Jan. 10: Predictions, Politics and Farewell Johnny Grant

*I'd like to predict one reason for the current media struggles



Why did the media blunder in New Hampshire?



http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=135593



And let us say, "Amen," particularly to Butch Ward's question, "Where's the journalism?"



*Kerry endorses Obama; Richardson goes bye-bye



-Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the 2004 Democratic nominee for president, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for this year's nomination:



http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/01/kerry_to_endors.html



Speaking of change, there was one in Kerry's relationship with former Sen. John Edwards, who was his running mate in 2004. That relationship got frosty after Edwards said (rightly, I think) that he would have been more aggressive in going after the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth organization that slammed Kerry during the 2004 campaign.



An Associated Press story by Glen Johnson said that Kerry also wasn't happy with Hillary Clinton criticizing him for a 2006 statement - a slip of the tongue, really, by Kerry - that people who don't go to school "get stuck in Iraq."



-Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson dropped out of the race. If either Clinton or Obama wins the White House, I expect to see Richardson back in a diplomatic capacity.



-Though there are delegates at stake in Florida for Republicans (They chopped half of them, but didn't do the completely dumb thing like the Democrats did and eliminate the whole ballgame.), but the Associated Press reports that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is pulling his ads here, as well as in South Carolina. He's basically conceding those two states, it appears.



And Dennis Kucinich is launching a reelection bid for Congress, bringing up one of my favorite phrases: The fat lady isn't singing yet, but she's clearing her throat.



*Fix the FEC



Great editorial in USA Today about the long-standing problems of the Federal Elections Commission and how it has affected the last two presidential elections:



http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080110/edit10b.art.htm



How about a bipartisan, or non-partisan, committee of respected public figures to study ways to fix this?





*What will Supreme Court do?



Here's a link to a New York Times article by Linda Greenhouse about the Supreme Court hearing arguments concerning Indiana's voter identification law:



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/washington/10scotus.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=print



Remembering the problems the City of Miami had with voter fraud a decade ago, I can see the point of those who would support voters having as much identification as possible. But does anyone else see the contradictions of the Bush administration getting involved with this? Anyway, the Court will decide later this year.



*FBI has bad connection



This may be the ironic story of the day: The FBI wiretaps are being cut off by phone companies because the FBI hasn't paid its bills:



http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBI_UNPAID_PHONE_BILLS?SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-13-53-49



Obviously, they forgot to set up a wiretap for their own finance department.



*Reason for David Letterman to regrow his beard?



The Jerusalem Post reports on a new satellite network by the terrorist group Hezbollah:



http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1199964890240&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter



Another reason for Israel to start its own satellite network. How can Israel be so good at science, technology and other good things, and be so lousy at media relations?



*Clemens case



Evidently, Congress' hearing on steroids, now postponed until Feb. 13, is becoming more and more about one man: Roger Clemens.



Here's a good Richard Hoffer piece, written before the hearing was delayed, about Clemens:



http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/01/08/rocket0114/



Two observations:



-Does anyone else find it strange that McNamee tells Clemens, "Tell me what to do"?



-Why would anyone need a shot of any vitamin when it can be found, in swallowed (or, in some cases, chewed) form in the local supermarket?



*Writers settling with CBS News



Well, here's some good news:



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/business/media/10strike.html?ref=todayspaper



I hope the "two years" matter doesn't bode ill for resolving the conflicts between the Writers Guild and the major studios.



*Farewell, Johnny Grant



Johnny Grant, the unofficial "Mayor of Hollywood," has died at age 84. Grant promoted Hollywood through various events, most notably the dedications of stars on its Walk of Fame. In so doing, he became a star himself:



http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-01-10-grant-obit_N.htm



*White House blogs



The Poynter Institute Web site reports that the White House has started to blog. Here's the direct link to the blog, which has started with Press Secretary Dana Perino's notes on President Bush's Middle East trip:



http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/mideast/notes/index.html



As long as the subject isn't the Cuban Missile Crisis, it should go fine for her....



*I want my Retro TV



There's a network called RTN, for Retro Television Network, which runs the truly classic series of the television era:



http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/01/10/features/arts_leisure/doc47825e46c0748147700062.txt



I hope South Florida gets it.



Quote of the day:



``I'm looking forward to the game, but I'm not sure I'm looking forward to after the game.''



-Former Miami Dolphin Jim Kiick, talking to The Miami Herald about the football game planned for the Orange Bowl between former Dolphins and former University of Miami Hurricanes Jan. 26. The game will be the last football game in the OB before its demolition. Kiick played for the Dolphins during the 1970s Super Bowl years.