George Will fangirling Mike Duggan

**professorscott** · October-06-17, 10:40 PM

I'm astonished to be the first one to post this here. Nobody here reads WaPo? Anyway, it's a great read, and astonishing to hear such an arch-conservative writer lauding a Democratic mayor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.719d00199605

**emu steve** · October-07-17, 05:59 AM

George Will is definitely a thoughtful conservative. And the article is a great read and great story of how a city goes from great to the toilet and tries to get out, little by little, with some very good leadership. George also highlights some of the real problems this country has had over the decades and centuries.

Politicians who pine for the good ole days ought to read that article. Good for who? An African-American who wanted a FHA mortgage?

What I like about Duggan is that he is a 'good government' mayor. He has made alliances across all spectrums, and esp. those like Gilbert who can single handedly make a big difference in the city.

One of the things we are seeing these days is that 'good government' mayors are getting support across racial lines. Duggan in an 84% black city. An African-American mayor in D.C. which is becoming less black and more white.

When 'good government' mayors run cities everyone wins.

**professorscott** · October-07-17, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by emu steve

What I like about Duggan is that he is a 'good government' mayor. He has made alliances across all spectrums, and esp. those like Gilbert who can single handedly make a big difference in the city.

Another important thing about Mayor Duggan is that he is neither a control freak nor a crook. I use the QLine as an example, because that's the project with which I'm the most familiar.

Recall in the pre-Duggan area, the city took over the M1 Rail project, ignored the people who had, or planned to, contribute significant funds, and expanded it into something that [[1) they would control, except that [[2) it could not possibly ever be built. But the important thing was for the city to control it, even if that meant nothing would ever come of it. [[The reasons it could not possibly ever be built would make a great Masters Thesis for someone studying public policy. Buy me a beer sometime if you want the long and sordid tale. But trust me on this: the "DTOGS" project was never going to be anything more than a nice video and a bunch of posters for people to look at during sessions at the public library.)

If someone like former Mayor McFelon was still running his personal playground when M1 Rail took the project back over, you can just bet there'd be a lot of stuff like this: friends of the Mayor get hired as "consultants" and get paid a lot of money to do very little work, if any; certain city officials have to be "taken care of" in order for the proper permits to issue; specific contractors would have to be given work whether they were qualified or not, and on and on.

With Mike Duggan there was none of this, none at all. He made the city available if there was any need for anyone to be helpful, but other than that, the non-profits that collected the funds and built the system were allowed to proceed on their own, cooperating with any other entity [[MDOT, Detroit Edison, and so on) without city interference. That was truly a breath of fresh air, and a bit surprising.

**SammyS** · October-07-17, 09:22 PM

Excellent write up and kind of proud at what Duggan has accomplished so far.

**Wesley Mouch** · October-08-17, 11:52 AM

This story is more likely to help an Amazon HQ bid more than anything else could.

My question to the commentariat is... how's Duggan selling to the old-guard, you-must-be-black-to-understand crowd? Does practical progress make up for skin tone? Do busses that run on time 'trump' jobs for the friends of all the crony department heads in every corner?

**gnome** · October-08-17, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by professorscott

I'm astonished to be the first one to post this here. Nobody here reads WaPo? Anyway, it's a great read, and astonishing to hear such an arch-conservative writer lauding a Democratic mayor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opini...=.719d00199605

Fangirling? Really? You intend to call into question the reputation of George Will and the best slam is to compare him to a girl?

Like a pair of boobs make women idiots and not worth serious consideration? That women don't need wristwatches because there's a clock on the oven.

Attack George Will for being a flabby assed old gasbag or Duggan for having more chins than the Hong Kong phone book but not for being girls.

**emu steve** · October-09-17, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by gnome

Fangirling? Really? You intend to call into question the reputation of George Will and the best slam is to compare him to a girl?

Like a pair of boobs make women idiots and not worth serious consideration? That women don't need wristwatches because there's a clock on the oven.

Attack George Will for being a flabby assed old gasbag or Duggan for having more chins than the Hong Kong phone book but not for being girls.

Here is a definition of fangirl:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fangirl

As I read it, it is more slangish than English. It has the aura of someone, not necessarily female, being overly excited, giddy, etc. about something.

For example: "Some Cleveland Indians' fans became fangirlish as the Tribe went on a record setting run last month."

Or Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of mostly fangirlish men in Alabama recently. [[And if anyone accused them of being 'girlish' they may knock some teeth out... or worse).

I wouldn't get hung up on one word.

**UrbanViews** · October-09-17, 08:40 AM

I haven't read the article [[yet.) That being said, I tend to lean more conservative, and I love Mike Duggan! A great fit for the city of Detroit!

**1953** · October-09-17, 11:33 AM

I like George Will and this article, but is "accomplishing" the right word?

**gnome** · October-09-17, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by emu steve

Here is a definition of fangirl:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fangirl

As I read it, it is more slangish than English. It has the aura of someone, not necessarily female, being overly excited, giddy, etc. about something.

For example: "Some Cleveland Indians' fans became fangirlish as the Tribe went on a record setting run last month."

Or Donald Trump spoke to a crowd of mostly fangirlish men in Alabama recently. [[And if anyone accused them of being 'girlish' they may knock some teeth out... or worse).

I wouldn't get hung up on one word.

So by definition it is used as a way to belittle a male by comparing him to a female.

I think we got that.

George Will, a long-time water-boy for the Republican Party lavished praise on a Democratic stalwart and the criticism is that he is a giggling girl; I have that right, right?

Praise a Democrat and you are a unreasonable squeaking female.

Give me your mom's number, I'll tell her you said that and watch her slap the teeth out of your skull.

**professorscott** · October-09-17, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

So by definition it is used as a way to belittle a male by comparing him to a female.

I think we got that.

George Will, a long-time water-boy for the Republican Party lavished praise on a Democratic stalwart and the criticism is that he is a giggling girl; I have that right, right?

Praise a Democrat and you are a unreasonable squeaking female.

Give me your mom's number, I'll tell her you said that and watch her slap the teeth out of your skull.

Sorry but not gonna happen. The professor's mother, who is [[somewhat remarkably) still alive and kicking, would understand that "fangirling" is a common colloquialism [[although, to be sure, one most commonly used by those two generations younger than your kindly old Professor) and would not get hung up over such a thing, and would also suggest that those who get their underwear in a bunch over the use of such a word go out and find something useful to do with their time.

By the way, I said all that using much more polite and subtle language than Mom would use; she is from Noo Yawk and speaks accordingly. If you want to know how she'd have said the same thing, just liberally sprinkle your favorite cuss words through what I wrote above.

**313WX** · October-09-17, 03:51 PM

Meh, the world would be awfully boring if some people didn't get offended by some things all of the time.

**Wesley Mouch** · October-09-17, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

So by definition it is used as a way to belittle a male by comparing him to a female.

I think we got that.

George Will, a long-time water-boy for the Republican Party lavished praise on a Democratic stalwart and the criticism is that he is a giggling girl; I have that right, right?

Praise a Democrat and you are a unreasonable squeaking female.

Give me your mom's number, I'll tell her you said that and watch her slap the teeth out of your skull.

Ha!

Of course its the Democrats who make sport of criticizing language. I laughed when I read that you used 'water-boy' in your post! Ha! Then I laughed again when the quote referred to the Cleveland INDIANS. Horror! Ha!

Yes. Let's all get over the hunt for implicit biases in every utterance. Let's stop taking some example of something someone said 30 years ago, and creating a story about what they were thinking, and how this makes them unsuitable as a human being. Tolerance. Its a lost virtue. Let's look for the most charitable explanation of things, not the least.

[[And yes, I need to do adjust my attitude sometimes as well. I am in denial, but I hope not terminally so.)