[Guest post by DRJ]
Politico’s Shenanigans posted Wednesday about Democratic Cong. Jim McDermott’s office manager and scheduler, Elizabeth Becton, and her dramatic reaction to being called Liz.
Even Keith Olbermann loved this story, and I highly recommend you watch his simulated version.
— DRJ
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
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I hear Barbara Boxer wants to hire her.
Ken (c97a0c) — 6/19/2009 @ 2:43 pmJill Biden is another and I think she has an Ed D.
She’s also been mocked for her insistence that people call her “Dr.” She even corrected a soldier she greeted at Fort Bragg, who said, “Hello, Mrs. Biden,” according to an account on Twitter. (Biden’s spokeswoman said that didn’t occur.)
Biden has defended her preference, telling People, “Ya know, I worked hard for that degree.”
It’s interesting to compare her dissertation topic with that of the previous VP spouse who didn’t insist she be called “Dr.”
For what it’s worth, the previous second lady, Lynne Cheney, had a PhD in English Literature from Wisconsin. I don’t recall her ever being referred to as “Dr. Cheney” in the press or White House press releases. But she’d already had a distinguished career in her own right, including a stint as NEH chair. She was a fellow at AEI while her husband was veep; I don’t know whether she was paid.
If you spend any time around universities, you know that EdDs are what school principles get, not professors.
Mike K (90939b) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:00 pmOh, how I hate laughing with Olbermann!
I hope she is pranked called by ‘Liz’ seekers, she has to change her number.
Dana (aedf1d) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:03 pmThese people think that they are the ruling class and should be treated as such.
Tar and feathers ought to come back into fashion.
As for “Doctorates of Education”, there is no better way to sort out the completely useless, parasitical drones than to sort by who has and who has not a “Ed D” degree. The “Ed D” degree was invented for those people whose pay charts in education gave them pay raises for doctorates but were too useless to actually ever earn a real PhD.
However, if they were merely useless as the EdD would suggest, it would not be so bad. Instead, actual Ed D. programs indoctrinate their “students” into some of the most dangerous stupidities one can imagine.
Every time you hear of some inane stupid policy pronouncement from an education “professional”, I guarantee that they will have an “Ed D.” behind their name.
SPQR (72771e) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:05 pmOuch. Don’t these folks understand that they are being recorded, and people pay attention to the things they say?
Ouch.
Eric Blair (0b61b2) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:11 pmIt’s interesting to see what people define themselves by and build their identities around. Advanced degrees and furthering one’s education is one thing; hard work and discipline is certainly an integral part of the success. That immense sense of accomplishment and meeting the goal is enough for some people, but funny how so many need that to be how others define them as well…anything less, well, it’s just not acceptable. Validation hungry, I guess…
Dana (aedf1d) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:17 pmOlbermann’s bit was hilarious. Almost as funny as his ‘Dragnet’ piece his did on Senator Craig a whole back.
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:18 pm#7- whole=while
DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:18 pmI’ve never watched too much of Olbermann. Has he always had the same facial ticks and mannerisms as Jon Stewart, or is this something new?
JVW (2cd0a9) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:24 pmThere are three mommies and one daddy, who are doctors, who walk their kids to school along with me and my daughter. I started off calling them “doctor” — I am now on a first name basis with three but still “doctor” with the fourth even though I am on a first name basis with her husband.
People should be called whatever they want to be called. There was a comedian from my youth who had a routine around his name, “You can call me Jay, or you can call me J.J. … but never call me …”. Anybody else remember him?
nk (d111a3) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:30 pmI would call her Lizzie from now until the end of time.
JD (54baf8) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:39 pmDizzy Lizzy, JD, just for extra kicks.
Dana (aedf1d) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:41 pmnk (3:30), Raymond J. Johnson: “You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay. . . [then a lot of other potential nicknames]. . . but don’t ever call me Johnson.”
JVW (2cd0a9) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:42 pmLighten up, Francis.
carlitos (84409d) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:49 pmDizzy Lizzy would not like me.
JD (54baf8) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:53 pmDizzy Lizzy, JD, just for extra kicks.
Take another step and have a song title: Dizzy Miss Lizzy.
Paul (creator of "Staunch Brayer") (bcc87c) — 6/19/2009 @ 3:57 pmMan, I hated that damn Ray Jay guy – always the same cornball act, repeated ad nauseum for about 5 years. Almost as bad as Gallagher.
Dmac (f7884d) — 6/19/2009 @ 4:01 pmmaybe she prefers “Lez”…..
(not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. %-)
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 6/19/2009 @ 4:03 pmBah, you amateurs. You don’t really know how to beat up on a lady. Let me help you:
Quit apologizing and never call me anything but Elizabeth again. Also, make sure you correct anyone who attempts to call me by any other name but Elizabeth. Are we clear on this? Like I said, it’s a hot
nk (d111a3) — 6/19/2009 @ 4:16 pmbuttonflash for me.On the Boxer note, I just wish the Brigadier General had answered her with “Yes, ma’am, Senator.”
reff (ee9f7a) — 6/19/2009 @ 8:49 pmI could hardly watch it. Olbermann is too hateful to consider funny. Even when mocking someone who really deserves it.
Marty Farty (73baad) — 6/19/2009 @ 10:32 pmCan’t believe no one else is disturbed by how many times the “offender” apologized. That was ridiculous. It was an honest mistake. How many times did he/she write “I’m sorry if I offended you?” One apology and that should have been it.
fiestamom (cf47bb) — 6/20/2009 @ 4:32 amThe poor guy/lady likely needs to put a roof on the table and food over his/her head. But yes, most people would have said “take your name and your meeting and stick them both in your ______”.
nk who will call himself Nadine Groot for a while (d111a3) — 6/20/2009 @ 4:57 amSounds like this woman has tourette syndrome.
My first name is Arch, not Archibald, not Archie. A very long time ago, I stopped worrying about it, and I’ve found the best way to deal with it is to just chuckle and smile. If the person asks me what’s so funny, I tell them that Archibald runs a high priced strip joint on K-Street or Archie is a comic book character and my name is just “Arch.”
Notice how careful the lobbyist is not to offend the staffer. They function as gate keepers and can easily deny you and your client access. Also, it never fails to amaze me how junior legislative assistants (with a lot of help from lobbyists) write language that goes into law.
arch (57fc8a) — 6/20/2009 @ 5:01 amLiz is the illegitimate daughter Barbara Boxer gave up for adoption. Too much of a coincidence.
I pity the man who goes home this woman.
Jim McDermott’s DC office phone: (202) 225-3106
furious (71af32) — 6/20/2009 @ 6:06 amI think nk (4:57 am) is right that this person over-apologized because he/she was worried about losing his/her job. On the other hand, someone released the email correspondence to Politico, and I seriously doubt if it was on Liz’s end of the exchange. Revenge. . . best served cold and all that.
JVW (2cd0a9) — 6/20/2009 @ 2:02 pmLiz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz, Liz …. I sure hope you did not get fired by Baghdad Jim McDermott. How appropriate that a hateful vengeful spiteful little tyrant is working for a congresscritter like him.
JD (eb396d) — 6/20/2009 @ 2:31 pmI attempted to post something like the following at Politico
It’s amazing that ole Rep. McDermott
Has meetings, and isn’t a hermit
His flunkie, Liz Becton
Is “crazy” unchecked, ‘n’
She’s bitterly keen to confirm it.
No surprise that McDermott employs an insecure dud like Liz. Like attracts like: before this, I knew him best as a Vietnam phony (he claimed for years to have served in Vietnam; it was one of the things he got elected on in the first place. He never got close to Southeast Asia). He’s actually not unusual in being a phony vet in Congress. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) is another one, and unlike McDermott he didn’t even serve in the stateside military. There was a Republican named Wes Cooley who was exposed as a phony and resigned or was defeated.
Basically take claims of military service from Congressmen with a
grain of saltsalt lick. And even the ones who did serve (Duke Cunningham, John Kerry) can be pretty lousy human beings. A good rule of thumb for understanding Congress: they’re all crooks.No wonder they hire people with Liz Becton’s character deficiencies.
Kevin R.C. O'Brien (526364) — 6/20/2009 @ 7:31 pmYou know, I changed my mind.
I just had to deal with a paralegal whose name is C____ B_______. On her voice mail, she called herself C__________. On the email I sent her, I addressed her as “Dear Ms. B_________”. This whole thing could have been avoided with “Dear Ms. Becton”, and not presuming familiarity.
nk (7cc6e1) — 6/23/2009 @ 8:46 am