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September 3rd, 2010 8:00 AM
POSTED BY John Feehery

Only in America could gang-bangers have a press conference and complain about police harassment.

That is exactly what several members of some of Chicago’s most violent gangs did yesterday.

On the same day that President Obama’s Justice Department sued an Arizona Sheriff for harassing illegal immigrants, gang kingpins met with the press to say that the cops don’t give them enough respect.

Here is what CBS news reported on the subject:

gang leaders news conference in Chicago

Self-identified gang leaders hold a news conference in Chicago, Sept. 2. 2010. (CBS)

“At a news conference organized by self-identified gang members Thursday morning, several speakers complained that police and city officials do not respect them, and that the only way to curb violence is to provide jobs and improve their community. The self-described current and former gang members held a news conference at the Columbus Park Refectory, at 5701 W. Jackson Blvd. on the city’s West Side.  “You say it’s gangs, drugs and guns. We say we need jobs, opportunities and contracts,” said Reginald Akeem Berry Sr., who identified himself as a former gang member. “That’s the resolution.”

But is that really the resolution?  How can jobs be created in parts of Chicago that are more violent that Baghdad or Kabul?  Read more...

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Posted in Drugs in America, Government, Media, Politics, Theory | No Comments »

September 2nd, 2010 1:28 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

Christina Romer, chair of the president's Council of Economic Advisers

Just about every Monday night over the last several years, I have tried to recapture my youth by playing basketball with a bunch of other guys who are similarly trying to recapture their youths.  It is fun way to exercise, as long as you don’t snap your Achilles or anything like that.

One of the guys I have been playing with is Jared Bernstein.  Before he became famous, Jared was an economist with a labor-affiliated think tank.  Jared is a very good athlete, a tough defender, but (and I think he would admit this himself) his jumpshot leaves a lot to be desired.

Jared and I have a friendly rivalry on the court and off the court, and now that he is Joe Biden’s top economic advisor, we talk about what the Obama White House is up to and what the Republican response is likely to be.

Earlier this week, Jared pointed me to Christina Romer’s farewell address, telling me that it had some good stuff in it.

Jared and I disagree philosophically (for obvious reasons) but I am glad that he pointed me to this speech.  Read more...

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Posted in Government, Politics | No Comments »

September 1st, 2010 11:38 AM
POSTED BY John Feehery

Glenn Beck is crazy.  His fans, on the other hand, are not.

I have talked to several reporters about the Beck event on the mall over the weekend, and every one of them had nothing but complete disdain for Beck.

And yet, each one of them commented about how nice the crowd was.

The Beck fans were orderly.  They didn’t carry wacky signs.  They were very respectful of each other.   As one reporter told me, “you would feel very comfortable with your kids running through this crowd.”

The Beck fans were immaculate.  They cleaned up after themselves.  In fact, the place looked cleaner after they were there then it did before they got there.

The problem the left has in attacking the Tea Party and in attacking Glenn Beck’s supporters is that they are attacking people who are actually very nice.

These folks are very concerned about what is happening to America.  Yes, they are concerned about President Obama, but it isn’t his race that bothers them.  It is his philosophy and his insouciance about America’s essential character.  Read more...

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Posted in Politics | 2 Comments »

August 31st, 2010 9:50 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

Photo via the NY Times

The President said he wanted to turn the page on Iraq.

I wonder how that makes the Iraqis feel.  My guess is that they are saying, “wait, this chapter isn’t done yet!”  About the only Iraqi who wants us out is that Sadr character, who is just looking for a way to grab power for himself.

It was nice that Mr. Obama called former President Bush today, and that he mentioned that conversation in his speech tonight.  I wonder if the current President acknowledged that the former President was right when it came to the surge.  I doubt it.

Mr. Obama has been pretty consistent that he didn’t like the Iraq War and that he wanted to spend the money that we spent in Iraq on bigger government to “help the middle class.”  The irony is that most middle class voters are clamoring for smaller government, lower taxes, and less meddling from the Feds, not for more help from Mr. Obama.

 Read more...

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Posted in Bad Decisions, war | No Comments »

August 31st, 2010 5:25 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

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Posted in Politics, Theory | No Comments »

August 31st, 2010 1:33 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty

My wife and I just dropped off our four year-old son for his first day of school. I was running a bit late, and we got there just in time for him to start his day with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord’s Prayer (we are sending him to the local Parochial school).

It is emotional for parents to send their kids to school for the first day.  They want their kids to thrive (my wife likes that word), to learn, to become good citizens, and maybe to someday grow up to President.  (If there is one thing we have learned from Barack Obama, it is that anybody can grow up to be President, no matter what their qualifications.)

But they also want their kids to behave, and on that first day, when your little boy is four years old, it is an open question if he is going to behave like he is supposed to behave.  I could see the panic in other parents’ eyes as they left their little ones in the hands of the two teachers who now face the daunting task of corralling a bunch of little munchkins for the seven hours of school each day.  That made me feel better, because surely, there was an element of panic inside me.  There is strength in numbers.  Read more...

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Posted in Politics, Theory, election | No Comments »

August 30th, 2010 2:12 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

Glenn Beck // Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

The good news coming in over the weekend is that Glenn Beck announced that he wasn’t running for President.  The bad news is that he seems to think of himself as some sort of a religious prophet, and a lot of people seem to agree with him.

Beck proved that he wasn’t completely delusional when he admitted that he would be unelectable should he decide that he was running for the nation’s highest office.  On that, I assume he is correct, but then again, you never know.

Beck’s rally, from all the news reports, was a political curiosity, in that it wasn’t supposed to be overtly political.  He gave an award to Albert Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinal’s slugger, and somehow suckered Tony LaRussa, the Cardinals’ long-time manager to be there to actually present the award to his star.  He also gave an award to a relative of Martin Luther King, which was appropriate, (I guess) since it was 47 years to the day that King gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in that very same location.  Read more...

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Posted in Politics | No Comments »

August 23rd, 2010 5:49 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

I was on the treadmill this morning, enjoying my vacation, when I saw the DNC ad on the television.  The Democratic National Committee, incredibly, has decided that the last two years of presidential leadership from Barack Hussien Obama has no bearing on the upcoming midterm election.  They have decided to run against George W. Bush.

They are spending a lot of money to cast this election as a contest between George Bush and Barack Obama.  So, I have to ask the question:  If George Bush were to run against Obama right now, who would win?

The DNC seems convinced that Obama would win in a landslide.  That is why they are so confident in their strategy.  But is that true?

A recent poll showed that in the 40 most competitive seats held by Democrats, Bush is more popular than Obama.  This poll was conducted by a Democrat, by the way.

Obama won a convincing victory against John McCain two short years ago.  But there were a couple of things turning in Obama’s favor.  First, the financial crisis reared its ugly head just two months before the election.  Second, the Iraq War was just starting to turn around, not enough to help McCain.  Third, McCain ran one of the worst Presidential campaigns in history, and was one of the most disappointing candidates in history. Fourth, after 8 years of President Bush, the American people were ready for a change.  Read more...

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Posted in election | 4 Comments »

August 20th, 2010 2:29 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

The vacation is a relatively modern invention.

Most historians will say it was invented in the early 19th century, when wealthy people “vacated” their homes and schools and went elsewhere, most likely to escape whatever hot weather they were dealing with.

The mountains and the beach back then were the best ways to beat the heat, especially if you lived in the Washington area.  That still seems to be the case.

Middle class vacations are made possible by the modern industrial age.  You can take a break if you don’t have to worry about subsistence living.  You can also take a break if you can afford to take a break and not go bankrupt.

If you are a farmer or small shop owner, living on tight margins, it is hard to take any kind of break, especially back in the 19th century.  Back then, only the wealthiest land owners and industrialists could afford to take a break, because only they could afford to leave the hard work to somebody else.

If you were poor, you weren’t going to take many vacations.  Read more...

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Posted in Fun, Theory | No Comments »

August 19th, 2010 3:03 PM
POSTED BY John Feehery

US Soldiers in Iraq

I was talking to my good friend Alex Mistri, a man who spent a year working for the military and the State Department in Iraq, and I asked him what he thought about departure of combat troops from that beleaguered country.

He told me he was deeply ambivalent. He wished that the president had a just a little more patience to give the Iraqis a chance to get their coalition government together. On the one hand, he was happy to see that our policies over there have worked and that many of our troops are coming home knowing that they did a good job. On the other hand, he is deeply apprehensive that the cake isn’t ready yet, and by leaving, we give extremists a chance to destabilize the country.

I share Alex’s deep ambivalence. I share Alex’s pride in the job our combat troops did in battling terrorists and stabilizing large sections of a country that has been in constant turmoil for almost a decade. But this thing is not over, and I hope that the president didn’t rush this for political reasons.  Read more...

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Posted in Politics, Theory, war | No Comments »

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