Heightened Tensions?

Three days ago, right here, I asked if the Clintons would heighten racial tensions once they started going after Obama full force. I warned that no betrayal or hurt is worse than that inflicted by friends.
Now Drudge is leading with this headline: RACE WAR: OBAMA CAMPAIGN, BLACKS OUTRAGED BY CLINTONS and Politico is reporting that "a series of comments from Senator Hillary Clinton, her husband, and her supporters are spurring a racial backlash and adding a divisive edge to the presidential primary as the candidates head south to heavily African-American South Carolina."
In all fairness, this same question has been posed by Donna Brazile and by Juan Williams. It's beginning to gain some traction.

Jolly Johnny Hollywood

Johnny Grant, the irrepressible, famously friendly Honorary Mayor of Hollywood is dead at 84.

If you've ever seen photos of those Hollywood Walk of Fame events where luminaries get their Star on the Walk then you've seen Johnny Grant. Johnny personally inducted more than 500 celebrities into the Walk of Fame.

Johnny Grant led the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and boosted Hollywood during its glory days, through its sad slide in the 60s, 70s and 80s and into its dazzling re-emergence in the 1990s and renaissance in the new century. He never, ever wavered in his love for the entertainment industry and Hollywood. Since 1991 he lived atop the legendary Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

In the LA Times Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President Leron Gubler described Grant as "the bridge between Hollywood's golden past and what's happening today."

Everything about Grant seemed true: from his boyish first name to his jolly manner. Those present at a brief memorial ceremony on the Walk of Fame yesterday said Grant's demeanor was constant, even when he mingled with Hollywood's biggest names. "He never changed. He just added weight," said someone who first met Grant in 1946.

I never met Johnny Grant but I remember seeing him every year in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. To me he epitomized authenticity in the midst of a vast but nonetheless captivating charade. Of course, Ron and Nancy Reagan were among the greats befriended by Grant over the years. Yesterday, Ronald Reagan's uniform from "Brother Rat" was still there in Grant's penthouse apartment along with other treasured Hollywood mementos.

Best Line

Best line at the Wednesday night Fox News GOP debate:
"The Democrats keep talking about change, change, change. But the only kind of change they're interested in is taking the change out of your pockets."
-Rudy Giuliani

Original Hillary

The Associated Press reports: "Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88."

I wonder how Hillary Clinton feels about the death of her namesake. Well, maybe her namesake. In other words, sort of her namesake. But actually, probably not her namesake.

You see, like many things involving the Clintons, it's a somewhat complicated story. And it all has to do with the name Hillary.

Hillary (with 2 ls) is a variant of Hilary, a name used by both boys and girls. The name means cheerful. Yes, I did say cheerful. Hillary Rodham Clinton was born Hillary Diane Rodham. Was she named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the man who conquered Mt. Everest? At one point Mrs. William Clinton claimed that her mother named her after the famous explorer. This would account for her name’s distinctive spelling.

But Sir Edmund didn’t climb Everest until 1953, more than five years after Hillary Rodham was born.

Hillary Clinton has a history of nebulous name play. She didn’t adopt the Clinton name until some time after she married William Jefferson Clinton. In the beginning she still called herself Hillary Rodham. Later, it was Hillary Clinton. Still later, it became Hillary Rodham Clinton. Call it evolution.

Anyway, for more on the candidates' names see my op-ed on that subject from the Courier-Post.

No Change

Steven Stark, writing in the Boston Phoenix points out that a year ago the leading candidates for the GOP nomination were Giuliani and McCain.
And Stark feels that little has changed. He believes that the race will come down to Giuliani and McCain. Stark asks: "Will Rudy's 'Wait Until the Big States' strategy work? Here's his answer:
Quite possibly -- we'll know on January 29, when Florida votes. But by the time we get to Florida, Romney and Fred Thompson are likely to be non-factors, and the loser of the South Carolina primary won't be looking great, either. That leaves Giuliani a pretty open field. His problem is that, if McCain is the next-to-last man left, he's a formidable opponent. But a Giuliani victory in Florida, or even in the big states beyond, isn't impossible, particularly if Huckabee can knock off McCain in either Michigan or South Carolina.
And Stark also feels that John Edwards is "finished" and may drop out of the Democrat race. Many people believe that if Edwards left the race it would greatly help Obama since many of the current Edwards voters may be anti-Hillary voters anyway. So, going forward, watch Edwards closely. His decision to stay in or get out could determine the outcome of the Democrat race.

The Wiz

They called him a financial genius.

He conquered Wall Street, bought his way into the exclusive club known as the US Senate and then bullied his way into the NJ Governor's mansion with the promise that he would clean up the financial mess that plagues this endlessly beleaguered state - a sorry kingdom that remains the butt of so many jokes.

But once in office he hemmed and hawed, bobbed and weaved, found himself bedeviled by embarrassments involving former flames and unsavory characters, grew bored and then finally, finally unveiled his secret plan to save the state: monetization.

So here it is: Under the plan proposed by Joisey's wacky Governor Jon Corzine, you will eventually pay $16.59 to drive to Casinoland on the Atlantic City Expressway. The tolls on the Expressway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway will keep climbing and climbing and climbing, at least until 2022. But of course the first increase won't take effect until the year after Corzine faces re-election. Ain't that clever?

This is the largest single fee or tax increase of any kind in the history of a state that has been known for setting tax hike records. It includes as much as a 500% driving tax increase and $40 billion in new debt.

So the Wiz of Wall Street has produced his solution: ante up, sucker!

Photo: Americans for Prosperity

"Nixonian" Pity?

Maureen Dowd in the New York Times today on Hillary's tears:

There was a poignancy about the moment, seeing Hillary crack with exhaustion from decades of yearning to be the principal rather than the plus-one. But there was a whiff of Nixonian self-pity about her choking up. What was moving her so deeply was her recognition that the country was failing to grasp how much it needs her. In a weirdly narcissistic way, she was crying for us. But it was grimly typical of her that what finally made her break down was the prospect of losing.

Real Tears?

Was it really an authentic moment?
On the eve of the balloting an "undecided" woman voter in New Hampshire asked Mrs. William Clinton (and I'm paraphrasing here): "How do you do it? How do you face this every day?"
At first Hillary seemed to be giving her stock answer but then she looked down, paused, began to get teary-eyed, continued answering but choked-up as she explained: "It's not easy, not easy."
It was certainly a Kleenex moment. But was it real? Was it sincere?
And did it turn the tide in Hillary's favor?
Today, Fox News is reporting that the woman who asked the question actually voted for Obama in the end. She said she voted for Barack because he made her cry as she listened to his remarks. Go figure.
And then read what I wrote about authenticity in the Philadelphia Daily News and/or listen to my interview on the subject with radio talk host Dom Giordano of The Big Talker, 1210.

Playing Chicken

Our friend Gayle Michael sent us a list detailing how famous people night answer the eternal question: "Why did the chicken cross the road?"
Here are a few answers that are worth sharing:
HILLARY CLINTON: "I have vast experience with chickens and if elected, I will ensure that EVERY chicken has the ability to cross any road they desire.."
DR. PHIL : "The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his 'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems."
JOHN KERRY: "Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it."
PAT BUCHANAN: "To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American."
And finally, ERNEST HEMINGWAY: "To die in the rain. Alone."

Many Hats

Maybe you saw a guy by the name of Mark McKinnon early in the evening on TV last night touting John McCain's stellar come-from-behind performance in New Hampshire.
McKinnon is the PR, advertising and media guru who played a big role in crafting Dubya's image for the 2000 and 2004 campaigns. A colorful character who often sports a hat, McKinnon is now working for McCain.
SourceWatch reports that "in 2006, McKinnon started working on McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. In June, 2007 he said he would quit if the general election pitted McCain against Barack Obama. "I will, however, still support and vote for John McCain," he told the Austin American-Statesman. "I just don’t want to work against an Obama candidacy. I think a McCain vs. Obama race would be a great choice for the country."
Well, McKinnon is a former Democrat but he's also a Texan who signed onto the Bush effort in 1997 and rarely looked back.
After last night, I wonder if McKinnon still plans to leave the McCain campaign if Obama gets the Democratic nomination.