In choosing Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, President Obama said he was looking for a judge with empathy—the ability to understand the feelings of others. Empathy Vegas-style tends to be smiling at people as they lose their money. Still, let’s apply our Empathy Meter to see how some of the city’s biggest names fare.
KIRK KERKORIAN: 4 out of 5 empathy points
Kerkorian’s Lincy Foundation helped fund the the restoration of cancer-treatment programs at University Medical Center.
PAT MULROY: 3 out of 5 empathy points
Vegas’ water czar is doing everything she can to ensure the water supply doesn’t dry up. But then again, what about those poor ranchers in rural Nevada whose water we’re trying to take?
OSCAR GOODMAN: 2 1/2 out of 5 empathy points
His recent flap with the president proves two things: The mayor cares about Las Vegas (very empathetic), and he cares about keeping the spotlight (not so much).
CRISS ANGEL: 1 out of 5 empathy points
Angel doesn’t seem to realize that his show, Believe, is … well, how can we say this nicely? … causing audiences a great deal of pain.
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