Defiant Newt and a Facebook IPO "surprise"?

2012-02-01T06:33:00.002-05:00

Newt Gingrich could be dismissed as a sore loser or kindly described determined, as this CNN write up points out. Whatever your label for Newt, for Romney the Florida win was long due by most assessments. Romney appeals to college-educated conservatives that pepper the state, making a more powerful voting block (of sorts) than voters of that type did in the other primary states thus far. What most stood out, in some trenchant coverage by the PBS Newshour, was that in retail campaigning in the Sunshine state, all the candidates were said to have avoided mentioning any vaguely creative solutions for the lingering housing crisis, especially damaging in Florida. Many of the "man on the street" interviewees expressed either dismay or a gritty flat recognition that they "needed to hear more," in the way of concrete solutions to righting housing. To me, this suggested big government. Somebody tell the candidates that some conservatives on the campaign trail may not be real conservatives after all. More in the category of non-surprising, surprise news, social networking juggernaut Facebook's highly anticipated IPO, anticipated to file on Wednesday, Feb. 1, written about in this AP article, is expected to raise "as much as $10 billion." If the IPO manages to do so, it would cause the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company to be valued from $75-$100 billion "net net." The cocky internet visionary's deal will likely unleash pandemonium, according to one managing partner at an IPO boutique advisory firm. While Facebook's success now seems an iconic and fated conclusion, it is interesting that FB's willingness to engage in the relentless iterative improvement of the kind that often annoys even the most avid FB user may well turn out to be the secret sauce after all. In another "yeah, hey you don't say" sort of observation, Fox News personality/journalist Chris Wallace, on the Mike Gallagher Show, recently called the numerous pre-campaign season Republican debates "stupid." (You can read more about it here, on Huff Po.) Not sure that stupid is exactly the right term. I've enjoyed most of the debates. I'd say an over reliance on talking points and a failure to keep commentary fresh and specific to the question asked represents a missed opportunity. Sure, candidates have to ultimately get their value messages across, but when it seems too rote, too much like that bad car commercial haunting your tv viewing pleasure, the whole enterprise falls flatter than old Ginger Ale pretty fast. Too bad, because an engaged electorate is exactly what we need to be as the real battle moves into high gear. NPR's Leonard Lopate, always tuned in to the moods of the populace, had author Robert Harris on as a guest to discuss his novel, The Fear Index. (Check it out here.)Yet another account of high finance brought low, The Fear Index is a novel that even the testy Felix Salmon can get behind in contrast to novels like Union Atlantic (which I actually adored) and Margin Call (Loved the film), as you'll see here.

Electability: a "no holds barred" claim

2012-01-28T12:37:00.000-05:00

Interesting AP story about Newt's so-called strategy to ride his SC victory all the way to the presidency. The upshot? Many voters in Florida adore the (58th) Speaker's brash style but are concerned, if not outright haunted, by past consulting contracts and ethics violations. All of the detritus leaves would-be supporters to wonder if the Newt man is truly the best option in the fight against Obama.

It's the speaker's infamous and still evident arrogance that has me concerned. (I like Obama but am not at all certain if a second term makes sense.) Newt is blisteringly effective at the podium, but presidential life, or so I've read, requires diplomacy and patience in equal measure with a clean, smart gut and stamina around decision making. I'm not catching a whiff of that in any televised appearance I've seen.

On Real Clear Politics, David Paul Kuhn notes that Newt does have the potential to pull together a broad coalition, given his appeal to conservatives, older voters, partisans, and men—all as you'd expect—but also among women and independents. The problem, according to Kuhn, is that while voters ache for "an articulate pugilist" many of them are still hung up on a given candidate's vices and whether they could make him (or her) distracted at key times in his (or her) presidency.

Certainly, that wouldn't do. We desperately need a sharp, engaged president. The economy continues to struggle.Meanwhile, the conservative candidates continue to stump for the virtues of raw, unfettered capitalism while others (99%) continue to rail against blatant economic inequality. Good piece with a nice fresh take on the subject here.

Of course, none of this appears to matter as much in the news as the ongoing struggles of Demi Moore, who either huffed, snorted, or starved her way into seizure in recent days. I find her more than capable as an actress and loved her in Margin Call so none of this is particularly entertaining to me, but I must be in the minority with the story having more life than somebody hopped up on the Red Bull that the actress reportedly abuses. Get well soon, Demi... and get over that lout of an Ashton. Sure he's cute as heck, but really, you're Demi Moore.

Five Easy Pieces

Defiant Newt and a Facebook IPO "surprise"?

Electability: a "no holds barred" claim