Bloodlines

May 12, 2007

Some great reporting and storytelling on NPR this week:

• An interview with a nurseryman who is leading the return of the American elm — ““There are more Elm Streets than Main Streets in America,” he said.
• The good news about Indian mangoes coming to the U.S.
• This interview with a survivor of a killer 1955 Kansas tornado,
• Ken Harbaugh’s essay about being a dad to a young daughter,
• This chat with reporter Gwen Thompkins about Sudan, and
• A local report by Dave DeWitt about fewer African-American baseball players.

But something’s been eating at me since Monday morning, when I heard Cokie Roberts do her usual political analysis. At the end of her segment, Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep added the tidbit that Roberts is the mother of Inskeep’s co-host for the week, Rebecca Roberts (who should be listed on the NPR personalities page but isn’t). It’s natural for a daughter or son to excel at what a parent does, to follow in the footsteps of a mother or father — I was a Peace Corps Volunteer after my father, of course (I wrote about that inspiration here).

During the 2004 election, I made my feelings on presidential succession by bloodline or family connection pretty clear with this poster. I won’t be voting for Hillary Clinton for president either. And I’ll admit that, given that and my discomfort with Roberts NPR hosting, I need to spend more time exploring the competing ideas of meritocracy and aristocracy.

What do you think?

Anton Zuiker ☄