brickley notes that “With Shlaes in the race, we can apply serious pressure on Gillibrand to explain her stunning about-face on issues from gun rights to economic freedom – and turncoats have diffficulty in elections when they are called on the carpet.”
Shlaes would be a tremendous asset to politics in America if she was elected and her ideas had the influence of a vote in the Senate (after all, she wrote The Forgotten Man). In a state like New York, though, her chances of being elected would be slim (after all, she wrote The Forgotten Man). In fact, it would probably only serve to put her name on the map and, subsequently, to have to write “ran for the office of the Senate in New York” on her bio at the CFR. We need her to fry bigger fish, like Keynesians and collectivists. New York may think it deserves better, but since when has it voted that way?
Amity Shlaes is so above the sideshow of New York politics that it is not even funny to talk about her participation in jest. She is the opposite of Senator Gillibrand, though.
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Comments
I'd vote for her, were I a New Yorker. "Forgotten Man" was a fantastic book.
She has an upcoming bio of Coolidge in the works.
Obama's recent comments to business leaders imploring them to invest accumulated capital to generate jobs in America was eerily remniscient of FDR's attempts to shake capital loose in the early days of his administration. Next on Obama's list will be a tax proposal similar to FDR's retained capital tax.
As much as I like her, I'm afraid her talents would be wasted as a member of Congress. She can have more influence as a writer.
It should not go unmentioned that there was probably no one on the internet that was a more dogged advocate of Sarah Palin in the months leading up to her nomination as VP than Adam Brinkley.
If he were to turn that talent towards a Senate seat for Amity Shales then, as far as I am concerned, she has an excellent chance of success.
@Turfmannn, I don't understand the comparison?
Defeat Gillibrand- how? Suggest we start with a takeover of the Republican Party, as they have been asleep at the switch for far too long.
Here's a few lines from the chairman, who obviously can talk the talk, but has never learned to 'walk the walk'!
The New York Republican Party and its message reach every New Yorker from every background. We are Asian small business owners, middle-income suburban families and upstate dairy farmers. We are trades union members who know a better business environment means more work. We are Hispanics and African-Americans who want school choice and women balancing the family budget.
Considering none of the above is known to New Yorkers, and there's nobody out there actually advancing the cause of the opposition party, it'll be a long uphill battle. Carl Paladino got about 1 1/2 MILLION votes, we know there are enough people out there to get rid of Gillibrand, maybe even Schumer. Why doesn't Mr. Cox know this too?
@Kathleen:
This is what he was doing prior to Palin's nomination
http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/
Go way back to the beginning of the blog and see what he was writing. He did a tremendous job of getting her name into places that she would not have otherwise been noticed.
Palin herself gave him props for what his efforts. He was a one man wrecking crew.
My point is that if he were to put similar skills to work for Shales (which I would hope he would) then I think that her chances of a nomination would be greatly increased.
@Turfmann, Sure, but then she'd still have to face a Democratic incumbent in a blue state. Plus, Shlaes is better than New York politics. Also, it's not a matter of reputation – everyone on the right loves her and she's pretty well-known – it's a matter of statewide popularity and cost-benefit…
Kathleen, I think you're selling Shales short. She is just the kind of conservative that could win in New York. She has that intangible "it" that could quite possibly propel her to political stardom. As we would say here in Beantown, she's "wicked awesome"
Remember that Rudi has an (R) after his name – anything is possible. Just ask the Professor about Scott Brown.
@Turfmann, Amity Shlaes isn't a politician! She's smart, she has made a career in people paying attention to her without some silly title. She doesn't need politics, buy her books.
Perhaps the notion of a citizen politician has become quaint, but in this day and age when "comedians" such as Al Frankin can waltz into the Senate chamber, why must we discount a very intelligent and thoughtful writer? There are many disparate professions represented in the Senate other than lawyers that went to law school to simply have their ticket punched on their way to elected office. Bill Frist comes immediately to mind.
The concept that we should be encouraging is that of public service. People, ordinary everyday people, should be running for these offices, not our current glamorized used car salesmen. You should be a Senator, Professor Jacobsen should run for the House – why not? That is the way it was intended to be!
It is sad that you would conceive of the title of Senator to be silly (current iteration of that body notwithstanding). It is still the world's greatest deliberative body.
Amity Shales would be a tremendous credit to such an institution.