Amy's Robot

Crying at work

In a great example of what sets the New York Times apart from other newspapers, their profile of George Voinovich today examines the Republican Senator's recent appeal as part of the discussion of Bolton's nomination to the UN, during which he got a little choked up. He is the lone Republican to speak out against Bolton on the Senate floor, passionately asking his colleagues "to understand that this appointment is very, very important to our country." The article looks at Voinovich's record and other times that he has diverged from party lines, and it addresses media's response to his teary speech (including a conservative talk radio host, who said "That man is a clown, a crying clown.")

But then the Times goes one step further, and includes a list of every other time that Voinovich has gotten teary throughout his career as a politician. "His tendency to cry, he said, developed in the years after his daughter Molly, 9, the youngest of his four children, was killed in a car crash in 1979. Mr. Voinovich first drew attention for the inclination more than a decade ago when, as governor, he cried while responding to reporters' questions about the consequences of welfare cuts. He has appeared to cry or hold back tears in public many times since then. In the interview last week, his eyes moistened as he talked about his daughter's death, about Pope John Paul II's visit to Israel, and again about his own work in the Senate."

Norman K. says, "Crying because you lose your daughter is one thing, and if he did that in public, more power to him for showing people can have feelings. But crying over budget cuts is just weird. Get a hold of yourself, man."

Judging from the testimony of former employees about what Bolton was like as a boss, Voinovich wasn't the first person he drove to tears.

categories: Media, Politics
posted by amy at 1:41 PM | #