Month: July 2009

Gates Case: More About Common Sense Than Race

Increasingly, it looks as if the upshot of the racial rift resulting from the Cambridge, Mass., arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. is not the inexplicable case of racial profiling it initially appeared to be. In fact, it seems that race was less a factor than a post-facto overreaction.

 

We now know that the 911 caller was reporting a possible break-in by two individuals. She didn’t identify them by race. But there had been a break-in nearby recently. It’s what neighbors looking out for each other, frankly, don’t do enough of.

 

As to what precisely was said in subsequent exchanges between the 58-year-old African American Harvard professor and white, 42-year-old Police Sgt. James Crowley, there will always be wiggle room. Memories of the verbal confrontation — that was both nuanced and emotional — are likely to be as flawed as they are selective. A beer won’t change that.

 

No, this is not a variation on a racial-profile theme not unlike the plight of the bling-bedecked, young black man who can’t catch a cab on the way to his Oxford interview. This was a race-neutral 911 call that went preposterously wrong. The Gates-Crowley contretemps should never have been about race; it should have been about common sense. With the onus on Crowley to have applied some.

 

Gates was in his own house and showed identification to prove it. He also showed his Harvard ID. He also had just gotten off an international flight from China. Did he ultimately try to play a race card? Did he resort to a variation of “Do you know who I am?” Did he get vehement? So? A lot of folks would have.

 

A police officer, especially one who trains others in how to defuse potential racial powder kegs, needs to know when to walk away and when to snap on the cuffs. Especially after you’ve determined you’re on the scene by mistake. That’s what’s teachable about this moment.

 

What this isn’t is another preachable moment – with all the familiar assignations of blame and historical guilt.

 

Is Crowley a racist? Likely not. But to quote someone – someone who was uniformly criticized for such a characterization – Crowley, indeed, acted “stupidly.” Consider: You’ve wrongly confronted someone in their own home. The homeowner, an older guy with a cane, morphs into a loud, unhappy camper. But you don’t hit the empathy button, don’t turn a deaf ear to an understandably irate homeowner, and don’t exit. No, you arrest the homeowner for disorderly conduct.

 

Perhaps someone else should teach that course.

Rays’ Imperfect Storm

Call it the fortnight that was for the St. Petersburg-based Tampa Bay Rays.

 

*Talk ratcheted up further on the alternatives-to-Tropicana Field scenario. This time the Pinellas County-based ABC Coalition suggested that Hillsborough County sites actually made the most regional sense for a new facility location.

 

*Then groundbreaking ceremonies were finally held for a new state-of-the-art stadium in Miami for the Florida Marlins. Recall that the Marlins, who don’t even draw as well as the Rays, still want to be “Florida’s Team.”

 

*Then the Rays were on the losing end of the 18th perfect game in baseball history, the one thrown by the Chicago White Sox’s Mark Buehrle. And when video was shown on the NBC national news, anchor Brian Williams referred to the Rays as “Tampa.”

 

*And then the Tampa Tribune ran a major weekend piece that made the point that even though the Rays have a Trop lease through 2007, there’s ample precedent for teams paying damages and breaking such agreements.

Sideline Eye Candy

This much we should all be able to agree on. It was despicable for some slug to have secretly videotaped Erin Andrews, ESPN’s attractive sports reporter, through a hotel peephole. And then to up the digital-disgust ante by posting it on YouTube.

 

And it was unconscionable for the New York Post and CBS News to have shown images from the video.

 

All kinds of folks – from academia to the media to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies – have weighed in. Particularly notable was a comment by Christine Brennan, a USA Today sports columnist. “Women journalists need to be smart and not play to the frat house,” she opined on Twitter.

 

That leaves unsaid more than it says. Nobody has to tell, say, Nora O’Donnell of MSNBC, not to flash her political-junkie demographic. She’s a serious journalist who also has the right look. And there are others.

 

But here we’re talking female sideline reporters. Not to be confused with serious journalists. A position, arguably, that isn’t particularly taxing – or necessary. More to the point, they are hired precisely because of the frat-house demographic, one that, to say the least, definitely transcends the fraternity years. Sexy sideline reporters — the ones who tell us that “It’s rumored that Tim Tebo has a steady girl friend” — are now a TV staple. Networks want babes.

 

It doesn’t excuse what some creeps might do, but it does explain why some of them watch.

Limbaugh In Context

Whether you swear by — or at — Rush Limbaugh, give him his due. He’s really, really successful.

 

His job, of course, is not to make better policy decisions for the U.S. Nor is his job to be an honest broker. His job is to entertain by pandering to a sizable demographic of acolytes who have outsourced their ideology to him. He does his job incredibly well – and has the GOP idolatry, ratings and compensation — $54 million per annum – to prove it.

 

And speaking of earnings, Limbaugh is right where he belongs in the ranks of those who chat for a living. He’s fifth – right behind Oprah, Dr. Phil, Simon Cowell and Howard Stern. To repeat, that’s where he belongs.

Key Cuba Question: What’s Next?

When Tampa City Council member Mary Mulhern returned from her visit to Cuba with a delegation of business execs, she was preparing herself for the obvious question: Now what? Most Americans can’t go to Cuba, and the few who do typically don’t include elected Florida officials. And given the change in Administrations, the short shelf life of the Castro brothers and potential Cuban-American trade and travel scenarios during a recession, did Mulhern, an outspoken critic of the economic embargo and travel restrictions, formulate follow-up plans?

 

“The next step is for all Americans to be free to travel to Cuba,” says Mulhern. “I will lobby (U.S. Rep.) Kathy Castor to sign the (Mass. Congressman William) Delahunt bill (“Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act”). Actually, I will continue to lobby her. I will also lobby (Fla. Congressman) Kendrick Meek, Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Mel Martinez.

 

“And I will be asking for a meeting with the mayor,” adds Mulhern. “I’ll be putting together a report for the city council.” Mulhern is also hopeful about a city council workshop on renewed Cuban-American relations and expects to solicit a letter from city council encouraging more normalized relations with Cuba. She is also intrigued by the prospect of a Sister City relationship between Tampa – or Ybor City – and a Cuban counterpart.

 

“It’s critical that the city of Tampa re-establish good relations for trade – involving both the port and the airport,” underscores Mulhern. “It should be obvious, but you can’t build good relations without talking. Business is about relationships. Especially in Latin America. We need a strong relationship (in place) before this policy finally changes.

 

“I learned that there is a lot more opportunity for this area and the state than I thought,” acknowledges Mulhern. “I would encourage the port to pay a visit. We can encourage more trade right now legally – and not just beans and dairy products.

 

“(Trade Minister Alberto) Betancourt made it plain that the U.S. was their preferred trade partner, and Florida is obviously an especially preferred partner because of proximity,” says Mulhern. “But right now we’re losing business.”  

Hearst Headline

While most observers and interested parties were curious about what Mulhern would do in the way of a Cuban follow-up, that was hardly the focus of one of the dailies. The headline on page one (Tampa Bay) of last Friday’s St. Petersburg Times was “Taxpayers Pay Cuba Tab.” The sub-head read: “Tampa council member Mary Mulhern uses a discretionary fund for her trip.” The jump head was: “Official uses taxpayer money for trip to Cuba.”

 

A couple of points.

 

The Times has long courted — and often earned — a watchdog reputation. This has been recently evidenced by the Ray Sansom, political frequent flyers and Davis Islands’ teen, hit-and-run stories. This isn’t one of those. Not remotely. But it still got the newspaper nanny treatment. It was journalistic overkill with a supermarket-tab headline. The “out somebody” culture in the name of governmental oversight. Ray Sansom Community College this was not. The Times knows better. Surely.

 

The actual story, for those who obviously missed it, was that a local politician was showing some initiative, guts even, on a (still) politically sensitive issue during the worst recession in memory. And the fallout – from pressuring Mayor Pam Iorio to lobbying U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor – is hardly without legitimate interest or ramification.

 

As to the matter of using about $1,300 from her city council member discretionary fund: it had already been reported. It was neither new nor news nor illegal nor inappropriate. Mulhern’s use of the aptly-named discretionary fund had already passed muster from  City Attorney Chip Fletcher.

 

“No, I have no regrets,” says Mulhern. “It was a business trip, and I told the press (Tampa Tribune) about it the week before. Two attorneys gave me the go-ahead.”

 

Mulhern says she is hoping that the net result of the trip will be eventual economic benefits to Tampa and its port.

 

To be sure, normalized Cuban-American relations will happen some day in the not-distant future, but it won’t happen as soon as it can to Tampa without relationships. And follow-up. That’s why the operative question was: “Now what?” Not: “Could you tell us, yet again, how you paid for part of your ‘jaunt’”?

 

“I want Tampa to be the first partner in trade,” points out Mulhern. “That’s what this is about. It’s about economic development. That’s why I went there.”

ACC Crowd Booster

The Atlantic Coast Conference is justifiably concerned with last season’s disappointing attendance at the ACC’s football title game at Raymond James Stadium. It was the first of a two-year commitment for Tampa as host. The Dec. 6 game only drew 27,000. ACC officials are blaming a “perfect storm” of the economy and the short notice given to fans of the competing teams, Boston College and Virginia Tech. Plus the BC-VT match-up had little luster for locals.

 

So the league is announcing some changes. Last year’s game was a 1:00 p.m. matinee; this year ESPN will televise it in prime time (8:00 p.m.). The ACC also has compiled detailed data on potential ticker-buyers. And it promises to be more aggressive in its PR approach.

 

But what it really needs, something that no one can guarantee: the participation of Florida State. If Tampa is going to have a chance at re-hosting this event, it will need a return to glory by the ‘Noles this season.

Teammates?

One can only wonder what the real relationship is between Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton these days. Are they still on the same team of rivals?

 

Clinton’s portfolio is beyond daunting – and hardly limited to North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, China and Venezuela. Russia is a key component. A global player and proud, former peer with an authoritarian bent and economic travails. The U.S. and Russia disagree on a number of issues — from missile defense to the autonomy of erstwhile Soviet Union republics. But America and Russia need each other in a world that isn’t just economically interlinked, but one where civilizational warfare emanating from jihadi terrorists is still the ultimate threat.

 

More than most, Biden understands what the U.S. confronts geopolitically. But he persists in being the Administration’s MVP (Most Voluble Player). Clinton’s uber challenging job shouldn’t have to include cleaning up after Biden.

 

Exhibit A: While visiting Georgia and Ukraine, Biden minced no words in underscoring our commitments to them – and how we wouldn’t sell them out to Russia. OK. The Russians also know about what plays well for local consumption. Biden’s not the first one to toss red-meat rhetoric at a ravenous, live audience on their home turf.

 

But then, after the emotions of the moment had passed, he dispassionately insulted Russia in a Wall Street Journal interview. To say, among other affronts, that Russia “is clinging to something in the past that is not sustainable” and that it’s stuck with “a withering economy and a banking sector and structure that is not likely to be able to withstand the next 15 years” helps no one. Including Hillary Clinton.

 

To be sure, Biden’s points, however belittling, have merit. But they’re counterproductive when uttered in public about a country whose cooperation we need on a range of issues, including the ultimate one.

Holocaust Affirmer

Ever notice how low the bar is set on certain, sensitive subjects, especially those with strong political/cultural overtones? Especially in the Muslim Middle East? Take, for instance, the recent headline-grabbing, (Western) compliment-yielding comments by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. He acknowledged the Holocaust in a speech.

 

Sure, the moderate King must tread softly amid his own Fundamentalists, let alone the greater Islamist cauldron. But getting acclaim for acknowledging history?  It speaks volumes.

Birth Of An Indignation

Couldn’t agree more with those who say “enough” about President Obama and his Hawaiian certificate of live birth. And “enough” of the fringe GOPsters who give “conspiracy nut” a bad name. It’s scurrilous sour grapes. Not even Barry Goldwater’s birth in (the territory of) Arizona grew legs like this. So, “enough” on the subject of Obama’s birth certificate.

 

Unless, of course, you want to make something of a mother with the first name of “Stanley.”