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« More Thoughts On The Tenth Anniversary | Main | Offense By Surrogate »

An Ode To Laziness

I have often been accused of being "lazy." Even by people who I know and love. Even, on occasion, by myself.

But what was the basis for the accusation?

Apparently, that I am not continually busy. That I often indulge in the very effective technique of "management by procrastination." That I often do what needs to be done without breaking a sweat, and while waiting until the last minute to do it.

Once, in college (in the dark ages prior to word processors), I wrote a term paper, that I had known was due for many weeks, due the next day at the end of the semester, in an all-nighter, on a manual typewriter, with no notes, no citations, no...nothing. I had just been thinking about the subject for weeks, and the night before it was due, I sat down, and knocked out a twelve-page typewritten paper, with minor erasures, in a night. I got an A minus.

So I have mixed feelings when I hear that Fred Thompson is "lazy."

Now, I don't think that Fred Thompson is lazy. I just think that, despite the southern drawl, which many (mistakenly, as anyone who has worked with smart NASA employees and contractors in Houston, Huntsville and the Cape would know) think is a mark of a slow mentality, that he works smart, and cheap. Robert Heinlein once wrote that: "Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things."

I believe that.

I don't want a president, or a presidential candidate, who is frenetically scurrying around, appearing to be doing something, particularly two years before the swearing in. If he's really a conservative (as he claims to be, though I'm not necessarily), I'm perfectly happy with a president who, when demanded to do something, just stands there. And as a libertarian, opposed to big government, I'm happy to have a president who will think before acting, and who believes that the first instinct should not be to pass yet another federal law.

I'm actually quite pleased with Fred Thompson's campaign style to date. It saddens me that so many others, who would be otherwise disposed to vote for him, are not. I'm saddened that they think that he needs to stoke a "fire in the belly," rather than simply employ the minimum resources needed to win the election. You would think that the warm-mongers would be pleased at Fred's lack of energy and want to vote for him, to help save the planet. As an engineer, I'm extremely impressed with his efficiency. As a result, it's very frustrating to know that, if everyone who would vote for him "if he only had a chance" would actually vote for him, that he'd have a chance. It's kind of the reverse of Yogi Berra's old saying that "no one goes downtown any more; it's too crowded."

So here's where the mixed feelings come in. As an engineer, one needs margins. I'm concerned that he cut it a little too close. I'm afraid that in waiting just a little too long to get in, and in waiting just a little too long to finally go after the Elmer Gantrys and other pretenders to Republicanism and conservatism, that he's just missed the boat.

Despite this fear, I will continue to support him, and hope that I'm wrong, into South Carolina and beyond. Because if so, he will prove to be the most parsimonious president in American history. And I think we could use not just a little, but a lot of that right now.

Posted by Rand Simberg at January 17, 2008 09:16 PM

Comments

As a result, it's very frustrating to know that, if everyone who would vote for him if "he only had a chance" would actually vote for him, that he'd have a chance.

Indeed

Posted by Leland at January 18, 2008 05:09 AM

Once upon a time, there was a recall election in the People's Republic. The state governor was going to get recalled, one way or another. Dead certain. The only issue was would a real conservative candidate be given a chance by the GOP power brokers? Of course not silly. They picked a RINO actor with name recognition and threw all their resources behind him. The real conservative was still on the ballot, but stranded by his own party, he lost. Several years later the RINO has the same problems that caused the DemocRAT to be recalled. Now the GOP is responsible for the mess, and has no one to blame but themselves.

Moral of the story - stop treating "electability" as a separate entity. It is a function of the competition, the candidate's experience, position on the issues and their character. Fred is absolutely the best candidate in the race (with the possible exception of Hunter). He ain't 100% pure (CFR) but you can vote for him without remorse.

Posted by RKV at January 18, 2008 06:45 AM

My first law is that "Laziness is the foundation of efficiency." Give a job to a lazy man and he'll find the fastest, simpliest, and easiest way to get the job done right the first time because anything else is more work. That, or he'll get the job shifted to someone else on the premise that an action transferred is an action completed.

I like Fred Thompson. While he has no executive experience to speak of, he seems like someone who is both comfortable in his own skin and who doesn't live or die based on getting elected. I can't help but wonder at those who've effectively been preparing themselves to run for higher office since childhood. That isn't normal or healthy, IMO.

I am disturbed to hear Fred voted for McCain-Feingold, though.

Posted by Larry J at January 18, 2008 07:53 AM

I'm also getting a bit tired of the "lazy" charge.

Let me tell what I've learned about Andrew Card, Bush's chief of staff for a number of years. Press reports tell us the man arose around 4 AM, was at work somewhat after 5 AM, worked until 8 or 9 PM and took calls after that. When he left the Bush White House, people said he looked "burned out." No kidding.

Some months later Card wrote a book review that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. In it he revealed that, while in college, he got married, had a child and worked 50 hours/week at a fast food business. If this is true, he sure as hell wasn't majoring in physics at a good school like I did.

My IQ is high enough for Mensa. I finished the Marine Corps Marathon in 1996. I can't work the kinds of hours Card seemed to have worked and make any sense. I'm tired of workaholics making crazy demands on people.

FWIW, I'm not a Thompson backer at this time.

Posted by Chuck Divine at January 18, 2008 08:42 AM

I am disturbed to hear Fred voted for McCain-Feingold, though.

I am as well, but at least, unlike McCain, he has since expressed regret that he did so.

Posted by Rand Simberg at January 18, 2008 09:40 AM

It sounds like people are more interested in the theater of appearing to work hard rather than actual hard work.

Or rather, the reporters are...

The press spends probably a couple orders of magnitude more than the candidates do on political advertising, via their decisions about who to cover and who not to cover. And they don't really want to cover Thompson, they want a guy like McCain or Huckabee to be the nominee.

(Because they'd either be easier to beat or more liberal on the issues).

Posted by Phil Fraering at January 18, 2008 09:51 AM

Give Jonah's new book "LiberalFascism" a read. The criticism comes from the liberal's "will to action". It's the idea that what good is having power if you don't use it, "Don't just stand there, do something -- anything"

Posted by Jim Gleason at January 18, 2008 09:55 AM

"...he will prove to be the most parsimonious president in American history [a]nd I think we could use not just a little, but a lot of that right now."
Amen.

Posted by Jim,MtnViewCA,USA at January 18, 2008 09:56 AM

As an "uneducated housewife," (well, I don't have any degrees but I think I'm pretty smart) I have for forty years (I'm 71) said to many people that laziness is the mother of invention. This is proven by the fact that what is invented is always, (if it takes) a simpler, easier way to do something.
Note: this does not prove true for Microsoft!;D

Posted by Ruth H at January 18, 2008 09:58 AM

Like some have alluded to before, too bad Fred can't be elected and simply delegate the detail work of the job to Mitt with instructions.

Posted by edh at January 18, 2008 10:10 AM

Any one who is that hungry ,or desperate, for the job shouldn't get it. It is then too much of a power trip.

Posted by renminbi at January 18, 2008 10:13 AM

Aren't you geeky enough to know Larry Wall's dictum? "Three great virtues of programming are laziness, impatience, and hubris." (see http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/opensources/book/larry.html)

I'm not sure Fred is impatient enough, but I think he's good on the other two. And I can't complain about the name!

Posted by Fred B. at January 18, 2008 10:17 AM

Hear, hear! Fred's so-called "laziness" is his most attractive feature to me.

Please forgive the blog pimping, but here's an article all about how a German general promoted officers because they were lazy:
http://exurbanleague.com/2007/11/28/in-praise-of-laziness.aspx

Excellent post!

Posted by Exurban Jon at January 18, 2008 10:25 AM

You've got people who are unqualified, but want the job. -- And they're unqualified.

You've got people who are qualified, and want the job. And they're also unqualified.

Then you've got people who are qualified but don't want the job -- and they are qualified.

It's a funny old world.

Posted by Tom Paine at January 18, 2008 10:42 AM

So here's where the mixed feelings come in. As an engineer, one needs margins. I'm concerned that he cut it a little too close. I'm afraid that in waiting just a little too long to get in, and in waiting just a little too long to finally go after the Elmer Gantrys and other pretenders to Republicanism and conservatism, that he's just missed the boat.

Spot on.

Fred elevates the quality of the race whether he is nominated or not, so I made him a donation. He appealed for more and I added a little.

But not another penny until he wins a primary.

Posted by gs at January 18, 2008 10:42 AM

Why would anyone want to elect someone who scurries around like a shrew on speed campaigning for president? If they want it that badly, they scare me. Especially when they go to great lengths to reinvent themselves through massive pandering to get it.

I thought everyone was sick of 'politics as usual'?

Posted by Mike O at January 18, 2008 10:44 AM

McCain/Feingold is a non-issue for most voters. The average person hasn't even heard of it. Those who have are more likely to think "yeah, election reform is good" than anything else. The people most worked up over it are bloggers, and...

...bloggers seem to be more stoked over FRED! than the population in general.

Go figure.

Posted by gullyborg at January 18, 2008 10:45 AM

The ones complaining are the ones who think "putting in time on the job" is equivalent to "working". They are the same people who think showing up is all that really counts.

This attitude had destroyed our educational system and is destroying our production system as we speak.

Lazy Fred was the last to enter the race and one of the first to issue position papers. I am not sure how this translates to lazy, it appears to make him the hardest worker (or at least by far the most productive worker, not necessarily the same thing) (but when it comes to choosing, give me the productive guy sil vous plais.)

Posted by Tim at January 18, 2008 10:48 AM

I can't agree enough with the statement about how frustrating it is to hear so many people say that they would vote for him if they thought he could win.

If I had a nickel for every time I read or heard that, I would have maxed out my political contribution limit to Fred many months ago.

Posted by Tman at January 18, 2008 10:50 AM

gullyborg,
Couldn't agree more. It's crazy. Fred not only voted for McCain-Feingold, he worked on it, twisted arms, and according to McCain, was instrumental in getting it passed. Now Fred's getting a pass.
People note, rightly, their concerns about Romney shifting what he's said, or McCain acting like he never supported amnesty. But with Fred, we have six years of Senate experience to compare to his current rhetoric, and it is a dismal comparison. While there he fought tort reform, fought the Contract with America, backed McCain-Feingold and every other reform his pal McCain wished to visit upon the populace. But, Fred's the true conservative, because, you know, he says he is, or perhaps, because he plays one on TV.

Posted by gregh at January 18, 2008 10:58 AM

Glen reynolds just lnked to this post. Here is what I wrote to him:

'm a Fred guy. He is the first politician I have given money to since my son was thinking of applying to the Air Force Academy and I thought I might need some friends.

As for lazy, my whole business is built around teaching people to be lazy. I teach them to find easier ways to do their jobs. I have long been inspired by Robert Heinlein's story "The Man who was too lazy to fail" and discuss it in my workshops.

My signature tagline "All progress is made by a lazy man looking for an easier way" also comes from Heinlein.

I even give out big yellow buttons that say "BE LAZY!" at my clients. (I'll be happy to send you a couple if you like)

So whenever I hear someone call Fred "Lazy", I think of a parapharase to Dick Gregory's old line "Mama, they are just advertising my business"

Go to www.changeover.com if you want to learn more.

Feel free to post this or not as you see fit

John Henry
john@changeover.com

Posted by John Henry at January 18, 2008 11:06 AM

The MSM has tagged Fred as "lazy" because he exhibits a distinct disdain for performing like a trained seal every time a camera shows up. A trait that's caused Ms. Clinton a good deal of trouble lately.

As far as the "fire in the belly" goes, he's the only candidate that hasn't caught Populist fever this go around. Fred's answers tend to be of the "Yeah we can fix that, but it's not going to be easy" sort. Not the kind of thing the MSM can turn into a sound byte.

This is probably why he's the only candidate I'd even consider voting for at this point.

Posted by Tucson Tarheel at January 18, 2008 11:17 AM

A corollary is that industrious stupidity is one of the most dangerous forces in the universe.

Posted by suedenim at January 18, 2008 11:26 AM

In a primary race populated by mystery meat candidates Fred Thompson stands out as USPrime.Go Get'em Fred

Posted by Len B at January 18, 2008 11:51 AM

gregh - is that you Huck? What a pantload. Helping yourself to a little stretch there? If you want to provide some links, I'll read them... probably lead to sadlyno, the dogswamp, or Huck08.

Posted by rhodeymark at January 18, 2008 01:10 PM

Why would anyone want to elect someone who scurries around like a shrew on speed campaigning for president? If they want it that badly, they scare me. Especially when they go to great lengths to reinvent themselves through massive pandering to get it.

I also have to wonder about someone being paid to do one job (e.g. be a Senator) who never shows up for work. On the one hand, they shouldn't be paid if they don't show up for work. On the other hand, Hillary, Obama, and McCain probably do less damage out on the campaign trail instead of in the Senate.

Posted by at January 18, 2008 02:00 PM

Clauswitz in his book "On War" suggested that people are either smart, or stupid, and either hard working, or lazy.

Those smart and hard working are suited to for command.
Those smart and lazy make the best staff officers.
You can find some job for the stupid and lazy.
You have to fire those who are stupid and hard working. They make mistakes, and never learn, even from the deaths of thousands.

So, after the Charnal houses of the Soviet Union under Stalin, the perversion and butchery of Red China under Mao, and the torture and murder of National Socialist Germany under Hitler, how stupid do you have to be to try that same old collectivist method again. Only this time try harder!

Posted by Don Meaker at January 18, 2008 05:36 PM

Hehe Don Meaker ^_^ Is that last part an original of yours or from someone else? Very good either way.

Posted by Habitat Hermit at January 18, 2008 09:53 PM


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