The Aftertaste of a Bitter Campaign Speech

There's been a lot of hoo-hah over Senator Barack Obama's comments at a San Francisco fund-raiser (no media allowed--not that it matters in the YouTube age), in which he laid out his take on the voters of small-town Pennsylvania.

For the few of you who missed it, Obama characterized the people he needs to defeat Senator Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination as " . . . bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to express their frustrations".

Clinton and apparent GOP nominee Senator John McCain jumped all over Obama for being an "elitist" liberal who's out of touch with the rest of society. Which is ridiculous when you consider that Clinton, McCain and their sycophants aren't exactly common folk.

In a clumsy way, Obama may have a point about how the rank-and-file feel about the country these days. They do have reasons to be bitter.

Bitter is . . . being played for fools by both parties who promise more than they deliver, and then refusing to compromise..

Bitter is . . . listening to another dog-and-pony show with General David Petraeus making excuses before the three presidential candidates as to why American soldiers should continue to fight a losing battle in Iraq.

Bitter is . . . yet another televised debate (this one on ABC from Philadelphia) between Obama and Clinton, where the most important questions are why Obama doesn't wear a flag lapel pin, why Clinton "misspoke" about what really happened on that tarmac in Bosnia ten years ago, and whether one candidate would take the other as a running mate if they won the nomination.

Bitter is . . . an economy with high gas prices (which affects the price of everything else), people losing their homes and jobs, and the lack of affordable health insurance.

Bitter is . . . no real policy on combating climate change, other than hoping for a break in the weather.

There's lots more, but you get the idea. Now all America needs is for someone to "cling" to for a better future.

So Much For The "Hometown Airline"

As had been rumored for several months, two of the nation's largest air carriers--Delta and Northwest--plan to come together to create the biggest.

The basic facts of the proposed merger: Delta would be the combined airline's name, flying to 400 cities in 1400 planes. Headquarters would be in Atlanta. All hubs, including the ones in Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul, would remain. The Justice Department would have to approve the deal.

Here's why they're doing it: High fuel prices. The continued hangover from the events of 9/11/01 that has nearly bankrupted the travel industry. The lousy economy in general. Not to mention the sense that they'd better do this now while a Republican is still in the White House

Northwest (sometimes called Northworst by its detractors), with its corporate headquarters in Eagan, has had a rocky relationship with the state of Minnesota. They threatened to leave the state once (in 1992), holding their breaths until the Legislature ponied up over $200 million in incentives, including a promise to stay put.

And what have they done for us? Constant labor strife (the pilots' union is opposed to the merger), bad customer service, and one of the worst on-time takeoff and arrival records in the business. (Of course, you could say that about most of the other airlines) It was all presided over by a management that knew it was running a virtual monopoly at MSP International, then got out with as much money as they could.

With the proposed merger, Northwest's Eagan headquarters would be closed, jobs would be cut, and airport traffic would suffer. There is also no guarantee the Twin Cities would remain a hub. But weep not for management. Those who aren't making the move to Atlanta would still get some nice compensation.

The local politicians, from Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) to the state's Congressional delegation--including Rep. James Oberstar (D), who is chairman of the powerful House Transportation committee--can bleat all they want about the damage a merger would do to Minnesota. But there's not much they can do, beyond hoping that the new Delta cuts them a nice check (preferably $245 million) and promises more jobs.

When and if the merger is approved (and right now that's a big if), all of the problems Northwest Airlines has caused over the years will be history. And so will the airline. Don't let the cabin door hit you in the backside.

Torch-y Situation

With the Summer Olympics in Beijing a few months away, the Olympic Torch Relay is being run in cities around the world. The torch is supposed to represent peace through sportsmanship. But what happens when some people believe the symbol represents an endorsement of the host country's refusal to play nice with the rest of the world?

People who oppose China's heavy-handed treatment of Tibetians who wanted autonomy for themselves (among other things) have been disrupting the torch run in Paris and London, to the point of accosting the runner and snuffing out the flame.

The city of San Francisco, which hosted the American leg of the run, took measures to make sure the same thing didn't happen. In a scene that could have taken place in Beijing, officials changed the original route, ringing the runners with heavy security through empty streets, and moving the closing ceremonies to a secluded area of San Francisco International Airport. (The Chinese government, according to KGO-TV's web site, suggested the move.) There may have been fewer arrests and incidences of violence, but what they ended up doing was denying folks the chance to see the torch, unless they were watching overhead shots on TV.

The International Olympic Committee made the mistake of awarding the Summer Games to Beijing in the first place, knowing full well China's history of political repression. But this isn't the first time politics has insinuated itself into the Olympics. There was Nazi Germany in 1936, Moscow in 1980 (which the U.S. boycotted over the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan), Los Angeles in 1984 (in which the Soviets and their Eastern Bloc neighbors returned the favor), among others. South Africa was banned for years because of their apartheid policies. So tell me again about how the Olympics transcend politics?

The United States can't afford not to show up in Beijing, considering that the American economy is billions of dollars in hock to the Chinese. And companies continue to flock there in search of more customers and revenues, while they stiff their own people at home.

Don't expect athletes to take a powder on the Olympics, either. They earn too much money, and are beholden to too many sponsors to even consider having a conscience.

Everyone involved in this incident should be embarrassed: The Chinese and American governments, the city of San Francisco, the IOC and its corporate partners. The most liberal city in America had turned into a police state. Or was it just another day in President George W. Bush's America?

Let The Playoffs Begin

With the 2007-08 National Hockey League regular season in the books, it's time to assess some trends as the Stanley Cup playoffs commence.

• Two Original Six franchises--the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings--wound up with the best records in their respective conferences. The Canadiens used to be a perennial Stanley Cup contender until they fell on hard times (they haven't won the Cup since 1993). The Red Wings are usually in it every year, so this was no big surprise.
• The league got what it wanted when two of its biggest young stars--Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals--made the playoffs.
• After the success of the New Year's Day outdoor game in Buffalo between the Sabres and Penguins, the NHL is planning another one. It's not confirmed yet, but Yankee Stadium in New York might get the next one.
• NBC, in presumably the last year of its no-fee deal with the NHL, chose a Game of the Week format with a 'flex' schedule similar to its Sunday night NFL package. What they ended up with was scheduling the same teams--the Red Wings, Penguins and New York Rangers--into an early-afternoon slot dictated by the network's golf coverage. That's like scheduling the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and New York Giants every Sunday night. Doesn't leave much to showcase the other teams.
• Oh yes, Versus will continue to be the official cable home of the NHL through 2011. So no more whining about why they're not on ESPN.

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The Minnesota Wild survived the Northwest Division, the toughest in the NHL, and won it. They did it with big (and injury-free) years from Marian Gaborik, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brian Rolston, along with the goaltending of Josh Harding and Niklas Backstrom. They could have used another veteran scorer. Instead, they got Chris Simon from the New York Islanders, who got a major suspension last season for injuring a Rangers player. He joins the team's other designated goon, Derek Boogaard.

Now the Wild will face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, a potentially tough series that became even more so with two defensemen unable to play. Kurtis Foster busted his leg in a game at San Jose, and Nick Schultz had his appendix removed. Even with that challenge, the Wild should get through the first round before losing in the second.

And now our long-range forecast on who will be playing for the Stanley Cup when the only ice outside the arena will be in your drinks: Detroit vs. Pittsburgh.

Cloudy Skies in TV's Forecast

Whether you want to call the current economic slowdown a recession or not, it has hit the TV news business. They, like their counterparts in the print world, are fighting a losing battle with the Internet, resulting in fewer viewers and ad revenue.

At CBS, one hundred positions have so far been cut at their local TV division, which included well-known personalities such as news anchors at their stations in Chicago and San Francisco. ABC and NBC had their own layoffs.

At WCCO-TV, one of CBS' premier performers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, longtime meteorologist Paul Douglas and weekend anchor John Reger were among those let go.

In the most recent TV ratings report, every Twin Cities network affiliates' newscasts (with the exception of Fox station KMSP) has reported double-digit losses in viewers. Blame that on the Internet and the recently-settled writers strike, if you like. But there might be something else going on. Could it be that TV news itself is driving viewers away?

In the chase for younger, more female viewers, local TV news has become too dependent on two things: touchy-feely stories (which NBC affiliate KARE excels at) and "if it bleeds, it leads" breaking-news coverage (the province of ABC station KSTP). If you don't like either approach, there's always The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. That's where most people are getting their news these days.

As for Douglas, his "I'm just the messenger" schtick has worn well with local audiences since he began at KARE in the 1980s, then a short stint in Chicago at CBS' WBBM-TV before coming back to town at WCCO in 1997. He has also been the only local weatherperson in town who advocated the possibility of global climate change. That might have been one factor contributing to his dismissal, if conservative debunkers complained loudly enough to CBS and WCCO.

But Douglas doesn't really need the TV gig financially. The Star Tribune reports that last year he sold Digital Cyclone, his weather information business, to Garmin for $45 million. So he could well afford to live in the gated community in Eden Prairie, and at that cabin up north he used to talk about on TV.

Douglas says he wants to stay in Minnesota. But can he, if he wants to remain in television? Dave Dahl at KSTP and Belinda Jensen at KARE aren't going to let go of their personal fiefdoms any time soon. And whoever becomes the new chief meteorologist at WCCO will presumably be working for less money.

What WCCO (and CBS) did may have done wonders for its bottom line. But it becomes a public relations nightmare when the cuts you do make ends up alienating the very viewers you're trying to keep from going elsewhere.

College Basketball: The Final Bore?

In San Antonio's Alamodome this weekend, four of the nation's top men's basketball programs--Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and Memphis--compete for the NCAA championship. For the first time ever, all four teams are number one seeds.

So why aren't people more excited? TV ratings for the tournament are the lowest they've ever been, mainly because most of the games have been blowouts. No Cinderellas either, though Davidson College came close before losing to Kansas in the regional final.

(On a side note, we find it interesting that on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, a team from Memphis is playing for the championship. Discuss among yourselves how relevant this really is.)

But there have been more fundamental problems affecting the popularity of college basketball. One of them is the National Basketball Association's rule allowing players as young as 19 to enter the league's draft, resulting in so-called student-athletes spending a year or two in school before deciding to turn pro. How can you develop any sort of continuity if you treat the team you're on as if you're in community college?

Another is the schedule, in which conferences have post-season tournaments to help determine who gets into the NCAAs. The regular season is rendered meaningless, leading folks to check out until March.

We're not ignoring the women, who are having their own NCAA championship in Tampa, Florida this weekend. They have their own problems.

Two of the four teams competing--Tennessee and Conneticut--have won most of the national titles for the last decade or so. (The other two, in case you're wondering, are Stanford and Louisiana State) If you're one of the top players such as Candace Parker and Maya Moore, wouldn't you want to be on a consistent winner, too? That's why coaches like Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt have the pick of the crop, and everyone else gets the scraps.

And because the distribution of talent is so lopsided, games are seldom competitive.

People complain that the women's tournament doesn't get as much attention as the men's tournament does. They're correct. So how come the women's championship final is played in an arena instead of a domed stadium, shown on cable instead of broadcast TV, and the results are too late to make it into that week's issue of Sports Illustrated?

Amidst all the carping we've done, we can just sit back in front of the big screen and watch the games unfold. Who knows? We could be watching the greatest games in the history of the human race. Or not.

One more thing: UCLA will win the men's title, while Tennessee takes home another women's trophy.

Clinton vs. Obama: The Thrill Is Gone

Three weeks before the next Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania, the long-running Punch and Judy show starring Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is getting stale. If this were an actual sitcom, the networks would have canceled it by now.

Trailing Obama in the delegate count (according to most media figures), Clinton has vowed to stay in the race until at least June, even though she keeps losing money, support and credibility. Surprisingly, Obama agrees with her.

Clinton is counting on so-called "superdelegates" to put her over the top when all else fails. If so, then the strategy's not working. The latest to jump to the Obama side of the fence is Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

What's also not helping Clinton's case is her recollection of a visit to war-torn Bosnia as First Lady a decade ago with daughter Chelsea. She claimed to have been dodging sniper fire during a stopover to get to some ceremony. But footage taken by CBS News, among others, showed the Clintons actually being greeted by a little girl bearing flowers--who in today's post-9/11 environment, might have been frisked by officials looking for bombs before they ever let her get near the First Lady. Reminded of this inconvenient fact, Clinton said she "misspoke".

Clinton has also been accused of tearing down Obama to make herself look good, especially over his lack of experience and his relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, hurting the Democrats' chances in November in the process. Some believe her strategy is to let Republican John McCain win the general election, so she could run against him in 2012.

Chelsea Clinton has been going to college campuses talking up her mother's campaign and taking questions from students, but not the news media. Recently, she responded to one student (who may or may not have been a plant) who asked about her reaction to her father's involvement with Monica Lewinsky. Her answer was along the lines of "none of your business". Excuse me, but if the President of the United States risked being removed from office because he allegedly fooled around with an intern, it is our business. And Chelsea may have inadvertently hurt her mother's campaign because of the answer she gave.

Which is not to say that Obama is infallible. What does it say about his campaign when he's not able to clinch the nomination because he can't convince folks he's more than a novelty candidate?

Hillary Clinton has every right to continue her campaign until the bitter end. But she needs to understand when enough's enough. The longer the senator stays in, the more she risks embarrassing herself and her party with her tactless, classless attacks on Obama.

In other words, folks, it's time to bring down the curtain on the Punch and Judy show.