Giuliani, Springsteen, and Other Bosses
            

            ELLEN:

            Still on the possible Hillary Clinton run for Senate in New York, I'm not
sure why you think Nita Lowey, should the first lady drop out, would be the
best Democratic candidate. Perhaps she best represent your politics, and those
of many New Yorkers, but she certainly doesn't have the juice to defeat
Giuliani, a politician who gives most people the creeps. But that's why
Giuliani will probably win: People know he's mean, that he grandstands, that
he's a control freak. So he's somewhat immunized against such lapses in a
campaign. Lowey wouldn't stand a chance. RFK Jr. would win going away; Andrew
Cuomo would have an even shot.

            Like the Clintons, Ken Starr is a lame duck. Any report he issues will have
a two-day news cycle life. Starr, whom I believe is a decent, courageous man,
was one of Bill Clinton's victims. He ended up as a zealot, unprepared to deal
with the likes of Sidney Blumenthal and James Carville. He had a terrible sense
of public relations, and was demonized successfully by the Clinton spin
machine. However, he wasn't Bill Clinton's last victim. That honor goes to Al
Gore. I assume you won't be voting for George Bush; do you prefer Gore or
Bradley? Or Warren Beatty?

            You may be correct, but where do you get your information that the stock
market is "shaky"? It certainly was last October, with a recession looming, but
the rapid communications system in place today alerted the people who could do
something about it, unlike the recession of '90-'91.

            Back to your old turf. I don't know if you read the Times today, but
there was an unspeakably awful article by Neil Strauss about a Bruce
Springsteen concert in the arts section. As a woman who's written memorable
rock criticism, what do you think of today's reviewers? Strauss' worship of
Springsteen was very hard to read. Only at the end of the piece does he
acknowledge the pop star's vast wealth, but still gives him a bye. He writes:
"But at the same time he has gotten more than he wanted only to discover that a
dream fulfilled is no longer a dream; it is a new and heavier weight." Yikes.
I'll bet the unemployed blue-collar workers Springsteen sings about so
mournfully would trade places with him in a second.

            Best,
RUSS