We Hardly Knew Ye Dept.

First-term Senator Mark Dayton (D-Minn) will not seek re-election, opening up the possibility of two Republican senators from the North Star State and finally allowing the DFL party to live up to its acronym.

"Everything I've worked for and everything I believe in depends upon this Senate seat remaining in the Democratic caucus in 2007," Dayton says. "I do not believe that I am the best candidate to lead the DFL party to victory next year… I cannot stand to do the constant fundraising necessary to wage a successful campaign. And I cannot be an effective senator while also being a nearly full-time candidate. Plus, I choose to devote all of my time and energy to the job Minnesotans elected me to do."

Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina has been given the royal order of the boot. Fiorina made no statement. During her rocky tenure at HP, she oversaw the company's acquisition of Compaq, a move panned by Wall Street and supposedly loathed by employees. According to Forbes.com, one disgruntled employee wrote to the site: "Carly Fiorina has lost the people of HP. She is reviled, despised and unwelcome in the company. The vast majority of HP people wouldn't follow her to a new restaurant, much less through a gut-wrench merger." (Full disclosure: I was never more than 74 percent satisfied with my HP Pavilion laptop, though the company did repair a keyboard malfunction that started three weeks after the warrantee expired.)

Finally, Karl Rove has been promoted to deputy chief of staff.

In 2003, John J. Pitney reviewed two Rove bios for Reason.

Comments

[Eric II]

I think a recital of the Fiorinian Rhapsody would be quite appropriate at HP headquarters today. Any boss who can inspire lyrics like that from an employee most likely had it coming.

[dead_elvis]

Hah!

"In every way Karla Fidora's dainty size 7 1/2 foot left a colossal size 24? footprint on the fortunes of the PH Corporation. She came to PH from the Great American Wire and Cable Company, where she led the divesture of the firm's wire and cable businesses.?? She later noted? "that transaction left us with just the Great American Company and no products, clearly we should have thought that through a little more." She then focused on finding Great American a great new name and logo and facilitated its strategic plunge into bankruptcy.

Fidora was then hired to re-invert the PH Corporation, a company known for little more than world class products and happy employees. It was a status quo that worried competitors and Fidora was committed to turning it around. With a twin strategy of abandoning high margin businesses or selling them to competitors; and acquiring struggling companies in low margin industries at exorbitant premiums, she was able to execute one of the great turnarounds in corporate history.

Fidora was a favorite of employees and personally helped tens of thousands of them move onto their dream of early retirement or new careers in the fast food industry.

Almost from the beginning, Fidora was a media star. Soon after joining PH, she was named "nastiest female CEO in America". She took offense to the title, saying " I want to be known as the nastiest CEO in America, period."?

http://www.everythingispossible.com/

[Douglas Fletcher]

If they elect another Republican senator in Minnejota, I think it'll push Garrison Keillor completely over the edge. I predict he'll convert some 19th century mid-western millenial sect, if only so he can sing more of those god-awful hymns on his show.

Fingers on the chalkboard, man, fingers on the chalkboard.

[Douglas Fletcher]

fingernails on the chalkboard, man

[Ken Shultz]

Any news on the size of Carly's parachute?

...I bet she gotta a nice parachute.

[kmw]

21 mil.

[kmw]

But Ken, if you're using euphemisms for something else.... For your own good, I'm going to have to hurt you. Look not at evil incarnate, lest you be turned to stone.

[Serafina]

Dayton's bowing out of the race has the Republicans running scared actually. It's amusing to see their confidence dip so quickly. There are little rumors floating about the capital that Jesse Ventura might consider a run for Dayton's seat, which I'd love to see.

[AJS]

Eric II, those lyrics were a work of pure genius. I hear that Fiorina was utterly loathed by the rank and file of HP. The Compaq merger was corporate suicide from the beginning and her demolishing of the "HP Way" borders on criminal IMHO. Hopefully under new leadership HP can become innovative and vibrant again.