Varifrank: And this time last year, Hillary was a sure thing

And this time last year, Hillary was a sure thing

Liveblogging from Boston Logan Airport...

John Stewart reminds his audience that its "OK" to laugh at Barack Obama. I keep asking folks who support Barack Obama " Are you really going to elect someone to be President that you are afraid to criticize? If you cant blame the President for your ills, who will you blame? You know the President is the big cultural voodoo doll that we all stick pins in so we can feel better about ourselves. Its one of the roles that he does for us. So, what will we do when criticism of the President is interpreted to mean something, ahem, else? Will the press quickly adapt to the meme that any oppostion to President Obama is a reactionary knee jerk racist act? Will we see headlines daily that say "You dont have to be a racist to be against Barack Obama, But it helps!"

So, what happens when an entire population finds itself with a voodo doll that cant be stuck with pins, and worse, the voodoo doll sticks pins in you instead? Personally, I want a President who can take a punch without getting all upset and bothered about it. I want to be able to call the President "Hitler" if the mood strikes me and I dont want to find the FBI in front of my house the next day because I did. I dont want a weathervane for a President, I want a "check valve" on the legislature.

I dont have to agree with the President all the time to be happy. I just have to know that the person that is President is there to fulfill a duty to the country and not that hes not there to enhance his resume for bigger and better book deals later on in his life.

I think the Republic can withstand an Obama Presidency because I think that fundamentally, the Republic can withstand anything but apathy. I dont see any apathy right now, do you?

We are the "check valve" on the President and the President gets two years at a time to keep things in order his way, then we re-elect the entire House of Representatives and 1/3 of the Senate which can either work for him if we like what hes doing or against him if we dont. People gave Bush limited power until after the Katrina debacle , and then we took it back from him. All told, in the two years of the congressional session, there are only about 9 months of active legislative sessions that are going to take place. The likelyhood of the President making sweeping changes in that time is actually very small, which I'm all excited and happy about, but its probably going to be a problem for those who are expecting something else.

For the record, I still dont think hes going to be elected...

Addressing the "But Frank, everyone just loooooves Obama" meme that has everyone in a tizzy, I like to take people through this scenario. Where I live is a local Donut shop, its been in business for about 15 years. Its run by an older vietnamese couple. I dont think it makes a ton of money, its not a local fave or anything but its there and every week, week after week, doing what they do which is, making donuts.

About three years ago, Krispy Kreme came to town. It was a total sensation, our local store had people waiting in line 24 hours a day for weeks on end. It was completely amazing, Krispy Kreme was redefining the market and the popularity was beyond anything rational. It was a sensation. I thought at the time that the local donut shops were history, because even I just looooooved Krispy Kreme.

So what happened to the mom and pop Donut shop? Well, its still there, doing what it does and apparently making money because after all this time, it would be a very expensive hobby if it didnt. So where is the big time sensation, Krispy Kreme now? Well in our market, its gone. Totally gone. Three years ago, you couldnt go two feet without running into a Krispy Kreme product in stores, gas stations and at every function that you attended. Today, pffft...

How do you go from a "big time sensation", a great product and a fantastic brand to closing 145 stores and disappearing altogether? Easy, you just have to execute your business plan like a bunch of amatures and get way out beyond your own abilities. It happens all the time.

Remember Boston Market? AOL? The American airline industry? Remember that fads dont last but well exectued business plans do.

And please remember, its OK to laugh at Barack Obama.

( And no, I did not compare John McCain or Obama to a Donut...)

Posted @ June 25, 2008 07:13 AM | Current Affairs

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