Thomas L. Friedman Op-ed

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/friedman-where-have-you-gone-joe-dimaggio.html?ref=columnists

The op-ed I chose to read was "Where Have You  Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" by Thomas L. Friedman from The New York Times. This article began by talking about Steve Jobs and the reasons why he was successful. He says that Jobs "personified so many of the leadership traits we know are missing from our national politics," and, "There isn't a single national politician today whom you would describe by those attributes." Friedman says that our leaders lack the leadership qualities to get things done in America, that "The Republican Party has been taken over by an antitax cult, and Obama just seems lost."

What made Friedman's argument so persuasive was that he began by describing someone so irrefutably successful--Steve Jobs--and then pointed out how politicians obviously lack Job's innovative qualities. He has faith that there are people in America who are capable of fixing the problems of our nation, but the people who have political power don't have that potential. He says, "Neither party is saying: Here is the world we are living in; here are the big trends; here is our long-term plan for rolling up our sleeves to ensure that America thrives in this world because it is not going to come easy; nothing important ever does."

After discussing what America lacks in its politicians, Friedman addresses what it needs. He says the following are necessary for innovation like that of Steve Jobs to prevail in America: quality education in infrastructure, open immigration, the right rules to incentive risk-taking, government-financed scientific research, cutting spending, and raising taxes. When the article begins, the reader believes he or she will be reading all about Steve Jobs, but in the process, Friedman is able to get his political ideas across by associating them with Jobs' qualities that made him successful.

Another cool thing Friedman did was with the title, "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" The article isn't about Joe DiMaggio, obviously. He was a baseball player.This line is also in the Simon and Garfunkle song "Mrs. Robinson," which says, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio.A nation turns its lonely eyes to you." I think Friedman chose his title because of the "a nation turns its lonely eyes to you" part. I'm assuming that he means that our nation needs to turn to someone with the qualities portrayed in the article, which have disappeared from politics. So that was clever.