Rob Long - Latest Comments in Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

Re: Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

Rob Long — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:56:26 -0000

Please do. Although I think it'll be followed by me, saying, "Wait,
Wait. You're Offering to Pay Me What?"

Re: Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

turdan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:33:08 -0000

So now that you are morphing into a public radio personality, can you get a gig on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me"? Can we start a nominating process?

Re: Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

Chris Collins — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:52:47 -0000

I agree that they are smart, well-educated, and effective, but I'd much rather see them be the people who want to be there, who see that work as something they are both capable of and passionate about. Throwing smart people who don't have a passion or capacity for the work doesn't sound like a great idea to me, but then again, I'm not sure how much Grit I have in my life, American or otherwise.

Re: Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

Rob Long — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:09:35 -0000

I agree -- and I really did let him get away with the draft business.
Milton Friedman, my personal idol, pretty much put paid to the the
idea of the draft as an efficient way to conduct military
recruitment. And Bill Buckley, my other personal idol, had a very
expansive attitude about national service.

And the truth is, you have to be smart to make it into the military.
Those men and women are smart, well-educated, and extremely effective
at what they do.

Re: Rob Long: Thoughts on Old Media, New Media

Chris Collins — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:13:06 -0000

I think you did a pretty good job, I mean, clearly you guys have plenty of idealogical overlap, so you weren't going to be poking holes in his major big ideas. I think part of the problem is that it sounds like his book was very concerned about the next twenty to thirty years, and, quite frankly, most of us are worried about the next year or two. I imagine it's just kinda lousy timing for his book to come out.

I would wonder outloud why it would be a good idea to take even random sample of every year's output of young men and women via a draft and then give the pentagon the best and brightest of that, leaving the rest to "national service". Doesn't it seem like an odd sort of risk of brain drain to put our smartest, best people on the front lines, while letting the rest do national service?