Despite all of my efforts for a return to all things cultural, the sagging economy and the I-can’t-wait-until-Bush-is-out-of-office syndrome bring my focus to current events. As widely noted, President-elect (can we just drop the ‘elect’ already?) announced his economic team led by the appointment of Tim Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury. While normally I’d read the story, forget the insignificant details, and move on, the background and character information on Mr. Geithner has provided some interesting nuggets that suggest the man might not only be a financial whiz but might also have a personality.
One, it has been noted that Geithner uses the word ‘way’ where a more staid individually might use ‘very.’
Two, Geithner appears to differentiate pragmatic action from political and market theatrics. As The Economist's Free Change blog noted on November 24, 2008: “At times during the crisis Mr Geithner would counsel Mr Bernanke on the importance of the right ‘ratio of drama to effectiveness.'"
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Much has been written about the rise of the Geek and the redefinition of cool to include a new kind of smarts: the ability to process and produce information and to communicate that information in digestible, pop-savvy nuggets. The new brand of cools is typically attributed to the rise of the new economy and geographically located in Silicon Valley.
However as “Barack Obama has become the Prince Caspian of the iPhone hordes," and appointed a seemingly likeminded individual to handle the biggest, baddest issue of our time, we seem to have leaders who are not only wicked-smart and (and dare we say) competent but who also are in tune with the contemporary zeitgeist.
Much has also been written about the ways in which the “Obama revolution” has or alter everything from the execution of political campaigns, web-design and online marketing, and sports. The most salient change might be the creation of an engagable citizenry via an information marketplace wherein citizens read, react, comment, and even produce content in an enriched political dialogue. To a certain extent, the operation of the Obama campaign modeled this but the true test will be its use in the operation of a governing information democracy. The Obama’s awareness of our times and the ways in which individuals communicate in the early 21st century may fully revolutionalize how citizens relate to government. Moreover, government and politics might actually become cool.
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