July 27, 2001
My Meeting With Henry

Let me say right off the bat that the Che Guevara poster (which I didn¹t actually see in Fernandez¹ spacious office) doesn¹t work with me-as it seems to with Paul Bass-in establishing Henry Fernandez's radical bona fides. I¹ve seen enough radical style as a substitute for radical substance for a  lifetime in recent years. That being said, there are two ways at looking at the enigma which is Henry Fernandez depending on one¹s level of cynicism.  >From one side, he personifies Clinton era evil: his credibility among nominal leftists combined with the Mr. Clean image has allowed him and the administration he serves to afflict the afflicted and comfort the comfortable far more effectively than were he the usual glad-handing dealmaker who occupies his office.   From the other side, he represents whatever is left of liberal decency in the Democratic party: a principled, intelligent, and savvy progressive who makes whatever deals with whatever devils are necessary to advance the Benthamite goal of the greatest good for the greatest numbers.  Frankly, I don¹t think any of us will ever know the answer to the question of which side Henry is on. 

True to form, Fernandez was indeed impressive in our meeting today.  He did little to disabuse me of his reputation for Czar like powers. While he made jokes to the effect that executioners awaited me outside the door, he also let me know that he had the ability to carry out the execution in figurative terms should he so desire-and indeed he, and his party, will probably try to do so in November. (He also expressed his "shock" and dismay on my reference to "ivy league technocrats" in last week¹s entry, but that is neither here nor there.) 

Who is John Halle ?

John Halle is an assistant professor in the Department of Music at Yale University, a pianist, a composer, and an author of articles on music and politics. He has lived with his wife, Marka, a professional violinist, at their home on Eld St. since 1997.

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