You may recall the earlier piece on Why Lynn Swann Does Not Belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Some people criticized Chris Bowers for attacking Candidate Lynn Swann by going after Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann.
Wherever you fell in that divide, I think you'll find Norman Chad's column this week to be entertaining. Chad writes a sports column called The Couch Slouch, and his topic this week is Lynn Swann, Sideline Reporter Turned Gubernatorial Candidate. A sample:
Do you know what a sideline reporter does? He stands on the sideline. There are three primary responsibilities: Give updates on injuries, interview the coach at halftime and, well, stand on the sideline.Frankly, if you were to chase runaway mercury out of broken thermometers at a local hospital, you would be making better use of your time than standing on a sideline reporting. And not to trample all over Swannie here, but he is just an average sideline reporter. There is not a single moment I can recall in which Swan did something so extraordinary on the sideline that I said to myself, "Yep, gubernatorial material."
Swann has been standing on the sideline watching football for the past quarter century, and suddenly he's qualified to be governor of Pennsylvania? Heck, I've been sitting on the sofa watching football for the past quarter century -- what am I, the next U.S. attorney general?
Here's a brief excerpt from the interview, in which Mark was asked what he had learned while working for State Sen. Rodney Ellis:
Probably the most important lesson I learned from him is that politicians, to preserve their integrity, must be willing to lose their office. I remember one time when Rodney was confronted with a choice between doing what he thought was right, and doing what was politically expedient. He was genuinely concerned - wrongly, as it later turned out - that voting his conscience on this issue could actually get him defeated in a future election. He thought hard about it, and when he made his decision, he called me on the phone (which I remember vividly, because it was 4 in the morning when he called), and said, "The heck with it, I'm doing the right thing. And if I get defeated, I'll still be a lawyer, I'll still be an investment banker, I'll still be Nicole Ellis' daddy, and I'll still be an interesting guy to talk to at a cocktail party."
A group of Texas bloggers has created the Texas Tuesdays web page to highlight and raise funds for our Democratic incumbents and challengers. Today is Max Sandlin's day, and you can read more about him here:
Please check it out, and help us to help Rep. Max Sandlin.
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