MEET THE PRESSURE
Dashed an e-mail to a friend earlier today, and included some comments about Tuesdayís Media-Madness-Posing-as-a-Primary in New Hampshire. After I sent the e-mail, it dawned on me that, gee, that shoulda been on the blog.
So here goes.
Tomorrow night we once again get to watch the pundits and prognosticators engage in the massive eating of the cake and egg on their collective faces. Dean could go back to being front-runner. Edwards could be the new standard bearer. Kerry can only fail if has anything less than a total landslide. Winning might not even be perceived by the pundits as good enough, as that would not live up to the press and standing [theyíve] already conferred upon him.
And we know how the press and the media are never wrong. How can they be, given that they are the story?!
The Primary Pressure heats up as of now. New Hampshire leads the way, and then it is off to South Carolina. The battle for delegates will take up more space in print and more lead and air time in the electronic media.
PRESS THE MEAT
Clark came under fire from Tim Russert yesterday on NBC's Meet The Press [1]. Russert, once an aide to the brilliant Liberal Democrat NY Senator Pat Moynihan, continued his recent campaign of bashing the Democrats and kissing Republican ass. He browbeat Clark over Michael Mooreís offhand remark, that if Clark gets the nomination it would be "The general vs. the deserter! That's the debate!"
Michael Moore said this, these are his words, not Clarkís. They came out of Michael Mooreís mouth, not the Generalís. But Tim Russert beat this horse until it had died two or three deaths.
Yes, it is true that the crime of being a deserter is a punishable by death. Did Wesley Clark ever advocate that Dubya be put to death? Did he even call the absent-from-his-service President any names, much less names associated with Dubyaís absentee reservist caper? NO!
But Tim Russert kept asking Clark if he agreed with those words, if he felt those words characterized his campaign or his feelings. Over and over, he would repeatedly focus on what Moore said, and ask Clark to address it. Clark kept deflecting it, and would address the more important topics of the moment. But Russert kept trying to pin him down:
MR. RUSSERT: Is it appropriate to call the president of the United States a deserter?
GEN. CLARK: Well, you know, Tim, I wouldn't have used that term and I don't see the issues that way. This is an election about the future, and what's at stake in this election is the future of how we're going to move ahead with the economy, how we're going to keep the United States safe and what kind of democracy we want to have, whether we want an open, transparent government or whether we want a very closed and secretive government. To me, those are the issues.
Again, Tim Russert was not going to be assuaged, or let the General have last laugh by keeping on message, and by deftly deflecting the insistent Russertís goading. A few moments later, Russert is at it again:
MR. RUSSERT: But words are important, and as you well know under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, if you're a deserter, the punishment is death during war. Do you disassociate yourself from Michael Moore's comments about the president?
GEN. CLARK: Well, I can't use those words and I don't see the issues in that way. But I will tell you this: that Michael Moore has the right to speak freely. I don't screen what people say when they're going to come up and say something like that. That's his form of dissent, and I support freedom of speech in this country, and I would not have characterized the issues in that way. I think this is an election where we have to look at the future, not at the past. And so what we're doing is we're taking the campaign to the American people on the issues of jobs, education and health care. We can do so much more for people in this country if we just have a government that cares about ordinary people. And that's the way I grew up.
Russert, dogged and determined to get Clark to address this as though it were his own statement, tried it yet again:
MR. RUSSERT: The right of dissent is one thing, but is there any evidence that you know of that President Bush is a deserter from the United States armed forces?
GEN. CLARK: Well, I've never looked into those, Tim. I've heard those allegations. But I think this election has to turn on holding the president accountable for what he's done in office and comparing who has the better vision to take the country forward.
By this time one would figure even the home viewers get it, that Tim Russert is not going to draw Clark into this inane debate. But Russert, a guy from Buffalo trying to snow Clark into an error, tried it one more time:
MR. RUSSERT: One of your major supporters uses words like that. Isn't that a distraction?
GEN. CLARK: Well, it's not distracting me, and I don't see any voters out there who are distracted by it. I've talked to people all across this state, and not one single person has mentioned that. I will tell you this about Michael Moore, though. I think he's a man of conscience. I think he's done a lot of great things for ordinary people, working people, across America. And I'm very happy to have his support. He's free to say things, whatever he wants. I'm focused on the issues in this campaign and how to take America forward.
With that, Russert went on to try to get The General to make a gaffe in his position on Gays in the Armed Services. Clark was very strong on this, saying heíd ask the Joint Chiefs, et al, for their view on the topic. But he came out squarely on the side of the rights of the individual.
When a Republican incumbent is a guest on MTP, Russert holds back. But put on a Democrat and Russert becomes an attack dog.
Did he learn nothing from the brilliant Senator Moynihan? Heís gone from being an incisive interviewer to merely another hack-in-a-head-shot with an agenda. He doesnít come out and give his viewpoint. Instead, he tries to paint guests into a corner. It is a classless move, using the power of his position in the press (well, actually in the media) in repeated attempts to sandbag newsmakers. It is no longer ìmeet the press,î as originally constituted on NBC. Now it is press the meat, with Russert as the clumsy butcher.
Times like this make one miss David Brinkley.
You can see navigate around to see a transcript of the entire MTP over at the MSNBC site [2]. Or you can click over to it right here [3].
DOC in NY = KATZ's Dinner
Last week at the Javits Center in NYC it was Linux World Expo [4], and Doc Searls [5] was in town to cover the goings-on for Linux Journal [6]. As is always the case, Doc comes to town and we get together for dinner at Katzís.
We were joined by Kurt Starsinic [7], who was a pleasure to meet, and my Significant Other, Susan. Susan was described once by Doc [8]as my sweetie. Truer words were never spoken. Doc, that connoisseur of such things, snapped the picture below.
Doc is in NY, let's go to Katz's dinner.">
As is usually the plan, one of us gets a Pastrami sandwich, the other gets a Corned Beef sandwich, then we swap each other one half the sandwich and have a variation on the combination sandwich. Kurt had Pastrami (IIRC), and Susan got a Bratwurst, and those Katzís French Fries that are the apple of her eye, to mix a metaphor. Of course, that is appropriate when Doc is part of the topic, as he never metaphor he didnít like.
I had a few cans of Dr. Brownís Diet Cherry Soda. It has been written in a few zillion places on the web (just Google it [9]): you go to a New York Deli, you get a Corned Beef or Pastrami sandwich, and you order a Dr. Brownís soda to go with it. The pickles are provided by the establishment, of course. Full Kosher Garlic for me, no half-sour. I like the real deal, old-country style, and, of course, brown deli mustard on the sandwich. Which is on Rye, as should probably go without saying.
Kurt spoke about working at Bloomberg [10], the company owned and formerly run by the present Mayor of NYC. Kurt joined Bloomberg after Michael Bloomberg became the mayor, so he had no direct experience in working for Mike B, or what it had been like in those days. He did comment that the people and the work atmosphere and general ambience at Bloomberg was all top level. Kurt describes it as a wonderful workspace, with all sorts of support, in any manner of ways. Always good to hear about large companies that are forward-thinking in the ways Kurt described.
I mentioned that some years back Iíd done a very large and ongoing project with Rupert Murdochís New America New Media (now part of the News Corp. umbrella). My experience a senior level consultant with the News America people was similar in many ways to what Kurt describes as his experience as Bloomberg.
The entire group of people with whom I had the pleasure to work in the News America organization were wonderful. They were ethical, forward-thinking, open-minded, very sharing and caring, and completely professional in every way. As often as I repeat this about them, it never ceases to amaze me that people often consider any extension of Murdochís empire to be a cold, cruel, horrid and objectionable place. Just the opposite, actually. I never worked with a better group, to a person, actually, everyoneótop to bottom, than the people with whom I had the pleasure to associate at Murdochís News America New Media.
Hearing Kurt speak of the Bloomberg working environment brought back a bunch of memories of the work I did with News America. That project brought me to Miami, Cleveland, Monterey, San Francisco, and even nearby Connecticut. And, of course, a great deal of time at their NYC headquarters. The people, the work, and the project were a very bright moment in my broadcasting career. Nice to have thought about that again.
SEND A SALAMI
It is always fun to grab a meal at Katzís. I got a very nice note a while back from Yuri Dashevsky [11], who recently redesigned the Katzís Delicatessen website [12]. Yuri noted that heíd seen my entries about Katzís, and asked me to check out the newly redesigned Katzís website.
I mentioned the note to a few of the regulars at Katzís when Susan and I went there just before the holidays. They asked if Iíd mentioned it to Fred, the owner of the place, and a friend of Yuriís. No, I told them, I donít know Yuri except for his letter to me, and Iíd never met Fred. They suggested I introduce myself to Fred if I should see him there.
When I say regulars, I mean the people who work there. A woman who seems to be a manager, and sometimes pitches in and waits tables, and the slicer/back-area-counter guy, who has a smile that could light up a room. Susan was surprised that they knew us, recognized us. But, of course, we do eat at Katzís about 20 times a year, maybe more.
We think nothing of dropping in there for a sandwich, a bowl of Chicken Soup with Motzah Balls, a Bratwurst (to the uninitiated that might be miscast as a hot dog), or maybe just a Dr. Brownís soda. When I was on the Atkins Diet we would head to Katzís so I could grab a Pastrami or Salami Omelet. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water!
When the Mad Cow Disease scare reached fever pitch, the NY Times did an article about beef eaters and NY restaurateurs, and the reaction. Fred Austin from Katzís had some great comments.
Just about that time, while my kids were up in NY for the holidays, we all went to Katzís. Whatís a visit to New York, me and my kids, without meal at Katzs!?!?! It just so happened that I spotted the aforementioned owner, Fred Austin, there that day, a few tables away from ours. I went over, introduced myself, shook his hand, and we discussed the Blogger Dinner Doc and I had coordinated at Katz's last April, which generated incredible ìpressî (hmmm Ö how to refer to net and blog postings?) for Katzís, and Yuriís redesign of the site.
I told him Iíd be blogging about Katzís again in the near future. So, I am a man of my word, and here we are, another blog entry about Katzís.
Yuri Dashevsky designs sites, is a filmmaker and author, and does a great deal of very interesting work. He created a project called MY NY, Supporting NYC Business. Check out the site [13], take a look at the excellent graphics. Using art to convey an image, a statement, and doing it in many ways, each one incredibly succinct. Very impressive.
Also check out Yuriís MY NY blog [14]. And if you are so inclined, write to him. Maybe we can get him to update the blog a little more often!