Sam Adams and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Mark Larabee's story in The Oregonian on Wednesday about Sam Adams's effectiveness post-scandal brings up a point about self-fulfilling prophecies. There is an echo chamber feeling in many local government types and business people and saying essentially 'I worry about his effectiveness because lots of people are worried about his effectiveness."

This is clearly a self-fulfilling prophecy: because I worry about his effectiveness I will be less responsive to him and in so doing, I make him less effective. So I confirm my own perception.

Though this is a self-fulfilling prophecy, the impacts are real - no less so when the situation is a crisis of confidence in the nation's banks than in the Mayor of Portland, Oregon. In the end Adams is less effective. But it also means that if people would simply move on, the mayor could be completely effective tomorrow. And, yes, I am leaving out citizens and voters who at this juncture are less important than the bureaucrats we have elected.

What is best for Portland? I think clearly moving on and making the Mayor effective is the first best solution at this point - regardless of what you think about his past behavior