Word: silbering
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...task that requires more than "tough talk," the kind that Democratic nominee John Silber has spewed forth on a variety of issues. It is a task that requires an ability to manage a complicated political system, forge consensus around a budget, all while not alienating key groups and remaining free from the entrenched interests on Beacon Hill. Of the two candidates who stand a chance of winning the election, only Republican William F. Weld '66 possesses that ability. We endorse Weld for governor and his running-mate Paul Cellucci for lieutenant governor...
MANY disenchanted Massachusetts voters see "straight shooting" Silber as the remedy for a diseased political system that has lost touch with the people. According to this line of reasoning, Silber's penchant for telling it like it is--and his experience running a large University--make him the kind of "outsider" needed to lead the state through economic crisis...
...this argument mistakes a symbol of an "outsider"--offending people--for the concrete ability to change the system. As president of Boston University, Silber forged close ties with political insiders such as Senate President William Bulger and the established business elite of the city. In a number of questionable deals involving investment in the companies owned by Boston University trustees, Silber may have used those connections for personal enrichment. Never once in his tenure did he publicly oppose inside dealings and corruption...
...Silber's business management of Boston University is also questionable. He managed the school's fantastic explosion by tripling tuition. Silber's political strategy for his expansion plan could be easily described as authoritarian; using secret police-like tactics, he cracked down on student protestors and tried to squelch student free speech. In his drive for power consolidation, Silber alienated students, faculty and staff at Boston University and created an atmosphere of intimidation that prompted several prominent scholars to resign their posts. Such...
...proven through his actions (and not just through shocking statements) that he will not be pushed around by wasteful and corrupt dealings. Weld's resignation from the attorney general's office in protest of his boss Edwin Meese's misconduct is a more appropriate "outsider" image than Silber's offending large chunks of the electorate...