"Despite her pedigree, success came slowly," the story bravely ventured. This slowness was maybe not so apparent to several thousand other 24-year-olds who want to be actresses, but who haven't even figured out how to get to a reading for Law & Order to fail at it. Tom Scocca on Nathaniel Rich, Lena Dunham, Zosia Mamet, and cultural nepotism. (Related: How David Carr Became the Daddy of Girls)
posted by Rory Marinich on Apr 24, 2013 - 42 comments

Pudgy Mao Xinyu is the youngest major general in the Chinese army, perhaps due to nepotism.
posted by xowie on Aug 5, 2010 - 33 comments

In honor of Senator Evan Bayh, son of former Senator Birch Bayh, not seeking re-election, Talking Points Memo provides a slideshow of sitting congresspeople whose familial connections may (or may not) have helped them get where they are today. Everybody knows about the Bushes and the Kennedys, but family political dynasties are even more common than most people realize, with most U.S. presidents being related and hundreds of local, state and national offices currently or previously held by children, grandchildren, cousins, etc. of the original politicians.
posted by shaun uh on Feb 16, 2010 - 49 comments

Guardian travel writer's teenage son given travel blog, gets savaged. Highlights here.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 on Feb 15, 2008 - 104 comments

A top immigration official has apologized after awarding 'most original costume' to a Homeland Security Department employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup for a Halloween gathering at the agency. [more inside]
posted by Artifice_Eternity on Nov 6, 2007 - 50 comments

"Brat Pack" - the twentysomething Young Republicans who are running Iraq's economy. Their resumes all pulled from the conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation, they came to Iraq with no experience and found themselves with six-figure salaries managing the $13 billion budget of the Coalition Provisional Authority. An amazing article from The Washington Post that reads like the scariest season of MTV's The Real World ever.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on May 24, 2004 - 49 comments

Man Pleads Guilty to Raping his own 2 month old Daughter
But wait, that's just the beginning. This guy's daddy heads the state Corrections Department and part of his plea is to reduce the amount of time he's going to spend in jail for this most heinous act.
This guy is facing, if the judge agrees to the plea, only 6 months in jail! The standard sentence for first-degree child rape is seven to 10 years in prison.
He's admitted to molesting a 9 year old in Maine before and has also been convicted of orchestrating an armed robbery.
How in the heck he's going to get ANY leniency is beyond me.
posted by fenriq on Oct 29, 2003 - 65 comments

Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures Karl Rove, President Bush (news - web sites)'s top political adviser, whose possible role in the case has raised questions, was a paid consultant to three of Mr. Ashcroft's campaigns in Missouri, twice for governor and for United States senator, in the 1980's and 1990's, an associate of Mr. Rove said on Wednesday. Jack Oliver, the deputy finance chairman of Mr. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, was the director of Mr. Ashcroft's 1994 Senate campaign, and later worked as Mr. Ashcroft's deputy chief of staff. No wonder 69% of Americans think that an independent counsel should conduct the investigation.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly on Oct 2, 2003 - 48 comments

Most of the recent pro-war demonstrations around the United States have been organized by stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, the nation's largest owner of radio stations. The company's top management has a history with George W. Bush, and Secretary of State Colin Powell's son, Michael Powell, is the head of the FCC.
posted by tranquileye on Mar 25, 2003 - 30 comments

The Chuck Hagel voting machine ownership story gets even scarier. In today's Best of the Blogs, Jerry Bowles reveals more bizarre details about the Chuck Hagel/voting machine story, including the fact that the majority ownership stake in the voting machine company that counted Senator Hagel's upset victory in 1996 (and his reelection in 2002) is held by a man long associated with the radical organization Christian Reconstruction, which believes in overturning democracy and replacing it with a Christian theocracy. This is really weird and frightening stuff, if it checks out.
posted by mitsu on Feb 5, 2003 - 11 comments

Is Blood Thicker Than Water? It seems to be for President Bush. He's refused to campaign for Republican governor candidates in Virginia and New Jersey facing the voters next week, even though they are both behind in the polls and could use the help. But the Washington Post says Bush is likely to do a fundraiser for brother Jeb who is not up for re-election until 2002. Bush cancelled another fundraiser just last week. (Via Political Wire.)
posted by flip on Nov 1, 2001 - 3 comments

Nepotism as a family tradition. (NY Times link)
posted by mmm on Aug 2, 2001 - 6 comments