Not that Time's in the tank for Obama or nuthin'. Not that its new cover merely depicts Barack with an other-worldly aura, asks the question whether experience matters and answers it largely in the negative.
No, it gets much better. The magazine's editor goes on Morning Joe and cites a study comparing a new nurse with a nurse who has 35 years of experience. And he lets us know that not only did the experienced nurse not perform any better than the rookie, she actually wound up . . . killing the patient faster!
Time editor Rick Stengel [a former Bill Bradley speechwriter] today made his regular Thursday-morning Morning Joe appearance to tout the mag's new cover story. This week's, as you'll see from the screencap, is "How Much Does Experience Matter?", with that ethereal glow surrounding Obama's noggin.
RICK STENGEL: What the story does that's so interesting is it talks about how being president is, as they used to say in Latin class, sui generis: it's a job unlike any other job. There's a great quote from Jim Baker saying "the only presidential experience that exists is presidential experience." Nothing else really matters.
And then we have a science story which is fascinating about what does social science say about experience. It looks at studies of nursing, of figure skating, of chess masters, and one of the things it discovers is that sometimes having a lot of experience prevents you from looking at things in a new way, from seeing things in a new way, from reacting in a new way, which is what a president needs to do!
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Or it instills fears, quite frankly.
STENGEL: Right.
BRZEZINSKI: Experience, you're right, can leave different labels in your mind.
STENGEL: Exactly.
BRZEZINSKI: Diffuse this, or pop this balloon. I had Wesley Clark on last week, a Clinton supporter. And I asked him a leading question: if you're taking troops into battle, do you want a field commander that has 35 years of experience at the highest levels in warfare, or a guy that's been out of West Point for one year. Of course, he --
STENGEL: The science of experience story begins with a test of two nurses, one a nurse who had 35 years of experience --
BRZEZINSKI: Ah, I like this better
STENGEL: And one who had one year experience.
BRZEZINSKI: I like this better!
STENGEL: The nurse with 35 years experience made the same mistake as the rookie nurse, and actually killed the patient faster.
BRZEZINSKI: Ooh!
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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"BRZEZINSKI: Ooh!"
February 28, 2008 - 09:59 ET by MassConservOoh!, is right Mika. But, "Oh Brother!" is more like it.
OY! Beyond that, I'm just speechless. These people are just... WOW!
Time
February 28, 2008 - 10:02 ET by allanfThis thought process has evidently found its way into Time magazine's hiring practices. It seems that the magazine no longer hires journalists, but rather inferior essayists.
That's the dumbest analogy I have seen
February 28, 2008 - 10:09 ET by PamI mean come on! At least put some effort into it!
You've got to be kidding!!!
February 28, 2008 - 10:51 ET by William PhelpsNursing...okay. Figure skating and chess? This isn't a game, its the presidency. On top of that, what do we know about these two nurses? Nothing. The one with experience could be an idiot. If on average this is the case, then they need to have more continuing education for nurses. Also, a new grad nurse does the same thing as a veteran nurse. An inexperienced politician doesn't do the same thing as the president. I'm pretty good at understanding relationships that these media people try to represent, but this is the dumbest of dumb.
Maybe this is the reason the government is consistently run by idiots. People actually believe that you need someone with a different perspective all the time. Sure!!! If that were true, Goldman Sachs would be hiring new college grads as CEOs. The most successful businesses in the world hire on experience. The strongest armies promote the best trained officers. None of them hire Joe Bachelor Degree or Second Lieutenant Smith to lead the entire company or the entire military. To be the best and most efficient you need experience. To run student council, you need fans. Is this student council?!?!?!
This is sad for Time magazine. You know what, I'll apply for the position of Chief Editor for Time. I should have a new view on how the magazine should be run, so that makes me the best candidate. Surely they would hire me based on that.
Even better point!!!!
February 28, 2008 - 15:00 ET by William PhelpsI haven't seen this response to the video yet, but it's hilarious. Sure, the 35 year vetaran killed the patient faster, BUT THAT MEANS BOTH NURSES KILLED THE PATIENT!!! That, my friends, is a perfect relationship for New Barack and Veteran Hillary...they are both going to kill the country, the real question is which one will do it faster.
I wonder
February 28, 2008 - 11:01 ET by KillgraveSo, if I'm reading this correctly, Stengle is willing to gamble this country's future, and the world's future, on this theory?
I wonder if he would make the same gamble on his personal well-being. If he needed crucial surgery for something, would he have the procedure done by a kid straight out of med school, or a seasoned veteran?
OK, Stengel, today, for
February 28, 2008 - 11:39 ET by jdhawkOK, Stengel, today, for your open heart surgery, we have Nurse No-Nothing that will be assisting me as part of the surgical team. She has never assisted me or for that matter never even seen this procedure being done, but she is brand new out of nursing school. And, according to your most recent "theory" in your own magazine, she should do just fine.
As your heart surgeon, is there anything you want to say before we begin?
The above vignette was brought to you by Time Magazine. The magazine that is taking the, "I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express advertisement," to the ultimate absurdity. And, now for a synopsis of the latest from Mad Magazine - a much less bizarre and actually funny magazine . . .
It's about progress. This
February 28, 2008 - 11:51 ET by NonArabOmarIt's about progress. This issues has been brought up with physicians and surgeons. Older nurses and physicians are often times not forced by their employers to retrain every few years to learn the latest technology, techniques, and drugs that are gaining widespread use.
They in turn end up practicing 35 year old medicine to the detriment of the patient. They may not know of a new drug or a new surgical technique that may save your life. They may choose to perform surgery on a certain part of your body as it was done 20 years ago and leave you with large amounts of scaring where a younger doctor trained in more recently developed methods may perform the same sort of surgery with less impact on your body.
A younger nurse may be trained to recognize a wider range of symptoms to common ailments where an old nurse may not. They may recognize the flesh eating bacterial infection a lot sooner and get the doctor.
Experience is great but medical breakthroughs are important, too.
Is there a Doctor in the house?
February 28, 2008 - 12:29 ET by CobraMan"A younger nurse may be trained to recognize a wider range of symptoms to common ailments where an old nurse may not."
Nurses are not “trained to recognize” ailments of any kind. The doctor does that. Only a licensed Doctor can legally diagnose and treat a patent. Nurses assist the Doctor; they do not supplant them.
So it must be the
February 28, 2008 - 12:02 ET by BuffNBoneSo it must be the experience factor that is taking the New York Times down the tubes.
"Fighters are fun but bombers make policy"
Someone at MSNBC must have
February 28, 2008 - 12:13 ET by marpelSomeone at MSNBC must have told Mika to continuously interrupt and talk over everyone on the set. For the last few days, she's talking about NOTHING while someone else is trying to make a point. This is not only unprofessional, but it's rude as hell. If I would have been on the set this morning, trying to make a point, I would have had to stop and just tell her, "MIKA, SHUT UP!!!"
I can't change the channel fast enough. I saw the messianic cover picture of Obama and I changed the channel immediately. My blood pressure can't take it. At least SNL noticed the Obama-worship by the MSM.
I bet it's comforting for
February 28, 2008 - 12:29 ET by rbosqueI bet it's comforting for the NYT to know that they are not the only dumbed-down leftist publication in th U.S.
Nurse Commander in Chief?
February 28, 2008 - 12:45 ET by CobraManWhy did he use a nurse/president analogy? That seems like a rather large stretch as nurse's do not make decisions concerning the heath and well being of a patent. It would be better if he used a doctor/president analogy as doctors make the decisions as to treatment of a patent, just as the president makes the decisions as to federal policies and their implementation. Ask yourself this: Would you rather be treated for a serious ailment by a doctor with years of experience in similar, related situations or someone fresh out of med school?
If you must use a nurse analogy, it would be better, and more realistic, to compare a nurse and a department secretary.
This is your pilot
February 28, 2008 - 12:52 ET by Jack BauerBy the way, the most inane part of this analogy is that Senator Clinton is supposed to have 35 years "experience."
Experience of frackin' what??
Nurse Hillary
February 28, 2008 - 13:07 ET by CobraMan"Experience of frackin' what??"
That's easy; nursing Bill's bruised ego!
cobra -- wouldn 't she have
February 28, 2008 - 14:57 ET by Jack Bauercobra -- wouldn 't she have to live with Bill to massage his ego?
Something that hasn't happened for at least the last 8 years. Or so rumor has it.
Big Bill
February 28, 2008 - 15:17 ET by CobraManShe doesn’t need to live with Bill to massage his ego. Since Bill's ego is so large, I don't even think she needs to be in the same county, let alone the same residence.
She has 35 years' experience
February 28, 2008 - 14:34 ET by KillgraveShe has 35 years' experience hunting down and threatening bimbos. Which I can see her using the White House as a sort of witch's gingerbread house... to attract skanks like Paris Hilton into her lair...