Swag Award December 21-27

In the wee hours of Christmas Eve, Senators on Capitol Hill took a landmark vote on the health care reform bill that they had been debating for months. It was the first Senate vote to take place on Christmas Eve since 1895. The House of Representatives voted and passed their version back in November, and the Senate vote was one of the remaining barriers that needed to be overcome in order for the dream of reforming our nation’s health care system to become a reality. The vote was split along party lines with all 60 Democratic Senators voting in favor of the bill, 39 Republicans against and one abstention from Senator Jim Bunning ( R) of Kentucky.

The bill would require most Americans to have health insurance, cover 15 million additional people under Medicaid, and subsidize private coverage for low and middle-income citizens. The budget office estimates that the bill would provide coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans.

Since the monumental vote occurred on Christmas Eve, I thought it would be only fitting to tell this story in a similar fashion as ‘Twas the night before Christmas.’ Enjoy!

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the House
All the Senators were anxious to vote and get the hell out.

The decision was split along party lines like a hair,
and President Obama hoped that health care reform soon would be there.
Two weeks ago, to most the bill was considered dead,
Months ago Joe Wilson wasn’t afraid to say he didn’t believe what the President had said.

Most Americans were off of work and nestled in their beds,
While visions of affordable health care danced in their heads.
A mom in her kerchief, and a dad in his cap,
Dreamed of the day when a routine trip to the doctors wouldn’t take all of their stacks.

When out of Capitol Hill, there rose such a clatter,
The Obama’s were on vacation, but rose to see what was the matter.
I awoke that morning and turned on the TV in a flash,
To see news anchors talking about the new bill that had just passed.

With the Senate Majority Leader looking pleased and content,
I said to myself “I can’t believe they finally passed it.”
So rapid to the microphone all the Democratic Senators came,
And Harry Reid, the leader called them all by name!

Now Specter! Now Kerry! Baucus and Franken!
On Chris Dodd! On Lieberman and the other Senators, he thanked them.
A major victory indeed for the Obama administration.

There’s no public option in the Senate bill,
And it has to be reconciled with the bill from the House of Reps.
But we can all agree that for reform to happen,
These were some important first steps.

Reducing the cost of care, and coverage for millions more,
Leveling the playing field for the average citizen and looking out for the poor.
The Senators rejoiced in unison, and then hopped on their various flights.
“Affordable health care for all, and to all a good night!”

President Obama gets a mountain named after him for his birthday

No, Mount Rushmore has not been updated to inlcude a granite image of President Obama, but Barack Obama does now in fact have a mountain named in his honor. As the president celebrated his 48th birthday yesterday, the Prime Minister of Antigua named that country's highest mountain after him.

Mt. Obama, formerly known as "Boggy Peak."

A little ironic considering the mountain of debt and economic turmoil this country finds itself in, but a very nice gesture nontheless.

Formerly known as "Boggy Peak," Mount Obama stands 1,300 ft. over Antigua's southern tip. Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua held a ceremony on the island yesterday to celebrate the occasion. There is a plaque at the base of the mountain that reads:

"Mount Obama, named in honor of the historical election on Nov. 4, 2008, of Barack Hussein Obama, the first black president of the United States of America, as a symbol of excellence, triumph, hope and dignity for all people."

Video of the ceremony that took place in Antigua.

What a birthday present. Happy belated President Obama.

President Obama comments on the Henry Louis Gates situation

President Obama addressed the nation again in prime time; this time to garner support, and emphasize his desire to reform America's health care system. I won't bore you with the details of the speech if you missed it. Get the rundown here.

The highlight of the night in my opinion came when President Obama fielded his final question from the throng of White House correspondents present for the address.

A woman asked the president what he thought about the Henry Louis Gates incident that occurred a few days ago. If you haven't heard about it, read up on it here.

President Obama replied by saying that "the police acted stupidly" and "what we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

See for yourself:

Uh oh...so much for being PC. President Obama "kept it real," and gave his honest, unscripted opinion on the matter. I hope there isn't much backlash for those remarks. Obama acknowledged that Gates is a personal friend and that his opinion may be a little biased, but still...

Then again, isn't that what you want from a leader? Someone who will tell the truth and/or make decisions because those are right things to say and do, not because they are popular?

What about the "...here I'd get shot" comment? I laughed at the time when I heard it live as did the press members in the audience. I just hope that news outlets and the GOP don't replay/spin those bytes continuously down the road (re-election time if not sooner) to portray Obama in a negative light.

There is no question that what happened to Professor Gates is an unfortunate situation that probably could have been resolved differently. I hope that President Obama's approval ratings/political initiatives/respect from other politicians and world leaders do not waver in the aftermath of those comments; especially since it was not absolutely imperative that the president address that situation at all. That my friends would truly be an unfortunate situation.

The GOP still doesn't get it..

A few months back I wrote a post on mixed messages the GOP was sending. This was right around the time Michael Steele, chair of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal were all vying to emerge as the prominent voice of the Republican Party in the post-Bush era. In that post, Michael Steele acknowledged that the GOP has alienated key demographics (younger & more colorful) that voted in favor of President Obama and ultimately won him the election.

Here we are three months later, and it appears as if not much has changed within the party. In a recent survey 47% of those surveyed still could not come up with a name of the party's leader. In addition to still not having a spokesperson and a vision, it also appears as if some members of the the party are still committed to mocking President Obama and making racially insensitive remarks...the exact actions that contradict Michael Steele's hopes of a "hip-hop" makeover to attract those younger, more colorful demographics I spoke about earlier.

This latest fiasco comes out of Tennessee and it involves another email that was never intended to be seen by someone who saw it and the subsequent backlash over the remarks. Sherri Goforth, aide to Sen. Diane Black sent an email out to fellow senators and aides titled "Historical Keepsake Photo" that contained a collage of all U.S. presidents. The image of President Obama was a little off however, as Barack's photo was simply a black square with two oversized eyes...(see photo at the top).

Goforth apologized not for the hurtful nature of the email, but sending it to the wrong people.

“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth said. “I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”

Sen. Black has not terminated her aide, but instead issued a written and verbal reprimand...The GOP cannot possibly expect to woo minorities and more open-minded young people on a large scale when images such as these keep surfacing. Judging by Goforth's apology, not for creating the email but for sending it to the wrong people, it appears as if not much of an effort is truly being made.

A shift in foreign policy. President Obama calls for new beginning with the Muslim world

"No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust." This is what President Obama said today as he addressed an auditorium full of Muslim leaders in Cairo, Egypt. While the President acknowledged that the speech he gave alone cannot heal the wounds left from 9/11, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan, his words have been the strongest breath of fresh air coming from an American president in almost a decade. The president's tone is in stark contrast to the "you're either with us or not" philosophy of the Bush doctrine that for two terms expanded the rift between America and countries in the Middle East. 

President Obama, quoted the Koran, addressed ill feelings towards the west, addressed the Israel-Palestine conflict, and vowed that words alone will not be enough and that ultimately the actions of America and Middle East nations going forward will be the only way to ensure cooperation, peace and success in the years to come.

The importance of today's speech cannot be overstated as President Obama determines the tone of our country's foreign policy and the relationships America will seek to build and maintain with the Middle East. Osama Bin Laden was aware of the speech's magnitude and came out of hiding to release an audio tape accusing the president of "planting new seeds of hatred and vengeance toward Americans" yesterday. 

We live in a different time than we did during World War II and prior. President Obama understands that diplomacy and negotiations are more effective in this era than isolationism and flexing our militarys muscle. There is much unrest in the Middle East. Some conflicts are a direct result of Americas actions. Others have their roots in struggles that began before The United States became a country. Peace in the Middle East, as cliché as it might sound is a daunting task that will take some time to achieve, if ever. The olive branch that President Obama extended today is a very important first step towards that goal.

 
President Obama's entire address in Cairo:

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says Barack Obama doesn't get paid that much..

That's right, he said it. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, its wealthiest resident and 17th wealthiest person on earth said that the President of the United States does not get paid that much.

Bloomberg was speaking to a group of reporters when he was asked to justify taxpayers footing the bill for the first couple's trip to NYC this weekend for dinner and a Broadway show. 

Bloomberg's response: "The President doesn't make that much, he's on a budget too."

The President's salary is $400,000 annually, with a $50,000 expense report and $19,000 entertainment budget. All told, that's approaching half a million dollars to play around with each year for four years. 

I guess when you're worth $16 billion, and plan on using $80 million of your personal stash to finance your re-election campaign for a third term that you changed the law to allow yourself to be able to run in..$400,000 isn't a whole heck of a lot. Wealth, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And when you're as wealthy as Mayor Bloomberg, the standards are high apparently. 

President Obama Baracks the crowd at WH Correspondents dinner

I just saw the video of President Obama's comedy routine at last weekend's White House Correspondents Dinner. Most of the attention from that night has been on Wanda Sykes for her attacks on Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and her remarks on water boarding and torture. Sykes also made headlines as the first African American woman and openly gay comedienne to perform at the correspondents dinner. 

Skyes, being the comedienne that she is had the crowd laughing hysterically, but President Obama held his own and got a lot of laughs out of an otherwise stiff bunch.

Swag Award of the Week April 27 - May 3

To say that the Democrats had a big week would be an understatement. President Obama got the party started as his epic presidency reached its milestone 100th day. Pundits and average Joe's alike reflected on the accomplishments, and highlighted the work to be done as the Obama administration reached its first checkpoint. It must have been a big day for the Democrats as FOX was the only broadcast network that refused to show President Obama's speech to the nation on that night...

The jovial mood within the party only increased as Arlen Specter, a 29 year Republican Senator from Pennsylvania announced that he was jumping ship and joining the Democrats. Specter admitted that he had grown discontent with the message of his party and knew his odds of winning re-election representing the GOP in Pennsylvania, a state that skews bluer every election were slim. Specter was a moderate, and was one of only three Republicans to vote in favor of the Obama Stimulus package. He supports abortion rights, stem cell research, and opposes bans on same-sex marriage. 

Specter's statement about switching to the Democratic party:

Specters move could be the final component Democrats need to obtain a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. If Al Franken wins (they've been trying to decide who won since November) the contested election in Minnesota  which is looking more and more plausible, the Democrats would have the 60 seats needed to avoid filibuster by the GOP. The importance of those 60 seats for the Dems will be helpful as the Obama administration plans to reform health care, tackle climate change, etc. 

The party that brought us the America's first black President also welcomed one of the most senior Senators from the GOP into its ranks. Not a bad week. Swag levels and approval ratings for the Democrats are extremely high right now. 

Burning the midnight oil: Larry Summers caught dozing

Larry Summers, Director of President Obama's National Economic Council in a meeting today with other members of the president's economic team and representatives from major credit card companies.

Summers is known to host midnight conference calls about the economic crisis...I  guess all the after hours work caught up to him today. 

President Obama on Leno

Last night, President Obama became the first sitting President to appear on a late night TV show when he graced 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.'

Obama and Leno had a pretty cordial back-and-forth, obviously discussing the financial crisis for the better part of the interview among other topics.

Obama is in California to engage citizens in a series of town hall meetings to discuss the economic crisis and how his financial plan will help. 

There has been a little commotion over one of the President's remarks. When asked about his bowling, President Obama likened it to the Special Olympics. His staff members have already apologized for the remark, and are hoping the fallout from such a comment is minimal. Come on Barack. Let Leno make the jokes. Your street cred already went up just by being the first to appear on Leno. Leave the funny business to the comedians. 

Here is Leno's interview with President Obama in its entirety:

Swag Award of the Week March 16-March 22

It is with a great deal of cynicism and a bit of remorse that I announce this week's winner of the 'Swag Award,' but I think the actions taken by Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, Senator Chris Dodd & AIG CEO Edward Liddy over the last few days warrant an award of some sort. 

In my first post, I said that swag was a loosely used term which has a different interpretation depending on whom you ask. The First Swag Award went to Manny Ramirez for turning down a substantial contract with the Dodgers, despite the fact that no other team was bidding for his services. The following week, Kurt Warner won for doing the polar opposite; agreeing to take less money to finish his career with the Arizona Cardinals. Last week, the Syracuse Orange basketball team won due to the tremendous amount of heart they displayed winning 3 games in 4 nights, 2 in overtime, as they nearly walked out of New York City with another Big East Championship. 

Tim Geithner, Chris Dodd, & Ed Liddy had that kind of swag this week that makes you say "I can't stand that ______(your choice of expletive). The kind of swag that makes you say "I can't believe they did that." Well guess what? They did it.

Over the weekend, it was announced that AIG intended to pay $165 million in bonuses to some of its top executives. This news coming 2 weeks after the government agreed to give the insurance giant $30 billion to stay afloat following its reporting the biggest quarterly losses in the history of American business.

The backlash from that move was widespread and extremely vocal. Leaders on Captiol Hill and average Americans alike were outraged that AIG, which has received a substantial amount of government dollars to stay afloat would then turn around and give bonuses to members of its financial products division; the same division that made the decisions that ultimately lead to the demise of AIG's financial stability. Tim Geithner's capacity to do the job has come in question, and many ask if he is a liability to the Obama administration. There have been protests on Wall St., and AIG executives and their families have been accosted near their homes by furious citizens.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has been taking heat since this news came out, because ultimately it is his job to make sure something like that does not happen. Prior to becoming Secretary of the Treasury, Geithner was President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York where he made inroads and built relationships with all of the execs and firms he is now criticizing for their frivolous policies.

Senator Chris Dodd, (D) Connecticut, is the chair of the Senate Banking Committee, and his group along with Geithner's bunch worked together to draft and pass the huge spending bill that was signed into law a few weeks ago.

When journalists began to dig to find out who inserted the loophole to allow AIG to distribute bonuses, Chris Dodd's name surfaced as someone who may know more. When questioned originally, Chris Dodd denied having anything to do with it, saying when he left the bill that language about bonuses was not in the bill. The very next day, he recanted those statements and accepted responsibility for the loophole saying he did it at the behest of the "administration" which he qualified as the Treasury Dept (Tim Geither & Co.) 

Watch Dodd's denial and correction here:

Chris Dodd is not the only one who has not been completely truthful this week. Originally Tim Geithner claimed that he was not made aware of the bonuses until last week, but we have since found out that the issue was raised on March 3 in a meeting with the House Ways & Means Committee.

As a result of all of this, President Obama has had to go on the defensive for Tim Geithner and his economic plans. He expressed his outrage over the bonuses earlier this week, and implored Congress to do what it could to try and recoup some of that money. Congress overwhelmingly passed a 90% tax on bonuses paid to execs at AIG and other rescued firms. Future rescues have also been placed in jeopardy as a result of Geithner & Dodd's actions, as congressional leaders may be wary of approving large amounts in the future.

I also have to bring Edward Liddy, CEO of AIG to the stage as well. After the bill had been signed into law, it was his decision to go ahead and approve doling bailout money for executive bonuses because they were contractual. Yes it was legal, but morally, was it really the right thing to do? The moral compasses of Geithner, Dodd and Liddy are about as accurate as Christopher Columbus' compass when he landed in the Dominican Republic & called it America.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I gave these guys the award with cynicism and remorse. There is a fine line between having swag and being an a$$ho!e. The brazenness, insensitivity, and irresponsibility Geithner, Dodd and Liddy have displayed over the last few days towards the American people is astonishing. Despite their shortcomings, every a$$ho!e has some redeeming qualities. America, and the rest of the world hopes that these men redeem themselves sooner rather than later. 

President Obama picks the Cuse in an upset!!

That's right baby! The leader of the free world just chose my alma mater over the #2 seed Oklahoma Sooners in his bracket.

ESPN ran a segment on the noon Sportscenter called 'Barack-etology." Obama knows more than just fiscal & foreign policy.

 

Here's the President's entire bracket on paper.

The Syracuse pick comes with 2:16 remaining..

Steelers owner Dan Rooney to become next ambassador to Ireland

Happy St. Patty's Day! Today, President Obama announced his plans to appoint Dan Rooney as the next U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Rooney is the co-founder of the Ireland Funds; a fundraising network to help people of Irish descent.

Rooney, a lifelong Republican proved to be an invaluable asset to the Obama campaign as his support over Hillary Clinton and John McCain helped Obama carry the heavily contested battleground state. 

Following Pittsburgh's victory over Arizona in this year's Super Bowl, Rooney presented President Obama with a game ball.

 

Rooney has been leading the Pittsburgh Steelers organization since he took over from his father in 1975. The Rooney family has owned the Steelers since the teams creation in 1933. In that time, the Steelers have won 6 Super Bowls; more than any team in the league.

Dan Rooney knew the Kennedy's and has met other Presidents, but says he has never been closer to a President than he is to Barack Obama. Congrats Dan. Another achievement for your trophy case in addition to the NFL Hall of Fame induction and 6 world championships. 

Mixed messages from the GOP...

Yesterday I wrote about Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana who has been facing a lot of criticism since he addressed the nation after President Obama addressed Congress last week.  Jindal is one of the rising stars in the GOP, and he along with another rising star, Michael Steele have been getting a lot of negative press over the last few days.

Last Friday, Michael Steele, the newly elected chair of the Republican National Committee appeared as a guest on comedian D.L. Hughley's show 'D.L. Hughley breaks the news.'  Steele and D.L. get into a back-and-forth over who is the de-facto leader of the RNC....Steele or Rush Limbaugh... 

Needless to say, Rush Limbaugh who is arguably the most powerful conservative voice on the air, did not take very kindly to Mr. Steele's remarks and vehemently defended himself and gave Steele some suggestions on how he could best serve the party. 

Steele recently claimed that the GOP needs a hip-hop makeover; a new PR initiative to attract younger, primarily minority voters, the same demographic that helped President Obama win the election.

This is where the mixed messages begin:

-As noted above, the Republican party seems to be struggling to find to right message as well as the right messenger; Limbaugh vs. Steele vs. Jindal vs. whomever

-Also, if the GOP needs a "hip hop makeover," then what is to be said about the political cartoons and racially insensitive illustrations that have surfaced since the election of President Obama?

In October, the Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated sent an email out to its members with this photo, saying that if elected, Obama's image would appear on foodstamps and not currency like other U.S. Presidents:

The image has President Obama's likeness printed on a food stamp with images of fried chicken, ribs, watermelon, and kool-aid....Pretty offensive if you ask me.  

-Last month, Sean Delonas, a political cartoonist with the New York Post offered this image the day after the stimulus bill was signed into law:

I think the cartoon speaks for itself...once again pretty offensive. Some of you may be asking what the New York Post has to do with the Republican Party.  The post is owned and operated by Newscorp, the media giant owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns FOX News. See the connection now?

-Oh yeah, speaking of watermelons..Dean Grose, former mayor of Los Alamitos, California sent an email out titled "No Easter Egg Hunt this Year" to some  of his friends. The email contained a picture of the White House with a huge watermelon patch covering the front lawn:

 Again...pretty offensive.

As I said before, Bobby Jindal's speech was largely criticized for being insincere and lacking emotion. With Michael Steele, the elected leader of the RNC saying the party needs a hip hop makeover, but at the same time defending himself and his comments about Rush Limbaugh, I don't see that makeover happening any time soon.  Those nasty emails and cartoons won't help the 'makeover' either. As far as I know, using racial stereotypes (watermelon, chicken, kool-aid, foodstamps, apes) is not an effective strategy to woo an increasingly key demographic to change affiliations. Maybe Rush Limbaugh with his 20 million listeners IS the top dog for now. Only time will tell. 

Bobby Jindal, Kenneth the Page, & the bailout..

I awoke this morning to a winter wonderland...6 inches of snow outside my apartment in New York City. My family down in Georgia received about 4 inches.  I can't remember the last time it snowed in Georgia..in March. What is going on?  Significant snowfalls used to excite me, until I spent four years in Syracuse, NY; trust me, you haven't seen snow until you go to central New York this time of year. 

I also awoke to news that the insurance giant, AIG reported losses of $61.7 BILLION during the 4th quarter of 2008. These losses are the biggest quarterly losses EVER...in the history of the world...Since capitalism has been around.  Holy cow!

The U.S. government has responded by agreeing to give AIG another $30 BILLION in bailout funds to stay afloat. This new agreement is the fourth instance in which the government has infused $$$ to keep AIG from going bankrupt.

Last week, President Obama addressed Congress and the nation to offer words of encouragement and a plan to bring America out the recession as quickly and painlessly as possible. Shortly after the President's address, Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana, and arguably the new face of the GOP offered his party's response to Obama's vision for our country's future.

Bobby Jindal got crushed!!  The talking heads across all major news outlets criticized Jindal's speech, calling it "cheesy," and a "flop," and also lacking substance. Ouch!

On last week's episode of NBC's show 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan's character appeared on 'Larry King Live' to discuss the economic crisis and how Americans should maneuver through these times. Tracy told Larry that he always hides cash and encourages Americans to do the same.  Tracy tells Larry that he has a stash of $$$ hidden "in the safest place in 30 Rock.."

We later find out that Tracy's cash is hidden inside the blazer of Kenneth the Page, and Kenneth uses some of Tracy's cash to "bail out"  30 Rock star Liz Lemon (Tina Fey).

I couldn't help but wonder, since a lot of comparisons have been made between Bobby Jindal and Kenneth the Page, and Kenneth came through in the clutch with some bailout funds, when people didn't expect much from him...can/will Jindal and the GOP ever change their tone and work with the President to make the bailout effective and efficient ??

The verdict remains to be seen, but in the mean time we can all get a good laugh out of it.