Archive for 2009
Modern Times
Tough times call for stern measures and in Manhattan they’re up to the task. To cope with the economic crash a group of young women – girlfriends and spouses of Wall Street wunderkind – have formed a unique support group, Dating a Banker Anonymous. The young women meet to share fellowship and condolences over brunch…
Read MoreThe Way of All Flesh
In just a fortnight Obama’s gone from “Yes, we can” to “I screwed up.” Tackling the labyrinth of imperial government – with its legions of lobbyists, special interests and hard-bitten politicians – in Washington has turned out to be a tough nut to crack. In two weeks the best and brightest among us – at…
Read MoreBumpy Takeoff for Air Obama
Face it, Obamaniacs. The Man has had a rough start. Kind of like Flight 1549, he ran into some turkeys on takeoff. Some of the turkeys were Republicans. Some were Democrats in Congress. And some were in his own administration. But buck up. At several key points in the campaign, Obama seemed about to stall…
Read MoreWhat Republicans Lack: A Voice
These days Mike, the Republican Political Warrior, has the blues. In three short years he’s witnessed a political meltdown, which he expressed this way the other day in an email: I always reckoned the end would come. I just didn’t expect it to come in my lifetime. Eight years ago, Mike had high hopes for…
Read MorePower Shifts
We’re witnessing the biggest shift in political power in America in a generation: from the state capitals to Washington. The much-heralded “New Federalism” of the 70s, 80s and 90s is dead. The era of ex-Governors in the White House (Carter, Reagan and Clinton) is past. Today, all power flows to the Potomac. Witness: After taking…
Read MoreObama’s TV Roadblock
President Obama has hit his roughest patch since he took the oath from the man Stephen Colbert calls the Justice Chief of the Court Supreme. So yesterday Obama rolled out his most powerful weapon: Barack Obama. He “roadblocked” every network. He did interviews with Big Feet like Anderson Cooper and Brian Williams. That’s when you…
Read MoreShowing Up
Woody Allen once said 80 percent of life is just showing up. Bev Perdue is proving that showing up is 90 percent of following Mike Easley. One Raleigh Democrat said last week she had seen Governor Perdue four times since her inauguration: at a Washington event, at a Lillian’s List meeting, at Bob Scott’s funeral…
Read MoreWell, Duh
Media commentators and Republican critics alike seem shocked – shocked, I tell you – that President Obama packed the stimulus bill with initiatives he promised during his campaign, like education, energy and health care. What did they expect? That he would abandon his promises after he took the oath? Rush Limbaugh actually suggested that –…
Read MoreSex, Drugs and Rock ‘n Roll
Back in the turbulent 1960’s my high school held what was then called Club Night – an open house where all the school’s clubs (Spanish, French, Math, History, and so on) hosted receptions in classrooms to recruit members. When I got home that night my mother asked, Well, which did you go to? I told…
Read MoreWhat Were They Thinking?
What were the Wall Street geniuses thinking when they handed out millions in bonuses with one hand while taking billions in taxpayer-bailout money with the other? What were Republicans in the House thinking when every one of them voted against the stimulus bill? Actually, it’s easy to answer both questions. The Masters of the Universe…
Read More