Obama is the true cross-aisle/cross-cultural leader.  Last night on 60-Minutes Steve Kroft enjoyed a family lunch at casa Obama of tuna salad on toast.  For the liberal elites in the audience, there was comfort in the dash of dijon mustard.  The president-elect set the conservative white voters at ease with generous use of mayonaise.  President-elect Obama then recounted his cooking prowess as a bachelor with such cuisines as Indian and Chinese; thus reaching out to the Pacific Rim.

 

Had Kroft stayed for dinner, no doubt he would have enjoyed the brautwurst, humus, sushi,  peanut kashata and enchiladas.

 

 

Obama is the true cross-aisle/cross-cultural leader.  Last night on 60-Minutes Steve Kroft enjoyed a family lunch at casa Obama of tuna salad on toast.  For the liberal elites in the audience, there was comfort in the dash of dijon mustard.  The president-elect set the conservative white voters at ease with generous use of mayonaise.  President-elect Obama then recounted his cooking prowess as a bachelor with such cuisines as Indian and Chinese; thus reaching out to the Pacific Rim.

 

Had Kroft satued for dinner, no doubt he would have enjoyed the brautwurst, humus, sushi,  peanut kashata and enchiladas.

 

 

Obama is the true cross-aisle/cross-cultural leader.  Last night on 60-Minutes Steve Kroft enjoyed a family lunch at casa Obama of tuna salad on toast.  For the liberal elites in the audience, there was comfort in the dash of dijon mustard.  The president-elect set the conservative white voters at ease with generous use of mayonaise.  President-elect Obama then recounted his cooking prowess as a bachelor with such cuisines as Indian and Chinese; thus reaching out to the Pacific Rim.

 

Had Kroft satued for dinner, no doubt he would have enjoyed the brautwurst, humus, sushi,  peanut kashata and enchiladas.

 

 

Populists won't like this, but I'm not running for anything, so get over it...

The idea of including comp caps in the bailout legislation is just plain stupid.  Oh, yes it resonates with the common folk, but it’s pandering that can do real harm. 

No pay, no talent.  There are still plenty of solvent financial firms that will snap up the top talent of the dislocated executives at rates that make the proletariat blush.  So a $400K cap is just plain stupid.  If you think mid-level or a

Politico has the story that Obama's VP Vetters never asked for any information from Hillary Clinton, nor has anyone met with her. Team Obama lamely says that they've been vetting her for 16-months in their oppo research. Of course it's always easier to get the 411 when the target is a potental VP instead of rival, but hey, they say they've been vetting... If O was never considering Hillary, you'd think it would have made sense to just pretend; if only for the CYA. At best it all sounds discourteous; and at worst, plain stupid. So Hill gets nominated in Denver so that her followers are placated, but the VetTeam never picked up the phone. I can year the shit picking up speed on the way to its fan, and it won't be pretty.

I cringed while listening to Obama's speech the other day when he said he did not look like the presidents on the $1 and $5 bill. I took it to be a reference to his race; and my cringe was for what I initially perceived as a mistep (a rare thing in the Obama campaign). I've been following this campaign pretty closely and I do not recall McCain or his surrogates bringing up Obama's physical appearance, let alone race. I've heard plenty about his first, second and surname; and I interpretted them as vaguely racist, or xenophobic at best. But nothing overt, and not from McCain's own lips. So then why the comment about not looking like currency presidents? It's bothering me, and I would be curious if others had the same reaction or interpretation when they heard it. If I am making too much of it and it was just a reference to age (fifty-cent piece excepting), let me know. There have been accusations before during the primary that the race card was carefully played against Clinton. But, if they existed, they were hard to see, and were eclipsed by Bill's dismissive Georgia comments.

I recall some weeks back when there was a brouhaha about a remark Barack Obama made indicating that his supporters may not rally behind Hillary Clinton is she were to get the nomination.  Some  arguments on the blogosphere went that Obama was the safer candidate since his supporters might stay home on election day if he were not on the ticket.

State-by-state poll watching is an enjoyable sport: Who’s up, who’s down, who’s gaining, who’s losing…  But the prize of the nomination process is the electoral college votes come November.  The mathematics are simple:  Whomever receives 270 votes is the next president of the

State-by-state poll watching is an enjoyable sport: Who’s up, who’s down, who’s gaining, who’s losing…  But the prize of the nomination process is the electoral college votes come November.  The mathematics are simple:  Whomever receives 270 votes is the next president of the

It would be nice to have a guy who could share the secret of how to stop makeup from caking.  - M. Dowd, May 28, 2000

The best ex-president who was never president could make one of the most interesting campaigns in American history even more interesting.  -M. Dowd, February 28, 2007

I doubt that my favorite sharp tongued political satirist/columnist has changed much in the last seven years; Maureen Dowd and taxes are but a few guarantees in life. I believe the change was what side of the looking-glass the Goracle was standing on. There is the side of celebrity where every good deed is rewarded with an award; and then there is the other side of the looking-glass where a broad laugh, good hair, and who headlines your gospel hour is more defining than the candidates’ 50-years of combined public service.

Oh, Oprah, you are in for a world of hurt! Already the Edwards campaign has used some North Carolinian female black leaders to suggest that her impact is slight since she hasn’t built a school in the state; a clever, yet veiled, swipe at Oprah’s recent child abuse woes at her school for young women in South Africa. The Clinton camp brought out the three generations of Rodham girls with the unveiling of the long awaited Chelsea v.2007. Some Clinton supporters (not affiliated with the campaign, of course) even whispered about the O’s support, even advocacy, of the Iraq War back in 2001-2002. And this is only the beginning. In no time the campaign embedded press will grow tired of the repetitive stump speech and start looking for process stories on the tour. How the carefully lighted superstar will fair is anyone’s guess, but the safe money is on not too well. I am sure Matt Drudge is just waiting for that call from thesmokinggun.com when they’ve unearthed Miss Winfrey’s travel rider.

If the Oh-ohwo-ah-Oprah weren’t enough to take Obama over the top, word has it that Will Smith is being polished up to close the deal. The Cosby-heir-apparent will take some time off from his $25M gigs to join O in his support of o. His bono fides are impeccable: A successful marriage (in Hollywood, no less), a family-man, a former rap star who never glorified gun violence and never strayed far from funny sneakers and hand-me-downs as the objects of his rap, and an American hero (he saved the world no less than four times from extraterrestrial extermination with bravado and charm).

The Edward and Clinton responses to Will Smith’s endorsement of o is the most guarded secret in the campaign. My sources  tell me that a whispering campaign is in the works that draws light to the lack of honesty in the Fresh Prince’s weekly stratagems in the mid-90’s (Clinton), and a snarky reference to the health consequences of the cigar Mr. Smith smoked in the climatic scene of Independence Day (Edwards); which has the added benefit of bringing up cigars, a verboten topic in the Clinton camp. Mr. Smith should strap himself in for a bumpy ride. If he thought attacking robots were relentless, just wait til the press corp grows bored of his prepared remarks.

You can forget your positive social message in your rap, your bookclub success, your charming sense of humor, or televised empathy when you cross over to the other side of the looking glass of politics. If Al Gore showed us anything, it’s that your positive contributions only remain an asset when you are NOT running for public office. My dear Maureen Dowd reflects her view of the society, she does not create it.

 

The simple reason is that Punch Sulzberger is not dead.  The stock structure of NYT allows for trading only on non-voting shares.  The Sulzberger Trust owns the majority of voting shares, which insulates the company from a hostile take over.  Dow Jones had a similar, although not as strong, poison pill.  Ultimately, Murdoch succeeded because of lax family governance, the size of the extended family trusts, and the threat that refusing the deal would decimate the stock price.  In the case of the Sulzbergers, the family still exercises strong governance over The Times, the family has benefited from a low birth rate, and the family Trust (there is only one) is firmly controlled by Punch who would choose the newspaper over a value decline of the stock.

 

The difference between Bancrofts and Sulzbergers is a matter of Punch’s backbone.  While Arthur junior has shown himself as a capable publisher (at least in the Pulitzer count), he is a weak CEO, deferring to his orbit of senior managers for the direction of the corporate ship.  That said, Arthur junior does not use the bathroom in his newly christened executive office without first consulting his father, as leader of the family trust.  As an illustration of the differences in first amendment stands between generations, just think of Arthur junior chasing Judy Miller down the steps of the federal courthouse is Washington and compare it to Punch working with Katharine Graham to publish the Pentagon Papers in violation of a court order.  The term “judgment” comes to mind.

 The only strategy that Rupert Murdoch might  succeed in acquiring The Times would be to outlive Punch.  In the meantime we can all hope for Punch’s long life, and  that Pinch grows up to fill that inevitable void.

The long awaited NYT investigative super article promised in the NY Observer’s gossip column arrived today on page one, above the fold.  For those not fully convinced, Rupert Murdoch is, in fact, the devil.  His influence runs the gamut from the Bushies, to Trent Lott, to Bill&Hill.  Now the Bancrofts are looking to join the list of those who have sold their souls to the Old Nic from Down Under.

 

I can only hope that the Times exposé pulls some of the Bancoft family back from the edge and scuttles the Murdoch deal.  If they don’t resist, the WSJ is on a perilous course toward obscurity.  It will only take one whiff of influence on their news coverage to capsize the franchise, and consign it to the ash heap.  The real losers are we the humble readers who have fewer and fewer outlets for unfiltered news coverage.  Even if a Chinese wall can be constructed between NewsCorp and the WSJ newsroom, a Murdoch WSJ will be distracted by constant scrutiny for untoward influence and ulterior motives.

 I am saddened today by news that Rupert may get his prize.  I wish I could be heartened by the NYT article, but I am afraid the lawyers and bankers are already at work scripting the deal; i.e. the momentum is underway and the downfall of WSJ is imminent and inexorable.   

Wow, those private equity guys make a ton of money!  We ought to be private equity types and get in on the action.  Meanstwhile, the private equity types are thinking the time has come to move on.  The market is getting crowded and the prey scarce.  They know a secret in plain view:  Private equity is but one position on the pendulum’s swing and it has a shelf life that’s about to expire.   

So what do you do when you’ve been canonized by the market as a certified genius?  Well, you market it and then take the money and run.  Thus the widely anticipated Blackstone IPO.  An article on APR’s MarketPlace this morning included: 

Remember the dot-com craze? Boston University's James Post wonders if the deal-makers just figure the time has come to cash in on their reputations before private equity mania reaches its peak. 

Well said.  And while we wait with baited breath to snap up Blackstone stock, the Barbarian’s already know the and is picked clean and are making a hasty get away with the last asset worth grabbing—our cash.  Besides, the private equity landscape is about to get a whole lot less profitable as new taxes are proposed and implemented. I’m looking into my crystal ball for secrets in plain view….Looks like the stock market is coming back…for a while…

I have to admit that Mike Bloomberg is becoming a guilty pleasure of mine.  I secretly watch each move and my heart skips a beat with the prospect that he might actually do it.  But I am a Democrat, and I should be afraid that the Bloomberg effect will hurt my party’s prospects in attaining the White House.  But he’s so damn good.  He’s been a brilliant mayor and he’s so far outside the name calling and smear tactics we see in DC.  He’s incorruptible.  Who could buy Mike Bloomberg?  He’s got billions and when he became mayor signaled the end of his corporate trajectory.  Even now he talks about being a philanthropist after he leaves office (his current office, that is…wink, wink…nudge, nudge).

 

Skeletons in the closet?  Well there may be more than skeletons in the closet, or at least rumor suggests.  He’s got a track record of being a very aggressive business man, so, no doubt, there’s some ammunition there.  But by and large, Mike Bloomberg could be a real influence, and I will feel a little sad come November 2008, when my guilty pleasure is snuffed out when I pull the party-line lever.

I cannot help but think the NYOberserver may have had a little help with their scoop du jour. Like a crime, one has to ask, who benefits, and who had a motivation. I can think of one savvy media tycoon--rhymes with Supert Burdoch.

Check out this on the media article about NYT's current investigation of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire. The item ran earlier in a much more ambiguous, and less damaging manner. Now the dots are connected and I would not be terribly surprised if the report is pulled or decelerated.

Time was when newspapers completed for scoops. Now the Observer and its dauphin-in-chief don't hustle to get the scoop, but hustle to uncover the other paper's next scoop, to ... take the scoop from them so that...there's never a story? Sounds like the readers pay for the titillation of what The Times was planning to, but may not, print. Work's out for the Observers reporter too. Why she never had to leave her barstool at the reporters' favorite watering hole.

It's a new low.