Dennis Kozlowski’s over-the-top Roman themed birthday bash for his wife in Sardina. The Enron corporate headquarters. The Blackstone IPO. All of these were, in retrospect, signs of a market top. Should we add Patriot Place to the list?
I have been thinking about that since I saw the previews over the summer. According to the Kraft’s,
Patriot Place promises to become one of New England’s most popular daily, year-round destinations. Adjacent to Gillette Stadium, this amazing development will feature more than 1.3 million square feet of shopping, entertainment and commercial uses. You will find major fashion retailers, live and interactive entertainment, eateries, a four-star hotel, state of the art theatre and much, much more.
Have the Kraft’s and all their dreams and ambitions jumped the shark? With Tom Brady’s injury, this comes into sharper focus. Jay Fitz at Hub Blog writes,
‘Autumn of his career’
I had the sense we were witnessing the slow end of the Brady era, similar to the end of the Bird era. After all, Brady’s now 31, banged up, and, believe it or not, has led the Pats through almost an entire decade. But yesterday’s injury still came as a shock. I expected a series of nagging injuries would mark his last two or three seasons. Not this.
We will soon see just how valuable Brady has been to the franchise. Add in the fact that Belichick can’t coach forever and I think it is legit to wonder what the Kraft’s can do in a world without the dynamic duo. The Brady-Belichick era is a finite resource. It cannot last forever.
One other potential warning sign for the Kraft’s is that there is a feeling among many season ticket holders that they are being abused, with outrageous increases to tickets, refreshments and especially parking. I have heard grumblings from many. How much will they be willing to put up with when the product on the field is no longer as elite as it has been during the Brady era?
Will we look back at the 2008 birth of Patriot Place as a sign of a top for the franchise? I think it is very likely.
Because the public has been clamoring for it, we invited Dean Barnett from The Weekly Standard back in to the studio last night. Dean sat in for the entire show and we had a great time, talking about The Anatomy of a Smear, how Andrew Sullivan has turned The Atlantic into The Enquirer, Palin Derangement Syndrome on the left, irrational Palin exuberance on the right and much more.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Stan Grossfeld wrote a wonderful story on Thursday in the Boston Globe. It touched me on many different levels, I blogged about it a couple of days ago,
A die hard Red Sox fan from Utah promised his sons that he would take them to Fenway Park to see a game this summer. The father, James W. Taylor, Jr. was killed in a helicopter accident in Arizona in June. He worked as an emergency room nurse, served as a first lieutenant in the US Army Reserves and worked part time on Life Flight. He was on a Life Flight, working to save a life, when the accident happened.
The Taylor family wanted to let the boys live out this dream of seeing their team at Fenway Park. James sister posted a message on a Red Sox fan site asking if anyone could help her make this dream a reality.
Well, Red Sox Nation, the players and some local businesses stepped up big time.
It was an honor to welcome to Pundit Review Radio James W. Taylor’s wife Traci, as well as Red Sox fan Tom Nardozzi who helped organize the effort. If you ever wondered if Red Sox Nation was simply a marketing ploy, forget it.
One of the first people to reach out to the Taylor family was Commander Tom Disy of the USS BENFOLD. Commander Disy is major Sox fan and a reader of longtime Red Sox blogger Cyn Donnelly’s Toeing the Rubber. Deployed in the Persian Gulf, the Benfold is an Arleigh Burke-class Guided Missile Destroyer in the United States Navy. Offers of support came from as far away as Denmark and New Zealand. Just incredible.
To listen to Traci describe this special day, and how it lit up her kids during this difficult time, it makes you thankful that people like Tom, Cyn, Commander Disy and so many others reached out to this family. If you would like to offer your support to the Taylor family, a memorial fund has been established at Zions Bank c/o James W. Taylor Fund, PO Box 30709, Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0709.
You can learn more about this special trip at the Taylor family blog.
A local station in Utah did a segment on the Taylor’s trip to Fenway,
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Dean Barnett and I welcomed Bruce who talked about Staff Sergeant Jason Fetty,
SSG Fetty is a man who put his life on hold to participate in something bigger than himself. He volunteered for Afghanistan in order to make a positive difference in the lives of others. While some people talk about that, he did it. And when confronted with a man who would destroy all the good he had labored so hard to help build, he valorously took action which assured that didn’t happen. That’s why SSG Jason Fetty of Joint Provisional Reconstruction Team Khost, pharmacist, reservist, patriot and recipient of the Silver Star is someone you should know.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.
News Flash: There is lots of misinformation out there about Sarah Palin. By now, you know about the smears against her family. Here are a few of the distortions being pushed on her actual record on the issues.
Dean Barnett of The Weekly Standard, has a great post up titled, “Anatomy of a smear“. He examines a single anti-Palin smear, from who else…Andrew Sullivan. Dean also links to a very helpful post by blogger Charlie Martin cataloging all of the anti-Palin smears so far.
Dean will be my guest tonight on Pundit Review Radio.
Charge: Palin cut funding for pregnant teens
Status: Not True
FACTS: She increased funding by “only†354 percent instead of 454 percent
Sarah Palin did not slash funds for teen mothers
The Washington Post’s Paul Kane reported late that “Palin Slashed Funding for Teen Moms.†To support this contention Kane pointed out that “Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million.â€
Covenant House Alaska is a faith-based, not-for-profit agency which provides a variety of services to troubled teens, including a home for teen moms. Although the work with adolescent mothers is only one component of their work, Kane focused on this aspect of their work due to the revelation that Governor Palin’s teen daughter is 5 months pregnant.
In Alaska, the governor is allowed to reduce spending allocations in the service of sound management and fiscal accountability. To prove his contention that Palin slashed funds for teen mothers, Kane produced the Alaska 2008 budget with Sarah Palin’s line by line adjustments. It is true that lawmakers allocated 5 million to Covenant House Alaska and that Mrs. Palin cut that allocation to 3.9 million dollars.
However, what is misleading about the Post headline is that the allocation of 3.9 million is three times more than Covenant House Alaska received from government grants in 2007. According to records on the Covenant House Alaska website, the organization received just over 1.3 million dollars from grants in 2007 and nearly 1.2 million in 2006. Even with the reductions, Governor Palin signed a budget which provided three times more funds than the organization received in 2007.
Covenant House statement
Charge: Palin cut special needs funding by 62%
Status: Not True
FACTS: She actually increased special needs funding by 175 percent.
Education Week: Alaska Legislators Overhaul Funding
Gov. Sarah Palin and state lawmakers have gone ahead with an overhaul of Alaska’s school funding system that supporters predict will provide much-needed financial help to rural schools and those serving students with disabilities.
The plan, enacted in the recently concluded session of the legislature, is based on recommendations issued by a legislative task force last year. It will phase in a greater flow of money to districts outside of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, over the next five years.
Advocates for rural and remote schools have lobbied for years for more funding, in particular noting the higher fuel, transportation, and other costs associated with providing education in communities scattered across the vast state.
A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Charge: Palin believes in abstinence only sex education
Status: Not True
Facts: She supports sex education that covers both abstinence and contraception.
Los Angeles Times: Palin appears to disagree with McCain on sex education
In a widely quoted 2006 survey she answered during her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she supported abstinence-until-marriage programs. But weeks later, she proclaimed herself “pro-contraception” and said condoms ought to be discussed in schools alongside abstinence.
“I’m pro-contraception, and I think kids who may not hear about it at home should hear about it in other avenues,” she said during a debate in Juneau.
Such statements could raise concerns among social conservatives who have been some of Palin’s most enthusiastic supporters since she was tapped for the No. 2 spot on the GOP ticket last week.
Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella said the governor stands by her 2006 statement, supporting sex education that covers both abstinence and contraception.
Charge: Palin is anti-evolution
Status: Not True
Facts: Alternative views on the origins of life should be allowed in Alaska classrooms. “I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum,” she said.
AP: Palin has not pushed creationism as governor
As a candidate for governor, Sarah Palin called for teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools. But after Alaska voters elected her, Palin, now Republican John McCain’s presidential running mate, kept her campaign pledge to not push the idea in the schools.
As for her personal views on evolution, Palin has said, “I believe we have a creator.” But she has not made clear whether her belief also allowed her to accept the theory of evolution as fact.
“I’m not going to pretend I know how all this came to be,” she has been quoted as saying.McCain said during a debate last year that he believed in evolution when it came to the origin of life.
When asked during a televised debate in 2006 about evolution and creationism, Palin said, according to the Anchorage Daily News: “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”In a subsequent interview with the Daily News, Palin said discussion of alternative views on the origins of life should be allowed in Alaska classrooms. “I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum,” she said.
“It’s OK to let kids know that there are theories out there. They gain information just by being in a discussion.”
John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin has generated such enthusiasm that some on the right are so giddy with excitement, they are spinning so fast and furious they forget what they have stood for or said previously.Â
I’m excited by the Palin pick as well, but I’ve tried to remain honest about her strengths (which are considerable) and her weaknesses (ditto). I’m not saying that I am perfect in this regard. It’s just that the Palin frenzy has really exposed those who are trying to be consistent and those who are not.
I used a baseball analogy last weekend on the radio to describe Palin. She reminds me of a highly talented young pitcher, like Craig Hanson or Clay Buchholz, who is brought up to the big leagues too soon, has a terrible experience and regresses, perhaps never again being able to live up to the initial promise. Palin has potential to be a long term asset for Republicans. However, if she was brought up too soon, and is hammered or exposed as not ready, her brand will be damaged and her long term effectiveness muted. That would be a shame.
Here is a solid hour of mostly pro-Palin calls, with me playing the role of the skunk at the garden party,
Some on the right want to believe in her so much, they are willing to say anything to give her a boost, even if it contradicts what they have said previously. Jon Stewart takes a devastating look at what happens to pundits who are partisan first, intellectually honest second (or third),
Others, like Charles Krauthammer, have been more consistent, and more honest,
The gamble is enormous. In a stroke, McCain gratuitously forfeited his most powerful argument against Obama. And this was even before Palin’s inevitable liabilities began to pile up — inevitable because any previously unvetted neophyte has “issues.” The kid. The state trooper investigation. And worst, the paucity of any Palin record or expressed conviction on the major issues of our time.
McCain has one hope. It is suggested by the strength of Palin’s performance Wednesday night. In a year of compounding ironies, the McCain candidacy could be saved, and the Palin choice vindicated, by one thing: Palin pulls an Obama.
Obama showed that star power can trump the gravest of biographical liabilities. The sheer elegance, intelligence and power of his public presence have muted the uneasy feeling about his unreadiness. Palin does not reach Obama’s mesmeric level. Her appeal is far more earthy, workmanlike and direct. Yet she managed to banish a week’s worth of unfriendly media scrutiny and self-inflicted personal liabilities with a single triumphant speech.
Now, Obama had 19 months to make his magic obscure his thinness. Palin has nine weeks.
John McCain was not speaking to the convention hall last night, he was speaking to the TV audience. Instead of a steady diet of red meat, McCain directly indicted the GOP and their failures in recent years. Here is my favorite part of the speech, starting at about the 2 minute mark,
I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.
We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.
No honest Republican can disagree with that!
McCain will never be confused with the country’s great orators. However, he delivered a good speech last night, true to himself and who he has always been.
As for the Code Punk protesters, they are vile scum. John McCain has earned this moment, perhaps more than any man to ever accept his party’s nomination. He deserved to have this night to himself, not as a showcase for left wing nuts who spit a soldiers entering Walter Reed hospital. Spare me the BS that dissent is patriotic. What they did last night, interrupting his speech numerous times, was inexcusable.
Here is the full speech,