The Speaker Has Left The House

Official portrait of United States House Speaker (R-Ohio). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pope Francis is in the United States right now, in case you haven't noticed.  So far he's visited Washington and spoke to a joint session of Congress.  As this is being published, His Holiness is in New York City, having addressed the United Nations and holding Mass at Madison Square Garden.  Then he's off to Philadelphia for a family conference before going home.

No doubt the Pope's visit has influenced the many lives of those who have come from far and wide just to get a glimpse of him.  This includes John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line for presidential succession.  The day after the Pope made his historic address inside the House chamber, Boehner rocked the political world by announcing his resignation as Speaker and as a member of Congress, effective at the end of October.

The Ohio Republican--he of the perpetual tan and a noted tendency to cry a lot--has served in Congress since 1991, and has been Speaker since after the GOP took control of the House in the 2010 elections.  Boehner said in a news conference that he made his decision after meeting with Pope Francis following his address, then prayed on it.  He said he had planned to resign at the end of the year, but events forced him to move up the timetable.

Boehner, a conservative who as Speaker has had numerous run-ins with President Barack Obama and other "my way or the highway" Republicans over his fiscal policy and his leadership--to the point of shutting down the U.S. government, apparently reached his limit when some of the more conservative members of his party tried to shut down the government again over funding for Planned Parenthood.  They wanted Boehner to take a harder line on the issue, but he said he just couldn't go through with that again.

The GOP is in complete disarray right now.  The Tea Party faction is willing to stop the U.S. government from doing its job for idiotic reasons, disrupting the lives of those who work for them or otherwise depend on it to function.  They're so far right that Dwight Eisenhower, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan would be considered Democrats today.  So who are the leading candidates in the GOP presidential race?  Donald Trump. Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson.  Businesspeople who have never held political office before.  That's how screwed up the Republicans are, and why few of them are sad to see Boehner go.

Kevin McCarthy, a California congressman and House Majority Leader who also happens to be Boehner's deputy, is considered the early favorite to be the next Speaker. 

Now that John Boehner is putting Congress in the rear view mirror, it'll be interesting to see if anything changes in Washington before and after the 2016 elections.  As it stands right now, it's going to take more than just a visit from Pope Francis to get those from the far left and right to come together for the good of the country.

It's going to take a miracle.

Three Hours in Simi Valley

English: Carly Fiorina Português: A empresária Carly Fiorina em São Paulo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The second Republican presidential debate, held this time at the Ronald Reagan Library in California, was three hours of watching 11 White House wannabees struggling to explain to a CNN audience why they would want to follow in The Gipper's footsteps.  They all stood in front of the Air Force One that Reagan used during his term in office, making it look like this was taking place in an airplane hangar.

Donald Trump, who has been the GOP front-runner for the last few weeks, continued to mug for the cameras and make brash statements.  That's a given.  What's different this time was that the ten other candidates took potshots at Trump and his limitations on such issues as foreign policy and immigration reform, which may have caused him to lay back for long stretches of time.

The other guys--Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, etc.--did their best to attack Trump and to make their own points.  Quite frankly, they had to.  With the exception of Dr. Ben Carson, none of them had poll ratings beyond the single digits.  Only Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, made the most of her promotion from the kids' table at the last debate.  Her icy response to Trump's "that face" reference and what she would do once in office spoke volumes about her candidacy, if you don't count Trump's (mostly true) references to Fiorina's nearly running HP into the ground.

Jeb! Bush tried hard to distance himself from the policies of the previous members of his family who once ran the country.  But mentioning that George W. had "kept us safe" when it was obvious that he did not, admitting to smoking marijuana many years ago, and coaxing Trump to apologize to his wife for including her in the immigration debate was not exactly becoming.  Everyone knows that Trump never apologizes.

In three hours on CNN and Salem Radio (which the network frequently invoked whenever conservative talk host Hugh Hewitt asked a question), moderator Jake Tapper tried to get a word in as the candidates constantly interrupted and talked over each other while discussing re-arming the military and de-funding Planned Parenthood over allegedly doctored videos.  This is what happens when you have eleven people on the same stage telling the world how they would run the country.  It turns into verbal Wrestlemania.

If Reagan were alive to see this, he would have stood there and shook his head, saying "there you go again".  Then he would have taken a nap.  That's more than any of us would have done.

Random Thoughts: 9/11/01 Edition

This is the anniversary of the attacks on New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington, and a field somewhere in Pennsylvania.  Nearly three thousand people died that day.  Now some folks want to make September 11 a national holiday.  The first thing is, didn't we just have a holiday a few days ago?  The second is, isn't this already called Patriot Day?  The third thing?  The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that forced America into World War II has never been considered a national holiday.  Why should 9/11 be?
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The nuclear deal with Iran, in which they agreed to refrain from anything close to a weapons program for the next ten years in exchange for easing economic sanctions that have been in place at least since American diplomatic personnel were held hostage for 444 days 35 years ago, is more or less a done deal if you believe the White House.  The Obama administration claims to have enough votes in Congress for the deal to pass, despite vehement opposition from the Republicans and guys like former Vice President Dick Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There are flaws in the agreement, to be sure.  Would Iran hold up its end of the bargain inspecting their own nuclear facilities, and making sure none of the money that comes from lifting sanctions goes into allegedly supporting terrorism?  Or are we reading too much into those TV ads opposing the deal?

We are told that this is the best agreement we're going to get.  It won't end the "Death to America" rhetoric coming out of Tehran, but it's a start.  So unless someone else has a better idea besides going to war with Iran, why would Congress want to look more foolish than they already are in disapproving the deal?
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Syrian refugees fleeing a devastating civil war between a despotic dictatorship and a murderous would-be caliphate are flocking to Europe in droves, particularly to Germany, where they are promised a new life.  (Which is quite a contrast from when everybody wanted to escape Germany and its despotic dictator.)  The U.S. has offered to take in at least 10,000 of those migrants per year, but some say it should be more.  So what are you going to do with all those people who through no fault of their own will probably never return to Syria, whether they want to or not?  And doesn't this make the debate about whether to wall off our borders sound a tad ridiculous?
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The Islamic State has been doing a much better job in recruiting youth to their violence-plagued paradise than anyone could have anticipated, as evidenced by all the arrests made on those who attempted to join them.  Somehow all the bombing being done by the U.S. just isn't cutting it, as apparently what doesn't kill the Islamic State seems to make them stronger.
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It's been 14 years since that September morning, and nobody has figured out an adequate answer to the question Why do they hate us so much?  These days it depends on your definition of who hates whom.  Is it anyone who worships at a mosque?  Is it police officers who stop those who are doing anything while black?  Is it government employees who refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because it's against their religion?  Or is it just because?  If you are able to answer these questions and more, be prepared for the fallout.  Because there is no right answer.

When The News Is The News

No matter what you think of journalists, whether they're paid stenographers for the left or right, or failed actors and models regurgitating trivia off of a Teleprompter who couldn't cut it in Hollywood, it is definitely not a cushy job.  And who said it was, anyway?

To get the story that comes through your TV or laptop, a journalist must get through government red tape, "senior Washington officials", uncooperative witnesses, boring media briefings, staged appearances and other places where they're usually not welcome.  Journalists have been arrested, kidnapped, served prison time, physically attacked and even murdered.  Then whatever they have gathered must be vetted through sources (reliable or not) and editors before you see or hear that story.

There are many journalists who have died in the line of duty, mostly while reporting on wars and natural disasters.  No one expects that to happen live on the air while interviewing someone on one of those light, happy morning news broadcasts.  Which is exactly what happened Wednesday morning on WDBJ-TV, the CBS station in Roanoke, Virginia.  An apparently disgruntled former employee of WDBJ opened fire on reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward during a live interview at a local shopping mall.  Parker and Ward are dead, as is the shooter after he posted his own video of the incident on social media.

There have also been running battles between journalists and the politicians they cover.  Who could forget Dan Rather of CBS vs. President Richard Nixon during Watergate, or Sam Donaldson of ABC vs. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan?

Now we have Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is taking a different tack in confronting reporters covering his campaign.  Trump's feud with Megyn Kelly of Fox News Channel began when he thought the questions she asked at the last GOP debate were less than fair and balanced.  After Kelly returned from some time off to host her nightly TV show, Trump tweeted some uncomplimentary things about her implying that maybe she should have stayed on vacation.  He's also that way whenever a female journalist tries to to interview him, speaking to them in patronizing tones.

Trump's other beef is with Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos.  Ramos was tossed out of Trump's news conference in Iowa this past week for not waiting his turn to ask the great man about his stance on border security and so-called "anchor babies", both of which are really touchy subjects for Ramos' Hispanic audience, for whom polls show have a low opinion of Trump to begin with.

These are just recent examples of what the men and women who cover the stories have to go through so that we--the couch potatoes and basement bloggers of the world--have all the information we need to make up our minds on the issues of the day.  They, more than any soldier who fights wars for the sake of killing for God and country, are the ones who deserve your support.  This is why we have a First Amendment.

At 105 FM, a Different Vibe

English: Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, performing on the Today show in 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the same weekend that the movie "Straight Outta Compton" hit the multiplexes, a new hip hop radio station dropped on the triumvirate of stations known as WGVZ (105.7 FM), WGVX (105.1) and WRXP (105.3) in the Twin Cities area.

"105 The Vibe" replaces the low-rated sports talk format that had been there for over two years.  It is also the ninth different programming change since the three signals combined to form one station two decades ago, made necessary by the fact that none of the signals alone covered the metro adequately.

The problem with the sports station, known as "105 The Ticket", went beyond the lack of a signal.  There were already two well-established sports stations in town--KFAN (100.3) and KSTP (1500 AM), and the lack of exclusive rights to broadcasts of a local pro sports team also hurt.  The local hosts The Ticket had were gone by June, leaving the station with nothing but CBS Sports Radio as its programming.

The Vibe's format is syndicated classic hip hop and R&B from the 1990s and 2000s, a sound that has proven to be successful in other parts of the country.  This was an era when rap ruled the music charts (and probably still does), and lyrics discussing how much bling you got and talking smack about women were controversial.  Noted practitioners of this art form included Notorious B.I.G, Puff Daddy (or Diddy, or whatever), Kanye West, Jay Z and plenty of others.  Of course, by the time all of this gets to your radio, the results are so heavily edited that you could hardly understand what they're talking about.

The good folks at Cumulus Media, who are also responsible for KQRS (92.5) and 93X (93.7), put out The Vibe in response to another station with a similar format.  It's called Hot 102.5, which is sandwiched between country stations K102 (102.1) and KMNB (102.9).  Hot 102.5 is one of those small-watt translator stations that owner iHeart Media (the former Clear Channel) seems to have cornered the local market on, so they could put their conservative talk AM station on FM, or create new ones for alternative rock and a gay-themed music station.

As we mentioned, Hot 102.5 and The Vibe play hip hop and R&B from the past.  If you want that kind of music from the present, the closest you're going to get is longtime contemporary hits power KDWB (101.3), which is also owned by iHeart.  It could be argued that Hot 102.5 was positioned in such a way as to not cannibalize KDWB's audience.

So enjoy your new classic hip hop stations, if you're fortunate enough to receive them.  If there aren't enough of you out there to support them, Format Number 10 might be on its way to 105 FM.

The Culture of Behaving Badly

English: Logo for the University of Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In an era where it's possible for presidential candidates, athletes and beloved sitcom stars to say nasty things, smack around or force themselves on women and (almost) get away with it, perhaps it shouldn't be all that surprising that sexual harassment is still tolerated as long as you don't get caught.

Take Norwood Teague, who until a week ago had been the University of Minnesota's athletic director since 2012.  During this time, his major accomplishments came from having hired and fired the men's and women's basketball coaches who committed the grievous sin of not making the NCAA tournament, and for presiding over a football program that won enough games last season to earn a trip to their first New Year's Day bowl game since 1962.

All that ended suddenly when Teague resigned.  The reason given was that two women employees of the university alleged Teague made unwanted advances towards them at a function, then sent texts of questionable taste.  Teague said in a statement that he intended to seek alcohol treatment.

But wait, there's more.  Amelia Rayno, who covers the Gopher men's basketball team for the Star Tribune newspaper, wrote a column saying she had also experienced much of the same harassing behavior Teague is accused of.   In her case, she said, she was given a choice by her editors of being reassigned, letting the company confront Teague or University president Dr. Eric Kaler, or waiting to see what happened.  Rayno chose the latter.

The Strib could have handled this situation better (Why was Rayno's column in the sports section instead of the front page?  Why didn't her superiors talk to Teague or Kaler in private before printing her story?), but Rayno had to make the tough decision any woman (or man) would make if they were in a business relationship with someone who thinks they're God's gift to whatever:  Blow the whistle or keep your job.

The University, Kaler says, is also going to launch a separate into the athletic department's handling of its financing and travel expenses, among other things.  Also, there's going to be a "nationwide search" (Kaler's words) for a new AD.  The last "nationwide search" led to Teague, who was running things at Virginia Commonwealth University when he was chosen to replace Joel Maturi.  For the moment, Beth Goetz will be the acting AD.

The University of Minnesota is no stranger to scandal in the athletic department.  Dubious recruitment practices, ineligible players and grade manipulation have resulted in vacated championships and disappearing banners.  This scandal threatens not only the gains made by the so-called "student athletes" in the various programs, but also funding for new athletic practice facilities--particularly if there's enough evidence that might interest the NCAA.

What the University needs to look for in hiring its next AD is one who has a better relationship with coaches and donors better than Teague reportedly did, follows established protocol concerning personal behavior, and resists the temptation to "hire local" just because.  Or they could just give the job to Goetz once they've seen how she performs in the position.

Replacing an athletic director for his allegedly boorish behavior is one thing.  Changing the culture of sexual harassment is quite another.  Donald Trump, for all the things he's supposedly said about women in the past, continues to lead the polls for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.  Ray Rice, who was caught on tape beating up the woman who became his wife inside a hotel elevator, might be back in an NFL uniform soon.  And Bill Cosby, who has seen his career and reputation collapse because of allegations by several women dating back decades that he drugged them before raping them, well, his fate has yet to be determined.

Compared to these guys, Norwood Teague is a symptom of a much larger problem.








The Universi

The Trump & Ponies Show

speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On a night when Jon Stewart concluded his final "Daily Show" with an essay on what could politely be called BS, the traveling circus of Republican presidential candidates made as stop at the home of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers--which also happens to be the site of next year's nominating convention.

As dictated by broadcast rights-holder Fox News Channel (who, like the GOP, are probably relieved that they won't have Stewart kicking them around any more), only ten candidates with acceptable poll numbers were allowed to appear on the prime time cablecast.  They were business mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Dr. Ben Carson.  Of those, only Trump, Bush and Walker have double-digit numbers.

The seven individuals who did not make the cut--which includes former HP executive Carly Fiorina, former Texas governor Rick Perry and former senator Rick Santorum--were relegated to the undercard debate held earlier.  It is rumored that Fiorina won the debate, or at least made the best showing.

Trump was at his all-flash, no-substance best in showing up the rest of the field when he discussed why he doesn't have time for political correctness, how he'd solve the immigration crisis, and how he'd make America great again.  Trump also was the only one of the debaters not to pledge loyalty to the GOP nominee should it be anyone but him, meaning he might try for a third-party run.  But Trump's confrontation with Fox News' Megyn Kelly over his disparaging comments regarding women suggests trouble ahead, and not just with Rosie O'Donnell.

It's not as if the other candidates didn't have their moments.  Christie and Paul squared off over surveillance in the wake of terrorist threats.  Carson and Huckabee got off some one-liners.  Cruz came across as a humorless, pompous jerk.  Bush, Rubio and Walker didn't really distinguish themselves.  And Kasich scored some points with folks outside the hometown Cleveland audience for his relatively moderate stance.

On the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, which helped to end World War II, most of the GOP candidates came out against the U.S.' agreement with Iran to curtail their nuclear weapons program.  Their alternative seemed to be more economic sanctions.

There was plenty of Republican bashing over Obamacare and Democratic contender Hillary Clinton, but very little or nothing about race relations, income disparity and what to do about people with guns.  In typical fashion, most of the candidates ignored the Fox News stars' questions and went off on their own tangents.

This is only the first of several debates (or "joint appearances", as Dan Rather used to call them when he was at CBS) the Republicans and Democrats have planned for the next few months.  After a full evening of enough hot air to inflate basketballs and how much rhetoric was left behind, America has one question on its mind:

What would Jon Stewart have thought of all this?