This has got to be one of the all-time great quotes. When asked about how she plans on dealing with the press, this was Meg Whitman’s response:
“Some of these newspapers, as you know better than I, will not be around in the near term.”
Her plan is to wait for the newspapers to collapse? Really? While the newspapers aren’t in great shape, expecting them to fail between now and next November seems a bit optimistic (or pessimistic for most sane humans). I’m sure all the reporters, and staff of the newspapers will appreciate her anticipation of their job losses.
But hey, she’s got a billion or so in her bank account. Why would a few job losses trouble her? After all, she got paid to lay off workers, right?
of a billionaire. When you have that much money, you think you deserve it, that you earned it, and that the fact that other people don’t have as much money self-evidently proves your intrinsic superiority. You believe that you deserve to rule, because you are so obviously better. The idea of buying your way into the highest, most difficult job in a massive state government seems entirely fair to you, even though you have never held public office and rarely even voted.
And your solution to problems matches the same attitude. Budget problem? Fire everybody. Need votes? Buy them. Command and control. Newspapers don’t like you? No problem — the newspapers are failing, while you — well, you have a billion dollars. So you are obviously superior.
Her Majesty Meg is a nut.