September 10th, 2010 by John Feehery
We live in a fine print world.
The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and boy, the devil is having a field day these days.
You leave your phone on while you travel into a foreign country, and the next thing you know you are facing bankruptcy because of excessive roaming charges. When you complain, hey, you should know better. It’s in the fine print.
You pay a day late on your credit card; the bank slaps you with a huge late payment fee. When you complain, hey, you should know better. It’s in the fine print.
You have to change your flight because of a family emergency, but the airline makes you pay through the nose for privilege. When you complain, hey, you should have known better. It’s in the fine print.
You use a social networking site for fun, and all of sudden, you get deluged with all kinds of crazy advertisers. When you complain, hey, you should have known better. It’s in the fine print. Read more...
Tags: credit cards, government healthcare, rip offs, Social Media, the fine print
Posted in Government, Liberal Media, Media, Politics, Social Media, Theory, health care, spending | No Comments »
September 9th, 2010 by John Feehery
The Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco held a reception in honor of my old boss, former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. Barco was effusive in her praise of Denny, who in the mid-1990’s took a keen interest her country.
Back then, Colombia was teetering on the edge of complete chaos. Drug cartels and then narco-terrorists, had the upper hand in their battle for control. Brutal murders, kidnapping, and overall mayhem constantly terrorized Colombian citizens. Because the drug merchants had so much money, they were well equipped and well armed, and they gave the Colombian military a run for its money. Because the cartels had so much money, they were also able to buy off many in the justice system and in the police force.
Hastert initially started looking into Colombia from his perch as Chairman of a Government Oversight Committee that focused on the war on drugs. He saw that what happened in Colombia had a direct impact on the national security of the American people. He saw that drugs from Colombia were making their way to street corners in the big cities, the suburbs, and in rural America. He saw that kids were being killed in drug conflicts because of drugs that were being produced in Colombia. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Drugs, Government, Mexico, Plan Colombia
Posted in Drugs in America, Foreign Relations, Government, Politics, Theory | No Comments »
September 7th, 2010 by John Feehery
When Mayor Daley announced that he was resigning, it made Washington liberals very happy. It should have also put a smile on Republican Presidential candidates too.
Let me explain.
For most of his career, Daley has been a pretty effective mayor for the city of Big Shoulders. He was able to pick up the pieces after the Harold Washington debacle and move the city past the racial political war that typified Washington’s epic battles against the City Counsel.
For a decade or so, he made Chicago work again. He made peace with the business community, he worked hard on beautifying the city, and found ways to reach out to every different neighborhood in a way that brought the city together. He transformed his father’s political machine, making it more acceptable for the modern era.
But Daley was dogged by federal corruption investigations that ultimately took out many of his closest allies. He refused to back the police force when cops were charged with police brutality and racism (even when the cops were black). That led to the shooting gallery that is currently Chicago.
He pushed liberal (and ineffective) causes like gun control, making a name for himself, but taking away freedom from citizens who wanted to protect themselves from the bad guys. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago, Congress, DC mayor, election, mayor, Presidential election, White House
Posted in Government, Politics, Theory, election | No Comments »
September 7th, 2010 by John Feehery
“April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.” – T.S. Eliot–The Wasteland
Had T.S. Elliot just witnessed the August endured by the Obama Administration, he might have changed his opinion of the cruelest month. Because, politically, for Democrats, this August has been nothing, but a wasteland.
From the moment Michelle Obama set foot in Spain, to the moment her husband decided to wade into the New York City mosque mess, it has been nothing, but bad news for Congressional Democrats.
As the President’s popularity ratings have sunk, so have the fortunes of his close allies in Capitol Hill. According to Gallup, Republicans now enjoy the biggest advantage to the following question in the history of the poll: “Will you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate this coming November?”
And in race after race, the polling is not getting any better for the Democrats. It was widely reported that Democratic operatives have already thrown in the towel on the House, and are now turning their attention to saving the Senate majority, a concern that was deemed unthinkable only four months ago. Read more...
Tags: Barack Obama, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, Economy, election, George W Bush, Government, health care, Iraq, McCain, November elections, Presidential election, Republicans, White House
Posted in Economy, Government, Politics, Theory, election, health care, war | No Comments »
September 3rd, 2010 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:
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...
Tags: Barack Obama, Chicago, Democrats, Drugs, Obama, Politics
Posted in Drugs in America, Government, Media, Politics, Theory | No Comments »
September 2nd, 2010 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...
Tags: Barack Obama, Christina Romer, Economics, Jared Bernstein, White House
Posted in Government, Politics | No Comments »
September 1st, 2010 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...
Tags: America, Barack Obama, Conservatives, Democrats, Glenn Beck, rally, Republicans, Tea Party
Posted in Politics | 4 Comments »
August 31st, 2010 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...
Tags: Adrian Fenty, Barack Obama, Margaret Spellings, Michelle Rhee, Vincent Gray
Posted in Politics, Theory, election | No Comments »
August 30th, 2010 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...
Tags: Barack Obama, Catholism, Fulton Sheen, Glenn Beck, Martin Luther King
Posted in Politics | No Comments »
We live in a fine print world.
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