The End of a Dynasty

The election of Scott Brown as the new Senator from Massachusetts was not only significant in the message it sent to Democrats and to Washington, it also marked the end of the Kennedy dynasty in American politics. Since the post-World War II era Massachusetts has always had a Kennedy in office either at the state or national level, and on occasion there were multiple Kennedys in positions of governmental prominence.

But those days are now over – the Camelot of John and Jackie is gone, the excitement over young John John possibly becoming a successor to his father is gone, and the charismatic Bobbie and the Liberal Lion of the Senate, Ted are both gone.

There are scores of Kennedy cousins, but there doesn’t appear to be any interest on their part in running for office or beginning to rebuild the Kennedy dynasty. There is the Kennedy Presidential Library and the soon to be constructed Kennedy Senate Institute to house Ted’s papers, but that is what is left from this unbelievable run of political power – just memories, artifacts and official papers.

The fact that so many Massachusetts voters joined Scott Borwn when he said that he was running for the “people’s seat” not the “Kennedy seat” shows that the loyalty toward the family and the mystique of the Kennedy power are gone. What is also gone is the collective memory in Massachusetts of all the good the Kennedys did for this state and the country.

All dynasties come to an end whether in sports, entertainment or politics; and so to with the Kennedy dynasty. But oh what a run! The Kennedys gave us everything we might want in a family of global influence – glamour, controversy, scandal, tragedy, good deeds and most of all, hope for a better tomorrow.

The Kennedys will always remain a vital part of our history, especially here in Massachusetts, but that is all there is now, just history.

I’d Give Him a B

To listen to Barack Obama’s critics, you would think the guy has been asleep at the wheel for the last year and purposely doing nothing to make this country more secure and a better place to live. The huge unemployment rate, the failure to get health care reform passed, and the housing and bankruptcy crises are often cited as proof that the President has been one big failure.

Well, let’s all take a deep breath,come to our senses and let thoughtful and fair-minded moderation take over this debate about how Number 44 has been doing. Certainly a clear case can be made that the President spent way too much time and political capital on health care reform. Obama like Clinton just didn’t understand that in our broken and contentious governmental system “comprehensive” or “universal” do not compute. 

If Obama had just carved together a series of bills or agreed to move forward with those where there was agreement, a sense of momentum would have been achieved, which over time just might have had the desired result of achieving ”comprehensive” or “universal” health care reform. But make no mistake, Americans do want health care reform; what they don’t want are backroom deals. The c0nservatives worst nightmare is that Obamacare will become popular and accepted, like Social Security and Medicare, and they will look like petty and selfish obstructionists.

So with that strategic criticism out of the way, let’s talk about some real accomplishments. First, a solid case can be made that the President saved this country from a complete and total economic meltdown. His decisive action early on, his use of  bank bailouts, rescue techniques for the auto industry and stimulus money brought stability to the financial and economic systems and stopped what would have been the second Great Depression. Today the economy is moving out of recession, the stock market is moving upward, 401Ks are on the plus side and sustained economic growth is no longer a pipe dream. 

Then there is the war on terrorism. Yes, the intelligence community got it wrong on Christmas Day, but Obama is no fainting violent when it comes to anti-terrorism. More drone attacks, more special forces on the ground in Yemen, no closing yet of Guantanamo, new troop levels in Afghanistan and a smart departure from Iraq are examples that this is a war on terrorism president, no matter what the conservatives say.

And to all those right-wingers out there, how about this – no gun confiscation, no new taxes, no illegal immigration reform, no major expansion of gay rights. Obama has been moderate, cautious, and non-threatening, and he has tried to be bipartisan. Everyone would like to have lost jobs back, everyone would like to have some kind of health care reform, and everyone would like to have the go-go economy of the 80s and 90s. But what we have with Obama is a record of putting this country on the right path toward real change. I’d give him a B.

Starting from Scratch

How to rebuild a country that is a failed state, an economic basket case and a sad example of perpetual instability and injustice?  The Haitian earthquake poses a monumental problem not just for the Haitian people and what’s left of their inept government, but also for the international community, which will undoubtedly spend billions in the coming years to get the country back on its feet.

Just when Haiti was beginning to see a faint glimmer of hope as relative political stability and some foreign investment interest were more in evidence, the earthquake smashed all possibilities. Now besides the unimaginable human and physical destruction, there is the near complete absence of governmental institutions and leaders. It is the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and other rich countries that are runninig Haiti, and will likely do so for years to come.

Some optimists believe that the earthquake offers the country a new opportunity to start over and build a nation anew, not just with new structures, but a new social and political culture that is based on a more cooperative spirit, honest and active government, and a willingness of the diaspora to return home and lend their talents and money to create a Haiti that is able to stand on its own, rather than depend on international hand outs.

But even if this terrible tragedy offers hope and opportunity, rebuildiing Haiti is a generation’s work that will cost hundreds of billions, perhaps trillions of dollars, far more than the hundreds of millions in aid raised or committed so far. It is when the media leave and the world turns its attention to a new tragedy that the Haitians will be left to their own resources to start anew.

Fortunately, the Haitians are a people of enormous strength and resilience who have plenty of experience with adversity, but this is not an ordinary natural disaster; this is the destruction of an entire country with the capital city of Port au Prince enduring the worst of the destruction.

The reality of this crisis is that hundreds of thousands of Haitians will be seeking protected status in the United States and elsewhere in the world; an international police force will be on the ground keeping the peace for years with an enormous price tag; and rather quickly money that is flowing now will begin to dry up, leaving the recovery a patch work of some successes and many failures.

Hope is all the Haitian people have at this time, but the devastation is just too overwhelming to turn hope into faith in the future. Haiti may never recover.

Majority Rules

It has been widely reported that in the next few months women will become the majority of the workforce in this country. This is a monumental development, since just forty to fifty years ago many women were stay at home moms or assembly line drudges.

But by passing the 50% mark, American women are simply taking the next employment step; they already make up the majority of university graduates and professional workers, and an ever increasing number have broken through the corporate leadership glass ceiling at Fortune 500 companies.

By becoming the majority in the workplace, women in the future will have greater financial security, more managerial power and most importantly independence. This will mean that the office, the factory floor and the boardroom will not only have a different look, but also a female perspective on leadership, decision-making and work-manager relations.

The workplace has already begun to change in anticipation of the new majority with stricter laws on sexual harrassment, equal pay and family leave. But despite these new benefits and protections, women will still have to deal with critical personal issues such as competing with men for job opportunities, child rearing demands and the division of labor at home.

Climbing the ladder of success has always been harder for women than for men, and the new majority status does not mean that women are rid of shameful discrimination and sexism on the job. As a result, the most important aspect of this change in the workplace is how men will respond to more and more women around them, especially if those women assume positions of authority and power. We could be entering a time when men enter into a battle of the sexes as they try to protect their turf or hold on to outdated practices.

But whatever happens between men and women in the new American workplace, this country is now entering a time with a new majority, and that often means majority rules.

Civic Improvement

Well, it’s that time of year when we promise on a stack of bibles to reform ourselves and lead a better life. Yes, the onset of the new year means New Year’s resolutions. Usually, those resolutions involve our bodies, whether it is weight loss, exercise or beauty.

Of course we lie to ourselves about keeping these resolutions and we quickly fall back into the same routines that made us overweight, unable to  walk up the stairs or get that 20 something look of the past.

So why not try something different and start small? How about making a point of not swearing at the person in the car who is going too slow; how about asking about other people’s lives rather than being wrapped up in your own; how about trying to do one good deed a month for a perfect stranger ( just twelve good deeds!); and here’s an important resolution – how about not living life through celebrity nitwits and morally challenged sports stars and start seeing role models in soldiers, police officers, firemen and teachers?

New Year’s resolutions have become too self-centered and not other centered. We are all about personal improvement and not about civic improvement. It’s certainly OK to try and make yourself a better person on the outside, but what about the inside? What about trying to use your personal energy for the common good?

Now trying to shift away from me, me, me and concentrate on all the other people on the planet has no guarantee of success, in fact such resolutions may be just as frustrating as losing ten pounds. But at least resolutions for the common good do just that – make the world around you a little better place, and usually make you feel just as good, if not better, than that temporary weight loss.

Let’s face it, those ten pounds will come back soon, but being kind to others lasts a lot longer. Happy New Year and may it be filled with civic improvement.

Dope

In the last few weeks I have become an unanticipated expert on drug use among young people in my region of Massachusetts. I attended a drug forum at the local high school and heard from a long list of experts and parents on how drug use has escalated not only in numbers of addicts, but also  in the potency of the drugs being comsumed. Marijuana and alcohol seem to get the most attention and cause anxious parents nightmares, but heroin, Oxycontin and inhalants are the real dangers.

The tragedy of drug use by the young was brought home at the forum by a grandfather who watched his handsome, athletic grandson turn into a addict who would do anything to pay for his habit. Then there was the mother who watched her son slide back into drug use after rehab, only to overdose and die in his early twenties. The assistant principal of the high school told the audience that she had attended five funerals in the last few years of graduates who had died from their addiction.

Then a few days ago there was a rash of break-ins my town- a good friend had her home invaded and ransacked.  The police seem convinced that the robberies are being committed by someone likely looking for cash or goods to feed their habit. Drug habits are the cause of most of the petty crime in cities and towns, and the criminals are getting younger and younger.

What is astounding to me is the ease with which drugs of all kinds are readily available  and the high level of denial about drug use in most communities. Heroin, the most addictive drug, is just plain cheap; Oxycontin and other similar painkillers can be swiped out of a parent’s medicine cabinet and those spray cans that are used to clean the keys on a computer are now the inhalant of choice.

As with most of these forums on drugs or alcohol, the turnout was poor, although those in attendance seemed committed to get the community out of their complacency and take action. It will likely take more deaths to get the attention of those in denial.

The real sadness of drug use today by young people is that there is such a variety of addictive and deadly narcotics and so little understanding by users of the risks that they are taking. This is where parents, teachers and community leaders come in. We live at a time when death by overdose is mounting – in Massachusetts more people die from  overdoses then from car accidents. Drug use must be faced head on and all of us must make a special effort to protect our young people from those funerals.

Heroes?

Charles Barkley, the former NBA superstar, who was often known as much for his basketball prowess as for his crude and bad boy behavior, was once asked by a reporter why he didn’t try to transform himself into a role model and a positive example to young people. Barkley, never one to mince words, said that he was not a model citizen but a basketball player who was paid to put a ball into a hoop. Barkley further stated that he had no intention of changing roles to suit the media or society. Barkley’s comments, although honest and direct, did not sit well with his audience of adoring basketball fans, who wanted him to become a better example to America’s youth. That never happened. 

Today, America remains tethered to celebrity sports heroes; too many of us come to think that these remarkable physical specimens are not only gods but that they have a real interest in all their adoring followers. It fails to dawn on American fandom that these ” heroes ” live in their own world, travel with their own entourages and are mostly in sports for the money and the endorsements. Too many kids idolize these ” heroes”, hoping that they will become a great sports figure and enjoy the adulation and the dollars that come with joining the ranks of the gods.

So when one of the ” heroes” like Tiger Woods is shown to be just another guy on the make, who is a self-centered jerk with zero moral values and human kindness, America gasps and wonders how this god could become just like the rest of the self-centered jerks in our world.  Celebrity hungry America just can’t embrace the truth that Tiger Woods is an ordinary guy with extraordinary physical talents, but not necessarily extraordinary values or simple goodness. 

The gossip mongers and Hollywood enablers hope to keep the image of Tiger’s specialness alive by making excuses for their god. And so an excuse is concocted by his fan base -  he is a sex addict with a serious psychological disease that requires treatment and understanding; never mind that Tiger seemed to thoroughly enjoy his disease and never once sought help to overcome his malady or confide in his wife about his need for help.

When will American society begin to see that putting these sports “heroes” up on a pedestal and using them as role models is a simple waste of time and a fools journey. The soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are heroes, police officers, firemen and teachers are heroes, the guys and gals who work three jobs to keep a family together are heroes, but certainly not the Tiger Woods of the world. Sure guys like Tiger Woods have talent, sure they know how to win, sure they lead a glamorous life, but heroes, role models, not really.

Respect and Understanding

I was recently in the Middle East, in particular Jordan and Egypt. Over a seven day period I had numerous conversations with college students and administrators that often led to the thorny issue of what Americans think of Muslims and the Muslim world.

The message that came across to me loud and clear was that what the Muslim people wanted most from the United States was respect and understanding, rather than what they perceived to be false impressions, cruel stereotypes and group condemnation.

They were overjoyed with the election of Barack Obama and the end of the Bush/Cheney regime. But they wanted more than just a change of administrations; they wanted to see a new period of changed perceptions and genuine goodwill.

 Many of the students and faculty were convinced that Americans saw all Muslims as terrorists and had little respect for the religious beliefs and customs of the Middle Eastern world. Although they embraced much of our popular culture from KFC to Hollywood movie mayhem, they wanted Americans to see them as good people, normal people, friendly people. My hosts never missed an opportunity to drive home examples of the civilized Arab world- the countless contributions to mathematics, science, and literature that originated in this the cradle of civilization.

This theme of respect and understanding has been central to the Middle East pysche for years, if not generations, and has often been the greatest obstacle to achieving peace agreements and reducing the terrorist threat. From the perspective of my hosts, if Americans could see the Muslim people as no different than other people, many of the thorny issues of the region could begin to move toward resolution.

But from the American point of view, it is difficult for visitors to this region to move past the outward image of Muslims – the head scarfs and burqas on women, the dominance of males in the social structure, the rigid rules of Islam and the lack of a religious reform movement to replace the jihadist philosophy.

Respect and understanding of the Muslim world will only come with greater contacts between everyday people from this country and the Middle East. This may sound like some idealistic bromide, but barriers that separate people are only broken down when people talk to each other and accept each other as equals, despite their differences.

Soft Power

Much has been made of soft power – the promotion of American culture, values and standard of living as tools for advancing our interests, even to the point of perhaps influencing the internal dynamics of rogue regimes. As the argument goes – if our adversaries and the people they control could be exposed to our way of life, they just might change their ways and become like us.

Two recent events speak to the evidence of American soft power in the world. The Disney Corporation just announced that it has reached an agreement with the Chinese to open up a $ 4 billion Disneyland outside of Shanghai. Although there is a Disneyland in Hong Kong, most Chinese cannot travel to see Mickey and Donald and Snow White without travel permits. By placing a new Disneyland in a more centrally located site and easing travel restrictions, the new middle class of China will be able to enter the dream world of American cartoons.

Then there is the new polling data from an outfit called Eurodata TV Worldwide, which asked viewers in 66 countries what were their most popular television shows.  Not surprisingly, the United States led the way – Fox’s quirky medical show House was the top drama, Desperate Housewives from fictional Wisteria Place won in the comedy category and the Bold and the Beautiful topped the soap opera category.

I guess as proud Americans we should all be happy that Disney characters are a big hit in communist China and the world is watching our mindless television shows, but I wonder whether these examples of our popular culture, and therefore our soft power, have the ability to remake authoritarian governments in our image or to advance our way of life around the world?

If we as a nation are about promoting open elections, the rule of law, human rights, personal freedom and equality, then I guess I don’t see a connection between Disney and democracy or how the morally challenged gals on Desperate Housewives advance our most cherished values. If anything Disney and popular television shows reenforce the view that America is really about escaping reality and embracing infidelity.

Disney in China and popular television shows  may help to portray the United States as filled with people who are happy, contented, playful, well-off, and gorgeous, but of course this is pure fantasy ( much like Disneyland). If anything, such images do send a subconscious message to the people of the world that there is something else out there besides abject poverty, brutal control, drab lifestyles and little hope. I guess that may be the real value of our soft power –  not stimulating governmental change, but creating a dream.

So three cheers for American soft power. I am not sure that we are winning over our adversaries or changing governmental power, but the world sure does love our pop culture and our mindless stuff.

Vietnam – A New Found Friend

I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon yesterday for the Vietnamese ambassador to the United States. As I was sitting there and later listening to the ambassador’s remarks, I recalled a different era of U.S.-Vietnam relations. Sad memories of an unwinnable war crossed my mind – the 58,000 U.S. soldiers dead, the massacre of hundreds of innocents at My Lai, the disturbing photo of the naked young Vietnamese girl running away after being burned with naplam, and the desperate residents of Saigon trying to get on the last helicopter out of the city before the Vietcong took control.

Fast forward to the luncheon and the ambassador and I found out that not only does time heal most ( but certainly not all) wounds, but that given time an old enemy can become a new friend. Vietnam resumed diplomatic relations with the United States in 1995 and since that time trade has jumped from over $ 100 million a year to $ 15 billion. The United States is now Vietnam’s largest trading partner and both the Bush and now Obama administrations are pushing for an expansion of ties, especially education ties. And to show how relations have really changed, in the coming weeks the Vietnamese defense minister will arrive in Washington to work out a new military arrangement with the United States.

But as with any war, remants of the conflict remain. There are still over 1000 soldiers who are missing in action in Vietnam; thousands of locals continue to suffer the effects of Agent Orange- the defoliant that we used to clear the jungle hiding places of the Vietcong; and there are many Vietnamese-Americans who continue to pressure our government to end this new push for economic and cultural openings, as they remind our government that Vietnam remains communist and authoritarian.

Listening to the ambassador with all these images running through my head, I could not help but think of Afghanistan – to many the 21st century version of Vietnam. Just like Vietnam, we seem to be heading to the conclusion that more is better as thousands of U.S. soldiers will add to our manpower commitment. Just like Vietnam, the government talks about winning the hearts and minds of the people, even though a tiny minority of the people have given their hearts and minds to the U.S. backed government. And just like Vietnam, we as a people are told that leaving the country or scaling back our commitment will lead to dire consequences, this time in the war on terrorism. Back in the 70’s it was called the domino theory – lose Vietnam and the whole of southeast Asia would turn communist.

If there are any lessons to be learned from the Vietnam War, they are that military assumptions, diplomatic slogans and strategic doctrines can be way off the mark and that fear of failure or defeat is such a powerful motivation that alternative tactics and critical analyses sadly fall by the wayside. The result is the real possibility of a military and political  quagmire.

It is important to remember that after we left Vietnam, southeast Asia did not fall prey to falling dominos of communism. The United States remained active in the region, communism collapsed, China became a market-based powerhouse and a model for economic development, and after twenty years of seeing those helicopters leaving Saigon, Vietnam opened itself to business with America.

So before we go headstrong into Afghanistan and commit thousands of troops to help secure the country and win the hearts and minds of the people, the Obama administration would do well to think about Vietnam, once an enemy and now a new found friend.