Notre Dame Football? The problem is not the coach.

Okay, sports fans, here is something you will never read in The Blue and Gold.  Not because it hasn’t crossed their minds but rather because they need ongoing access to the players and coaches and I don’t.  They can’t afford to offend the administration.  I can.  You can thank Al Gore that this discussion can even take place.   But here it goes…. the real problem with the Notre Dame Football program is not the Head Coach.  It is not the past couple of Athletic Directors.  It is the administration post Theodore Hesburgh.

Blame Malloy and Jenkins and their team.  The administration had to go along with the subtle campaign against Lou Holtz, punching all of his buttons, hiring Bob Davie, Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis.   It was this administration that gave Charlie Weis his extended contract, which was deadly to him and the program.  The lack of administrative maturity and business common sense after Hessburgh is clear.  The brand of Notre Dame football has outgrown their competence.  They are in over their heads.

Now, I don’t blame the administration for its failings, it has a different agenda.  Its commitment is to the Church and its corporate and spiritual mission as an educational institution must take precedence over football.   When you are serving God and dealing with issues eternal, four or five years is not a big deal.  And football is certainly not a big deal.  Yes, the money can help God’s cause but if there is a mistake, well, “all things work together for good to them the love the Lord.”

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is our misfortune to be fans of a football program whose overseers are conflicted and therefore their program is destined to be flawed.   Meanwhile, some of us,  carnal and immature mortals that we are, care more about their football team than they do.

Twenty years ago, when college football was not a zillion dollar business it didn’t matter.  Now, these conflicts, academic and spiritual and business, can be the difference between success and failure.

At Ohio State, the football team and the school mission is synonymous.  Winning football means students and alumni money which translates into better academics and renown.  There is no spiritual dimension or even much of a conflict if a football player gets a bit of an academic pass.  There may even be a moral argument that it is in the best interest of students and teachers and the institution if the football player is given an edge.  To be tough on this special student could hurt many thousands of needy young men and women.

The point is, what would be “wrong” at Notre Dame could be considered “right” at Ohio State or Florida State or Texas.

Taking it one step further, it is far more likely that a recruiting coach from Southern California would send a prospect out to eat with a bunch of sexy co-eds than it would be for such a thing to happen in South Bend.  I am not saying it doesn’t happen in South Bend.  Top prospects are popular guys.  I am just saying that it is less likely to happen there.  And a coach who “let” that sort of thing happen would not last too long.

Now, I don’t want to take this too far.  I mean, this administration hired a guy whose every other word begins with “F.”  So they are surely trying to stretch a little, for the sake of Our Mother, of course.  And they have negotiated and renegotiated that golden ticket, the NBC contract, no small feat.  I’ll bet there are some good stories behind that.  I am just pointing out that by their very nature they are going to be less focused on this football business than many administrators because they have higher considerations.  Some of them may even resent or look down on their lucrative football income, as a necessary evil, in the true sense of the word.  This is what comes off as arrogance to many.

So, like I said.  I don’t blame the administration.  I understand.  I just wish they could find a way to resolve this.  I can see why they wanted Tony Dungy.  Their program needs integrity, in the sense of leadership that integrates all of these complex elements.  They can’t keep careening from the advice of one Alumni advisor and donor to the next.  Because none of them have the whole picture and they are assuming that the men in black are doing their due diligence and not just having knee jerk reactions.

It’s our fault for being stupid enough to get dragged into becoming fans of an institution that is so conflicted.   They want the money, after all “the wealth of the ungodly is laid up for the righteous,” and they can do great things with it, but they want much more than just a great football program per see and they believe that they have a higher calling and therein lies the conflict.

Alabama has no higher calling.

Chelsea Clinton to be married

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the sitting secretary of state, is engaged to be married.  According to an e-mail that she and longtime boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, sent to friends this afternoon, the wedding will take place next summer.  A spokesman for the Clinton family has confirmed it.

Chelsea, the so-called “Garbo” of presidential children, surprised reporters last year when she campaigned openly and publicly for her mother’s presidential campaign.  Her new public persona inspired “Chelsea for president” campaign buttons.  She is currently attending Columbia University.

Her boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, is the son of Democratic congressman Ed Mezvinsky and Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky.  Both served in the United States congress representing Iowa and Pennsylvania respectively.  Marjorie was a force to be reckoned with in Pennsylvania politics, running as the Democrat candidate for Lt. Governor in 1998 until her husband’s financial problems forced her to withdraw.  Ed Mezvinsky reportedly served a prison sentence for fraud but was released in April, 2008.

Chelsea and Marc met in Washington, DC and both attended Stanford University.  Several major news agencies have staked out the couple off and on for years.  During President Clinton’s ongoing Monica Lewinsky scandal one major television network was going to break a story about the couple’s romance but backed off out of respect for their privacy.  At the time I was working on the book, All the Presidents’ Children, and a person representing himself as an associate producer offered me his notes.  I declined.

Chelsea and Marc live in New York where she attends school and he works for Goldman Sachs.

For a complete account of the weddings of the children of presidents and what to expect see  WHITE HOUSE WEDDINGS and Doug Wead’s UPSTAIRS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

Next Year’s News?

NEXT YEAR’S NEWS?

Here is the news.  November 23, 2010.  One year into the future.  What a difference a year makes.

- President Obama got tough today, issuing a stern warning to the government of Iran who has now developed ten nuclear warheads.  “Develop anymore,” warned Obama, “and the U.S. will lead a motion before the United Nations calling for public censure.”  Sources say that the White House is “actively considering” sanctions.

- The president told member of the press today that he is much closer to a decision about the September 9, 2009 recommendation submitted by general McChrystal that calls for 40,000 more US troops in Afghanistan.

- New healthcare guidelines announced today suggest that no medical procedure of any kind are warranted for persons over the age of 65.  In a government study death rates did not significantly increase for those who had no government healthcare compared to those who did.  The HHS Secretary predicted the findings could save trillions of dollars in wasted taxpayer money.

- The unemployment rate decreased slightly this month to 23.1%.  The Obama White House welcomed the news and said that it was further evidence of a recovering economy.

- White House records now show that the Obama administration has created 311 million new jobs since the passage of its Stimulus Program.  This amounts to 5 million jobs more than the entire population of the country.

- A school district in Colorado was told to up the number of gay students in its classrooms or see an end to all government funded programs including school lunches.  The U.S. Justice Department has made the district a test case for enforcing the new version of the Hate Crimes Bill.

- The Fox News Channel was issued a warning from the FCC for publicly revealing the religion of the killer in the Boyton Beach bombing episode.  FCC Chairman Mohmmed Isamaren reminded the media that “bigotry of any kind is intolerable in our society and religious bigotry is the most reprehensible of all.”

Sarah Palin finished the 390th day of her book tour signing copies for 15,000 fans in Kokomo, Indiana, who waited hours in the rain for a chance to meet the former governor.

Brett Farve announced his retirement from the NFL.

NBC announced that the new Jay Leno Show will debut next week in the 3 A.M. EST time slot.

Charlie Weis, head coach of the Notre Dame fighting Irish, denied rumors that his 4-8 record had put his job in jeopardy.  Said Weis, “I think people can see that we could easily have won 6 of those games and then we would be sitting here with a record of 10-2.  But 4-8 is not good enough.  It is not good enough for Notre Dame and it is not good enough for me.”

 

Wead on Obama stimulus plan: Fox News

Obama and Leno? Wead on CNBC

Obama hesitates on McChrystal decision. Wead on Fox News

Notre Dame’s New Coach

A new coach for Notre Dame.

Charlie Weis did so many things right that it took us a long time to figure out it wasn’t a fit.  He gave us great anecdotes to add to the legends, like the dying boy who called the opening play of his coaching career, “pass right.”  And he corrected a lot of mistakes like bringing back Rudy and honoring him, while the stuffy, self righteous leaders of the college had ignored him, even though the movie about his life had done more for recruiting than any coach or athletic director had ever done.  And Charlie showed ND how to get first downs again, after some pathetic offensive years.

What we liked about Charlie Weis was that he called the unexpected plays, like a general ordering his armies to attack where the enemy least expected it.   When it worked it took our breath away.  When it didn’t work we thought it was idiotic.  There is a reason why the opponent was expecting a run, because a pass is stupid right now.

Charlie Weis exploded on the scene because he had the one thing that the team at that time was so desperately missing, namely good offensive schematics.  And then he was a brilliant recruiter.  But all the other things that were in place were not of his making and after they wound down he couldn’t seem to get them back again.

Reading the tea leaves of Tom Pagna’s revealing columns over the years, we can guess that Charlie didn’t know how to adequately teach college level football to high school graduates, took for granted the basics of blocking for the offensive line, didn’t reach out enough for counsel and information from his own coaches and staff and considered motivating his team to be sophomoric and unnecessary.

Charlie tore down players, cussed them out on national television.  I guess he thought that it would build character.  And while he obviously had no control over his own temper he professed amazement when his team on the field lost it and personal fouls cost yards.  Maybe such boot camp anger works on multi-million dollar players in the NFL, who need to be shocked into reality.  But maybe it doesn’t work for 19 year old kids, who are still battling acne and low self esteem.

He was terrible at the expectations game, putting enormous pressure on his teams.  Typical was the prediction that Monti Te’o would have a field day against Navy.  I suppose Charlie thought it would inspire the youngster.  Needless to say, it didn’t.  In that respect, Charlie was the anti-thesis of Lou Holtz.  Lou would go into a game making it sound as if ND was playing a team out of its league, that it was an impossible, uphill task.  The boys would be loose, have fun and usually won.  Then Lou would brag about the magnificent upset.  Charlie on the other hand went into games fearlessly, unimpressed, “we should beat them,” and only bragged on them after he got beat.

So now what?  Who is the best coach for Notre Dame?

He should be someone with college coaching experience.  Lee Corso made that obvious point last Saturday when he said that the odds were against Charlie from the beginning, that no one should come to Notre Dame as a first year college coach.  Dan Devine, who came from the Green Bay Packers and led ND to a national championship, had coached at Missouri and Arizona State.  Parseghian had coached at Northwestern.  Holtz had coached at William and Mary, North Carolina State, the New York Jets, Arkansas and Minnesota before coming to Notre Dame.  So yeah, a little experience is a good thing.

He should not necessarily be a Catholic.  Frank Leahy, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz were Catholics, but Knute Rockne came to Notre Dame as a Lutheran, Ara Parseghian a Presbyterian.

There is speculation that Jon Gruden will get the nod.  I hope not.  Anyway, he signed a two year contract extension as an analyst for ESPN.  Gruden has a very complicated pro style offense.  Who does that remind you of?

Paul Johnson of Georgia Tech?  A Baptist at Notre Dame?  And he has those wonderful  triple option schemes that worked so well for Navy and now for the Yellow Jackets.  Problem?  The black suits of Our Mother could take a Lutheran, maybe even a Presbyterian but never a Baptist.  And it’s just as well.  His options plays would virtually guarantee annual top ten finishes, even without five star recruits, but it would be such boring television that the school would lose its glorious NBC contract.

Most now speculate that it will be Bob Stoops of Oklahoma.  He is Catholic, like most of the others on the ND fan wish list.  He has been the head coach at Oklahoma.  But if you talk to Oklahoma fans they are a little miffed over his last three bowl game losses.   Still, the university likes someone who wants badly to come and Stoops is already campaigning for the job.

Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has bad mouthed Notre Dame, which ironically makes him attractive to some.  And they like the last coach who came from Northwestern.  He brought two national championships to South Bend.

Kirk Ferentz of Iowa would be hot.  And he is Catholic, which would please the black suits.

Gary Patterson of TCU would be hotter and he is supposed to be Lutheran.  Remember, the last Lutheran head coach at ND was Knute Rockne.

Some want Jim Harbaugh of Stanford.  (Gee, could we get him before we play them?  Maybe we could win that game. ROTFL.)

Chris Peterson of Boise State is very popular with many.  His record is 45-4.  Imagine?  If we only lost 4 games a year we would be happy.  And Peterson’s current salary is $850,000 a year.  On the boards many are saying he is not Catholic, that he is in fact into Scientology.  But I suspect that these posts are being planted by Bob Stoops’ mother.   Anyway, if the religion is so important, they should bring back Jerry Faust, and tell all Catholics worldwide to pray.  Heck, if they brought back Faust even I would pray and I am a Protestant.

And finally, there is my favorite Brian Kelly of Cincinnati who has landed his team in the top ten with only two and three star talent.  It’s got to make you wonder what could he do in South Bend?

Oh sure, at Notre Dame they believe in miracles, so someone is bound to stop by the Grotto and light a candle and pray a prayer for Urban Meyer.  They had him you know?  He was quarterback coach for Bob Davie but got dumped.  If Davie, who developed some good defensive teams, had kept Meyer on staff he might still be the Head Coach at Notre Dame.

But barring that miracle, I vote for Brian Kelly.  An Irishman leading the Fighting Irish?   Now that’s an idea.

Mike Huckabee: GOP frontrunner

Mike Huckabee: Presidential Frontrunner

One of the first rules they teach pilots is that during a crash landing you should not give up but keep flying your plane all the way to the ground.  There may be things you can do and even in the most hopeless of situations there may be little gifts, changes in the wind or the topography that can save your life.  Only one GOP pilot has been flying his plane toward that crash landing and the Barack Obama landslide re-election in 2012 and that has been Governor Mike Huckabee.  And now, thanks to a change in the winds, he just might land safely after all.

Yesterday’s election demonstrates that the GOP is not dead and when the electorate has even three more years to forget George W. Bush, they may just be sick of Obamanomics.

Sarah Palin threw away her chances and continues to do so daily, demonstrating to her most enthusiastic supporters that the Katie Couric interview may not be the fault of Katie Couric.

Mitt Romney all but announced that he was too important to waste on a run for the presidency unless he could be assured of that win.  For months he has been privately telling friends that all of Obama’s spending will likely prompt an economic spike and thus a Republican win in 2012 was unlikely.

Bobby Jindal has bowed out.  And Tim Pawlenty must first pass through the evangelical gateway of Iowa. Where his only hope of victory is if Huckabee and Palin devour each other.

That later is a very real possibility.  Huckabee is a street fighter.  And Palin will throw a punch first and talk about it later.  The Iowa caucus could turn out to be as messy as the Russo-German front in World War Two as the only two “born again” Christians duke it out.  The one left standing will likely get the nomination.  If Huckabee wins and he has already demonstrated that he will not give Sarah a free pass, then it will be hard to beat him in the South where he almost pulled an upset last time with the media arbitrarily writing him off.

Newt Gingrich was counting on being the FOX candidate but the emerging story of his hypocrisy in attacking Clinton-Lewinsky while he was having his own affair is hanging over him like Chappaquiddick.  Every day he must ask himself, “If I run, will that sword fall?”

Karl Rove, looking for a candidate, assures him that no one remembers or cares.  But Sarah Palin does.  And so does Mike Huckabee.  Yes Newt, it will fall.

Besides, Gingrich also hesitated, stopped flying his plane, and Huckabee slipped past him with his own FOX TV Show, debuting in the inglorious, lowly, awful, Saturday night slot.  He was too nice, critics said, there is no conflict, he cannot be both a successful entertainer and a political candidate, one make audiences laugh and cry and the other better not or he will lose elections.

But Huckabee did not forfeit his future for ratings and a paycheck, he kept flying his plane, he stayed nice and the audience came to him anyway and now he not only has a successful television show, he is the front runner for the GOP nomination for president in 2012.

Oh, how they would all like to relive the last twelve months.  Keep flying that plane Mike.  Anything can happen, including a safe landing.

Rasmussen

Mike Huckabee    29%

Mitt Romney        24%

Sarah Palin           18%

Newt Gingrich      14%

Tim Pawlenty         6%

Adherents: A bigoted website?

Adherents – a bigoted website ?

Talk among some at the Assemblies of God Fine Arts Festival in Orlando last summer centered on the growing influence of what some see as a bigoted online website which seems bent on destroying their denomination.  Selected entries, false information, censored material and a failure to respond to corrections dominated the complaints.   “If there is anyone controversial, with any remote connection to the Assemblies of God, they will post their name,” a denominational leader explained to me, “if there is anyone positive, they will omit it.”

Numerous controversial, independent Pentecostals, some of whom spent less than three years in the Assemblies of God are listed but Sarah Palin, who grew up in the denomination all her life is not.  In fact, rather than be forced to list Palin as a member of the denomination Adherents fails to list her at all.  Palin, who appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, is regularly mentioned as a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  Meanwhile, the Jonas Brothers, who grew up in an Assemblies of God home and who performed at the very Fine Arts Festival I spoke of, and whose father was an Assemblies of God pastor and now their business manager, are not listed.  I guess the Jonas Brothers aren’t famous enough.

Most serious of all is the charge that Adherents allows persons of one faith to use the website to attack persons of other faiths and with false information.  According to this charge, enemies of the Assemblies of God are turned loose to attack without correction or oversight for their sources.  While the site promises that “we are always striving to increase the accuracy and usefulness of our website. We are happy to hear from you. Please submit questions, suggestions, comments, corrections…” repeated attempts to correct false information have remained unanswered for many months.

While posts for other religious groups include input from their leaders and officials, the post on the Assemblies of God does not.  “They don’t even do a spell check for our entry,” a pastor told me in Orlando.  For example, Adherents posts a link to “Famous Mormons,” a site ran by the Church itself.  The site is careful to respect non Christian faiths.  According to Adherents there are now 5.6 million Jews in the United States and more than 13 million worldwide.  Its site now rates more than 9,000 famous Jews.  Meanwhile, Adherents says there are 2.8 million members of the Assemblies of God in America and 52.5 million worldwide, making it the fourth largest Christian religious body and yet it lists only 31 famous members almost all of them negative.  Adherents lists close to 100 famous members of the Christian Scientist denomination, all positive.  Its list of “Famous Catholics” numbers beyond 20,000.

Included in the lists of other denominations but missing for the Assemblies of God are the founders of the Church and all major ecclesiastical leaders.  Adherents ignores the A-G General Superintendent and Mission’s Director.  C. M Ward is not famous enough for the website.  Ward was a friend of presidents.  His ABC radio show lasted 25 years and rivaled Paul Harvey for audience size.  His books line the shelves of pastors’ studies worldwide.  Thomas F. Zimmerman, who led the denomination for almost 30 years is not mentioned.  Don Argue, friend of the Clintons, who was president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was appointed to the United States Commission on Religious Freedom or Jerry Rose who served as President of the National Religious Broadcasters Convention are likewise considered unworthy by Adherents.

In general, names on Adherents Assemblies of God “Famous List” must have been the subject of negative publicity or conform to a rigid right wing, Republican stereotype. The talented, Joshua Dubois, a member of the United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, a small, predominantly black denomination, was Barack Obama’s choice to direct the Council for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a White House position.  He is ignored by Adherents.

My interest was piqued by my own entry.  I had left the Assemblies of God 25 years before. When I organized the Charity Awards, receptions held in the White House, six first ladies and presidents serving as honorary chairperson, spinning off Mercy Corps as a prominent worldwide charity, Adherents ignored me.  As they should have, I had not been a part of the A-G for much of my adult life.  And as a presidential advisor, serving in the White House they continued to ignore me. When I wrote New York Times bestselling books and appeared on dozens and dozens of television shows there was nary a mention.  Appropriately so.  But suddenly, when the Bush taping controversy erupted, presto, I appeared as a “famous member of the Assemblies of God” on Adherents, even though my link to the denomination was 25 years cold.

The site about me was written by a person of another religion who attacked my motives and implied that I made money.  What is interesting is that my accuser was herself embroiled in scandal and forced to withdraw as a nominee to the George W. Bush cabinet.   None of her controversy appears on her own Adherents site, she is in one of their “protected” religions.  As to her information and implications?  They are false.  I took no money from the taping controversy, went off television for six months, took no related speaking fees or book royalties, nor have I since published a book.

All of this raises the question, who is behind Adherents?  Who runs its vitriolic Assemblies of God pages?  Speculation in Orlando centered on enemies of Pastor Karl Strader, who were seeking revenge online.  Others suggested that it was a writer for an independent Charismatic magazine with a denominational vendetta. (Highly unlikely, since the pages are riddled with grammatical errors and misspellings.)

Meanwhile, irritated by its critics, who hound Google and other search engines with complaints about the bigotry, Adherents only rubbed salt in the wounds by appending to their list of famous church members the following disclaimer. “[Note: Although some observers may consider the history of the Assemblies of God to be tainted by such famously scandalized televangelists as Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Gene Scott, and others, we would urge people to not judge the denomination only by these famous few. Although the denomination has more than its share of unsavory preachers and leaders, the general membership of the Assemblies of God is, for the most part, a bastion of strong values and sincere religious commitment. Statistically speaking, Assemblies of God members exhibit a higher than averge (sic) commitment to Christian living and striving to live ethically.”

According to complaints, the modus operandi at Adherents continues unabated.  Duane Chapman, star of the reality show, Dog and the Bounty Hunter, was ignored by Adherents when his show was a hot feature of A&E.  Chapman had gained notoriety for hunting down Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, who had fled to Mexico after being charged with drugging and raping women.  When Mexican officials tried to throw Chapman in prison, for violating Mexican extradition laws, bragging that he would not last a year, 15 members of congress and the Secretary of State rushed to his defense.  All ignored by Adherents.  But when a negative controversy erupted over Chapman’s use of a racial slur Adherents suddenly decided he merited inclusion in their famous members of the Assemblies of God list.  Apparently, Chapman, who by his own admission has not been an active member of the denomination, once attended and Assemblies of God Sunday School as a child.

Hmmm, well okay, if Duane Chapman had to be rushed onto the Famous Assemblies of God list for using a racial slur, what about Bernie Madoff, who pulled of the biggest white collar crime in history?  Does his name appear among the 9,000 plus “famous Jews” of Adherents.  Nope. Not famous enough for Adherents.

Nor does the website, which felt compelled to say that [the Assemblies of God] “has more than its share of unsavory preachers and leaders,” make any mention in its Catholic section on the pedophile crisis that has erupted twice in modern times.  Nor are any of the names of the accused priests mentioned among the 20,000 plus “famous Catholics.” In June, 2002, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.  The so called John Jay Report, which came out of the work of the Conference, found 11,000 allegations against 4,392 priests.  Not a mention in Adherents.

The Adherents website, which has ignored repeated attempts to correct inaccuracies and offer some balance, apparently remains committed to the vilification of the Assemblies of God.  While other sections have been co-opted by leaders of the religious groups named or have substantial input to guarantee accuracy, or at the very least, employ spell check, Adherents has given its anonymous Assemblies of God editor free reign to vent his or her anger.  It is what happens when a website becomes hi-jacked by an agenda.

What can you do?

1.) Register your complaint to Adherents for its bigoted coverage of the Assemblies of God.

webmaster@adherents.com

2.) Encourage professional, websites such as Wikipedia, which make an effort to get their facts right.  Or new religious sites such as Ascension Gateway, which insist on strict factual guidelines, with no theological or socio-cultural agenda.

http://www.ascensiongateway.com/quotes/people/religion/christians/index.htm

3.) Register your complaint to Google for giving special status to a site that is inaccurate and bigoted.  Not to mention rife with grammatical errors.

While Google does not normally interfere, employees tell me that they sometimes remove special search engine enhancements for sites that are deemed “junky,” inaccurate, libelous or intolerant.  Google celebrates diversity, which is what the internet is all about and is sensitive to attacks on gays and other minorities but this includes religious groups, especially if a website is misrepresenting its purpose.   Here is a page about how to get things removed by Google:  http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=13926

Democrats let unemployment benefits expire.

The world is upside down.  The Democrats have let unemployment compensation expire.

For years now the American public has endured the inane and ignorant stereotypes of Hollywood and none bring more howls of laughter than the clichéd, evil, Republican presidential candidate who wants to cut funding to school lunch programs or reduce time limits on unemployment benefits just to be mean.  Ahem, you notice my last example?  By the way, the president, in Hollywood dreamland movies and television shows, is always a principled, liberal Democrat.

Now, sometimes in these movies, even the Democrat president needs a little nudging.  Michael Douglas played such a character in the movie, The American President.  It took a second wife, the gorgeous and common sense, woman of the people, Sydney Wade, played by Annette Bening, to convince a widowed president Andrew Shepherd not to give in to the evil Republicans and cut environmental programs.  Oh, why are the Republicans so selfish?  Why do they hate the planet and why do they hate the children?  And why do they hate the innocent poor folks?

In Hollywood-land, the government has endless amounts of money and the programs cost nobody anything, except the very rich, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, who actually want to pay more taxes, which prompts an immediate question.  Why are Gates and Buffet giving billions of dollars to charities?  If they believe in the government and are pleased with its spending and have no criticism of its bureaucracy and the efficacy of its social programs, why don’t they just give their donations to the government itself?  In other words, why don’t they put their money where their mouth is?

It brings to mind that famous quote of Joseph Sobran.  “Politicians never accuse you of greed for wanting other people’s money – only for wanting to keep your own money.”

Well, well.  Yesterday I just flew back into the country from Europe to learn that Hollywood and the Democrat controlled congress had let unemployment compensation run out.  It meant that hundreds of thousands of unemployed people have no more money from the government.  They can’t pay rent, house payments or their electric and gas bills.  And winter is upon us.  What gives?  Hollywood and the Democrats control congress.  And they have shown that there is no end to the money they can spend.  They just print more.  Wheee, a trillion here, a trillion there.

Actually, I learned that the Democrat controlled House of Nancy Pelosi voted to extend the payments but only in 27 states?  Like a lot of her recent legislation, “gotta reward our people and punish the people who didn’t vote for us.”

And the Democrat controlled Senate?  It hasn’t even considered legislation to extend unemployment benefits.  What’s the rush?  After all, the people in the Red states won’t vote for us anyway and the unemployed people in the Blue States are so stupid they will vote for us whether we extend the benefits or not.  Hmmm. Not quite like the movies is it?

Meanwhile, we are told that we still don’t have a health care plan because of the evil health insurance companies who are lobbying congress.  Olympia Snowe is praised for voting a plan out of Committee today but they say we still need more Republicans onboard.  But wait a minute?  The Democrats control congress.  You mean, the Democrats are accepting bribes to vote against their own conscience, against their very own programs?  Put that in a movie.

Meanwhile, the BBC ran a hilarious segment on American discrimination.  They interviewed an African American worker, asking him if the new government program rebuilding the infrastructure will help create jobs.  “Well, not for us,” the man intoned seriously into the camera.  “The government discriminates against us.”

The BBC correspondent did the segment straight and the anchor did not even bat an eyelash.  No one but the audience seems to grasp the irony that the president is himself an African American and it is he who enforces the laws and appoints the Attorney General.  And the Civil Rights Commission?  Four are appointed by President Barack Obama, two by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and two by the Pro Tempore of the Senate, Harry Bryd.  All Democrats.

Oh how the news media and Hollywood and Europe miss having the Republicans in power.  How hard it is to govern.  How hard it is to do it all right.  How easy to criticize.  Look at me?  Ha.  Well, don’t worry Hollywood. Don’t worry Democrats.  Print as much play money as you can get away with.  And stash it where the Republicans can’t find it because your celebration will not last forever.  Play while you can.  Ruin the country as quickly as possible.  Because common sense is sure to return.  And we can all again enjoy Hollywood angst in the cinema.

Obama’s changes. Can you believe it?

Are these the changes you can believe in?

Once in office, presidents often change their opinion or just “forget” their campaign promises.  And they are notorious for saying falsehoods.  Of course, we all “forget” and misspeak but because presidents do it in living color on the public stage it can be a little more embarrassing.  Obama’s situation is a bit different.  We cut him a lot of slack because he is our first African American president and that alone makes us feel good about ourselves.  But his changes have come so fast and furious that he is on the verge of losing respect as a leader.  And poll after poll affirms that leadership is the single most important quality we want in a president.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan made prayer in school and abortion big deals in his campaign but never touched the subjects or proposed legislation on them in the eight years of his presidency.  He called for abolishing the Department of Education, instead he grew it.

In 1988, George H. W. Bush ran as “the ethics president,” promising to upgrade the office of government ethics and make it answerable directly to the president.  But he never did a thing about it.  The position remained a low level slot which answered to the Director of OPM.  He also said, “Read my lips, no new taxes,” but he raised them anyway.

In 1992, Bill Clinton ran for health care reform but when his ideas crashed on the rocks in his first year and helped elect a Republican majority in congress the second year he never brought it back again. Ignored it for the rest of his eight years.  And btw, he famously said, “I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky.”  But we all know about that.

In 2000, George W. Bush ran against nation building but after the election committed billions of dollars to Iraq and Afghanistan.  We know the story of Saddam Hussein’s bogus uranium purchases in his State of the Union address.

So all presidents forget or change their minds or tell lies.  Even so, Reagan was a consistent foe to Soviet Imperial expansion and ended the Cold War.  Clinton balanced the budget.  Bush the younger kept us safe after 9-11.  They all have some bragging rights.  And they all have moments of leadership.  The problem for president Obama, at least for now, is that nothing is clear.  No promise is sacred.  Everything is on the table.  There are no fixed stars to guide his course.  His liberalism is indeed open ended existentialism.

He said he wouldn’t tax the middle class but his massive infusion of new paper money will eventually amount to a tax on all Americans and will hurt the poor the hardest, as inflation always does.  And it looks like he will tax the middle class anyway.  He just won’t admit it.  He is using devices, such as redefining the middle class as a means to confuse the public.

He promised a non partisan Washington but used the economic crisis as a cover for passing a massive political pay out to unions, gays and democrat shill organizations

He is on again, off again on tort reform and a “public option” in his health plan.

He promised new jobs through a program that would rebuild the infrastructure, it was one of the few suggestions that critics felt had some merit, but then he set the timetables so far off that no immediate meaningful jobs appeared.  It provided little relief for the economic crisis and unemployment is up.

He ran against the Bush fumbling of the mortgage crisis but refuses even to tweak the simplest banking rules that would allow millions of homeowners to stay in their own homes and unleash new investors who which would raise the values of those homes.  All of his noise and promises offer relief to a tiny percentage of homeowners.  This is a tragic and extravagant lost opportunity.

He ran against the overstretched military that is breaking up families, causing divorces and spiking suicide rates and now he is sending those same boys back again and again.  So what is different?

He is against tort reform, he is for tort reform.  He thinks the doctors are scamming the system, he thinks doctors are the leading the way. He is for a public option in the healthcare plan, he is against it.

He ran for change you can believe in but the only thing changing is his daily positions.  And yes, he has a lot of goodwill, especially in the liberal media, who cast any opposition to any policy or position as racist, although that tactic didn’t work with the International Olympic Committee, leaving the president and his team a bit stunned.

The problem is that some of these changes are beginning to reach critical mass.

From the standpoint of presidential history, once an opinion sets in – positive or negative – it is very hard to erase.  So this president should be very careful.  He needs to stand for something, whatever it may be.  He needs to avoid the reputation of uncertain and unprincipled leadership.  It would almost have been better politically for him to have stood up to the doctors yesterday and gotten booed, and let the nation see him as a leader, than to contradict himself again by playing to his audience.

Doug Wead on Neil Cavuto, talking about health care.

Russia: Land of Opportunity

What country’s individual tax rate tops out at 13%?

Hint.  It isn’t the USA where federal and local taxes in New York are projected to reach a 57% bite.  If you are rich? Move to Florida or Nevada to avoid State Income Tax.  If you wanna be rich?  Move to this new “land of opportunity.”

What country’s higher education fosters a curiosity and practical involvement for its student body in free enterprise?

Hint.  It isn’t the USA where ironically the very corporations who fund university endowments are seen as the enemy by professors and students alike.  They are viewed as polluters and exploiters of a beleaguered laboring class.  But in this country, this new “land of opportunity,” the professors, themselves, own real estate businesses, factories and sit on the boards of directors of major corporations.

Meanwhile, state corporate taxes in the USA have reached scandalous proportions and all but kill the chances for a new, emerging, small business.  For example, all fifty states have higher corporate taxes than the nation of France, which has the fifth highest corporate taxes in the world and is frequently held out as the poster child of anti-small business and entrepreneurs.  But in this new “land of opportunity,” the maximum federal and regional corporate tax is 20%.

What country has sensible consumers who pay their bills on time and save their money?  Only one in 100 even carries a credit card?  Where capital investment potential abounds?

Hint.  It is surely not the USA where Americans carry 450 million Visa cards alone and where their credit card debt approaches $2 trillion.

What country is a true metling pot of religion, culture and race, where Moslem, Jew and Christian live and work side by side and their values are openly appreciated?

Hint. Not here in the good old USA, where government and big business restrict language and clothing in schools and the public marketplace. (I have a friend who writes screenplays for television movies.  He tells me that “Jesus” cannot be mentioned on one of the networks except as a curse word.)

What country boasts an airline where the stewardesses are still tall, trim, bright and attractive?  They still smile at their passengers, and wear elegant white gloves as part of their smart uniforms.

Hint. It isn’t the USA where a $15,000, first class, round trip international ticket on a US airline will get you a bitter, grouchy stewardess, who hates her job, her passengers but has union guarantees that virtually prevent her from ever being fired.

Answer to all the above?

Russia.

Welcome to the new land of opportunity.

Yes, there are still problems galore in Russia.  The roads outside of the major cities are still in disrepair. Grade schools are awful.  Airline equipment is dated, even for the clever, well run, Rossiya Airline. The government still struggles to deal with endemic corruption. (If security personnel at the airport will steal your coins going through the x ray machine, which happened to me, it kinda makes you wonder how vulnerable they would be to a terrorist bribe.)

The biggest problem of all?  Excessive regulation.  Perhaps, a hangover from the Soviet years or needed to combat corruption or maybe just part of the Russian DNA.  A new restaurant, for example, faces endless government regulations not only regarding hiring, but even regarding the choice of entrees on a menu.  And such rules not only limit the imagination of their people, they are cleverly exploited by competitors to block the emergence of any newcomers.

In complex industries, like “Direct Sales” the DUMA is vulnerable to manipulation by big companies who seek monopolies by regulating competitors out of the market.  Members of the DUMA must be generalists and can’t be experts on everything so some will be innocently led by foreign companies seeking to “clean up” their industry.  The result? Expect new regulations that will confine and harass their own Russian work force and limit their income opportunities, all to the advantage of big foreign corporations.

Nevertheless, Russia under Putin brought law and order to the streets, began an aggressive campaign against corruption and released an entrepreneurial spirit that is quickly producing a growing middle class and a Russian nouveau riche.  When the “dreamers” and “doers” outnumber the “takers” Russia will truly explode.  The atmosphere is right.  Immigrants, the bane of fortress America, are welcome in Russia where they are needed and wanted.

And the Russian Miracle is not just a Moscow – St. Petersburg phenomenon. There are business and cultural zones now popping up all over the Russian landscape.  For example, Putin helped the city of Kazan win the 2013 Universiade.  The city is being transformed in preparation. Yekaterinburg is a showcase city.  Distant Khabarovsk has it all.  Booming Black Sea resort Sochi will host the 2014 Winter Olympics and anyone who has visited this exotic city can tell you that it will forever after become one of the world’s glamour spots. 

So when President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin sit down together in the coming days to discuss their relationship and their future, they hold the hopes and dreams of millions in their hands.  And they are on the verge of history.  What has happened in Russia, its diversification, its wise use of the oil boom, its new freedoms for the marketplace now make it a “land of opportunity.”  And just in time for a world in global crisis.

Новая страна возможностей

В какой стране мира индивидуальная налоговая ставка, ниже 13%?

Намек.  Это – не США, где федеральные и местные налоги в Нью-Йорке  достигают 57%.  Если вы богаты? Переезжайте во Флориду или Неваду, чтобы избегать налога на прибыль.  Если вы хотите быть богатым?  Переезжайте в эту новую “землю возможностей.”

В каких странах высшее образование поощряет любознательность и личное участие студентов в свободном предпринимательстве?

Намек.  Это – не США, где по иронии судьбы сами корпорации, оказывающие материальную поддержку университетам,  рассматриваются профессорами и студентами, в качестве врагов. Они рассматриваются как угнетатели и эксплуататоры рабочего класса.  Но в этой стране, этой новой “земле возможностей,” профессора сами владеют фирмами по продаже недвижимости, фабриками и сидят в советах директоров этих корпораций.

Тем временем, налог на прибыль компаний в США достиг скандальных размеров и тем самым убивает возможность развития появляющихся новых фирм малого бизнеса. К примеру, все 50 штатов имеют более высокий налог на прибыль компаний, чем  население Франции, чей налог на прибыль компаний пятый по величине в мире  и часто воспринимается как враждебный малому бизнесу и предпринимательству. И в этой стране максимальный федеральный и региональный налог на прибыль компаний – 20%.

В какой стране есть здравомыслящие потребители, которые платят по счетам вовремя и копят  деньги? Где только один из ста человек имеет кредитную карточку? Где огромный потенциал капитальных инвестиций?

Намек.  Это – несомненно, не США, где американцы имеют только 450 миллионов карточек Visa, и где долг по кредитным карточкам доходит до 2 триллионов.

Какая страна является местом, где реально переплетаются религии, культуры и расы, где вместе живут и работают  мусульмане, христиане, евреи  и их ценности принимаются?

Намек. Не здесь в старых добрых США, где правительство и крупный капитал ограничивают язык и одежду в школах, и общественный рынок. (У меня есть друг, который пишет сценарии для телевизионных фильмов. Он говорит , что имя “Иисус” нельзя упоминать на одном из каналов, т.к. как там оно звучит как проклятие).                                                                                                                Какая страна может похвастаться авиалиниями,                                                                                               , где все бортпроводницы высокого роста, аккуратны, умны и привлекательны?  Они все еще улыбаются пассажирам и надевают изящные белые перчатки как часть  своей элегантной униформы.

Намек. Это – не США, где заплатив $15,000 за билет первого класса на международном рейсе американских авиалиний, вы  получите обслуживание, которое вам предоставит вредная, ворчливая бортпроводница, которая ненавидит свою работу, и своих пассажиров, но имеет гарантии профсоюза, которые фактически делают невозможным ее увольнение.

Ответ на все эти вопросы?

Россия.

Добро пожаловать в новую землю возможностей

Да, все еще есть проблемы в изобилии в России.  Дороги за пределами главных городов находятся все еще в ветхости. Образование в школах ужасное. Авиаоборудование устарело, даже в такой умной компании с хорошим управлением как Российские авиалинии. Государство до сих пор борется с эпидемией коррупции. (если служащие охраны аэропорта украдут ваши монеты проходящие осмотр, как это произошло со мной, то это заставляет задуматься на сколько их легко их подкупить террористам.)

Наибольшая проблема всего?  Чрезмерное регулирование. Возможно, пережиток  Советских времён, либо нужно было бороться с коррупцией либо возможно только часть Русской ДНК.  Новый ресторан, к примеру, сталкивается с бесконечными государственными ограничениями, не только по вопросу найма, но  даже выбору блюд в меню. И такие правила не только ограничивают воображение их людей, их умно эксплуатируют конкуренты, чтобы блокировать появление любых новичков.

В комплексной промышленности, подобно «Прямые Продажи» Дума уязвима к манипулированию большими компаниями, которые ищут монополию путём ограничения конкурентов вне рынка. Члены Думы должны быть универсалами и не могут быть экспертами во всем, таким образом, некоторые будут невинно приводить зарубежные компании, ищущие «очистить» их индустрию. Результат? Ожидайте новые ограничения, которые ограничат и будут беспокоить их собственную русскую рабочую силу и ограничивать их возможности прибыли, все для удобства больших иностранных компаний. Однако, Россия с Путиным во главе, принесла закон и порядок на улицы, начал агрессивную кампанию против коррупции, выпустила предпринимательский дух, который быстро создаёт и развивает средний класс и русского nouveau riche. Когда “мечтатели” и “исполнители” перевесят количеством “потребителей” Россия по настоящему взорвется.  Атмосфера правильна.  Иммигранты, the bane of fortress America, желанны в России, где они нужны и где их ищут.

И Русское Чудо – не только феномен Москва – Санкт Петербург . Есть деловые и культурные зоны ,которые сейчас возникают по всей русской территории. К примеру, Путин помог городу Казан выиграть в конкурсе по проведению универсиады в 2013 году. Город преобразовывается во время подготовки. Екатеринбург – город витрин. Отдаленный Хабаровск так же имеет все. Быстро развивающийся Сочи, курорт на Черном Море примет в2014 году, зимние олимпийские игры и кто-либо, кто посетил этот экзотический город, сможет сказать вам, что после их,  это будет одно из самых эффектных мест в мире.

И так, когда Президент Медведев и Премьер-министр Путин садятся вместе, чтобы обсудить их взаимоотношения и их будущее, они держат надежды и грезы миллионов в их руках. И они на грани истории.  Что случилось в России, её диверсификации, её мудром использовании нефтяного бума, её новых свобод для рынка сейчас делают её “землёй возможностей.”  Как раз вовремя для мира в глобальном кризисе.

Jenna Bush debuts on the Today Show

Heeeeres Jenna!

Jenna Bush will debut this Friday, September 18, 2009 as a correspondent on the NBC Today Show.  It will not be the first time a presidential kid crossed over to the Fourth Estate.  Call it “Stockholm syndrome” if you will, but these kids who suffer for years at the hands of the media and watch their fathers suffer even more, quite frequently find security by joining the ranks of their tormentors.

Most recently Ron Reagan, Jr. co-hosted the talk show Connected: Coast to Coast with Monica Crowley at MSNBC.   That ran from February to December, 2005 and followed a brief stint by Mr. Reagan as a late night host on a syndicated show.  Both Ron and brother, Michael Reagan, still have their radio shows but hailing from the opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Nor did this start with television.  In 1945, Anna Roosevelt, daughter of FDR, was a super powerful White House aide to her ailing father.  When the president died Anna joined her mother, the former First Lady, as co-host of an ABC national radio program.  For years Anna attempted to launch her own newspaper from Arizona.

Anna’s brother, Elliott Roosevelt, teamed up with William Randolph Hearst, the media magnate and his father’s most bitter enemy.  And this while the president was still in office.  Elliott became director of a Hearst owned syndicate of radio stations in Texas that routinely pilloried the president.

The kids of presidents do very well as educators.  Lyon Tyler was president of William and Mary. Harry Garfield was president of Williams College.  Helen Taft Manning ran Bryn Mawr College. Today, David Eisenhower, grandson of a president, has a successful academic career at the University of Pennsylvania.

And children of presidents have written hundreds of books, award winning books.  John Eisenhower is one of this nation’s greatest military historians.  Two of the country’s most beloved and prolific mystery writers, Margaret Truman and Elliot Roosevelt, were children of presidents.  There have been a slew of great warriors, including generals and two Medal of Honor winners. Most of all, they often succeed in their family business, politics, where they have a head-start in name recognition and sometimes fund-raising potential.  But, alas, try as they may, there have not been many successful media figures, either as business persons or correspondents.

Ron Reagan’s syndicated talks show folded under pressure from competition.  Anna Roosevelt’s ABC network program fizzled after a year.  And she and her husband were never able to get their newspaper off the ground. Michael Reagan, finding his own place in talk radio has been one of the more successful.  So when Jenna Bush takes to the air waves this Friday, we will all cheer her on and wish her the best but expectations will be quite low and that will likely bring a smile to her father’s face.  The Bush family has always done well when the expectations were low.