In Washington DC there are three passions that rule this town – politics, football, and politics. Living here has given me front row seats to a pair of leadership trainwrecks in Daniel Snyder and Barack Obama. As both have been experiencing difficult times lately, it seemed like a good time to write about the similarities I’ve noticed between the two.
First off, I moved to the DC area in 1999, the same year that Dan Snyder bought the Washington Redskins. Interestingly enough, the job that brought me here was working for Snyder’s old company, Snyder Communications. Also, I never met the man during my time working there, and from the stories I’ve heard about him that’s not a complaint.
For those of you unfamiliar, Snyder immediately became a big news item from the beginning. He was brash, energetic, and has had no problems making bold moves as owner. Whether it was interrupting summer camp by arriving in his helicopter during practices, expanding Fedex Field’s seating while raising ticket prices, and charging admission to summer camp for one season. Also, despite having no background in football, he became heavily involved in the team. Snyder held post-game meetings with his head coaches, brought in a big name personnel man from the 49ers Super Bowl Dynasty (Vinny Cerrato), has chased down and overpaid big name coaches, and has even micro managed to the point of firing several kickers over the course of a season for blown kicks. Read the rest of this entry »
When I received my invitation in the mail from Jim Moran himself that mentioned his Health Care Town Hall would include special guest Howard Dean I knew I had to go. I wanted to get front and center, which meant taking a 1/2 day from work to get there early. Doors were scheduled to open at 6:00, and Ron, our local Tea Party organizer alerted us that Moran was bringing in tons of his troops to fill the rafters with “be there by 5:00″ marching orders. Word was that this initially was only open to folks from Moran’s district but they opened up that restriction to bring in more of their people. That seems a bit odd given what blue country we’re in, but I can see Moran not leaving that to chance. I figured that if I shot for 4:00 and got there by 4:30 I would be fine.
I arrive at 4:15, and there’s already a line outside, but it’s not too bad yet. The venue is Reston High School, and the line is forming under the awning. A guy at the end of the line helpfully suggests that I check in with the sign in sheet at the front table. I get up there and see that the “sign in sheet” is just a sign up to get on Moran’s mailing list. Hearing the opposing viewpoints’ talking points always help solidify one’s arguments, so I sign up. Also by the table they have a slew of professionally made signs to hand out to the supporters – no astroturfing here, folks!
Some of the counter-protesters have also arrived, and they’re up with their homemade signs along the driveway. I don’t recognize them, and I don’t see any of the Tea Party organizers, so I just get back to my place in line. Thankfully it’s early enough that the line isn’t too long and I’m able to stand in the shade. Highs were in the 90’s, so I’m glad I had the foresight to bring a bottle of water. “It’s so damned hot! Milk was a bad choice…” Every once in a while their activists come up and down the lines – I sign up for another mailing list and politely refuse a number of offers for signs to bring in. Thankfully another dude standing next to me (pro-Moran, judging that I overheard him talking to another woman and referring to the “Teabaggers” ) also refuses the signage, so I don’t stand out too much. A few spots back from me in line a somewhat heated debate fires up, while a more rational one is going on a few slots ahead of me. I really don’t feel like getting into any debates while I’m waiting, so I brought a paperback where I can bury my nose. A coworker had recommended Terry Pratchett’s “Good Omens”, which I was saving for a trip, but I decided this was a good time to dig in. Between this line and waiting inside I zip through the first 60 pages. Good, light stuff before the coming storm.
While we’re waiting the guy (against the bill) engaged in the calm debates gets the attention of a cute blonde reporter for Politico. She stops to interview him, and asks some pretty good questions, and one somewhat irritating one. She poses the question about whether he has an issue with the incivility and shouting down of the speakers at some of these meetings. He gives the correct answer that he disapproves, but it’s just irritating that after eight years of the screaming hissy fits featuring Bush being hung in effigy, protesters storming stages while screaming down speakers, physical attacks, and Bush drawn as Satan/Hitler now suddenly incivility has become a non-liberal invention. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s not easy living in the DC area. The place is a 60 square mile enclave bordered by reality, where the phrase “I voted for George Bush” gets you looked at like you have two heads, while being a gay vegan is considered perfectly normal. No, really!
You can imagine how irritating it gets when out trying to enjoy a beer and one of Al Gore’s cult followers begins proselytizing to the cause of Global Warming. But I’ve discovered that like the followers of any other religion, debating someone’s belief system is pointless. Pointing out how Climate Change is based more on belief than fact quickly sets them off, and they usually proceed to cite heavily flawed studies or quotes from an equally unreliable source. You could go back and forth all day, or you can end the conversation fairly quickly – simply state that you don’t debate religion, and if you’re to be expected to treat it like science, your green friend has to do so first. They can accomplish this by answering three simple questions:
1) Given the age of the planet and how widely the temperature has fluctuated over time, what is the ideal temperature that the Earth must be, and how will we maintain it over time?
2) One of the foundations of scientific theory is that it stands up to defeating theories that prove it wrong. We’ve heard how shrinking glaciers prove global warming, growing glaciers prove global warming, more storms prove global warming, and fewer storms prove global warming. What events prove their theories false?
3) Every few years a new threat comes along that threatens our very existence unless drastic action is taken yesterday. Of course, the media provides sensational screaming headlines backed up by irrefutable scientific evidence to promote these scares. Off of the top of my head here are a few from the last 40 years: Read the rest of this entry »
In Washington DC there are three passions that rule this town – politics, football, and politics. Living here has given me front row seats to a pair of leadership trainwrecks in Daniel Snyder and Barack Obama. As both have been experiencing difficult times lately, it seemed like a good time to write about the similarities I’ve noticed between the two.
