The Larry Kane Report

There are those who tell me that former President Bill Clinton knew exactly what he was doing when he bashed Barack Obama all week. He was driving black voters to Obama in droves.  Clinton aides say that Obama is now branded as a “black candidate” because of his extraordinary black support in South Carolina. Can you believe they said that? With his actions, and that comment, the Clintons may have ruptured a fabulous relationship with America’s black community. It’s early but there are warning signs.

Looking at the numbers, the Obama victory was across-the-board,

Obama won 25 percent of the white vote in Deep Dixie South Carolina. It IS the deep south. He beat Senator Clinton among Democratic women. He beat her over 2 to 1 in head-to-head numbers.

So, President Clinton has to be really careful in what he has wrought. His uncharacteristic behavior this past week bewildered many. There are even those who feel that he may be sabotaging his wife’s campaign.  That’s hard for me to believe. But the voter turnout and energy of the vote in South Carolina shows me that his actions may have provoked, more than just a backlash, a general anger among voters. Did any pollster count on Obama beating Clinton by such a wide margin? Can anyone accurately forecast where voters are headed this year?

There is one common thread in this campaign - surprise in almost every primary or caucus. That’s a good thing.

I can now say, with reasonable comfort, that no Democrat will be able to wrap it up on February 5th. This is going to be a much longer battle.

Now on to hopeful Rudy and the gang in the Sunshine State. The sense is that it will come down to McCain and Romney in Florida. But what about Rudy? A third place or worse finish would put him in a rough spot. Florida on Tuesday is a major Republican battle, as was South Carolina for the Democrats.

A word on endorsements. The Inky endorsing Obama was a surprise, but then again, there is a new wind blowing, as they say. The McCain endorsement was expected.

The NY Times endorsing Clinton is no surprise since the paper is partial to New Yorkers. But the endorsement of John McCain was a surprise for its complete dissing of Mayor Rudy.

Caroline Kennedy endorsing Barack Obama is a plus for the Senator. But endorsements rarely impact elections.

Finally: Ed Rendell will be on the short list for VEEP candidates. That is, unless the Democratic race is still being fought at the Denver convention. And then, anything can happen.

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Now that I’ve taken on scare tactics in weather forecasting, and now that Dennis Kucinich has pulled out of the Democratic race on the same day that UFO’s were sighted, it is time to tackle a difficult topic: race and its impact on the battle for the White House.

Race. Nobody talks about in the current Presidential race, but every campaign knows how to exploit it. I’ve seen it handled with manipulation , but all you have to do is listen carefully. In response to Bill Clinton’s attacks, Barack Obama’s regional director, Kevin Puleo, said, ““We don’t play the fear card, or the race card or the anger card,.”

Kevin, working in South Carolina, didn’t realize, or perhaps he did, that just making the statement made people think about race.

Bill Clinton spent the week bashing Obama, suggesting the candidate’s views were like a”fairy tale.” He told one group that it may be more important to elect a woman President before a black President. It happens again. Every mention of race means that people are helping other people think about it.

Clinton’s remarks have alienated black voters in South Carolina. To the white bigots there, and the rest of the country, that may appear to brand Hillary Clinton as a middle-of-the-Democratic conservative. Many people, with hate in their hearts, may like the fact that the Clinton’s are trying to take apart the most promising black Presidential candidate ever. I’m not saying that’s the Clinton’s motives, but again, the mention of race draws a line in the sand.

On the other side, Michelle Obama constantly reminds people of the epic struggle her husband is in. She is not afraid to talk about the challenges facing him in surmounting social obstacles , but again, it may be motivating racial thinking, one way or the other.

It is unfortunate but people are not color blind. That means, that subtly or not, politicians can exploit racial divisions by just, simply, bringing it up. In reality, why would anyone need to mention race, when it should be all character, integrity and competence.

It will be interesting to see tonight the impact of racial politics on the outcome of the nasty fued between Obama and Clinton.

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So, it is Wednesday night and we’re watching some TV. It was Law and Order. I wish Fred Thompson were back on the show. It was a better fit than running for President. All of a sudden, Hurricane Schwartz pops up on the screen. His veins seem like they are going to pop out of his head. He is almost grimacing as he warns of snow. I mean this was scary. It was enough to make me run to the market and buy enough milk and cereal to last through April! I don’t know Schwartz that well but on the air he was frightening as he was “teasing” the weather forecast at 11.

Now, first I have to say that I do a show for Comcast and I consult for the Comcast Network. We have very good weather forecasting, but it is on the Your Morning show. So we are not competing for weather in prime time. So the following has nothing to do with any competitive agenda.

I practically invented the prime time news tease in the early seventies. I know the value of hooking people in. I was dramatic and I hope, exciting, but I tried to do it without frightening people. I didn’t always succeed in that regard. But now I have a new perspective. I am a viewer.

I have to tell you that the weather teases are, at times, deceptive and scary, and that is not what TV news should be about. Weather “teases” should be interesting and suspenseful but they also need to be honest. It is time for “weather fright night” to end in local TV News unless there is something really to be frightened about.

In the case of Wednesday night, it was a forecast for a small amount of snow, if that, on Thursday afternoon, affecting a small part of the region. But listening to Schwartz, I felt like it was time to unpack the salt, batten down the hatches, and certainly, set the alarm for 5 a.m. to begin shoveling. I mean, if you’re reading this , Hurricane, my advice is to calm down.

Now, here’s the problem: TV viewers have figured this exaggeration business out. They know what’s going on. In real fact, 30 percent less viewers watch local TV news than eight years ago. Do you think the super-hype may be one of the reasons. I don’t know. But I do know what good TV is.

That same night at 11, we watched Channel 6, where Adam Joseph, one of the best broadcasters to come this way in a long time, told the real story. I’m sure Schwartz also did so at 11, because the guy knows what he is doing. And I am positive that Kathy Orr told it straight. If Cecily were on, I’m sure she would have done the same. It’s the scare tactics that bother me.

On the subject of Adam Joseph: Where does Channel Six find these people. Do they “raise them” at some secret TV University. I mean, this guy is sensational.

Back to the point.

I get concerned for our business when over-hype takes over. It diminishes us as a factor. You’ll be hearing a lot more from me on this, because bad or distorted information can be very dangerous.

In the meantime, warmest regards to all the fine people (most of them) that I have worked with at Channels 6. 10, and 3, and the other stations.

And if “the big one” is on the way, let me know about it any way that you can. But don’t hype minor storms, or “brushes” with storms.

Now there is one exception: If you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen , which can be a forecaster’s nightmare, be sure and warn me as much and often as you want. I would rather be prepared. And if you’re wrong, that’s okay.

But don’t scare the hell out of the viewers when you know that it really is not that serious.

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First, what the heck is going on in South Carolina? Bill Clinton, Mr. Smooth himself , is losing his temper on the campaign trail. Of course, he is not running for President, but what’s he doing. Every time he attacks Obama, he actually helps the Illinois Senator. Clinton is so savvy. I don’t get it. Are he and Tough Tom Coughlin taking the same vitamins? Also, recommendation to President Clinton: don’t lecture reporters. Generally we are a thin-skinned bunch and don’t like it. The truth is, WE CAN DISH IT OUT, BUT HONESTLY, WE CAN’T TAKE IT! So leave the reporting to the traveling press corps, and its “herd mentality” about this election.

I’ve been fascinated by the South Carolina race. It’s all about personal attacks, except for John Edwards who knows that soon he will have a date with destiny, destiny being cast as an ex-candidate. I must admit, though, that in this current Hillary-Obama struggle, Edwards looks very good . But that won’t last.

Back in Philadelphia, Ed Rendell understands the calendar. His endorsement of Hillary Clinton was perfectly timed 12 days before Super Tuesday. But Rendell is so smart. If Super Tuesday should private a stalemate and the March primaries fail to settle it, guess what?

The only primary in April is the Pennsylvania primary April 22. Pennsylvania could be the clincher.

In New Jersey, a new poll shows John McCain edging Mayor Rudy by a few points. If Rudy should be embarrassed by McCain in his neighboring state, it could be the beginning of the end of the Rudy run. My suggestion to the Mayor- come home. Forget about being Mayor of the Florida condominiums, and protect the home turf.

Final note for today: Fred Thompson went out with a whimper. I was surprised that he didn’t do a little better. I mean, the man was an actor. And he didn’t change his view on issues every day. And he stayed on message. Honesty? In this Republican race, it fails every time.

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I now know how to get the biggest readership in one day ever on this site. And I’m a bit surprised. If you read the preceding entry from me, you will see that I took Giants coach Tom Coughlin to task for his behavior, his screaming at his kicker after he missed his first field goal attempt in the win over the Packers.

It was just another moralizing attempt by me to put things in perspective. You know how I am. I knew I would get reaction, but the visitors to the site were more than any single day since I launched this thing in the Summer of 2006.

That tells me a lot.

First of all, web readers respond more when it comes to sports than to other issues, like the war, the economy, the war on terror, and all the issues facing us. We have an enormous challenge ahead of us, especially in the economy. But what really gets me excited is that sports is king here. I mean, after all, the Eagles didn’t get there this year. And we have our share of bad news these days. So maybe sports is such a great diversion that people just get into it more, even if the Giants are going to the Super Bowl.

When there’s bad news on the doorstep, it’s nice to see a movie, or watch a game, or, especially, read a good book, several of which are advertised here. (I’m in the PLUG ZONE.)

Over the last several months, I have received many emails, mostly clean, very fascinating, and sometimes, nasty. The ones I received on this entry about Tom Coughlin were, at times, biting. That’s okay. Either the entries are written by people who honestly disagree, self-loathing Eagles fans (I’m sad for them. We still have a great team here) or Giants fans sending this website as one angry chain letter through the New York area.

The only letter that really upset me was the guy who called me “an old anchor who can’t get a job.” To him, I say that 65 is the new 40, unless you can’t spell your own name, which this guy could not.

He pretended to be Coach Tom, but he spelled the name COUGHLAN, so I know he’s a fake.

As far as Coach COUGHLIN, I wish him well.

And I hope he understands that true motivation is inspired by tough love, acts of courage, and not belittling your own player by berating him in front of hundreds of millions of people.

Have a great day everyone.

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