Transition

These days we're all undergoing some sort of transition. It might be political or economic or both.

Political

As we are constantly reminded, the Federal government is (thankfully) transitioning from the ineptitude of George W. Bush & Co. to at least a hopeful alternative. Barack Obama has appeared very presidential and conciliatory--witness his meetings with John McCain and Hillary Clinton, both of whom called him some nasty names, but that's politics. There are so many lies spoken during a campaign that it's a wonder everyone's pants aren't on fire. Hillary might even be Secretary of State with the big question being--will Bill disclose enough of his finances to ensure that she's on the road (way out of town) most of the time? Speaking of hypocritical liars, the President- elect even magnanimously forgave Joe (the traitor) Lieberman. Certainly this wasn't pandering for the Jewish vote, which ignored Joe anyway. Although we're still 2 months from inauguration, some Republicans are already positioning themselves for 2012, such as Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and yes, Sarah Palin, whose much ballyhooed $40 billion gas pipeline is on indefinite delay. Her pants would be on fire if they hadn't been returned to the GOP National Committee.

Economic

With only a few exceptions (e.g., overpaid professional athletes) the current economic crisis is affecting, more or less, just about everyone. Even reasonably affluent people who no longer have college tuition, etc. to worry about are tightening their belts due to the shrinkage in investments and thus are effectively transitioning their lifestyles--downward. Worse, job prospects for many are non-existent. Most upsetting to TNB is the likelihood that many students in a country already behind some others in educating future scientists and the like will have their college plans seriously curtailed. A possible cause of high college tuitions (which regularly have risen far more rapidly than the cost of living) is the astronomical amount, upwards of $1 million in some cases, paid to certain college presidents. Of course, they don't get stock options (remember them?) like much maligned corporate CEO's but to suggest that maybe they're not worth their inflated compensation is almost as heretical as saying that football coaches aren't worth their pay either.

Perhaps the biggest transition has been for people to seek another form of daily entertainment outside of election and campaign coverage, which we've been watching now for almost 2 years. TNB's advice, which he is having trouble following is--get a life!

Scattered Thoughts

TNB is finding it difficult to completely drop politics from his thought process He does usually focus and everything written here isn't just a scattered thought, although it may seem that way. For instance:

• It's not to soon to start planning for the 2016 elections. The nominating conventions will begin soon after President Obama opens the Chicago Olympics. Joe Biden will be nearing 72 and that age has not been attractive to the electorate as we've just seen. Plus, his hair plugs and gleaming teeth could be falling out. There might be a opportunity for someone special to lead Republicans out of the wilderness and since African-Americans have broken the presidential barrier, why not a female Governor of a remote state outside the Continental US? No, not her but rather Gov. Linda Lingle of Hawaii , who would also be the first Jewish president (you were expecting Rahm Emanuel?). She's reputed to be a close friend of the future hostess of the reality show Shotgun Weddin' so her slogan could be "I'm just pallin' around with Sarah".
• Now that thankfully there are no longer any political commercials, the programs appealing to seniors (e.g. the news) are once again full of pitches for new drugs. It's hard to believe that anyone would even ask their doctor to prescribe these frightening potions with their vast array of side effects (even including, honestly, possibly causing cancer!). Viewers might be misled, of course, by the healthy glow of the "patients" portrayed in these ads, who supposedly suffer from all sorts of debilitating or embarrassing conditions such as osteoporosis, incontinence, flatulence, hemorrhoids and baldness in addition to several unmentionable ones (at least by TNB). Why is such "direct to patient" advertising allowed if the required disclaimers are so counterproductive?
• Although it was apparent that most TV comedians and other humorists wanted Barack Obama to win, many are now having second thoughts. The new administration doesn't look like it will present as many opportunities for humor. Really, George W. Bush should receive royalties for 8 years of providing a perfect target to lampoon. And while Joe Biden might come down with an advanced case of "hoof in mouth" disease, he certainly is no Dick Cheney. And of course, who can ever replace Sarah Palin whose every utterance was turned into a comical interlude? When we didn't have an election going on (was there ever such a time?) what did Jon Stewart, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman et al talk about? Vladimir Putin, Osama Bin Laden, Hugo Chavez and Pope Benedict don't exactly provide a barrel of laughs. Nor does the economy, the new television season or the Cubs.

The Real Losers

President-Elect Barack Obama (takes some getting used to, doesn't it?) and the Democratic Party deserve congratulations and admiration for their stunning victory. But it is still necessary to reflect, perhaps one last time, on the real losers in this campaign.

John McCain His performance on SNL and his gracious concession speech served as a reminder of the McCain so many Americans respected (justifiably) until he got caught up in some problems of his own making (see below) and some that were not (see below). TNB would not be surprised if sooner or later the old McCain surfaced again and made positive contributions to helping solve our national dilemmas.

Sarah Palin With lightning speed even in this high tech Internet, YouTube age, the previously obscure Alaska governor burst on the scene, effectively polarizing the populace and becoming for many an object of ridicule. It's incredible that some are seriously mentioning her as a future national GOP leader (although she could appoint herself Senator once Ted Stevens, amazingly re-elected by Alaskans, is thrown out of the Senate due to his felony conviction). TNB believes that her persona can be best used as hostess of a FoxNews show entitled "You Betcha". Don't laugh-- there are stranger personalities hosting live TV shows.

Politics of Fear Despite unbelievable smear campaigns aimed at portraying Obama as a Muslim terrorist, etc. the negativity (almost the entire McCain strategy) was not bought into by the majority of the American public. A little noticed low point occurred on Election Day afternoon(!) when the McCain/Palin campaign produced robocalls to South Florida's Cuban-American community falsely (natch!) claiming that Fidel Castro had just endorsed Obama. Ever wonder what all these liars, charlatans and con artists do between elections?

Myths The Bradley effect (lying to pollsters about voting for minority candidates) is apparently behind us. So is the notion that retired Jews in Florida can't be trusted to vote Democratic. Well, maybe they can't--witness the "success" of The Great Schlep where thousands (OK, dozens) of young Jews paid a special visit to Boca to persuade thair grandparents that Obama was not threatening and wouldn't turn over Israel to the Iranians.

Joe Although Joe Biden, despite his gaffes, proved to be a credible VP candidate, three other Joes are on the ash heap. Of course, there's Joe Lieberman, who thought a McCain victory would elevate him to the Supreme Court (right--he's pro-choice!) but now faces wrath and isolation in the Senate--say it ain't so, Joe! Then there's the 15 minutes of fame wonder Joe the Plumber whose over $250,000 net income (once he gets a plumber's license) will be subject to higher taxes! Finally Joe Sixpack, who is no doubt drowning his sorrows by drinking at least a dozen bottles. Hopefully he won't then drive his pickup truck.

W. George W. Bush is really the biggest loser. Snubbed at his own party's convention (thanks Hurricane Gustav) and avoided by GOP candidates like he had leprosy, the President's failed administration became an albatross that Republicans could not overcome. Although determined not to repeat his father's mistakes (see the surprisingly sympathetic Oliver Stone movie of the same initial), Bush 43 like Bush 41 squandered high approval ratings that resulted from goodwill over crises (first Gulf War, 9/11) that the public perceived were well managed.

Time now to take a breath and concentrate on Thanksgiving, football and whether there will be a Christmas shopping season this year.

Enough Already

One reason TNB (along with Mrs. TNB) has already voted is so he won't feel "guilty" totally ignoring the glut of political ads, robocalls, flyers, Emails, etc. that make this last week of the campaign so unpleasant. In short, he has had ENOUGH ALREADY.

For that matter, who hasn't? How is it possible to have many voters change their minds at this late date simply because of the most recent negative commercial or sound bite? Most of the major talking points have been used so often that they mean nothing anymore. What new revelation would sway the "undecideds"? TNB knows people on both sides, but all have made up their minds--unless something startling were to occur, say John McCain, who stated at the second debate that he knew how to find Osama Bin Laden (and didn't tell Gen. Petraeus or anyone), actually capturing the Evil One (he has traveled to Waziristan) and depositing him at the Pentagon this weekend. Or Sarah Palin, who is now wearing Real American clothes from a consignment store in Anchorage, suddenly revealing that she is a closet PhD who has successfully hidden her intellect in order to impress Alaskan moose hunters. Or maybe Barack Obama finally revealing that, as suspected by many, he is the direct descendant of Mohammed and has made 22 pilgrimages to Mecca.

Short of these farfetched scenarios, what else does the electorate need to know? Instead of paying close attention to the candidates and their mind numbing surrogates ("there's Northern Virginia and there's the real Virginia") why not turn somewhere else for another ENOUGH ALREADY moment? That would be the financial world, with its wild gyrations and uncertainties. To get you up to speed and eliminate all your fears, why not watch a panel of 6 or 8 "experts" on CNBC pontificating in a manner worthy of the best political spinners? They're like weather forecasters (but less accurate) in that their predictions are never brought up later when they don't materialize (like the projected storm that didn't happen but ruined your plans).

TNB has had ENOUGH ALREADY and as soon as November 4 is over he is planning to a) watch the end of the World Series, assuming it stops snowing in Philly, b) watch (and report on) all the movies with early Oscar "buzz" as cooked up by their publicists and c) once again deliver his pithy commentaries on the Human Condition.

Questions and Answers

A number of questions have been asked of TNB recently--sometimes by readers and sometimes just by him. Following are a sampling of such questions along with answers in italics.

• Was there really an earthquake in the cemetery where Col. McCormick is buried when his Chicago Tribune endorsed Barack Obama, first Democrat ever? No, that rumbling occurred when jeans wearing Sam Zell took over his office.
• Is Sarah Palin really angling to be a TV star, especially with her new $150,000 wardrobe paid for by the Republican National Committee? Yes, look for her to show up sooner or later on FoxNews. She is far more charming and no more ignorant than most of their present commentators.
• Why do very few political ads (TV, print media, flyers, etc) indicate which party the candidate, whether for national or local office, belongs to? The obsession with attracting independent or "swing" voters has overwhelmed party identification. True believers know anyway; others may be shocked to see the name of the political party next to the candidate's name on the ballot.
• Was the last plane leaving for the Dominican Republic when Alfonso Soriano (to whom the Cubs still owe about $100 million) flailed helplessly at the last pitch of the pitiful Dodgers playoff series? Yes, he and some other overpriced players were concerned that Washington politicians would really "spread the wealth" by somehow voiding their contracts like the effort to rein in excessive CEO pay. Talk about excessive!
• Will John McCain, he of the "no earmarks/freeze on spending" platform, lend his support to GOP Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, who in his tough Kentucky reelection campaign, has openly boasted about how much "pork" he has brought to his State? No, although Kentucky is a reliable red state, McConnell and indeed many Republicans running for election have kept their distance from McCain, as if he were (gasp) the dreaded George W.
• When mercifully the long campaign finally ends on November 4, will The Normal Blog cease to publish? Of course not--TNB will go back to reviewing movies and commenting on a host of social issues like the rudeness of people, the selfishness of people and many more significant matters you've been waiting to read about.

Pride and Prejudice

Certainly most members of minorities would take great pride in having one of their own nominated for high office. So, no great surprise that it is expected that perhaps 95% or more of African Americans will be voting for Barack Obama. Maybe TNB shouldn't be as surprised as he is (actually dismayed) that in 2008 there is still so much prejudice existing in the electorate that no apparent lead in the polls seems adequate. There's the so called Bradley effect named after former LA Mayor Tom Bradley whose 1980 lead in the polls for California governor totally disappeared on Election Day as numerous people who had given the pollsters the "politically correct" response went and voted their prejudices in the voting booth. This was not an isolated case (see Douglas Wilder in Virginia, Harold Ford in Tennessee, etc.).

What is really appalling to TNB is how much of this prejudice is coming from some members of the Jewish community. Jews have long taken a sometimes unjustifiable pride in accomplishments of fellow Jews whether they be in entertainment, science, sports or whatever (while also being overly embarrassed about misdeeds committed by Jews). Even moderate criticisms of Jewish accomplishments are often countered with charges of anti-semitic prejudice, even where none exists. If (OMG) Joe Lieberman was running for President and received the usual political negative comments, imagine how wounded Jewish pride would be--oh, how could such prejudice exist??

How then to rationally explain the overt antipathy that some Jews apparently have to voting for a "schvartze" (a black man)? There are, of course, the bogus claims that Obama's a Muslim, is anti-Israel, etc. But honestly (like the Bradley effect) a lot of this is simply the color of the man's skin. TNB personally knows or knows of Jews (primarily but not solely of TNB's older generation) who admit that this is the sole reason for their anti-Obama feeling. Few of these people extol the virtues of John McCain or Sarah Palin and would be the first to recoil if the same thinking were applied to Jews running for office.

The so called "Great Schlep" campaign being pushed by Sarah Silverman and others (visit your Jewish grandparents in Florida to persuade them to vote for Obama) has been good for a few laughs and as a cultural commentary but when some of the real life interviews are played, it doesn't take long to sense that this is the only issue for far too many Jews.

OY

Just Wonderin'

TNB is resuming his blog a few days earlier than announced (hey, campaigns are sometimes resumed before financial crises are solved) partially to add a few more sins for which to atone.

Probably you haven't been so perplexed, but lately TNB has been just wonderin' (not a typo--wondering is no longer an acceptable spellin' or pronounciation) about the followin':

• Maybe the Cubs tanked to allow TNB to devote his energies to seein' that Josephine Sixpack is promptly returned to the Arctic--permanently.
• Maybe the slogan "Wait Til Next Year" could be banned. Repeat ten times--"Next Year Will Never Come". You'll feel better.
• Maybe Lou Piniella was right when he allegedly told two of his overpriced "stars" (Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez) that they lacked "cojones".
• Maybe the best pair of cojones currently on display belongs to Ms. Trailer Park Trash who recently riled up a redneck Florida crowd against Obama to the extent that one man in the crowd yelled out "kill him" and others hassled an African-American TV crew member (whose sin was obviously his color). These are Wasilla middle class values? She's fit to be Vice President??
• Maybe the World's Greatest Hockey Mom needs to visit an eye doctor to check on that annoyin' winkin'. BTW --just wonderin' about all the other Moms (soccer, ballet, orchestra), some of whom might be actually doin' this work daily. Sister Sarah's oldest hasn't needed a driver for several years, her #2 is likely not playin' hockey these days while registerin' for her weddin' and so on. Just who is she drivin' to hockey practice (if anyone is behind the wheel, it's her dude or maybe now the Secret Service)? It's time to retire the slogan which is just so much BS, like everything else about her.
• Maybe at the next debate, John McCain will mention her instead of (about 4 times) his house Jew, Joe Lieberman. While Joe's in Temple (he needs some serious atonement) what will the Last Angry Man do for advice? Certainly he won't ask The Least Angry Man whom he condescendingly referred to as "that one" during last night's "debate". Poor John--having to share the limelight with someone "not like us" (not difficult to excite certain elements of the electorate, is it?). And if he says "my friends" one more time? OMG.
• Maybe George W. after hearin' the GOP ticket bash him relentlessly, will endorse "That One". That would probably be the Kiss of Death (see above) and just the type of October surprise that the Democrats fear.

Obviously, our ancestors were wise in their knowledge that sins would always be available for atonement.