AirTalk analysis of President Obama's statement. To serve and protect on a tough beat. Linking mental illness and leadership.
President Obama speaks out on U.S. stock rating downgrade
On Friday evening, Standard & Poor’s announced that they’ve downgraded the U.S. stock rating from AAA to AA. The news sent stock indexes into a worldwide tailspin, with Asia falling more than 2 percent and European indexes continuing to slide as well. And at this morning’s opening bell, investor anxiety was evident - the Dow Jones quickly fell over 300 points, nearly 3 percent, while the S&P 500 lost 40 points, or 3.3 percent. This continues a two-week trend of market fallout, with prices below where they were at the beginning of the year. President Obama responds to the situation in a statement to the press today; we’ll carry his speech live, and then get a reaction from economic experts.
Guests:
David Mark, Senior Editor for Politico.com
Michael Linden, Director for Tax and Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress
Chris Farrell, Economics Editor, Marketplace Money
To serve and protect on a tough beat
The investigation into the death of Kelly Thomas is likely just beginning. As you’ve heard on “AirTalk,” the 37-year old man died after a confrontation with Fullerton police in early July. The six police officers involved in the physical altercation have been placed on paid administrative leave. While the autopsy report and investigation into the police officers' conduct remains to be seen, we are learning more about Thomas. He had long been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. His family described him as a gentle man and a drifter who preferred to live on the streets. That part of his story is not unique. In fact, in many southern California communities, the homeless and mentally ill population is so large that police departments have specially trained officers for the beat. One stand-out is San Diego's Psychiatric Emergency Response Team. Police officers are paired with clinicians for emergency calls. There are also the police officers assigned to downtown's Skid Row district – who encounter the mentally ill on a daily basis. What are the challenges of policing the homeless and those with severe mental illness? Can officers handle the unique demands alone or should mental health professionals be involved? What training do law enforcement agencies receive, and is it enough?
Guests:
Doug Irving, Reporter, The Orange County Register
Deon Joseph, Senior Lead Officer, Los Angeles Police Department, Skid Row beat
Linking mental illness and leadership
During turbulent political and economic times the key elements of leadership that heads of state must possess are realism, empathy, creativity and resilience. Should we seek leaders who are mentally unstable? So says Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders program at Tufts University Medical Center. In his new book A First Rate Madness he argues that these qualities are often associated with mental illness and believes that successful leaders like Sherman, Lincoln, JFK, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. all had mood disorders which enhanced their ability to lead. Expanding on this line of thinking he explains why extremely sane men like Neville Chamberlin and George W. Bush failed to rise to the challenges of their time because they lacked the important qualities necessary to cope. In short, their STABLE mental health was a liability. Dr. Ghaemi contends that without the cyclical troubles of mood disorders, one may not be equipped to endure dire straits. His work encourages us to rethink our notions of mental illness as a negative and begs us to reconsider what we should be seeking in leaders. What should we be looking for in our leaders? Do you think that people suffering from mood disorders may be better equipped to lead during difficult periods?
Guest:
Nassir Ghaemi, author of A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Link Between Leadership and Mental Illness; he is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Mood Disorders program at Tufts University Medical Center in Boston.