Jack’s Blog

Sean Hannity is blaming the current stock market woes and economic crisis our (and his) nation’s facing on - Barack Obama - after only nine days of him being President-Elect!  Hasn’t Hannity ever been taught that when you lose, even if your side gets trounced, at the very least, try to maintain some dignity?  Would it be that difficult to give the new guy a chance?  We’re not talking about a middle school football game where his kid threw two “pick-6’s,” the team got beat 14-10 in the championship game and he felt the need to come to the kid’s rescue because everybody was saying his own flesh and blood was a loser.  What you’re disparaging - at a mighty high income level, with an extremely large platform, to an awful lot of people - is our country.  The country all of us inhabit.

Hannity and the rest of his kind wanted to win (naturally), but they didn’t, so now it’s time to whine and cut down the man who soundly beat them.  If they were the leaders, and could recruit others for their administration, the last people they’d select would be those exactly like themselves - because they realize that type can divide and destroy a team, should anyone dare to disagree with them.  

Look, the American people said Obama is the guy we want to lead us - by a fairly substantial margin.  Yet, these “talking heads” continue to use “politics of fear” because they feel it’s their job, as spokesmen for the right wing, to stir up controversy rather than being “team players” as we were all taught growing up.  What’s so sad is that with all the supporters Hannity and others of his ilk have, how much influence they could exert in an effort to UNIFY this great nation of ours, they make the selfish choice instead.  Each one of them makes the conscious decision to violate rule number one of any successful team, organization, company, group - or even country - and that is: WHAT’S RIGHT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHO’S RIGHT. 

And we wonder why people outside the United States think our country’s a little (lot) screwed up?  It’s because we have no team concept.  Every one of these pontificators are making more money than 99% of their listeners.  All the preaching they do “for the good of the average, hard working Americans (like Joe the Schmuck) is as disingenous as their claims of fair treatment of each side in the past election.  That means one side ripped a candidate to shreds and then the other side did the same to his opponent, making the election more about whom not to vote for as it was who the best candidate was.

The sorriest part of all of it is that if John McCain had won, we’d have the exact same scenario in reverse.  It’s almost like our nation’s mantra is: “We know that United We Stand, let’s see if we can take the challenge of trying to stand divided too.”  In best selling author Ken Blanchard’s book, High Five!, he makes the following statement that would improve our country’s morale and, I sincerely believe, productivity if we were to adopt it:

“When you focus on the positive, you develop the habit of doing things right.  By concentrating on doing things right, you actually wind up doing fewer things wrong.”

With the economic state the country’s in, everyone thought the “bailout” package would most assuredly pass.  It didn’t and the excuses have topped triple digits.

First, it’s the Republicans because they had 12 “aye’s” change their minds.  However, 93 Democrats also voted against it, rendering the dirty dozen moot if more Dems nodded instead of shook.  Our political leaders (and anyone with a party affiliation) immediately started, in crucial times as these, to do what they’re best equipped to do - start blaming others.  Whom to blame?  Simple.  People who disagree with what you believe.

The biggest problem in America is that we’ve lost our sense of TEAM.  Every coach knows when things go wrong, the absolute worst thing to do, the thing that will polarize and destroy the club quicker than anything else, thus assuring failure, is to point fingers.

Yet, this is exactly (no surprise to anyone who’s ever followed politics) what happened. The Republicans said the vote was already to go through until Nancy Pelosi - during one of the greatest crises that’s ever faced our nation - felt the need to make a partisan speech, slamming the opposition party.  It wasn’t enough for her to say we’ve come together to give hope back to the country by passing this emergency legislation; she needed to grandstand and give it a political agenda.  The result was the proposal fell and so did the market, costing the taxpayers $1.2 trillion.  Thanks, Madame Speaker, you now have shown you truly have the cojones you’ve always longed for.

On the Democratic side, remarks were heard, “Oh, just because some Republicans had their feelings hurt, they decided to change their vote.”  True, but these were also congressmen (and possibly, congresswomen - wouldn’t want to offend Pelosi) who had been bombarded by their constituents not to vote in favor of the bail out.  In times of high unemployment, the is only one job statistic a congressperson cares about - do I still have a job?  Listening to, and not offending the people they represent is the most surefire way of remaining on the employment side of the unemployment-employment topic.

Yes, in truth, it may have cost some legislators their jobs and if they caved in because they truly believed they needed to serve their constituency, I’ll buy it, but if it really was because Pelosi wanted to make it look like all of this was the Republicans’ fault and the Democrats came to the rescue, shame on everybody.  The team is most important and politicians constantly lose sight of that fundamental principle.

The talking heads weighed in.  Hannity and Colmes did as they always do - pound away at numbers and facts that favor their side, deflect and ignore those that are contrary, all the while Sean and Alan never having to worry about filling out the short form when April 15 rolls around (yet they sound so righteous when discussing the poor guy on “Main Street“).  Meanwhile, Bill O’Reilly puts up with interviewing guests who take up valuable time he could be using to promote his latest book.

After hearing all the pundits had to say, I’m certain I know who’s at fault.  It’s always the same person.  Somebody else.

In an athletics depatment where I once worked, when a problem was brought up and blame was to be assigned, what followed reminded me of the old Three Stooges movies - when Moe turn and slap Larry, then Larry would turn and slap Curly.  Finally, Curly would turn and there’d be no one to slap.  That’s when I came up with my rule of survival:

“Don’t be Curly.”    Â