POLIATRICS? Here's What It's All About . . .

Call it poliatrics.

It's at the intersection of politics and theatrics. And if you think it doesn't exist, you haven't been paying attention. In fact, highly theatrical moments have helped to define the major political figures of this country and theatrics have played a huge role in American politics and the presidency for more than a century.

Let's review some of the major rules of the show business and see how they apply:

1) Hype The Big Event. No performance can succeed without a hype -- even presidential inaugurals and political conventions. And part of the hype is keeping the audience guessing. After all, a certain shroud of mystery does wonders for heightening expectation. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson needed to build anticipation for what would otherwise be a pro forma Democrat National Convention in Atlantic City. So, he staged an elaborate guessing game surrounding his vice presidential pick and kept everyone waiting until the last possible moment (even setting up decoys) before bringing on Hubert Humphrey. 

2) Make a Grand Entrance. Really Big Stars don't just walk onto a stage or a movie set, they make an Entrance. One of the first things Ronald Reagan learned when he was under contract to Warner Brothers was how to throw back his shoulders, lift his head high, rise up and stride forward purposefully. Of course it helped that he was also one of the first actors to wear contact lenses and his outfits were perfectly tailored from that day forward. Small wonder that defining what it meant to look and act presidential later came natural to this guy!

3) Give 'Em What They Came For. Can Springsteen appear without singing Glory Days? Fat chance! Ya gotta give the audience what they want. So Obama never gave a stump speech without Hope and Change. And when Trump's rally rhetoric reaches its climactic moment, you can guarantee it will build to that familiar litany ending with Make America Great Again. Feed 'em the vittles they crave!

4) Be Bigger Than Life. The big screen was invented for  bigger than life stars and stories. 125 years ago, Teddy Roosevelt ushered in an epic American era in part by establishing such a formidable stage presence that it was impossible to ignore him. He was vivid, daring, surprising, brash and (at the dawn of the motion picture era) visually intuitive. Hugely consequential, he helped to define not only the modern presidency but the 20th century itself. By sheer force of will he seemed to thrust America onto the world stage once and for all. And America and the presidency haven't been the same since.

5) Perfect The Comeback. In show business a setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback. And nobody understood this better than Richard Nixon who, after losing the presidency in one of the closest races ever in 1960, came back to win the office in 1968. Ditto Donald Trump, who did it back-to-back in 2020 and 2024, becoming only the second president ever to serve two non-consecutive terms. And, how about the redoubtable Comeback Kid himself, Bill Clinton who bounced back after losing the governorship of Arkansas and rose from the ashes again during the 1992 Democrat presidential primaries. Yowza!

6) Always Leave 'Em Begging For More. AKA get the hell to get off the stage before they give you the hook. AKA don't overstay your welcome. Here's the deal: Ya gotta leave while the audience still loves you, while they're still crazy about you, before you're past your due date. Vain as they are, few (if any!) politicians have learned when and how to make a graceful exit. And here, they're mostly all notable for failing. Pelosi and Schumer immediately come to mind. But the penultimate (and most embarrassing) example remains Joe Biden. Two words: rotten tomatoes!

So now you know why they call politics "show business for ugly people." That's all folks!

Thanksgiving's Strong , Abundant Spiritual Roots

Even though it seems a bit late this year, Thanksgiving is fast approaching and it's a holiday everyone enjoys.

Indeed, people have always pointed to Thanksgiving as a lovely day for family and friends that all Americans can celebrate together regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. And this is true. Who doesn't enjoy Thanksgiving?

But beyond it's universality, America's Thanksgiving has strong spiritual roots that go back a long way.

You see, Thanksgiving is much more than turkey, stuffing, and football (as good as those things are). Thanksgiving is a national holiday that is explicitly religious in nature. History teaches us that as a nation of faith, we have set aside such a day to thank our Lord for the many blessings He has bestowed.

Consider the following:

• In 1789, in his first year in office, President George Washington called for a day of Thanksgiving because “it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor.”
• In 1815, President James Madison issued a proclamation for “a day of thanksgiving and of devout acknowledgments to Almighty God for His great goodness.”

After Madison, however, Thanksgiving reverted to a regional celebration in New England for 48 years. 

• Then, in 1863, in the midst of America's bloody civil war, magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale petitioned the Lincoln administration that a day of Thanksgiving "now needs National recognition and authoritative fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution."

Lincoln, who carried the weight of America's historic rupture on his shoulders and often sought divine guidance, responded to Hale's urgings and called on Americans that year to “fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore if, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.”

Since then, in proclaiming Thanksgiving each year, presidents of both parties have turned to God in their Thanksgiving Day proclamations. 

In 1947, President Truman declared Thanksgiving a day for "expressions of gratitude to Almighty God for the many blessings which He has heaped upon us." Fifty years later, in his proclamation, President Clinton asked all Americans  to "assemble in their homes, places of worship, or community centers to share the spirit of goodwill and prayer; to express heartfelt thanks to God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us." 

Significantly, during dark days of wrenching national grief, just one week after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon Johnson delivered a Thanksgiving message of national unity declaring: "I come before you to ask your help, to ask your strength, to ask your prayers that God may guard this republic and guide my every labor."

All of this is worth remembering as Thanksgiving approaches once again.

As difficult, divisive and polarizing as our present plight might seem, America has been through far worse times. And during such times, including two world wars, the civil war and the American revolution itself, our nation has humbly turned to the Almighty again and again, seeking His strength, guidance and abundant grace.

This Thanksgiving, as always - in God we trust!

Long Before There Was Elon, There Was THIS Man

This billionaire businessman was a pop culture icon and presidential chum who had an open invitation to the White House. Though he was never elected to any office, he headed commissions, set federal policy, directed various operations and played a critical -- even decisive -- role. Yet, while befriending and hosting the most influential people he also remained a distinct and somewhat quirky personality in his own right.

Sound familiar?

No, we're not talking about Elon Musk. We're talking about someone who came decades before Musk. We're talking about Barnard Baruch!

Bernard Mannes Baruch came to be referred to as an "elder statesman" because he was chummy with US presidents who frequently called upon him for his guidance. For decades, Bernard Baruch was also one of the country's richest and most powerful men. 

Baruch amassed a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange and was a devoted member of the Democrat Party who contributed generously to it. When Woodrow Wilson became president, Baruch became a White House insider and regular guest of the president. He was highly influential in the Wilson administration,  impressing the progersssive Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in World War I as chairman of the War Industries Board. He also advised Wilson during the Paris Peace Conference. He made another fortune in the postwar bull market, but wisely foresaw the Wall Street crash and sold out well in advance.

In World War II, Baruch then became a close advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the role of industry in war supply and he was credited with greatly shortening the production time for tanks and aircraft. Later he helped to develop rehabilitation programs for injured servicemen. In 1946 he was the United States representative to the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, though his Baruch Plan for international control of atomic energy was rejected by the Soviet Union.

Like many bright and successful people, Baruch had his eccentricities and for all his high-level connections, in many ways he remained a maverick. His refusal to join any major Wall Street brokerage firm (though he could have been a partner at any of them) gave him the reputation as the “lone wolf of Wall Street.” And Baruch always claimed he received his greatest insight sitting on park benches in Washington and New York chatting with ordinary people. A famous Bernard Baruch quote goes like this: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” 

More fascinating background on Baruch: 

• Baruch played on an international stage. Winston Churchill sought out Baruch for investment advice and the financier happily obliged, even hosting Churchill at luxury hotels and providing an office for him when Churchill visited New York. They were lifelong chums.

• Baruch amassed a personal fortune of about a $230 million which would make him a multi billionaire in today’s dollars. At the age of 33 Baruch (a true wunderkind) was already worth $3 million, or about $81 million in today's dollars.

• Baruch was an ardent proponent of independent thinking and frequently spoke out against the conventional wisdom of the day. He counseled avoiding a herd mentality and thinking long range, beyond the moment.

• Baruch founded the Intercontinental Rubber Company of New York, which dominated the guayule rubber market in the U.S. with holdings in Mexico and elsewhere. His partners in the enterprise were big time operators including Senator  Nelson Aldrich, Daniel Guggenheim, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and George Foster peabody. 

• Baruch purchased approximately 16,000 acres of the former 18th century Hobcaw Barony, consolidating 14 plantations in South Carolina between the Winyah Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. He developed sections of the property as a winter hunting resort.

• Baruch was celebrated in the popular culture. He was portrayed in the movies Wilson and Funny Lady as well as in the drama Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years. He was also mentioned in episodes of the Donna Reed Show, the Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave It To Beaver, the Patty Duke Show and Make Room For Daddy. Humorist Art Buchwald referenced Baruch in his book A Gift From The Boys.

• Baruch was a frequent visitor to the White House during the administrations of Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and even later during the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.  Baruch died in 1965. 

Note: Baruch was heralded in his day and amply praised by the media and the titans of that era. No one dared question the motives or the reputation of presidential best bud Bernard Baruch. My, how times have changed!

Italian American Heritage Month: Anthony Celebrezze

Anthony J. Celebrezze 

Anthony Joseph Celebrezze Sr. (born Antonio Giuseppe Cilibrizzi) served as the 49th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, as a cabinet member in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. As such, he was a genuine trailblazer.

Celebrezze was born in 1910 as one of thirteen children to Dorothy (née Marcogiuseppe) and Rocco Cilibrizzi in Anzi, a town in the administrative region of Basilicata, southern Italy. 

The family moved to the United States when he was two years old, and the surname was Americanized in spelling to "Celebrezze." After having been a shepherd in Anzi, the father Rocco took an industrial job, becoming a track laborer for the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad in Cleveland. Like many of his immigrant generation, Anthony Celebrezze took odd jobs as youngster, shining shoes and selling newspapers. 

He attended Cleveland Public Schools, graduating from Central High School and Fenn College (later developed as Cleveland State University). He graduated from John Carroll University in 1934. During his college years, he earned his way by working as a railroad laborer and freight truck driver, as well as boxer.

He later attended Ohio Northern University  where he received a Bachelor of Laws in 1936 from the Claude W. Pettit College of Law. 

In 1938, he passed the bar and returned to Cleveland, where he entered the general practice of law. That same year, he married Anne M. Marco, a graduate of Western Reserve University and a teacher in the Cleveland Public School system. With the onset of World War II, Celebrezze enlisted in the United States Navy. Upon his discharge at the end of the war, he returned to private practice and then embarked on a successful political career, stedily rising from one office to another. 

In 1961, after years of denying rumors that he sought a higher public office, Celebrezze was offered a federal judgeship by President John F. Kennedy, which was a lifetime appointment to a federal judgeship. Celebrezze turned it down to run for a record-breaking fifth consecutive term as mayor, which he won by an unprecedented 73.8 percent, sweeping every one of the city's thirty-three wards.

Kennedy appointed him also to serve on the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and the Commission on the Status of Women. In 1962, Celebrezze was selected as the president of the United States Conference of Mayors and then was appointed by Kennedy and confirmed by the US Senate to be Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. He was the first Italian-American to ever hold a cabinet level post. Later Celebrezze was nominated by President Johnson and confirmed as a Judge of the U. S, Court of Appeals.

Ohhhhh, What An Incredible Feat It Was!

We Might 'Thrive'? That's Exactly What Happened!

Here's something that we wrote back in April, 2016 long before the stunning general election that gave us President Donald J. Tump.
We added some emphasis, shown in bold:

When a friend told me that Donald Trump was not qualified to be president because he had a "personality disorder," I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Yeah, The Donald is a near-hopeless narcissist. And that probably barely scratches the surface. So, why was I laughing? Because, what president hasn't had a personality disorder?

Let's review some of the modern inhabitants of the most powerful office in the world:

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A terminal "momma's boy," FDR was so dominated by and subservient to his mother that his wife, Eleanor was never able to break through the mother/son bond and establish her own identity within the family. On top of that, FDR was vain, secretive, manipulative and deceitful. Over his lifetime, he conducted numerous relationships with women other than his wife, including a decades-long dalliance with Lucy Mercer.

John F. Kennedy: No one (not even his wife and his closest associates) felt they ever got to really know JFK -- a man who was charming but nonetheless distant and somewhat detached. His best friend and longtime classmate, Lem Billings struggled to build a bond with Jack Kennedy only to wind up commiserating with JFK's wife about the conundrum that was Kennedy. In pain much of his life and riddled with drugs, Kennedy was incapable of intimacy and seemed to live for instant gratification via fleeting diversions such as sexual "quickies" with scores of women. He was notoriously promiscuous.

Lyndon B. Johnson: Crude, boorish, self-centered and verbally abusive, LBJ soared through periods of high accomplishment only to crash into a darkness that left him isolated for days at a time. The man required constant adulation but simply could not come to believe his own campaign slogans. Thrust into a world of high-charging, effete Ivy Leaguers, he constantly felt inadequate and routinely threatened to quit until he actually did exactly that in 1968, refusing to seek or accept his party's nomination for another term.

Richard M. Nixon: In modern times, has there ever been a more tortured soul (or more mendacious character) in the White House than Richard Nixon? Paranoiac, insecure, scheming and masochistic, Nixon followed one of the greatest triumphs in recent political history by thrusting us into a constitutional crisis that shook the very foundations of our government. Near the end, he roamed the halls of the White House in an alcoholic stupor talking to the portraits on the walls.

Jimmy Carter: A well-known micro-manager, Carter actually insisted on monitoring who was using the White House tennis court and when. Always, he retained the option to sign off on such use. Sanctimonious to a fault, Carter could be spiteful and frequently blamed others for his problems. When he found himself in a real jam in 1979, Carter pointed to the American people as the source of his troubles, declaring that we suffered from a "malaise" that had triggered a national "crisis of confidence."

William J. Clinton: Egocentric, reckless and often adolescent, Bill Clinton defamed the dignity of his office via dangerously promiscuous behavior and deceitful shenanigans that made him the first elected president ever to be impeached. He experienced periods of near-giddy grandiosity while avoiding (or conveniently compartmentalizing) some very grim realities. Even in the face of behavior that would have shamed a normal person, he continued to defy decency and common sense.

Why have I catalogued these?

Because, through it all the country survived.

And, each of these leaders had his own quite impressive accomplishments.  FDR gave us the New Deal and got us through the Great Depression and World War II. JFK triumphed in the Cuban missile crisis and inspired us to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. LBJ built the Great Society and signed landmark civil rights laws. Nixon opened the door to China and gave us the EPA. Carter successful brokered a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. And Clinton delivered welfare reform, kept us prosperous and left us with a budget surplus.

And did we mention that one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln was almost certainly bipolar?

People have flaws. They even have "personality disorders." But America is bigger and stronger than all that. We the people usually find a way to make our voices heard and get things done.

Which is to say, yes -- we'll be just fine if Donald Trump becomes president.  In fact, we may even thrive.

Fifty Years On: The Similarities And Differences!

Dan Cirucci as he appeared in Life magazine (circled) holding the McCarthy for President sign and campaigning with actor Tony Randall in Concord, New Hampshire in 1968. 

Those high-schoolers marching for stricter gun-control measures?

I wouldn’t dismiss them quite so easily. Nor would I underestimate the impact of a national youth-driven movement.

That’s because I was part of just such an effort exactly 50 years ago this spring.

In 1968, the media called it a “children’s crusade.” But those of us who participated were hardly children, even though many of us were novices to the pugnacious world of national politics. We were mostly college kids watching our contemporaries die by the thousands in a senseless war halfway around the world.

I lost four of my high school classmates in Vietnam. Multiply that figure out across the nation and over the decade-long war and you have more than 58,000 fatalities.

In the spring of 1968, we were in the throes of it. And I was a senior at Villanova University. I knew that I could not simply stand aside and watch the carnage continue. So, as a political science major, I decided to work within the system to bring about change.

I joined the campaign of the Democratic peace candidate, Sen. Gene McCarthy. The cerebral senator was the only Democrat who dared to challenge President Lyndon Johnson early on. Few people gave him any chance of dethroning an incumbent president. But that didn’t matter to me when I joined some of my classmates and went to work for McCarthy in New Hampshire, where he unexpectedly captured such a huge portion of the primary vote that he sent shock waves through the party establishment. By the end of March, Johnson bailed and announced he would not seek re-election.

I followed McCarthy through other primary states (New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania) and on to the infamous Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

By that summer, the nation witnessed horrific events. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (who had entered the presidential race and may have been headed toward the nomination) was gunned down in June.

In August, the party convention was a veritable bloodbath. Still, our band of “neat and clean for Gene” loyalists played by the rules. We didn’t . . . . . CLICK HERE to read the rest of Dan Cirucci's recollection of 1968 and his warning for today's young activists, as published in the Courier Post.

The Meme Of The Moment: What WILL It Be?

Patrick Henry said: "Give me liberty or give me death." 

Franklin said: "A republic, if you can keep it."

Lincoln said: "Of the people,  by the people, for the people." 

FDR said: "The only thing we have to fear." 

Churchill said: "Blood, sweat, toil and tears." 

JFK said: "Ask not what your country can do for you . . . " 

MLK said: "I have a dream." 

Reagan said: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" 

These words are enshrined. They are seared into our consciousness. They are part of history.

But can you tell me one profound thing that Barack Obama said? Huh? 

He's been billed as a great orator but if you listen -- really listen -- he hasn't said very much that's artful or memorable or worthy of the ages. 

As Gertrude Stein once said: "There's no there, there, when you get there."

And that's a shame, because Barack Obama certainly had his opportunities. Still, virtually nothing worth treasuring is remembered from his two inaugural addresses or his annual State of the Union speeches or his many, many other moments of speechifying.

And pretty much the same could be said of Bill Clinton whose most famous line was, sadly: "I did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky."

And Nixon? Well, he's to be remembered for "I am not a crook." 

Truly, a well-turned phrase can make all the difference. It was President Gerald Ford who, in the wake of Watergate, reassured us that "our long national nightmare is over." And then, with customary humility (and a refreshing bit of humor) the accidental president confessed: "I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln." Clever, that.

And let's not forget Lyndon Johnson who, in the aftermath of JFK's assassination echoed Kennedy's "let us begin" line with this: "Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, Let Us Continue. This is our challenge–not to hesitate, not to pause, not to turn about and linger over this evil moment but to continue on our course so that we may fulfill the destiny that history has set for us." These are words that were not only right for the moment but that have clearly stood the test of time as well.

To be fair, even George W. Bush gave us great, reassuring words in an ominous moment when, after September 11, he declared: "Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." No one who heard Bush utter those words should have had any doubt that we would soon be at war with those who brought such horror upon our land.

Where do these words come from? How are the right words found for the right time, the right occasion, the right moment? Indeed, they often emerge from the crucible of crisis. But they also reflect the hope or the tough love or the straightforward, unvarnished resolution of visionary leaders. And the words must be carefully strung together by diligent speechwriters -- craftspersons in the magic of artful articulation.

Good speechwriters know that every great speech has three vital components: a solid theme; a clear purpose and a sound structure.

The theme is the overarching idea of the speech. The theme must be so clear and simple that you ought to be able to express it in one sentence. The theme of FDR's first inaugural address? Very simply, it was: "We're in a helluva mess but we're gonna pull through this together, fearlessly and with unquestioned resolve." That's precisely what people needed to hear. It's what they were thirsting for.

The purpose of the speech boils down to what you want the audience to think, feel or do once they've heard the speech. In other words, why are you giving this speech? What do you hope to accomplish?

The purpose of FDR's first inaugural address was to reassure and rally the nation and the Congress to his cause -- to pull everyone together for the struggle ahead. 

The structure must be clear to the audience. It's their roadmap. That means a speech must have a definite beginning, middle and end. In the beginning,  you forge a vital, human link with your audience. In the middle, you deliver your core message, usually with two or three simple points. In the end, you conclude and call the audience to action.

It all sounds very simple, but it's not. It's tough, hard, often grueling work. And an undisciplined speaker can make it much, much harder.

Both Obama and Clinton tinkered with their speeches too much. Clinton kept changing lines right up until the very moment of delivery. Obama always thought he knew better and was often less punchy and more hesitant in delivery than many thought. Quite simply, he was over-confident. Ford and LBJ were legislative wizards who were accustomed to operating in the backchannels of government. They had to learn to be public speakers -- and it showed.

JFK, FDR and Reagan were the greatest presidential public speakers of the modern era. They were master wordsmiths themselves; they loved language; they were natural performers; they had finely-tuned ears; they understood modern media and they were steadfastly disciplined. Consequently, they triumphed.

Donald Trump is a masterful performer. He understands modern media. He has a good ear for the sound of things and a natural ability to speak in clear, straightforward terms that everyday people can understand. But he's not known as a great reader or lover of language. He's not a wordsmith himself and he's not particularly disciplined.

Tomorrow is a Very Big Day for him.

Will he be up to the challenge of delivering a memorable, maybe even a historic inaugural address? That's a very tall order.

Stay tuned . . . . we're about to find out, America.

Have YOU Made This Journey As Well? Huh?

A liberal friend who remember me from days long gone recently asked why I supported Trump in the last election and how I came to the point where I call myself a conservative.

Here's how I answered:

The fact that we can disagree (and do so with such conviction and passion) is part of what makes America great. 

This 2016 campaign has been long and contentious, to say the least. 

But we've all made our journeys in life and the real turning point for me came in 1980 when I was a young(er) husband and father (my daughter was just two years old and my son was yet to be born) and I couldn't get a mortgage for a new home. Interest rates were at 15% and climbing. Gas was rationed. We had to wait in line at the pumps and wait for odd or even days to get gas. Inflation was sky high. They called it "stagflation" -- a stagnant economy AND inflation. We were told to keep our home thermostats at 67 degrees or lower. And our country was humiliated for 444 days during the Iran hostage crisis. Humiliated throughout the world! The president was grossly incompetent. 

And so, like Ronald Reagan, I didn't leave the Democrat Party -- the party left me. 

And I voted for Reagan and the 1980s were great for me, my family and many, many other ordinary middle-class Americans as the economy prospered and America stood tall again, assuming its rightful place in the world. 

My dad was a Democrat foot soldier but he eventually voted for Reagan and then Bush. 

My mother did the same. 

My sister and brother-in-law as well. 

My wife, too. 

And now, this time around, many working people are once again taking this route. We voted for America -- for our kids, our families, our grandkids, our future. And we've never looked back because we can't live in the past. 

America works best when the people -- not the government -- lead. It works best when the people are free to prosper through a free and vibrant economy, unshackled by undue regulation and burdensome taxes. When taxes are lowered, the amount of money collected through taxes actually goes UP and with sound management, the deficit shrinks. It's a win/win.

So, that's (in part) why I hold these views. And since I never do anything halfway, I became a passionate and committed conservative. 

I have no regrets whatsoever about this but, having once been fervently on the other side (no one worked harder for JFK, LBJ, Humphrey, McGovern and even Carter the first time around) I understand my liberal friends, I respect them, I admire their commitment and I wish them well.

Yeah, Actual Presidents Really Talk That Way!

So why all the fuss over Trump? Huh?

Maybe These Figures Will Wake SOMEBODY Up!

Can We Survive Trump? Take A Look At History . . .

When a friend told me that Donald Trump was not qualified to be president because he had a "personality disorder," I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Yeah, The Donald is a near-hopeless narcissist. And that probably barely scratches the surface. So, why was I laughing? Because, what president hasn't had a personality disorder?

Let's review some of the modern inhabitants of the most powerful office in the world:

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A terminal "momma's boy," FDR was so dominated by and subservient to his mother that his wife, Eleanor was never able to break through the mother/son bond and establish her own identity within the family. On top of that, FDR was vain, secretive, manipulative and deceitful. Over his lifetime, he conducted numerous relationships with women other than his wife, including a decades-long dalliance with Lucy Mercer.

John F. Kennedy: No one (not even his wife and his closest associates) felt they ever got to really know JFK -- a man who was charming but nonetheless distant and somewhat detached. His best friend and longtime classmate, Lem Billings struggled to build a bond with Jack Kennedy only to wind up commiserating with JFK's wife about the conundrum that was Kennedy. In pain much of his life and riddled with drugs, Kennedy was incapable of intimacy and seemed to live for instant gratification via fleeting diversions such as sexual "quickies" with scores of women.

Lyndon B. Johnson: Crude, boorish, self-centered and verbally abusive, LBJ soared through periods of high accomplishment only to crash into a darkness that left him isolated for days at a time. The man required constant adulation but simply could not come to believe his own campaign slogans. Thrust into a world of high-charging, effete Ivy Leaguers, he constantly felt inadequate and routinely threatened to quit until he actually did exactly that in 1968, refusing to seek or accept his party's nomination for another term.

Richard M. Nixon: In modern times, has there ever been a more tortured soul (or more mendacious character) in the White House than Richard Nixon? Paranoiac, insecure, scheming and masochistic, Nixon followed one of the greatest triumphs in recent political history by thrusting us into a constitutional crisis that shook the very foundations of our government. Near the end, he roamed the halls of the White House in an alcoholic stupor talking to the portraits on the walls.

Jimmy Carter: A well-known micro-manager, Carter actually insisted on monitoring who was using the White House tennis court and when. Always, he retained the option to sign off on such use. Sanctimonious to a fault, Carter could be spiteful and frequently blamed others for his problems. When he found himself in a real jam in 1979, Carter pointed to the American people as the source of his troubles, declaring that we suffered from a "malaise" that had triggered a national "crisis of confidence."

William J. Clinton: Egocentric, reckless and often adolescent, Bill Clinton defamed the dignity of his office via dangerously promiscuous behavior and deceitful shenanigans that made him the first elected president ever to be impeached. He experienced periods of near-giddy grandiosity while avoiding (or conveniently compartmentalizing) some very grim realities. Even in the face of behavior that would have shamed a normal person, he continued to defy decency and common sense.

Why have I catalogued these?

Because, through it all the country survived.

And, each of these leaders had his own quite impressive accomplishments.  FDR gave us the New Deal and got us through the Great Depression and World War II. JFK triumphed in the Cuban missile crisis and inspired us to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. LBJ built the Great Society and signed landmark civil rights laws. Nixon opened the door to China and gave us the EPA. Carter successful brokered a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. And Clinton delivered welfare reform, kept us prosperous and left us with a budget surplus.

And did we mention that one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln was almost certainly bipolar?

People have flaws. They even have "personality disorders." But America is bigger and stronger than all that. We the people usually find a way to make our voices heard and get things done.

Which is to say, yes -- we'll be just fine if Donald Trump becomes president.  In fact, we may even thrive.

Is This Really 1968 All Over Again? Well . . .

A lot of people are comparing this year, politically and culturally, to 1968 because it seems that what's happening now to the GOP happened then to the Democrat Party. 

But, trust me, this is no 1968. 

I know because I was there. I walked up and down streets and knocked on doors and worked in presidential primaries in five states in 1968. I participated in various marches and protests. I was on the streets of Chicago during the uprising (and inside campaign headquarters) during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. And I swallowed hard, rolled up my sleeves and went to work in the general election in November -- a real thriller and a cliffhanger.

1968 was a year unlike any other.

And I was a young, idealistic college senior who was opposed to the seemingly endless war in Vietnam and committed to sweeping changes that would make America a freer, more equal, more just, more united, more productive nation. 

Yes, I was a staunch liberal at a time when liberalism was at a crossroads, just as conservatism is at a crossroads now. And the Democrat Party was seriously split then just as the Republican Party is seriously split now. And there was a groundswell -- an upheaval -- in the Democrat Party just as there is now in the GOP. And people were angry and frustrated with the Democrat president and the party's leadership and that anger and frustration found voice in an unlikely leader -- a seemingly soft-spoken intellectual senator from Minnesota who dabbled in poetry was surprisingly contemplative for a successful politician.

His name was Eugene McCarthy and he was the first significant elected official to come out against the continuing escalation of the Vietnam war and campaign for president on that platform. He wasn't loud and demonstrative like Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders. But he was still a huge menace to the establishment.

Nobody -- nobody -- gave him a chance. He was going up against the party apparatus and a very powerful president, Lyndon B. Johnson. 

Similarities to Trump? Well, yes. McCarthy seized on a single issue. He crystallized people's anger and frustration and gave it a voice and a face. His emergence took the form of a movement. His followers were ardent, to say the list. They followed him with a sort of mesmerizing fervor. And, he was truly fearless in bucking the tide. Indeed, his movement gained rapid momentum and startled the nation. It was truly galvanizing.

And I was one of his most passionate followers. I campaigned for McCarthy in New Hampshire (where we embarrassed the president in the primary there) and Indiana, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I also participated in demonstrations to end the war.

But like most of the "McCarthy kids," as we were known, we were committed to working through the system --not in the streets but through the established political structure. We worked it the old-fashioned way, the American way -- through the ballot box.

1968 was a year of tremendous upheaval -- campus riots, nationwide demonstrations for peace and civil rights, two assassinations (Bobby Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and nearly 17,000 Americans dead in Vietnam. It was the single bloodiest year of the war. Put simply, 1968 was a violent, bloody mess. Fathers were pitted against sons and, with the emergence of the women's movement, mothers were pitted against daughters and husbands against wives as well. It was a highly polarized time. Many people really felt the country was coming apart.

Through it all, I kept my faith with the electoral process. I felt strongly that we needed to persuade people of the value of our cause and we needed to work, vote-by-vote through the state primaries and into the general election. And that was the tact taken by McCarthy as well. 

Still, in 1968 (unlike today) not all of the convention delegates were chosen by the people through the primaries. Many were determined by party leaders and elders and powerful brokers. And other delegates ran and won as "uncommitted" delegates who would decide how to vote on their own (or at the direction of party bosses) when they got to the convention. The reforms that brought about the current, more democratic system were in response to 1968.  They were not in place at the time.

In March, President Johnson (who almost lost the New Hampshire primary to McCarthy) decided not to run for re-election. In June, Robert F. Kennedy (who entered the race as the second anti-war candidate after McCarthy paved the way) was shot and killed on the night he won the California Democratic presidential primary. 

In August, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was a mess with rioting in the streets and mayhem inside and outside the convention hall. In the end, the weary delegates rejected McCarthy and nominated Vice President Hubert Humphrey for president. 

I was disappointed, disheartened, truly disgusted. I didn't even want to look at Humphrey or his supporters. I couldn't stand the sight of him or them. No way! I felt it had all been wrongly taken from us.

But democracy is a tough, tough business.

It isn't always cut and dried. 

It isn't tidy.

It's about choices. We have to make choices.

We live in a democracy and we make democracy work by making choices -- individually, and together.

So, as autumn approached, I made my choice. I couldn't vote for the GOP nominee, Nixon. He was devious, evasive, untrustworthy. Not that Humphrey was exactly golden -- far from it. But he was closer to what I wanted. So, I rolled up my sleeves and went to work for Humphrey. In the process I met some wonderful people and made lifelong friends and we came thisclose to winning. After all the rancor and division within the party, that was truly quite incredible.

1968 was way more polarized, way more divisive and violent and bloody and out-of-control in ways that can't even be compared to now.

And it taught me a great deal -- about standing up for what I believe in, about winning and losing, about facing uncomfortable realities, about the choices we have to make and yes, about surviving.

So, when people ask me what about this year I tell them, first and foremost that the sky is not falling. America will be fine. We've seen far, far worse than this. We've been far more divided and in much, much, more perilous situations. 

I tell them to trust in the process. I urge them to participate and, individually and together, let the people decide. Let them choose. Democracy will take its course. 

And, though I'm now in the other party, I will once again support the nominee of my party. 

I urge you to do the same!

We're Not Going Through This Again, Are We?

This campaign ad from the 1960's is going viralThis "Confessions of a Republican" ad from the 1964 presidential election is going viral, thanks to its uncanny relevance to the 2016 presidential election.
Posted by Quartz on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

This is a Democrat campaign ad from 1964.
Remember: The guy in the ad was a professional actor.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Or not?

Fishing Can Teach You Lots About Democrats

Cobb Charges 'Great Society' Destroyed Black Families

From our friends at the Save jersey Blog:

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

It’s a true and awful shame that Garry Cobb isn’t getting more (defined as “any”) help from the powers-that-be, Save Jerseyans, because the former Philadelphia Eagle and current NJ-01 Republican nominee has a story to tell voters whom the GOP just can’t seem to reach. When they even try. Some candidates were just born on the wrong side of the North Jersey/South Jersey ‘Berlin Wall’ if you catch my drift.

In any event, what he shared during a recent segment with Newsmax TV is along the lines of what I said last week following Willingboro’s bizarre decision to honor Barack Obama at JFK’s expense but, for a host of patently obvious reasons, it’s more important to hear this message from an upstanding, successful and famous guy like Garry:

- See more at: http://savejersey.com/2014/08/garry-cobb-lbj-black-families-congress/#sthash.l6HBTruJ.dpuf

Broadway Show Offers Outreach To Students

Producers of the widely-honored Broadway drama All The Way say that thanks to generous donations from a number of individuals, the show will be offering free and highly subsidized tickets to students from New York City public high schools for selected performances in May and June. The show is working directly with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projects to facilitate the program.

This program is the latest in a series of education outreach initiatives launched by All The Way.

On February 20, 2014, the show hosted (in partnership with The Exchange) America at the Turning Point: Conversations on All The Way, a daylong symposium of panels discussing the artistic development and historical background of the play, which featured contributions from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, educator and civil rights leader Bob Moses, playwright Robert Schenkkan, and star Bryan Cranston.

On April 30, 2014, the show hosted a group of over eighty NYCDOE public high school class presidents, who enjoyed a talkback with Cranston in which they discussed leadership, presidential power, and the politics of the 1960s.

In addition to these special events, All The Way has focused special attention on providing college and high school teachers in the tri-state area with classroom resources, special student group pricing, and talkbacks with cast members. By the end of the show’s run, over 5,000 students from public and private high schools and colleges will have taken advantage of free, subsidized, or discounted student tickets for All The Way.

“Education outreach is crucial to the future of the theater industry,” said lead producer Jeffrey Richards. “The cast, crew, and producers of All The Way have rallied behind this goal, and it’s been gratifying to see the overwhelmingly positive response from students and teachers alike.”

***

All The Way has been nominated for a 2014 Tony Award, 2014 Drama Desk Award, 2014 Outer Critics Circle Award and a 2014 Drama League Award for Best New Play.  Bryan Cranston also received nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.  John McMartin, who plays Senator Richard Russell, received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and director Bill Rauch received a Drama Desk Award nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination.

All The Way takes audiences behind the doors of the Oval Office and inside the first year of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency and his fight to pass a landmark civil rights bill.  The production opened on March 6th at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd). It was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan and is directed by Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which commissioned the play through its American Revolutions cycle.

It then went on to play a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the A.R.T. from September 13-October 12, 2013 starring Cranston.  The play was awarded the 2013 inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, established through Columbia University in honor of the late Senator Kennedy, honoring new plays or musicals exploring US history and issues of the day. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000, or by visiting the box office of the Neil Simon Theatre.

***

All The Way stars Bryan Cranston, Eric Lenox Abrams, Betsy Aidem, J. Bernard Calloway, Rob Campbell, Brandon J. Dirden, James Eckhouse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Christopher Gurr, William Jackson Harper, Michael McKean, John McMartin, Christopher Liam Moore, Robert Petkoff, Ethan Phillips, Richard Poe, Roslyn Ruff, Susannah Schulman, Bill Timoney and Steve Vinovich.

All The Way is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Louise Gund, Jerry Frankel, Stephanie P. McClelland, Double Gemini Productions, Rebecca Gold, Scott M. Delman, Barbara H. Freitag, Harvey Weinstein, Gene Korf, William Berlind, Caiola Productions, Gutterman Chernoff, Jam Theatricals, Gabrielle Palitz, Cheryl Wiesenfeld and Will Trice.

Set design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Deborah M. Dryden, lighting design by Jane Cox, composition and sound design by Paul James Prendergast, projection design by Shawn Sagady, the projection design consultant is Wendall K. Harrington, hair & wig design is by Paul Huntley, and the sound consultant is Peter Fitzgerald. The Dramaturge is Tom Bryant and casting is by Telsey + Company William Cantler, CSA.   

'All The Way' Brings NYC High-Schoolers To B'way

Producers of All The Way have announced that they have invited a group of over fifty student class presidents from New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) public high schools to be their guests for the matinee performance on Wednesday, April 30^th. Following the show, the students will enjoy a talkback with cast members, including Bryan Cranston, currently starring as America’s 36^th President, Lyndon Johnson. The talkback will discuss issues of leadership, presidential power, and the how the play’s depiction of the politics of the 1960s resonates today. This event is in partnership with the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projects.

The students will be attending from schools including:  Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Brooklyn Preparatory High School, Claremont International High School, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Flushing High School, Fort Hamilton High School, Harvest Collegiate High School, High School for Public Service: Heroes of Tomorrow, High School of Economics and Finance, James Madison High School, Murray Hill Academy, Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, the International High School at Lafayette, and Union Square Academy, among others. 

All The Way has been nominated for a 2014 Outer Critics Circle Award and a 2014 Drama League Award for Best New Play.  Bryan Cranston received nominations for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Play and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.  John McMartin, who play Senator Richard Russell, also received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play and Bill Rauch received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Play.

All The Way, the new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan opened on March 6th at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52^nd). The production is directed by Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where the play began its theatrical life.  Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by calling (800) 745-3000, or by visiting the box office of the Neil Simon Theatre.

All The Way stars Bryan Cranston, Eric Lenox Abrams, Betsy Aidem, J. Bernard Calloway, Rob Campbell, Brandon J. Dirden, James Eckhouse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Christopher Gurr, William Jackson Harper, Michael McKean, John McMartin, Christopher Liam Moore, Robert Petkoff, Ethan Phillips, Richard Poe, Roslyn Ruff, Susannah Schulman, Bill Timoney and Steve Vinovich.

 All The Way takes audiences behind the doors of the Oval Office and inside the first year of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency and his fight to pass a landmark civil rights bill.

All the Way was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle and premiered at OSF in 2012. It then went on to play a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the A.R.T. from September 13-October 12, 2013 starring Cranston.  The play was awarded the 2013 inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, established through Columbia University in honor of the late Senator Kennedy, honoring new plays or musicals exploring US history and issues of the day. 

All The Way is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Louise Gund, Jerry Frankel, Stephanie P. McClelland, Double Gemini Productions, Rebecca Gold, Scott M. Delman, Barbara H. Freitag, Harvey Weinstein, Gene Korf, William Berlind, Caiola Productions, Gutterman Chernoff, Jam Theatricals, Gabrielle Palitz, Cheryl Wiesenfeld and Will Trice.

Set design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Deborah M. Dryden, lighting design by Jane Cox, composition and sound design by Paul James Prendergast, video projections by Shawn Sagady, the projection design consultant is Wendall K. Harrington, hair & wig design is by Paul Huntley, and the sound consultant is Peter Fitzgerald. The Dramaturge is Tom Bryant and casting is by Telsey + Company William Cantler, CSA.         

Words Of Wisdom - About Democrats And Poverty

A fitting quote as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's "war on poverty."

'All The Way' Cast Continues To Grow

Producers Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel and Louise Gund are pleased to announce that James Eckhouse, most recently seen in the world premiere of Jane Anderson’s ‘The Escort’ at The Geffen Playhouse and best known for playing Jim Walsh on the original “Beverly Hills 90210”, will play the role of Robert McNamara in the Broadway bound production of ALL THE WAY by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle).

Eckhouse joins previously announced three-time Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") as Lyndon B. Johnson, Michael McKean as J. Edgar Hoover, Brandon J. Dirden as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rob Campbell as Governor George Wallace, 5-time Tony nominee John McMartin (Into the Woods, High Society, Sweet Charity, Show Boat, Don Juan) as Richard Russell, Roslyn Ruff as Fannie Lou Hamer as Coretta Scott King and Robert Petkoff as Senator Hubert Humphrey. Additional casting will be announced.

Robert McNamara was the longest serving Secretary of Defense from 1961-1968, serving under both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He played a large role in the Unites States involvement in the Vietnam War.

All the Way will play The Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street) for a strictly limited run and begins rehearsals on Tuesday, January 14, 2014, with previews beginning Monday, February 10, 2014 and an opening night set for Thursday, March 6, 2014. The play is directed by Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where All the Way began its theatrical life.

Tickets are currently on sale to the general public through www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster.com at (800) 745-3000.

All the Way, with its cast of twenty actors, takes audiences behind the doors of the Oval Office and inside the first year of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency and his fight to pass a landmark civil rights bill.

All the Way was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle and premiered at OSF in 2012. It then went on to play a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at the A.R.T. from September 13-October 12, 2013 starring Cranston. The play was awarded the 2013 inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, established through Columbia University in honor of the late Senator Kennedy, honoring new plays or musicals exploring US history and issues of the day.

All the Way is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Louise Gund, and Stephanie P. McClelland, Double Gemini Productions, Rebecca Gold, Scott M. Delman, Barbara H. Freitag, Harvey Weinstein, Gene Korf, William Berlind, Luigi Caiola, Gutterman Chernoff, Jam Theatricals, Gabrielle Palitz, Cheryl Wiesenfeld and Will Trice.

Set design is by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Deborah M. Dryden, lighting design by Jane Cox, composition and sound design by Paul James Prendergast, video projections by Shawn Sagady and the projection design consultant is Wendall K. Harrington. The Dramaturge is Tom Bryant.