Obie was upbeat, markets weren't

"Beginning of the end" toward exiting the recession, President Obama's upbeat words about the stimulus bill he signed in Denver yesterday, clashed with another down day on Wall Street -- 300 points off the Dow, close to a three-year low. The bullish rhetoric was on Page 1A in the Denver Post today, whereas the bearish market reality was 22 pages in -- Page 6B. Interesting news judgment.

Additional cognitive dissonance came with the President's scare word "catastrophe" being cited in the front page headline -- while syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker was telling us on 11B that Obama himself backed away from that alarmist characterization in a chat with her last Friday. Not only were the '30s worse than now, says the Stimulator in Chief; so were the early '80s when he was in college.

Huh? Solar panels are one thing, but Barack has now entered a hall of mirrors. He can't keep his story straight. Fear one day, hope the next. Stop the bubble machine.

It was said that New York Mayor Robert Wagner set the chutzpah record by running for a second term on a reform platform against his own first term. That flipflop took four years. Obama has now done the same in four weeks.

GOP shows some fight

"Thank goodness the Republicans are rediscovering their backbone under Obama," says John Andrews in the February round of Head On TV debates. Susan Barnes-Gelt scoffs that "tt's a new day and the Grumpy Old Partisans are tone deaf." John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over Obama's honeymoon, Salazar's agenda at Interior, how to fill Senate vacancies, and the future of print journalism. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for February: 1. GOP SHOWS SOME FIGHT

Susan: The Republican Party is not destined to oblivion. History tells us that no political party dominates forever. On the other hand, and sadly for the country - the R's in the minority role are disciplined - consistently putting petty partisanship above the needs of the country.

John: After a big victory like the Democrats had, sweeping the White House and the Congress, Republicans have to fight back for the sake of our liberties, our pocketbooks, and our children’s national debt. If someone doesn’t stand as the loyal opposition, Pelosi and Reid and Obama could go too far.

Susan: R's have been in charge for 6 of the last 8 years. Bush inherited peace and a budget surplus. The best thing about the first weeks of Obama's watch is the emergence of Congressional moderates - D's and R's. It's a new day and the Grumpy Old Partisans are tone deaf.

John: Partisan checks and balances are essential. Fiscal responsibility was much better with divided government under Reagan or Clinton, than with one-party rule under Jimmy Carter or George W. Bush. The budget was more steady. The economy was more healthy. Thank goodness the Republicans are rediscovering their backbone under Obama.

2. OBAMA’S EARLY WEEKS

Susan: Following an historic election and inaugural week, President Obama has been plunged into the miasma of Beltway disfunction. Despite the entreaties of Republican governors, the R's in the House and Senate are playing politics with America's economy. Obama is smart and tough. He'll prevail.

John: Our new young president is gifted as a politician but totally untested as an executive. The first hundred days are testing him in a big way. With ethics problems, a pork-laden stimulus bill, and shaky poll numbers, he hasn’t exactly aced the exam. It could be a very short honeymoon.

Susan: The economy is in free-fall, Iraq, Pakistan. Afghanistan and the mid-East are in peril and his appointees await computers and phones! The partisan bickering in Congress is a distraction they are fiddling while Rome burns. The President must do what's right for the country - and ignore the Beltway baloney.

John: Mr. Obama is the biggest question mark ever chosen to lead this country – ever. The answers emerging so far are not reassuring. Will he stand tough against our enemies in Russia and China, Iran and Venezuela? Why is he cutting our defenses? How far left will he take us?

3. PRIORITIES FOR SALAZAR AT INTERIOR

John: Who is the real Ken Salazar, under that phony cowboy hat? As a senator, he was pleasant but slippery. Now as Interior Secretary, he has to really deliver for the West. Blocking energy development is not the way. We need mixed use of public lands for everyone’s benefit, Mr. Secretary.

Susan: Smart, moderate and politically savvy Coloradan - Ken Salazar has the integrity, the will and the know-how to clean up the severely degraded Department of Interior. Aided by his chief of staff Tom Strickland, he will balance the environment, energy demands, water policy and restore public, to public lands.

John: Environmentalists say Salazar isn’t green enough. Let’s hope he doesn’t pander to them. The Utah oil and gas shutdown is a bad sign. The New York Times says he isn’t tough enough. Let’s hope they’re wrong. As Senate President, I found Salazar tough as nails. And Tom Strickland will be good.

Susan; Salazar won his senate seat in moderate, center-right Colorado because he reflects the values that will serve him well as Secretary of Interior. He is intelligent, thoughtful and moderate and will balance stewardship of the nation's assets with the demands of a 21st Century economy.

4. WHAT IF THE ROCKY FOLDS?

John: Although we both write for the Denver Post, Susan, there's no doubt the Rocky Mountain News has made Colorado a better place for the past 150 years. But this recession has put the brave old Rocky on borrowed time. Competing newspapers enrich a city. Denver without the Rocky is not a happy thought.

Susan: What's happening at the Rocky is symptomatic of a larger problem: the demise of the local daily newspaper. Without a vigorous local press, democracy is at risk. The internet, YouTube and bloggers can't possibly replace a trained, full time professional press corps.

John: Think about that word “media.” Who do you want mediating for you? To stay informed as consumers, we have to pay others for news-gathering. But to stay free as citizens, we must think for ourselves. It’s okay if electronic news gradually replaces print, provided First Amendment competition keeps the media honest.

Susan: The issue is not electronic v paper. The issue is who is reporting the news. A trained professional, or a biased opionator (like you or me), an invisible blogger or script reader. Yes it will be possible to get in-depth info - but much tougher especially at the local level.

5. LET VOTERS FILL SENATE VACANCIES

John: Governors in four states, deciding alone like absolute monarchs, recently appointed powerful new members of the United States Senate. In Illinois, New York, and Delaware, the process was a clown show. Here in Colorado, Bill Ritter's pick of Michael Bennet was clean but strange. Let's have special elections to fill Senate vacancies.

Susan: We agree on this one John. An open US Senate seat is too rare and too important. No single individual should be the sole decider. And - the re-elect rate of appointed senators is less than 50%, the public ought to decide from the get-go.

John: Under the 17th Amendment, special elections for Senate vacancies are the preferred option. State Sen. Mike Kopp wants to mandate them in Colorado. US Sen. Russ Feingold wants a similar change to the federal constitution. If Coloradans had voted right after Salazar left, dark horse Michael Bennet would not have won.

Susan: We don’t know who might have won in an open election. That's the point - candidates articulate a message, work to build coalitions work hard to earn support and then the voters decide. Not the newspapers, not the elites, not the governor. That's democracy.

If the Rocky folds

As Tom Daschle exits the Obama administration in his tax-free chauffeured limo, kudos to the Rocky Mountain News for editorializing today that this hypocritical scofflaw wasn't fit for confirmation as HHS Secretary. Sorry to see nothing on that from the Denver Post editorial page. A Rocky editorial likewise called for the rejection of Tim Geithner, another tax cheat, as Treasury Secretary last week. Unfortunately only 34 senators agreed -- and unfortunately, again, nothing from Post editors on that one either.

The Post did have an excellent Sunday editorial on Feb. 1 pointing out many flaws in the $819 billion stimulus bill, but the Rocky's editors were earlier and stronger in their condemnation of this legislative monstrosity.

One of the things Colorado will lose if the Rocky Mountain News goes away is an outspoken editorial voice that is usually, not always, more friendly to the conservative position and more skeptical of the liberal position than Denver's other daily, the Post. Let's hope it doesn't happen. Our state would be the poorer for it.

The Obama Bowl

What exactly is the connection between NBC and President Obama?  Is it simply a case of mutual love and abiding devotion?  The Super Bowl coverage by NBC looked as much like a post-inauguration celebration as it did a football game.  The Obama interview aired right before the game was a first in Super Bowl history if my recollections are intact, and it was an effective way to get in America's face and remind us that as much as we love our Super Bowl's, we need to be gently prompted to love our new president with equal passion and enthusiasm.  As President Obama tossed out a big howdy to troops in Iraq, I wonder how many of them will actually not be home next year to watch the Super Bowl, but will be reassigned to Afghanistan instead.  The pronouncement was good PR, even if it ends up not being quite correct.  The Super Bowl is a day of hero worship; incredible focus and agility of quarterbacks, amazing speed and fancy footwork of running backs, bone-cracking strength of linemen, and of course, greatness in leadership of presidents.  NBC did their best to create a seamless link between athletic prowess and political greatness.

VISIO television even paid big money for an ad within which they gave the prez a favorable nod on his stimulus package.  The sitcom, The Office, which aired right after the game gave a cozy familiarity to its relationship with the president by calling him "Barack".   The musical entertainers were all avid Obama campaign supporters.

When the owner of the Steelers thanked the president for his years of support of the team, the message was sent, "If you are a Steelers fan, you automatically support Obama." 

There were lots of free endorsements intertwined with an event that is typically non-partisan.  During the previous eight years Super Bowl Sunday was not a day-long love fest with the sitting president.  It was clear yesterday that to be a Super Bowl fan, it was hip to be an Obama fan. 

I think most Americans HOPED yesterday would be a day to relax with family and friends, indulge in favorite food and drink and prepare to be entertained by some smash-mouth football.  Super Bowl is our holiday.  We wanted a day off from the typical media blitz of doom and gloom and the onslaught of propaganda of how much we need the government to soothe our wounds.  We got our money's worth out of the game, for sure.  Both the Steelers and the Cardinals put on quite a performance.  Most of us were not expecting NBC's overt agenda, steering us into the belief that whenever the country is having fun and engaging in an enjoyable activity, we should be ever mindful of our president.  Looks like CHANGE has taken over the Super Bowl, too.

KY in Peril: Where's the Outrage?

Reports out of Kentucky this morning are extremely dire.  At least 20 persons are known dead as a result of a horrific ice storm that has paralyzed the state. The citizens of Kentucky need electricity, water, heat, food and sanitation.  Crews are working tirelessly to get things back up and running.  While most hospitals have generator-supplied power, many nursing homes do not.  The elderly and infirm sit in cold, dark environments, waiting for relief efforts to bring food and water.  My heart and my prayers go out to our citizens in Kentucky.  Midwestern ice storms are devastating at best and the destruction and suffering they cause are such that you should hope you never experience it. As President Obama turns up the thermostat in the White House and gets ready for his big Super Bowl party, I wonder if there is outrage being expressed on MSNBC, CNN and other media outlets.  After all, neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. Biden have raced to the scene in Kentucky and provided hands-on assistance.  While fellow countrymen suffer, they stay tucked safe and warm in Washington, D.C.

In a normal political environment, the President's response to stay out of the way so as to not create even more problems in a region in peril would be automatically accepted.  If we harken back to the Bush administration, however, the wounds are still fresh in remembering the ridiculous commentary that the media and Democrat politicians spewed each and every time there was an act of God that occurred in our country in terms of weather and subsequent damage and loss.

About a year ago, east-central Illinois was inundated with "100 year" flood waters that destroyed homes, businesses and created massive soil erosion in a very fertile farm region.  Illinois is a blue state, and Democrats from town mayors to Gov. Blago to Sen. Obama were outraged at the failure of the Bush administration to get relief quicker to homeless families and others adversely affected by this tragedy.  Opinion columns in newspapers across the state were clear that any delay or failure to act would not have occurred if a Democrat occupied the White House.  In their view, a Republican president was 'punishing' the people of Illinois by deliberately ignoring their plight.

In May, 2007, a massive tornado struck a small town in Kansas, virtually leveling the entire community.  Democrat Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, while standing in rubble hours after the storm hit, could not restrain herself from partisan back-stabbing.  She quickly laid blame at the feet of the Bush administration, claiming the people of this town were in immediate need of assistance from the Kansas National Guard, but there were few to be found, thanks to Bush's war.  She announced on national TV that the troops she commands were all in Iraq.  Actual numbers of available Guardsmen were later released to show there was ample assistance and equipment available, and had been dispatched.  I don't believe the governor retracted her statements.

Of course, Hurricane Katrina stands out as the most glaring example of the Left's opinion that the Bush-Cheney administration not only deliberately allowed people to die and lose their homes, they also planned the entire weather event and wished it upon the black population residing in New Orleans. 

Just as more probably could have and should have been done by the federal government in these three examples, it is likely the the federal government will in some way be slow to respond or meet the needs of suffering people in Kentucky.  The fed's often fail us, but depending on the political party, one side is deliberate and evil, and the other side is doing the best it can but patience is required as regulations and red tape must be worked through.   When the media reports in this way, are we surprised which party takes power after the next election?

Thus far, KY Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear has not denounced the president or the response of federal agencies, and we probably won't hear him do that anytime soon.  The only recourse for the partisans in the media may be to somehow find a way to tie this disaster to our former president, i.e., failing infrastructure and power grids he should have fixed but deliberately did not because he spent all our money in Iraq; it's been days since we've heard that one, it's time to bring it up, I'm sure.   Keith Olbermann and a film crew may be headed to Texas right now to try and catch the Bush family in the midst of a high-five following a touchdown this evening.  He'll be quick to tell us how unfair and immoral it was for Mr. Bush to enjoy the Super Bowl in the comfort of his home that happens to have heat, power and water.  Oh, that's right....Keith probably will be manning the commentary desk at the game, also comfortable and well-fed.   That just doesn't seem fair when so many in Kentucky not only can't see the game, they don't have food, water and heat to get through the night.   Where's the outrage?