"Robber Baron" Transforms Into "Shrewd Businessman" After Loan to NYT

"Robber Baron" Transforms Into "Shrewd Businessman" After Loan to NYT
"Indeed, by this measure, [Carlos] Slim is richer even than the robber barons of the gilded age. John D. Rockefeller, America's richest man, was worth the equivalent of about 1.5 percent of the nation's G.D.P....But the momentous scale is not the most galling aspect of Mr. Slim's riches. There's the issue of theft. Like many a robber baron - or Russian oligarch, or Enron executive - Mr. Slim calls to mind the words of Honoré de Balzac: 'Behind every great fortune there is a crime.'" - Eduardo Porter in anAugust 27, 2007editorial on Mexican media mogul Carlos Slim.

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"Carlos, a very shrewd businessman with an appreciation for great brands, showed a deep understanding of the role that news, information and education play in our interconnected global society....As he spoke at our meeting, he conveyed the quiet but fierce confidence that has enabled him to have a profound and lasting effect on millions of individuals in Mexico and neighboring countries. Carlos knows very well how much one person with courage, determination and vision can achieve." - Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. praising Slim for Time Magazine's 2009 "Time 100" list, soon after he had purchased 6% of NYT Co. shares and lent the company $250 million.

The Ethical Bush-Hater

"I'm a huge Obama fan. I think it's such an unbelievably great thing to have a President who's competent and not insane." - The Times "Ethicist" columnist Randy Cohen, on the April 24 edition of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.




Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered Am I

"During these first 100 days, what has surprised you the most about this office, enchanted you the most about serving in this office, humbled you the most and troubled you the most?" - Reporter Jeff Zeleny at the White House's "100 Day" press conference April 29.



Republicans: Still Doomed
"But Republican leaders in Washington argued that Republicans would be permanently marginalized unless they showed flexibility on social issues as well as economic ones....The debate broke out as the party found itself in a particularly dire state. Mr. Specter's departure came a week after Republicans lost a special Congressional election in an upstate New York district with a significant Republican voter edge; as such, it underlined the extent the party was contracting, not only ideologically but also geographically....Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina said ideological purity was the road to success." - Adam Nagourney and David Herszenhorn, April 30.

Geraldo Rivera, "Conservative"
"Less than two days after he lost his bid for re-election, and four days before he was to go on trial, the mayor of Jackson, Miss., died early Thursday, city officials said....Mr. Melton was known for his flashy, hands-on approach to combating urban crime. He carried a police badge, two guns, a bulletproof jacket and a large stick while personally patrolling Jackson's toughest streets, although he was not certified as a member of the Police Department.This approach earned him a national reputation and the support of conservatives like the Fox News commentatorGeraldo Rivera." - Robbie Brown, writing on the death of former Jackson, MS mayor Frank Melton on May 8. "Conservative" Rivera was a passionate defender of Bill Clinton during impeachment and strongly supports Barack Obama.



Even Frank Rich Sees Pro-Obama "Hagiography"
"Inevitably we got to The Dog. 'I want to show this picture because I find this to be a fascinating picture,' said the CNN anchor John King, who found almost every picture fascinating. 'The president running down the hall with his new jogging partner there, Bo.' What, he asked Souza, is it like 'to add this to the diversity of your work at the White House?' I'll leave the photographer's answer to your imagination. But for a second, anyway, I could imagine what it's like to be among the Limbaugh-Cheney deadenders who loathe Obama. Those who feel the whole world is against them. Those who think the press corps is in the tank. Those so sickened by the fawning that they'd throw a brick through the television screen if the Bush-Cheney economy had left them with enough money to buy a new set." - Frank Rich in a May 3 column.