Seven molasses-coated Lemmon Drops to nibble on while waiting for Jennifer Wilbanks' 15 minutes of fame to end:
"Toyota, Honda and others have long focused their marketing research on California, to be close to the pulse of the car culture. G.M. does its big thinking in Michigan, which is a little like studying fashion in Toledo."
Ouch.
We've been sucker punched. Again.
I called Mr. Easterbrook, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, and asked why Toledo got the nod over, say, Milwaukee or Omaha. He said he wanted to use a Midwestern city, and Toledo came to mind. It was that simple, he said.
Mr. Easterbrook said he has never been to Toledo, making his out-of-the-blue reference even more perplexing. (At least Washington attorney Brendan Sullivan had been here when, in a federal courtroom in 1999, he mocked us for being "the only place where the McDonald's closes at 5 o'clock.") I'm thinking if Carty Finkbeiner were still mayor, Mr. Easterbrook would have some explaining to do.
Perhaps we should be flattered that he chose Toledo. He said decades ago Peoria, Ill., was considered "the ultimate Midwest town" - and Toledo fits that profile today.
"G.M. does its big thinking in Michigan, which is a little like studying fashion in Peoria."
Doesn't have quite the same oomph, does it? When it comes to being the butt of jokes, Peoria is so yesterday.
Have at it, conspiracy theorists.
Fifth Third Field is starting to pay some meaningful dividends.
I can think of two WSPD-AM (1370) talk-show hosts who, based on their original stances, were 0-for-3. To their credit, they no longer blindly defend Mr. Noe, using words like "duped" and "betrayed" to explain their turnarounds.