Person of the Year Luncheon: Coopertastic
We've just laid eyes on the panel for TIME magazine's "Person of the Year" luncheon on Nov. 14 -- the first of many manufactured events in the build up to the POY cover, not the least of which is the cover itself. Say one thing for the panel, though: They didn't stint on the Coopers:
-Brian Williams
-Anderson Cooper
-Grover Norquist
-TIME's Matt Cooper
-Donna Brazile
-Cynthia Cooper (2002 Person of the Year for 'The Whistleblowers')
We're happy to see budding novelist Matt Cooper on there, of course, since otherwise the luncheon would be lacking publicity for the magazine. Does this selection say anything about who might ultimately be the POY? Speculation after the jump.
There's no one from the arts, technology or the academy on the table, so scratch your JK Rowlings, your Googles, your pro or con intelligent design debaters, your Richard Posners. It'll be someone safely within walking distance of the NYC-DC navel region. There are two folks with connections to New Orleans (Anderson and Brazile), so expect at least one Ray Nagin/"that kid who was on NBC outside the Convention Center" nomination, and if both of them aren't in tears by the time dessert is served, then Jon Klein will probably cry himself. Grover can be counted on to nominate Harriet Miers, or another ready symbolic of the "re-birth" of the conservative movement. We'll skip over Cynthia Cooper -- or, as she is also known, "who?" Finally, Matt Cooper would be wise to nominate Patrick Fitzgerald, but we'll forgive him if he goes with Karl Rove.