If the foundations be destroyed, Dumbledore enters local politics.
Donning a pair of thick rimmed glasses and asking if he looked authentic, he opened a press conference Thursday by saying he would make no predictions about what would happen in the book. Can politics get any more bizarre?
I felt like I had entered the twilight zone. I was listening to someone who was but a caricature of himself. Trying to tag your political support on to the success of a book seemed a tad desperate.
And that was the essence of the whole affair. Mayor Beutler was stepping into his own caricature. Not receiving the Lincoln Journal Star, I was not privy to this very important background:
You would think that the mayor had more important things to do than combat the image that he doesn’t know who Harry Potter is. Such knowledge is hardly a prerequisite for public service.
But as the mayor says,
The greatest quality of us muggles is that we always muggle through.
I guess. But I would like my leaders to do a bit more than just “muggle through.” And reach for foundations set a bit deeper than what can be found in the juvenile section of my local library.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
This is a very clever and witty post. I really enjoyed reading it.
Wow. All I can say is, wow.
And ask, where are the great leaders we can be proud of?
How many references to Harry Potter are there in the Declaration of Independence?
Regardless of the time difference you should get the point!
I think by referencing Harry Potter he is in a way letting people know that he understands people have other things on their mind. OR perhaps he has Harry Potter on the brain and has used it as a sort of parable for politics. I know a lot of people that take their every day life situations and use them as parables when they are trying to make a point. It’s also a way to get people who wouldn’t normally “get it” to understand where he is coming from. It’s just a type of style which I am really do not take offense OR issue with.
Well, if he was just thinking about Harry Potter and it crept into his conversation then I suppose it could have been a natural slip. It does seem odd that he tied something that is mainly for entertainment, Harry Potter, to something that is more serious (running a town).
If he made a conscious effort to include Harry Potter in his speech because of some poll–well, that’s a politician for you.
When I first heard it, all I could think was “????????????.”
But I found out later about the editorial cartoon. Then at least it made sense, although I think he maybe overdid it a bit.
It worked, I guess. I rarely post about Lincoln’s politics and have never mentioned Beutler before. But here he is on my blog.
I still think there are better symbols to use, however.
And Laura, I think that is the essence of the whole thing. It is just politics. I appreciate the sense of humor, and please don’t take this too seriously. A little speech at the library as he presented the gift of several copies of the book was probably appropriate.
But where is the focus? On entertainment rather than really dealing with issues. I’m still trying to imagine a press conference with a mayor dressed as Harry Potter.
Modern politics at its best. The entertainer, not the true politician, rules the day.
It seems that everything is pop culture these days. What has happened to academia, to politics, to religion–everyone is reaching for pop culture, for that instant fame and notoriety.
Don’t get me wrong, I like pop culture as much as the next guy…but it has its place and time…and that is not every day, every where, every minute.