Daily Dolt: The Frank Burns of the 10th District Strikes Again
Team America is getting his panties in a twist because, get this, Dan Seals includes where he works on his campaign site:
A group of NU students are not so willing to let Seals slide, however. In addition to less formal protests against Seals from NU students, a formal letter has been sent to NU President Henry S. Bienen, and a letter has also been sent to the Daily Northwestern student newspaper. TA will hopefully have a copy of the Bienen letter later today.
Among other issues, these students have noted:
The School of Continuing Studies recently appointed Seals to teach a Special Topics class in Federal Policymaking one night a week for two months in Spring Quarter. While NU faculty members certainly have run for political office in the past, we are aware of no situation where the university has hired an active political candidate. Not only does this create a questionable legal dilemma, but it appears to be in violation of the rules and regulations as outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
Pages 16-17 of the handbook state: “Outside activities must not interfere with University responsibilities. In no case may such activities be carried on either directly or by implication in the name of the University without the consent of the president of the University, who shall from time to time report such arrangements to the Board of Trustees. Consent should be requested through the appropriate dean’s office. Faculty members shall not use the name Northwestern University in connection with outside activities in a manner that implies the university’s sanction or support, unless the required consent has been obtained…”
When responding to inquiries in their fields of professional competence or acting as private citizens on issues of general public interest, faculty members may use their academic titles for purposes of identification but should make it clear that they speak, write, and act for themselves and not for the institution.”
Seals repeatedly uses the title of “adjunct professor” on his campaign material, in debates and in interviews with the media, even though the university has publicly responded that he is only a visiting lecturer. His own political Web site states, “Dan is a business consultant and adjunct professor at Northwestern University.”
Many media outlets throughout the area also have referred to Seals as a professor here at NU. Despite his use of a university title, Seals has never indicated that he does not speak or politick on behalf of the university, as the Faculty Handbook requires. Failure to issue this disclaimer results in using the NU brand to further his partisan pursuits.
First, if you are hired for a job while running for office at any university and the university knows, you explicitly have permission to keep running. It’s not that uncommon and while I have no idea if it has happened at Northwestern it’s happened at Washington University with some frequency including now State Senator Jeff Smith and former US Senator Jim Talent.
Second, telling people where you work does not imply university support or sanction. That’s like claiming a resume to a new potential employer is sanctioning or supporting the applicant to get the new job.
It’s hard to imagine focusing on more trivial matters than one line in campaign literature that tells people what Seals does for a living. There’s an administration that has deeply politicized the Justice Department, illegally spied on Americans, and gotten us into a war under false pretenses and without a strategy to actually win or get out of that war, but the biggest thing one can do to help Mark Kirk out is complain about a line in a resume.
Frank: I think it was Napoleon who said, “Without discipline, an army is no more than a bunch of guys all wearing the same colour clothes.”
Potter: Napoleon?
Frank: Could have been Mussolini.
April 3rd, 2008 at
Larry- you and Rob N. must be really worried about this, considering how you guys jumped on it this morning. So, in addition to getting inside Seals’ head, I guess I’ve gotten inside yours. I have to say, I’ve seldom read a post that so thoroughly misses the point of what I wrote; the issue of the day is the complaint of the NU students that Seals is not following university policy. Read it again.
BTW, simply putting up posts and ending every diatribe with “Hey, don’t you people know there’s a war on?” is not going to win it in November.
April 3rd, 2008 at
No, it’s really not an issue. As I pointed out.
You are Frank Burns–worried about everything, but what’s important. It’s not going to get any traction because he’s doing what everyone else does–point out where they work. But nice try.
April 3rd, 2008 at
If this is what Mr. Seals does for a living, the pay must be huge. I don’t know anyone who can live on teaching one class. That is, unless they are very famous.
April 3rd, 2008 at
The fact a couple of partisans wrote a letter to the editor and to a university official is hardly “a mess” to be gotten out of. It’s inanity, as rational folks are attempting to explain to you.
Unfortunately, in your state of willful partisan idiocy such attempts, apparently, are futile.
April 3rd, 2008 at
It is very important to have clean, honest leaders in government. When Dan Seals deceives people by intimating that he was hired to have the same title to teach at a top 15, barely, school as serious scholars or leaders in their profession he is lying. This is a dirty trick and doesn’t speak highly of him.
On the North Shore we have moral values and want leaders who will represent us well. Judging from the cesspool in State government, the patronage brigade in Cook County, and your advocacy for Seals it’s clear you don’t share those values.
The bigger issue with Seals is pay to play. How does one afford to run for Congress for 3 years, not have a job and live in one of the most expensive communities in the State, while raising three kids? He should release his tax returns.
April 3rd, 2008 at
He was hired to be an adjunct professor or lecturer. That’s not a lie.
That’s not a question. The two questions brought up are:
1) Was he entitled to say he was an adjunct before the class begun.
2) Whether he can say he is an adjunct while campaigning.
You are inventing an entirely different issue.
April 3rd, 2008 at
“Adjunct professor” means you’re teaching a course (generally part-time) at some college or university. It means absolutely the same as a “visiting lecturer”.
If this is all the opposition can dig up they must truly be desperate.
What a joke.
April 3rd, 2008 at
“Good Deal” manufactures yet another bogus controversy which (since TA is also weaving it into his posts) is apparently the next trick in the cons’ bag.
I wonder, Good Deal calls himself “Good Deal” but are his comments really a good deal? What value is there in these fibs that Good Deal promotes?
And just how is it that Good Deal can afford to spend so much time at a computer terminal, typing out three whole paragraphs of schlock, at a time when access to the Internet can run in the tens of dollars per month?
I ask the North Shore, can they really afford this supposed “Good Deal” and GD’s obvious lack of moral values, let alone some non sequitor about GD having the appearance of wanting a leadership position in a cess pool just because I know how to type the phrase “cess pool”?
(Anybody have a picture of a seal? Or a rooster?)
April 4th, 2008 at
To Good Deal RE: moral values.
Define moral values.
To me, I find Kirk’s continual support for an illegal & immoral war much more morally unacceptable than some trivial & unwarranted “concern” about Dan Seals’ financial condition.
Kirk is about as transparent as mud.
April 4th, 2008 at
…if I may add; the letter (or “Formal Letter, excuse me) in the Daily Northwestern attacking Seals was written by two authors whose previous writings include selections like;
Brownback to speak at pro-life Banquet (James D’Angelo)
Northwestern Students for Life vs College Feminists (D’Angelo)
Conservatives speak on Darfur Crisis(Will Upton)
So, yeah. Not exactly an unbiased source. But if you think the best way to keep Kirk in office is to expose an instructor at Northwestern for telling people he, well, is an instructor at Northwestern, then, I wish you luck.
April 4th, 2008 at
Wow! I didn’t realize you answered comments.
April 7th, 2008 at
What can you say? The Kirk Jerks just believe in truth, justice and the American way.
April 8th, 2008 at
Kirk not only supports everything the Bush administration is and does, he is against everything for the people of Illinois and the country.
He voted against the Rail Safety Act, DC voters, giving going wages to government construction workers, S/CHIP, adjusting the AMT, prescription drug imports, mortgage reforms, etc., ad nauseum. Oh, but he did vote for tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts…for the rich.
I hope that we show this dick to the door for good in the upcoming election. Buh bye asshole.
April 9th, 2008 at
Free Tibet!
April 9th, 2008 at
In the spirit of off-topic-ness (thanks, EBG), blogger John Brown, KS, takes an in-depth look at just who Taylor Marsh is.
http://johnbrownks.blogspot.com/2008/03/fraud-or-legitimate-pundit-taylor-marsh.html
I suspect some might be a bit amused … (and, btw, there’s follow-up)
Or maybe this be Arch’s I-70 twin (at the other end of Missouri).
April 16th, 2008 at
Can we all agree Team America is an absolutely ridiculous partisan blog? Its simply recycled GOP talking points and attacks on Dan Seals. All this does is to increase their traffic from 2 to 25 hits. Its not REAL journalism, just a guy with a grudge creating fake controversy and hoping it catches on.