Grabbers and Stingers, A Pundit's Y2000 Political Reprise

For some strange reason, it is customary for political pundits to review their year’s profundity and acknowledge mistakes. After careful appraisal I can’t find anything to apologize for.

I thought for awhile that my piece of July 16 might qualify. Upon reflection, however, I concluded I was wrong about being wrong -- having hedged sufficiently.

Consequently I offer a summary of my entire Year 2000 output as a handy chronology of an historic, political year. Grade it what you will.

Understand that pundits struggle to open their columns with “grabbers” to drag resisting readers into the essays – and work equally hard to close with “stingers” to etch conclusions into unwilling subconsciousness.

Abandon all hope ye who enter here.

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Jan. 2 –Upon entering the supposed new millennium (it really starts tomorrow), I choose the Chinese invention of the wheelbarrow as the greatest development of all time.

Each great leap forward in human evolution occurs with tapping into new energy multipliers. This frees people to think, learn, invent, explore and tap into new energy sources.

Jan. 9 – It is amazing how much good can be done if no one cares who gets the credit. President Clinton is to be commended for reappointing Alan Greenspan chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

Thus, Clinton tacitly admits the nation’s longest period of prosperity began with President Reagan who first appointed Greenspan in 1987.

Jan. 16 – The “national nanny association” is working overtime trying to create a legacy for President Clinton.

Having been impeached for lying under oath and abusing the power of his office, he struggles to be loved by flinging sugarplums to the wind. Triangulation is out. Liberalism is back.

Jan. 23 – Hullabaloo about a Confederate flag flying over South Carolina’s Capitol is silly. If all evidence of historical African-American oppression is erased, the magnitude of the Civil Rights struggle will be erased.

Jan. 30 – President Clinton’s last hurrah Thursday night was a political classic but not a State of the Union report as advertised.

He took credit for every popular social program in sight – even those of Newt Gingrich -- and 57 new ones.

Feb. 6 – There is another bout of wooing going on for so-called independent voters of South Carolina.

Conventional wisdom has it that Bush and Gore will prevail in the primaries. They have big bucks and big political establishments. In the long run, this trumps unorganized challengers.

Feb. 13 – Poor Elian Gonzales. When international politics become involved in family disputes, the situation gets worse.

Now that splitting babies has gone out of style, one wonders how King Solomon would resolve this dilemma.

Feb. 20 -- Current elections are whopper jawed – thanks to open primaries, a population census, term limits, court interventions and constitutional tinkering.

The fate of republican (small r) representative government is slowly being eroded by democratic (small d) impulses.

Feb. 27 – If Al Gore’s neck seems stiffer than usual, there’s a reason. He has been looking back a lot at his Republican opponents. Something seems to be gaining on him, and it’s not Bill Bradley.

Political professionals watch the accumulation of delegates to the national conventions.

Mar. 5 – Politics and religion are subjects you don’t discuss in polite company – let alone in a political campaign or religious revival. If you don’t believe this old adage I just made up, consider the flap over religion involving pols Bush and McCain.

McCain’s effort to convert the GOP into “Democrat lite” sounds like the fat lady singing. Bye-bye John.

Mar. 12 – Phooey on polling percentages! If you rely on popular opinion, you shouldn’t be allowed out of the house without your mother’s permission.

Ballot counting seems to have become irrelevant. It has given way to polls and percentages. Beware the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Mar. 19 – Now that the mish-mash quaintly known as “party primary elections” have settled on Bush and Gore, the presidential nominees can focus on their “peaks.”

Of all preliminaries to the general election, nothing is as important as reaching maximum impact with voters at the magic moment of their decisions. It’s the American way, a poor thing but our own.

Mar. 26 – The alliance between liberal presidents and tort lawyers – manifest in the gunlock controversy – has expanded to a level that threatens the nation.

Personal-damage lawyers have opened the pot with $50 million for Gore – more to come. They are horrified that Bush – who curbed their likes in Texas -- might get elected. We should be so lucky.

Apr. 2 – The road to Tarsus is getting crowded with converts to campaign finance reform – the latest being Al Gore who admits he is an “imperfect messenger” for the cause.

Gore embraced the McCain reform bill after a vision inspired by conviction of his Chinese fund- raising buddy Haria Hsia.

Apr. 9 – There is a way to make an 800-pound gorilla sleep in a cage. The persuader is a 110-year- old law. A federal judge dusted off the Sherman Anti- trust Act to make a monkey of Microsoft.

If you liked the breakup of AT&T, you’ll love destroying Bill Gates.

Apr. 16 – There is good news and bad news about wars in the world today. The bad news is that there are 25 active, armed conflicts going on right now. The good news is that this is two less than last year.

We look forward to the year that somebody starts a war and nobody comes.

Apr. 23 – One-issue-radicals were out in force last week in Washington, D.C. Target was the International Monetary Fund. The umbrella issue was “globalization.” Protesters were again’ it.

Certainly there are problems adjusting to a world economy. Coping with them is unsettling. Fasten your seat belts.

Apr. 30 – Education is the most important issue on which to reach political consensus by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Studies indicate that the earnings gulf between well-educated and poorly-educated Americans is widening. However, a compassionate government can make access to education equal for all Americans who appreciate it.

May 7 – Sen. John McCain, Vietnam’s famous prisoner of war, went there on the 25th anniversary of communist “victory” to seek reconciliation. He offended his hosts by asserting: “The wrong guys won the war.”

Not so. The U.S. could have prevailed easily with one, small atom bomb. Liberal myths obscure the victory of American resolve, and the lives of 58,000 brave men, in halting the spread of communism.

May 14 – The oxymoron in fashion is “peacekeepers” – as in, “We’re here from the United Nations to help you.” No wonder the folks of Sierra Leone flee in terror when the U.N. and the U.S. show up in blue berets.

Peacekeeping is a military strategy – war with a pretty face. It should be undertaken with all-out effort to separate antagonists, not to arrange their wedding.

May 21 – To discuss “most favored nation” trade status for China, let us ponder an observation by C. Northcote Parkinson: “Policies designed to increase production increases employment, but policies designed to increase employment do everything but.”

The upcoming vote in Congress will determine whether to compete peacefully or retreat to bunkers and await conflict.

May 28 – George W. Bush is brave, if nothing else, by proposing partial, long range investment of Social Security funds in top-safe market securities. He didn’t just touch the third rail of politics, he kissed it.

When Albert Einstein was asked what was the greatest invention of all time, he answered: “Compound interest.”

Jun. 4 – Star Wars Lite, proposed by President Clinton, is being sampled by Russian President Putin. His reaction is “Yuck !” – an opinion not needing translation.

Gore’s response is to continue with the 30-year- old Mutually Assured Destruction Treaty with Russia. Bush wants an expensive Star Wars defense system for America and its allies against terrorist nations known to have portable nuclear bombs. Let’s think this one through carefully.

Jun. 11—We got a smidgen of rain last week, breaking the record drought, but it was barely enough to keep skeeter-eater lizards alive. Greenies can be forgiven a small I-told-you-so as global warming seems hard upon us.

However, James Lovelock, father of the environmental movement, says a warmer climate evaporates more ocean water, which makes more clouds, which makes more rain. Perhaps we should pray for more global warming.

Jun. 18 – Bush’s stand on capital punishment appeared to soften this month – whether by conversion, doubt or politics doesn’t matter.

Hopefully the next Congress will modernize capital punishment laws to recognize the benefits of DNA testing, changed public attitudes, uniform rules, ready access to competent lawyers and speedy decisions.

Jun. 25 – Not so long ago, Americans fretted that Tax Freedom Day – when we instead of federal, state and local governments get to keep all we earn. Now the cutoff has sneaked up to Father’s Day.

Historians tell us past civilizations collapsed when half their production went to support non- producers. The government take today is too close for comfort.

Jul. 2 – Once again, that group of part-time Indians at St. Petersburg has descended upon North Port to protest anthropological research of 10,000- year-old bones discovered at Little Salt Spring.

How far back in time do Native Americans have controlling privilege about burials? Knowledge gained by scientists contribute to respect for Indian culture.

Jul. 9 – The more the U.S. Supreme Court tinkers with abortion, the closer it gets to legalizing infanticide. Partial birth abortion is a big step in that direction.

There is no option but to persuade women, one by one, not to make abortion a choice.

Jul. 16 – The NAACP Convention missed a great opportunity in its cool reception of Bush. Sure, he would like to have a few African-American votes. Hooray for him. By “reaching out, he is likely to get more votes than Republican candidates usually receive.

The NAACP is so intent on hating conservatives it does not create a broad spectrum of support. Special interest coalitions that trash new friends fade away.

Jul. 23 – As an inveterate adviser to readers of the Sun-Herald, I venture to advise local lawmakers on the subject of advisory committees – despite the axiom that free advice is worth what it costs.

Problems arise when citizens asked to give advice take it seriously. Officials want cover more than suggestions. Yet, advisory committees keep government accountable.

Jul. 30 – George W. either knows something about the true state of voters’ intention, or he will pay a heavy price for flouting a basic rule of politics – that a vice-president should add votes to the ticket.

In choosing Dick Cheney of Wyoming , Bush gave up electoral advantage in favor of political experience – not a home run but a three-base hit.

Aug. 6 – On a scale of 1 to 10, the Republican Convention was a perfect 9. The style was fluffy; but, hey, that’s television.

Gov. Bush surprised the media with a speech that was professional and bold. He pushed all the hot buttons that turned on the range of ideological advocates.

Aug. 13 – Al Gore’s choice of Sen. Joseph Liberman as his running mates signals a break up of the liberal/labor coalition that Democrats have come to love for 70 years.

Gore needs to re-invent himself one more time. The Clintonesque Gore was skidville. Liberman is a hypocrite who backwatered on his moderate views. He, alone, cannot save Gore.

Aug. 20 – On a scale of 1 to 10, the Democratic Convention rates a commendable 7. This is a success considering the difficulties facing Al Gore going in. His speech was the best of his career. It sounded like the New Deal of the Dem’s glory years; but, hey, this is necessary to assuage a coalition of special interests.

It was depressing to see Joe Liberman self- destruct into a left-wing liberal when moderation is the name of the game this year.

Aug. 27 – Those huge wildfires out west are making a shambles of the environment as an issue in this year’s political campaign. Millions of acres of trees that could have been used to build homes have burned.

Earth scientists say this is nature’s way of balancing the environment. Tree huggers are depressed.

Sept. 3 – The U.S. Census Bureau raises government gobbledygook to a new level with its proposal to dump the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Instead, it wants to create (honest, I’m not making this up) a Port Charlotte Core Based Statistical Area of the Sarasota Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area. How do you like PCCBSASCMSA as a government acronym?

Sep. 10 – Democrats are ecstatic over a Newsweek poll indicating Gore has overcome Bush’s lead and now leads 49 to 39 points.

The numbers contrast to state electoral votes that determine the winner. In the crucial tally, Bush leads with 257 electorals and Gore has l70. Forget popular votes. Watch electorals.

Sep. 17 – The Republican National Committee ran a TV ad last week attacking Al Gore’s prescription drug plan. The word BUREAUCRATS was superimposed on the images. RATS graced the last frame for 1/30th of a second.

The New York Times frothed for three days over a message only it can discern. Gore allows he is “disappointed” over his opponent’s “personal insult.”

Sep. 24 – There he goes again – Al Gore inventing cock-and-bull stories. This time it is about Bush’s and Cheney’s proper connections to the oil industry. Strangely none of the Beltway media seems to know about Gore’s unusual tie to the Occidental Petroleum Corp.

Oil suddenly has become a campaign issue as OPEC cut production and gasoline in the U.S. climbed above $2.50 a gallon in several states.

Oct. 1 – Principal issue in the election campaign, military defense, is not registering on voters’ radar screen. However, it is half the job of our president/commander-in-chief.

Gov. Bush is trying to make military readiness an issue, while Vice-president Gore is trying to start class war between the “wealthiest one-percent” and “working people.”

Oct. 8 – Two debates. Two ties. Status quo. Consequently two gains for Gore-Liberman. Two losses for Bush-Cheney. In status quo, incumbents win.

The Republican candidates have good plans but have not yet explained them adequately. Future historians will have great fun playing back videos of Gore’s sighs, rolling eyes and exaggerations – along with THE KISS that wowed the Democrat convention.

Oct. 15 – The X-factor is upon us. This week we have a double-header – bloody fighting in Israel, and casualties when the U.S.S. Cole was nearly sunk by terrorists.

So much for our “honest broker” role. All Mideast antagonists have nuclear-tipped missiles. One misstep, or a major disruption of the oil supply, and Armageddon is for real.

Oct. 22 – A last minute, upsetting revelation – known among political cognoscenti as an “October surprise” – occurred on schedule. The New York Times revealed that Gore signed a secret deal allowing Russia to sell nuclear weapons to Iran. Polls show that Bush has slipped behind in the race.

Neither candidate has the “big mo” uncatchable momentum. The next president needs just a little more mo to win.

Oct. 29 – Much is being made of issues in the presidential contest – as if they are crucial to winning. This is a pleasant exercise but in reality of minor impact.

The bully pulpit is potent, However, only Congress decides issues. There is not that much difference between Gore and Bush. Presidents lead the way as persuader or enforcer – or a combination of both. The question is which man has the “right stuff.”

Nov. 5 – Political choice always boils down to one, overriding issue. What single qualification will tip the scales Tuesday? For this columnist, the deciding factor is integrity. Gov. George W. Bush meets the test. Vice-president Al Gore does not.

Gore violated the Iraq-Iran Nonproliferation Act by secretly allowing Russia to sell high-tech military hardware to Iran. Bush has a record of bringing people together, a badly needed commodity these days.

Nov. 12 – Hysteria of Democrats over the ballot count in Palm Beach is alarming inasmuch as it caters to the passions our Founding Fathers tried hard to curb with a Constitution of checks and balances.

Bush leads Gore by just 327 re-counted votes. This awards Bush a 271 majority of electoral votes. Gore says he will file legal suits to overturn the election. This probably will be as soon as he can find a friendly judge.

Nov. 19 – Whoever loses the selective recount of the count of Florida’s vote for president may thank his lucky stars before long.

An economic “correction” is long overdue. It most likely will catch up with global reality before the next president’s term expires. Also, the closeness of the election indicates a major realignment of politics has begun.

Nov. 26 – While we wait for the vote counting process to reach a conclusion anent Bush/Gore, it is worthwhile to consider reforms that could avoid the political hogwallow in which we are now mired.

First, we should insist that citizens of the most advanced nation in the world should be accountable for following simple instructions.

Dec. 3 – No matter what Chicken Little says, the sky is not falling because George W. Bush won the most electoral votes that count – or that Vice- president Al Gore won the popular vote consolation prize.

It behooves Bush and Gore to accept the U.S. Supreme Court decision and one of them concede. The nation is bigger than both of them.

Dec. 10 – The momentous 2000 presidential election must be over because Democrat leaders in Congress have abandoned the mantra of “count the ballots” in favor of “share the power.”

Rep. Albert Wynn (Dem., Md.) warns: “It is moving into open, trench warfare. Let’s get ready for hand- to-hand combat.”

Dec. 17 – Political post mortems are dreary exercises, but somebody has to do it. The vote count was the closest in history, and hotly litigated; but Bush won one more vote than necessary to win. A win is a win is a win.

It is ironic that the third party effect that “stole” the election from President George Bush, Sr., operated to swing the election to his son this year. Everything that goes around, comes around.

Dec. 24 – Santa Claus came early to New York senator-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton -- $8 million for promising to write a book a bit more hefty than “Sock’s Birthday.”

How clever of you to notice that the publication date will be 2003 – just in time for the 2004 presidential race.

bgital Lindsey Williams is a Sun-Herald columnist endital

Williams – grabbers

Sunday – dec. 31, 2000

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