May
2007
Sykes’ Criticism of Senator Sullivan’s Bike to Work unfairly partisan
Talk show host Charlie Sykes must have State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) in his political cross hairs but he’s really scraping the bottom in his efforts to smear the Senator.
This week he whacked Sullivan for biking to work despite the fact that it was national bike to work week. Sullivan, whose office is in Madison, lives in Wauwatosa — 80 miles away. In his GOP rhetoric, Sykes proclaimed, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘the senator spent the majority of the day on a leisurely ride and since most of the day was gone when he arrived, he did very little in the office’.
Apparently physical exercise (which we don’t do enough of in America), showing yourself to be a role model, and doing your part to reduce greenhouse gases is a big waste of time too for Sykes. No, we should all sit on our couches, get fat and then roll into our exhaust spewing SUV’s regardless of the near-epidemic problem of childhood asthma. Clean air? Who needs it!
But if one of Sykes’ problems with Sullivan is that the Senator may have put in a short day, where is his criticism of President George W. Bush who has taken more vacations than any other President? Could it be that Sykes is only concerned with work ethic if he thinks he can get a “gotcha” on a Democrat? Why is it that Sykes doesn’t criticize Bush’s work ethic?
It’s not a bad thing that a public figure took the initiative to bike to work. It’s not a bad thing that, through his own physical effort and fighting through the pain of a long bike ride, he proved himself a role model for both adults and kids. And no, it’s not a bad thing that, for at least one day, a little less car exhaust was sent billowing into the air.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan, Watchdogging Talk Radio, Watchdogging the Environment
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Your criticism is fair, but the question remains, can’t he merely do a “good” thing? Why did he feel the need to send out a press release. That is where it goes from purpose to sanctimony. It becomes silly.
GrassIsGreener, I see your point. But I think the Senator’s good example here - - underlined by the distance covered - - is worthy of public note and succeeds only if it is covered by media.
I agree. What would be the point if Sullivan’s ride wasn’t publicized. I didn’t see the message as being “see how great I am for riding to work”. I saw it as raising awareness and trying to inspire others to ride to work as well.
It was definitely a publicity stunt by Sullivan, but I thought it was cool.
He’s a politician, elected by the people to make larger points about life. When a person elected to represent others in our political system does something larger than life and seeks to have the story told, he is only doing his job. It is the job he is elected to do.
I’d like to see Charlie Sykes do something larger than life. He is an excellent writer, but to write a book is nothing large and hardly what most would call life as we know it. I’m sure, very sure, that Charlie would agree.
Applause for Sullivan. We ask for more from our public officials and when one of them does more, we should take a cue from Bill and just say … “damn, that was cool.”