The Robot, Asimov And Romney

[kpete]

19 Jul 2012 08:59 PM
The Robot, Asimov And Romney
http://dailydish.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e2017743789043970d-320wi
A reader writes:

All the speculation about Romney's tax returns makes me think of a short story by Isaac Asimov, Evidence.

A politician named Stephen Byerley is suspected of being a robot (how appropriate here!). Third parties advise him to quickly nip speculation in the bud by either submitting to physical examination or publically breaking one of the laws of robotics. The most reliable way to do that would be physically harming a human. Byerley, though, refuses. At first, this looks like a pointless, Quixotic stand for his dignity or the "real issues" or something. So the robot issue takes over the campaign and eclipses the issues-oriented campaign Byerley is trying to run. Until, finally, after his poll numbers have hit single digits, a heckler at a rally challenges Byerley to punch him - and Byerley does, right on stage. Now that robot issue is completely disproved, Byerley's opponent looks like a dirty campaigner and also an idiot and loses horribly.

That's the smartest motive I can imagine for what Romney's doing. Maybe he actually has been squeaky clean. Maybe he got paid $100,001 from Bain during those three mystery years for a reasonable amount of commitment, at least by the standards of big business, and not a penny more. Maybe he's giving MORE than a tithe to the church. If he actually has nothing to be ashamed of, then the bigger an issue it becomes, the more it might help him when it finally comes out. You never know, it could work.

Here's what Asimov did with the human-robot character:

Asimov's later story "The Evitable Conflict" reveals that Byerley prospers in politics, eventually becoming head of the planetary government.

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/07/the-robot-asimov-and-romney.html