Monday, January 19, 2009

Advice to President Elect Obama

Everyone it seems has advice for the President Elect. So here is mine.

Back in 1968, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley were hired by ABC to give commentary on the election. While both Vidal and Buckley hated each other (during the Democratic Convention they almost came to blows, so for most if not all of the remainder of the campaign they never sat in the same studio) the advice they gave on Election Night still is relevant.

Heed the ghetto as well as the boardroom, but also remember that the best run country in the world is Switzerland, and no one knows the name of that country's president.

3 comments:

Rodak said...

also remember that the best run country in the world is Switzerland, and no one knows the name of that country's president.

And why is that? It's because Switzerland is both neutralist and isolationist. There is no reason for the rest of the world to know the name of the Swiss president, because he's not involved.
If only...

Anthony said...

But ROdak, the times I have been in Switzerland I have gotten the feeling that no one there knows who the president is at any given time also. Part of it is due to Swiss "isolationism" but part due to the system. The Swiss Constitution is also federal, but more in the line of a confederation instead of a federation. The individual cantons are more important than the federal government in many ways. And the executive is more of a collegial body of 7 members, rather than an elected presidency.

Still . . .

Rodak said...

Yeah, and the whole country is smaller in population than metropolitan NYC and has virtually none of the problems. Your point is pretty much apples and oranges, I'm afraid.