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John Reinan

Minneapolis, MN
Commenter for
5 years 15 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 01/31/11 at 11:55 am in response to Demand better media? Not with Demand Media

Patrick -- unfortunately, there is much truth in what you say. The failure of the traditional media, including the Times, in the runup to the Iraq War has been well documented. The traditional media let themselves be stampeded by loud voices whipping the public into a frenzy.

I would argue that the teaditional media have also failed to make the root causes of the financial meltdown understandable, and have not reported on how the perpetrators have not only escaped punishment -- they...

Posted on 01/31/11 at 10:01 am in response to Demand better media? Not with Demand Media

Wow, Demand Media must have an efficient rapid-response unit. You really got in there quickly with your defense. Thanks for joining the conversation.

Posted on 01/28/11 at 12:16 pm in response to Despite modest change in rules, Klobuchar still wants Jimmy Stewart in Senate

The modern filibuster in the Senate is at the root of much that is wrong in Washington today. Why do we have a legislative body in which a supermajority of 60 is required for any substantive action? It's crazy.

And the Democrats are gutless and craven for refusing to change it. By refusing to change, they have effectively ceded control of the Senate, yet again, to a hard-core minority out of step with what the majority of Americans want.

In Britain and many other modern...

Posted on 01/10/11 at 11:12 am in response to 'He-cession' gave women edge in jobs in Minnesota, but are effects over-hyped?

This is very timely, since Justice Scalia just opined that the Constitution doesn't prevent discrimination against women based on gender.

Women's gains are unlikely to be reversed at this point, I think -- but it's possible that the U.S. Supreme Court could rule that it's perfectly OK for a company to have a policy barring women from management positions.

Posted on 01/04/11 at 12:47 pm in response to Businesses spend too much ad money in print

Ha! Good catch, Mike -- obviously a little brain fart there. What I mean to say was, "web display ads that nobody clicks on."

Posted on 12/17/10 at 04:52 pm in response to Star Tribune cuts back Kersten's column - and likely, Coleman's

I just think it stinks that after 37 years, Nick Coleman might not be writing for a Twin Cities newspaper.

There are other good columnists working in town, but nobody who combined passionate advocacy with solid reporting the way Nick did.

He didn't just have a point of view -- points of view are a dime a dozen. Nick backed his up with shoe leather.

Posted on 12/15/10 at 07:37 am in response to Wishful thinking: McClatchy CEO says classified ads will bounce back

Thanks for pointing that out, Rockstar -- I had forgotten how those wound up in McClatchy hands. So maybe we're both smarter than Pruitt -- or at least, Tony Ridder is.

Posted on 12/13/10 at 12:33 pm in response to Say good-bye to the 50-year-plus guys: WCCO's Boone, Star Tribune's Youngblood

Earlier this year, Dick wrote a column based on an idea I pitched him. My client, a small manufacturer, was thrilled to be interviewed by a legend (his word, not mine).

He endured three hours of Dick's relentless grilling about every facet of his business, especially the finances.

And he loved it. He said it was the journalistic equivalent of a Harvard Business School course.

I have no way of knowing for sure, but my sense is that Dick's departure is also going to leave...

Posted on 11/24/10 at 12:24 pm in response to Duluth's football legacy rich today with UMD -- and in NFL's early days with groundbreaking Eskimos team

This is fairly well known, but it's worth noting one more piece of the Eskimos story.

When the NFL wanted to shut down the team, owner Ole Haugsrud extracted a promise that he'd have rights to any future NFL team in Minnesota.

So when the Vikings were formed, Haugsrud got 10% of the team.

Posted on 11/22/10 at 01:38 pm in response to Vikings fire Childress; should beat writers lose jobs, too?

I think your #2 is the key point. In an era when a hit network TV show gets about 1/4 the viewership of a hit 20 years ago, the NFL is bigger than ever. There are only 32 teams -- so coaches, owners and star athletes are players in an ongoing national drama.

These players -- "players" in the dramatic sense -- realize that they're national figures, and act accordingly.

They can communicate directly with fans and the media via Twitter, blog, text and other channels.

And...