As you may have read, The Washington Post has stated it will not formally endorse a candidate in the upcoming, and thankfully soon-to-be over, Presidential election. Of course, the paper has been unofficially endorsing a candidate.
According to the announcement, the paper will never again choose sides in an election. (We’ll see what happens when ownership of the paper, inevitably, changes hands sometime in the future.) Here is some more of what was written in the paper, via Why Evolution Is True:
“Our job at The Washington Post is to provide through the newsroom nonpartisan news for all Americans, and thought-provoking, reported views from our opinion team to help our readers make up their own minds.
Most of all, our job as the newspaper of the capital city of the most important country in the world is to be independent.”
As does Jerry Coyne, I believe that newspapers should NOT ever endorse any candidate. Here is what he wrote in the linked post:
“In the end, I think the Post did the right thing, and I think other papers should follow in its wake. Yes, of course continue to have editorials written by others, ideally representing a variety of views, but an official endorsement by a paper itself makes readers wary of its objectivity when it comes to the news—and reporting the news objectively is, of course, the first duty of a paper.”
I am not arguing that a news publication does not have the right to make an endorsement, but that, as Coyne writes, doing so means its objectivity can easily be called into question. I am under no illusion that any news organizations are really objective, but we should hope they strive for that goal.
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As I have just received this book, readers of Disaffected Musings can expect Churchill to be quoted here more than before, at least for awhile. By the way, Richard Langworth is not just someone who can be called a Churchill “expert,” but he has also published some excellent books on automobile history. His book, Studebaker 1946-1966, The Classic Postwar Years, is a go-to for me and short snippets of it have been published in the blog, such as here.
So, here are two Churchill remarks, for now:
“It is better to be both right and consistent. But if you have to choose–you must choose to be right.”
“The production of new wealth must precede commonwealth, otherwise there will only be common poverty…You may try to destroy wealth and find that all you have done is to increase poverty.”
OK, that last comment is actually a combination of two. Referring to the first remark, in the public sphere nothing seems to be a bigger insult than being called a “waffler,” someone who has changed their mind on an issue. While, of course, changing one’s mind for the sake of political expedience is not to be admired, changing one’s view because facts change or because a person realizes they weren’t really in command of the facts is to be admired. While John Maynard Keynes may not have written the exact words, “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?,” his writings indicated he understood the necessity of being flexible and of keeping an open mind. Churchill seems to have understood the same principle.
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On this day in 1926 Errett Lobban Cord acquired the Duesenberg Automobile & Motors Company. Of course, Cord’s Auburn Automobile Company was, technically, the acquirer.
As we know, Cord’s automotive empire was an eventual victim of the Great Depression, ceasing operations in 1937. Here is a relevant photo.
This is a 1929 Duesenberg Model J, body by Murphy, that was offered at the Mecum auction in Monterey, California in 2021. It is the only known surviving example of a Murphy-bodied long wheelbase Duesenberg. It sold, all in, for $2,365,000.
Even if I had a net worth that allowed me to purchase such a vehicle, I don’t know that I would although, of course, I believe and have often written that virtually none of us really knows what we would do in an out-of-context situation like winning many millions in a lottery. Still, I couldn’t drive the car, to begin with, and even as a newly minted multi-millionaire I would probably be afraid to drive it for fear of damaging it.
Despite having a Jewish last name, I did not grow up with money. While I believe one should enjoy themselves to the extent possible and practical (yes, “practical enjoyment” might be an oxymoron), my childhood has left me with less of a champagne and caviar craving and more of a meat and potatoes one. Although my Ultimate Garage 3.0 had some expensive cars, 2.0 had no cars with a current value of even a half million dollars and had one with a value of about $20,000.
A reminder: as tomorrow is an NFL Sunday I will not post. Another reminder:
PLEASE click on the tiny “Read on blog” link or the post title itself in the email notifying you of a new post. Thanks.
#NoEndorsement
#WinstonChurchill
#Duesenberg