Anybody Else Believe This ?

Besides TNB, does anybody else believe that:

• Sarah Palin and her Tea Party devotees (who recently paid her $100,000 to talk "hopey" and "changey" to them) are not strictly a fringe movement, to be easily dismissed? Apparently, between 25% and one-third of Americans really think she makes sense and therefore she and her movement are dangerous, not laughable. History says that she'll self-destruct by 2012, but don't count on it. The best antidote would of course be for President Obama to really turn this country around.
• Two months from now, less than 1% of Americans will not remember who won the moguls, biathlon, Nordic combined or snowboard cross at the Olympics? NBC has done a great job in making these rarely seen sports exciting but our attention span (never long) will inevitably turn to March Madness (college basketball and the Oscars!), American Idol, Opening Day and other rites of Spring.
• Speaking of NBC, Jay Leno's post-Olympics return to the Tonight Show will be a colossal flop (as will his replacements in prime time)? Viewing habits have changed so radically with fragmentation of options (including the Internet, I- Phones, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) that it is hard to imagine that the old TV paradigms will return (or should).
• The U.S. Senate is an ineffective, unresponsive legislative body? Between the campaign financing issues, pork, scandals, poor behavior and inertia (not to mention the archaic rules) how can anyone admire the savagely partisan members of this group. Too bad they're not all up for re-election this year. Of course, the entire House is and they're not much better.
• Toyota will never return to its position in the automobile market? The only way to repair the severely battered image is for Toyota to change its name to disassociate from the poor quality syndrome. TNB suggests say Edsel or CMW (China Motor Works) to bring back consumer confidence. No need to give thanks--just providing a public service.

The Blind Side

Many of the people who fancy themselves experts on the movie business, both within and outside of Hollywood, have been stunned by the huge financial success of The Blind Side which although receiving lukewarm reviews, has to date grossed $238 million vs. a modest cost of $35 million and even more surprisingly has garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and a Best Actress nomination for Sandra Bullock, who is the early favorite to win. The reaction of "mainstream" America to a reasonably well made feel good movie, based on a compelling true story and containing a heavy dose of Southern high school football (with cameos from real college coaches) as well as a do gooder attitude should not be surprising. There even is an honest (and factual) recognition of the sleazy side of college recruiting.

Of course the term Blind Side as used here refers to the fact that quarterbacks are much more vulnerable to being hurt by onrushing defensive linemen from the side opposite the one they're usually facing when attempting to pass, which for right handed QB's is the left (or "blind") side. Thus, their major protectors, charged with covering such "blind side" are behemoths playing left tackle, a very important position and one in which of course the real life protagonist, Michael Oher, has excelled to the point where he starred in 2009 as an NFL rookie with the Baltimore Ravens, after an All American career at Ole Miss.

On the eve of that uniquely American cultural institution, Super Bowl Sunday, TNB can only think of how instructive the theme of this film should be to the very sports aware President Obama. Who is covering his Blind Side from the Tea Party rabble (biggest hero of which is Sarah Palin), the birthers, Fox News and others who are hell bent on wrecking his presidency no matter what the cost to the country? Of course, since he's left handed his biggest protection must come from the right side, which is pretty ironic.

Despite the overwhelming Democratic control of Congress, there doesn't seem to be much offensive football being played there with the majority always appearing to be on the defensive. Has there ever been a more ineffectual Senate Majority leader than Harry Reid? LBJ, where are you now that we need you? If the character played in the movie by Sandra Bullock wasn't an avowed Republican, TNB would call on her in a minute to kick some butt. Come to think of it she might anyway.

State of the Union

The reaction to President Obama's State of the Union speech was based on such predictable partisan attitudes that TNB wonders-- why bother? Does anyone feel the slightest bit differently about the President, the economy, Afghanistan, Jay and Conan, Tiger Woods, John and Elizabeth Edwards, Lady GaGa or for that matter any pressing issue than before the so called SOTU talk? The only minor blip resulted from Obama's long overdue announcement that he feels it's time to end the absurd "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays serving in the military.

Not in TNB's memory (a long one!) has this country ever been so polarized politically. After Joe Wilson's "you lie" outburst in Congress last year we've now been "treated" to a Supreme Court Justice (Sam Alito) mouthing "it's not true" when Obama criticized last week's ruling giving corporations (and unions) the right to make unlimited political contributions as a matter of free speech. Why are the Justices even at SOTU, dressed in their robes no less? Antonin Scalia and his lackey Clarence (the Mute) Thomas never bother to show up anyway.

In order to keep their "filibuster proof" (now that's really majority rule democracy at work) previous Senate majority of 60 together the Democrats had to suck up to turncoat Arlen Specter and even worse to Traitor Joe (no, not Trader Joe) Lieberman. But with the election of charismatic new Mass. Senator Scott Brown, 60 is now down to 59. So why not drop to 57 by disassociating the party (led in the Senate by the incredibly uncharismatic Harry Reid) from these two?

Speaking of Scott Brown, he has obviously energized the GOP not only because of his populist message but also his good looks (see the old Cosmo centerfold). Sort of like a male Sarah Palin who, let's admit it, is basically as popular as she is not only because of her populist message but her undeniably good looks. TNB's unscientific poll has revealed that 87% of her supporters are horny rednecks. A race in 2012 between these two for the Republican nomination (don't laugh) could be something to see. The tabloids are waiting. The country deserves no less.

Principles

It is often difficult these days to tell which principles people are following in their daily lives. For example, some individuals appear to be disciples of The Peter Principle, first expounded by Dr. Laurence Peter in 1969. This axiom of course states that sooner or later people are promoted to their level of incompetence. After over 50 years in the business world, TNB can certainly attest to the validity of this proposition.

Lately we have seen some very public examples of The Peter Principle at work, perhaps best exemplified by Jeff Zucker who rose from NBC Wunderkind at the Today Show to president of the network, where he has presided over the demise of NBC prime time including the jaw dropping Leno/O'Brien mess. For this classic adherence to The Peter Principle, Zucker was rewarded with a new 3 year comtract by Comcast, which is acquiring NBC Universal from GE. A perfect manifestation of what has been aptly dubbed "upward failure".

At a slightly different level is The Dilbert Principle, first enunciated in 1995 by cartoonist Scott Adams and which states that companies tend to intentionally promote their least competent employees to middle management as "nature's way of removing morons from the productive flow". Sadly, this satirical observation was written before the current syndrome (see the movie "Up in the Air") of just terminating employees-- competent or otherwise.

Now in 2010, we have The TNB Principle, which asserts that people totally without any principles can shockingly be an influential voice in society. Just last week we witnessed both Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson make statements about the earthquake in Haiti that dispel any lingering doubts about their characters. If only there was some way to remove these morons from the productive flow (see Dilbert) before they do any more damage to what remains of our principles.

Prime Time

The year 2010 is less than two weeks old but already there's a lot of news, such as:
1. Rod Blagojevich A/K/A Mr. Scum, told Esquire Magazine than he's "blacker than Obama" (in addition to using the "C" word to describe Ill. Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan). Actually TNB has learned that as an infant Rod was found in the weeds by Alabama sharecroppers who gave him up to a Serbian family after raising him with black values.
2. Mark McGwire finally confessed to steroid use absolutely shocking the baseball world. Actually TNB has learned that Sammy Sosa will confess that his skin whitening cream caused his enormous bulging muscles as well as his loss of any use of the English language.
3. Rudy Giuliani, who became "America's Mayor" in the aftermath of 9/11, stated that under Bush there were NO domestic terror attacks as compared of course to Obama who has had Ft. Hood, Detroit, etc. Actually, TNB has learned that Rudy is just the latest victim of "selective Republican amnesia" whereby no one can (or wants to) recall anything that occurred during W.'s 8 years.

All these stories pale, however, compared to the ongoing brouhaha about relocating Jay Leno's failed prime time show and the effect on Conan, Jimmy et al. The biggest problem seems to be what will be shown 5 nights a week in the spot being vacated by Leno. Actually TNB has confidentially learned that NBC is considering the following:

(MON) THE DENTIST Shy but horny young Dr. Jon Filler only can get up the nerve to ask a female patient for a date when her mouth is stuffed with cotton or while she is in a twilight sleep from anesthesia.
(TUE) THE SUPERMARKET Veteran meat department manager Butch Butcher is demoted to the produce department when he announces that he's become a vegan.
(WED) THE AUDITORS Handsome but nerdy beginning auditor Clark Credit is totally intimidated by his superior, gorgeous but smug Debbie Debit. However after the pair uncover a major Ponzi scheme they begin a torrid romance to the shock and awe of their CPA colleagues.
(THU) THE ENGINEER Studious structural engineer Bob Billder is so stressed by the demands of his job that he spends the nighttime hours secretly examining bridge supports.
(FRI) THE RABBI Progressive Rabbi Jenny Maven reaches out to Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews by holding group therapy sessions on alternate Shabbats.

With this potential lineup who needs Jay (or Conan or Jimmy or for that matter Dave)?

Heroes

Our modern society doesn't permit most heroes to last long on their pedestals. Thanks to the Internet, 24/7 Cable News, tweets, and other instantly available information, every wart, every instance of bad behavior and indeed just an ordinary manifestation of human nature is quickly seized upon to tear down our (mostly undeserving) heroes.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the sports world where new heroes emerge as quickly as others are shamed. Sadly, so many of the disgraced idols are revered by the youth of America, fueled by incredible commercial exploitation. Thus the old maxim that the higher one rises, the more swiftly one falls is constantly in evidence today. Many of these individuals should, of course, never been considered heroes (except by their sponsors). Consider a few examples:

GILBERT ARENAS The eccentric (and of course wildly overpaid) Washington Wizards star has been totally unmasked as nothing more than a thug by bringing guns into the Wizards' locker room, allegedly brandishing one at a teammate, who may have reciprocated, and then mocking the whole process in a pregame exhibition of arrogance and stupidity. Could anyone possibly still admire him for any reason?

TIGER WOODS More the darling of corporate America than young people who tend to concentrate on team sports (fantasy golf anyone?) no one in or out of sports has better exemplified the rapid plummet from grace (as well as providing incredible fodder for the sensationalist media)as Tiger. Obviously his image team had done a masterful job in portraying the admittedly superior golfer as some sort of superior human being. Interesting that of his many embarrassed major sponsors, only Nike which peddles athletic equipment not "prestige" products or services, appears to be ready to stick with Tiger indefinitely.

BRIAN KELLY The much admired football coach who brought the previously obscure University of Cincinnati team to the 2010 Sugar Bowl game quit 2 weeks before such game to take a more lucrative job at Notre Dame. His shocked team was thereupon annihilated by Florida 51-24. Speaking of the disgusting record of college coaches how about MIKE LEACH of Texas Tech, outstanding molder of "student-athletes" who was fired just before the Alamo Bowl (won by his team) for abusing a player who had complained of a concussion. There are few heroes among the college coaching fraternity (see payoffs to recruits among other examples of "heroic" conduct).

Of course, we also have many former heroes in baseball, such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire all tarnished by steroids after all attaining the pinnacle of admiration.

Who to believe in, admire, even consider a hero? Not exactly glamorous icons to be fawned upon but how about firefighters, police officers, emergency room personnel, the military? Just not the American way, is it?

What a Year It Has Been

It seems like every December, stories abound recapping all the events, large and small, that have defined the year then coming to a close. We'd all have to agree that 2009 has been quite a year, although most of TNB's predictions (see December 31, 2008 post) unfortunately didn't pan out, not surprising when you consider they were made tongue in cheek. A prediction that Oprah would announce the end of her talk show came true except that she didn't state that the main reason was that she was fed up with lying authors. Also, we're not quite sure if the prediction that Barack Obama would resume smoking (assuming he really had quit) came true or not. But who cares? Look at the unpredictable (and unpredicted) things that did happen such as:

• The Octomom giving birth to 8 babies apparently artificially conceived. Can cloning of humans be far behind?
• Susan Boyle, obscure British plain Jane, becoming a singing sensation.
• Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina taking a hike up the Appalachian Trail and winding up in Argentina. (Wife Jenny just told him, through her divorce lawyers, to take a hike).
• Bernie Madoff winding up in a Federal prison in North Carolina with a 150 year sentence or about 3 years for each BILLION $ that his victims lost to his fraud.
• Michael Jackson, the self-styled King of Pop, dying suddenly apparently from a sleeping potion gone wrong (administered by his personal physician!)
• Tom DeLay, disgraced former House majority leader, making a huge fool of himself on "reality show" Dancing With the Stars.
• Patti Blagojevich, wife of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (no slouch at making a fool of himself on TV and radio) making a huge fool of herself by allegedly swallowing insects on "reality show" I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
• All sorts of idiotic reality show wannabees (the Salahis, balloon boy parents, etc.) achieving their 15 minutes of fame while the media lusted after them.
• Modern day pirates, absent the cachet of Johnny Depp or even Capt. Hook, terrorizing the high seas more or less with impunity.
• Tiger Woods, king of not only golf but of celebrity commercialism, slipping so badly from his absurdly elevated image, that his only possible redemption will be to appear on Oprah's final show (in 2011!) with Elin in hand (probably $100 million richer), doing a public mea culpa and receiving a hug and absolution from the real Queen (forget about Elizabeth).

Can 2010 be any crazier? Stay tuned.