It appears that Rex Ryan refuses to play Tim Tebow. The NY Jets must have paid a lot of money for Tebow, and Ryan had to have been part of the decision to acquire him, so why won't he play him? It's certainly not for lack of fan desire and clammoring. My theory is that Ryan has somehow wound up putting his own personal pride on the line, and he resents others, like fans, trying to tell him what to do. This posture is compounded every week the Jets lose, where Ryan runs a greater risk of appearing to have been wrong in not playing Tebow. So he throws good money after bad, and continues to sideline Tebow.
Similarly, Republicans began with a theory about taxes. Setting aside the obvious self-serving component, they argue that it's better all around when taxes are low. They hold themselves, or Grover Norquist holds them, to a "pledge" not to raise taxes, come what may. What if they want to go to war? Every government in history rasied taxes to go to war, right? Nope, not reason enough. What about if there's a crushing and growing deficit, of which even Republicans complain? And we not only didn't raise taxes to go to war, we lowered them. It's really time to raise them, at least on some higher level earners, right? No way! It's the same corner into which Rex Ryan painted himself. You adopt a posture, and you won't give it up, no matter how bad things get, and no matter how foolish you look. It's not about the issue any more. It's barely about a philosophy. It comes to be about personal pride, which becomes bigger than anything else. Bigger than reality.
Could this happen to anyone? Could it happen here? Could people get so stubborn, and so presbyopic, that they would allow the Village to suffer, or flirt with failure, just because they don't want to surrender, or adjust, a posture?
At the last Commission meeting, Gary Kuhl got up to make a comment. He said, half joking, but actually genuinely, that Bryan Cooper shouldn't have a heart attack, but it happened Gary agreed with him about something. Gary didn't have to bring attention to the fact that he agreed with Bryan about something. It was a gentlemanly and graceful statement.
And on election day, Chuck Ross spent much of the day talking to Elizabeth and Noah Jacobs. They chit-chatted about the things they could chit-chat about, and Chuck came away thinking there was something real, friendly, and smart about the Jacobses. He didn't have to reach out to them, and he didn't have to tell me about it. Again, gentlemanly and graceful.
Some of the same could be said for the Jacobses. They were able to rise to the occasion, and set aside gripes, in the interest of having a nice and long conversation with Chuck.
It would be nice to see people emerge from bunkers in the broader interest. The fact is, some of Rex Ryan's comments after Sunday's drubbing could be interpreted as meaning he might play Tebow after all. Some prominent Republicans have been making almost concilatory noises lately. At least they're finding reasons, perhaps until Grover Norquist reads them the riot act, to look at solutions that might increase revenues, whatever term they're comfortable using for it. And maybe some of the more entrenched elements around here, present company included, will find ways to cooperate for the good of the Village. Let's hope so.
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