Helen Thomas & Others: Too Long At The Fair

So, now it's official.
Helen Thomas has "retired." In truth, she acted dumbly, was exposed as a bigot and has been forced out of her job. And all this on the virtual eve of her 90th birthday.
She could have actually retired gracefully years ago -- decades ago, in fact.
But she held on and on and on . . . and on!
And therein lies the problem.
As I noted in a recent opinion piece in the Philadelphia Daily News, many public figures just don’t know when to leave the stage.

Here are a few of them:
Larry King – Watching Larry King these days doesn’t even rise to the level of nostalgia. Instead, Larry King Alive (as it’s been derisively termed) alternates between grimly funny and damned embarrassing. King mispronounces names, botches questions, loses his way and comes across as hopelessly out of touch. The huckstering, the suspenders, the inane questions – the whole thing is terminal.
Harry Reid – Lets face it: Harry Reid looks like an undertaker. How can he be a leader when you take one look at him and you know you’re just not goin where he’s fixin to take you? Why did anybody think that this man could be the face of hope and change in the United States Senate? His jokes are bad, His anecdotes are dated. His timing is laughable. And now the scent of flop sweat follows him everywhere.
Jay Leno – He’s OK with giving up the spotlight. But no, he’s not retiring. Well, he’s not quite retiring. Check that, he’s definitely not retiring. In fact, he’s happy to brazenly snatch the job from the very successor that he once blessed. This is beyond sad. It’s shameless. Jay wants you to think that he’s your friendly neighbor from down the street. And he’s not shy about it. “I’m a nice guy, right?” he bellows. “Right?” Wrong!
Newt Gingrich – Newt was on top of the world in 1994, and with good reason. He engineered one of the most stunning upsets in American political history. But then he stumbled. And he’s never quite recovered. Now, he comes across as a weary relic of the Reagan era. I know he wants to be President. I know. Just like I want to spend every winter in Tahiti. Ain’t gonna happen.
Barbara Walters – Queen Elizabeth isn’t available. The Pope still won’t grant interviews. Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes, Jackie and J. D. Salinger have all died. So now Barbara is reduced to interviewing the likes of Lady Gaga. Puhhhleasse!
Brett Farve – Someone once said, “A setback is nothing more than a setup for a comeback.” Bret Farve has had his setbacks and now he’s had one of the greatest comebacks that anyone could ask for. He’s endured long past the playing age of most pro athletes. He proved his point. Case closed.
An old friend of mine taught me this early on: Always leave them begging for more.
If only more public figures listened to that advice!

Contact Hearst; Tell Them:Dismiss Helen Thomas!

You can call or e-mail Hearst corporate communications chief Paul Luthringer and tell him that Hearst needs to get rid of Helen Thomas. Fire her.
Call Paul Luthringer at 212-649-2540 or e-mail him at pluthringer@hearst.com.
Tell him that Helen Thomas must go.
Here's my e-mail to Luthringer:
Dear Mr. Luthringer:
The Hearst Corporation must directly and bluntly address the Helen Thomas imbroglio.
As a lifelong public relations practitioner, I understand that you have a responsibility to protect the reputation of a valued American brand. So, it makes sense that Hearst would issue a statement separating itself from Thomas' outrageously bigoted remarks.
But that's not enough. And neither is Thomas' apology.
Thomas has now already admitted she "crossed the line." Indeed she did. And her actions warrant dismissal.
It behooves the Hearst Corporation to fire Helen Thomas now. That is the right thing to do.
Hearst is her employer. And so long as that is the case, Hearst will be tainted with and by this mess. You need to make a complete break with Helen Thomas.
You need to do it not just for the reputation of the corporation but because it is the right thing to do.
Don't delay. Do it now.
Respectfully,
Dan Cirucci

Fire Helen Thomas: Here's How!

It's long past time for Helen Thomas to leave her post in the White House press corps.
Her recent remarks calling for Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go back to Poland; go back to Germany" are a disgrace. She's a bigot.
But Helen Thomas will not leave of her on accord.
She apparently has no class; no decency; no sensibility.
She seems to be a stubborn old fool who doesn't want to budge.
So, she will have to be removed by her employer, the Hearst Corporation.
So far, Hearst has dissociated itself from Thomas' scurrilous remarks but the company will not say that it will fire her.
This is where you come in.
You can call or e-mail Hearst corporate communications chief Paul Luthringer and tell him that Hearst needs to get rid of Helen Thomas. Fire her.
Call Paul Luthringer at 212-649-2540 or e-mail him at pluthringer@hearst.com.
Tell him that Helen Thomas must go.
Helen Thomas wants to get the Jews the hell out of Israel. But now, we want to get Thomas the hell out of the White House.
And we can succeed.
Do it today!

Helen Thomas Must Go

It's time to show Helen Thomas the door -- the White House door.
And she shouldn't let that door hit her in the ass on the way out.
Thomas has been part of the White House scene for the better part of six decades. That's enough.
Helen Thomas made a fatal error: she didn't know when it was time to leave.
The so-called "Dean" of the White House press corps (or corpse as Obama would pronounce it) could have departed in grand style 10 or 15 0r 20 years ago.
But apparently she had no plan and nowhere else to go. Whatever.
Now, with her scurrilous comments about Israel and the Jews, she's shown herself to be a complete old fool.
Helen Thomas belongs on a farm somewhere with Jimmy Carter. They can sit under a tree together and sip warm milk.
I would post the video of her comments here (or a photo) but frankly, I can't stand to look at the old gal. She looks like 50 miles of bad road and sounds even worse. And I'm not even gonna say it's sad because it doesn't even rise to that level.
Yes, Thomas issued an apology for saying the Jews in Israel should "get the hell out of Palestine " and they should "go back to Poland, back to Germany." But it's too late and the apology was half-hearted anyway.
And yes, we know that Thomas is of Lebanese descent but this is America, get over it!
She's old. She's way past her prime. She's wrong. And she's nasty.
It all reminds me of a old song*:

I wanted the music to play on forever
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
I wanted the clown to be constantly clever
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
I bought me blue ribbons to tie up my hair,
But I couldn't find anybody to care;
The merry-go-round is beginning to taunt now
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
The music has stop and the children must go now
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
Oh, mother dear, I know you're very proud,
Your little girl in gingham is so far above the crowd;
No, daddy dear, you never could have known
That I would be successful, yet so very much alone...
I wanted to live in a carnival city,
With laughter and love everywhere;
I wanted my friends to be thrilling and witty,
I wanted somebody to care;
I found my blue ribbons all shiny and new
But now I discover them no longer blue...
The merry-go-round is beginning to taunt me,
Have I stayed too long at the fair?
There's nothing to win
And there's no one to want me
Have I stayed too long at the fair?

*with apologies to Billy Barnes