The Larry Kane Report

No sooner had the bailout bill collapsed in the House than the partisans let loose. Democrats blaming Republicans, the Republicans blaming the Democrats. The President, appearing helpless, calls his advisers back together. What’s next? Will half of Congress get voted out of office? John McCain blames the Democrats, but many of his own flock voted “no.” Barack Obama urged everyone to “stay calm.” The way the Treasury Secretary had been talking, doomsday was just around the corner. This from a man who helped design the system that has apparently cracked. Nancy Pelosi and her Republican leadership counterparts were rejected by their own members.

What’s missing today is not just healthy credit markets. What is missing is a feeling on the part of most of us that no one with any talent or ability is running the show. Business leaders complain about “the inmates running the asylum” when they reject powerul input from the rank and file. This is a case of the leaders imprisoned in asylum of self-doubt, ineptitude and blame assessment.

Will we nosedive? Maybe. But the American people, as a group, are a lot tougher than the people we elect, for the most part.

What we need now is a real leader, or leaders, who will use the power of their personality and brilliance to lead us out of the mess, find a new plan, and yes, proecute the fraud-masters who lied to us.

We need change. We need it fast. Not just words.

Maybe. Maybe, in his final days in office, President Bush will muster up the courage to call an emergency session of Congress and make the members work till they drop or until they find a workable plan.

Under the law, Congress has to be in recess for the President to call it back. My advice: send them home, then call them back into special session!

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Or something like that.

First, a debate oddity. The host-reporter never followed up a question. He kept trying to prompt McCain to look at Obama. Obama looked at McCain. McCain never looked back. Obama called him John. McCain called him “Senator Obama.” McCain looked a bit edgy at first, then settled down. Obama smiled instead of seeming irritated by McCain’s answers.

McCain started slow - finished strong especially after his name-drop on foreign leaders. Obama had piercing eye contact. McCain was very folksy and tried to be poignant, especially about the war.

Both men made big deposits in their “trust” account. Obama was very specific on his tax program, and McCain defended his, but on the bailout, they could have been running mates. They sounded so similar on the bailout program. No specifics. Just “let’s get one fast.”

Sharpest exchange -Iraq. And you thought that was an old story? Obama effectively stressed the need to reinforce Kabul, rather than Bahgdad. McCain looks for victory in Iraq. McCain used the words, “Senator Obama doesn’t understand” about ten times. Obama said, politely, “John is incorrect”, almost as many times.

Both men achieved their goals. Obama displayed vast knowledge of foreign policy. McCain looked like he’s been around the block.

Was it great? Almost. The only thing missing was a little anger. I mean, these guys look presidential, but so polite.

If they read they letters to this blog, they would be fired up immediately.

Keep on writing.

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It is depressing. There is no other way to describe that sinking feeling in the stomach every time I hear about it, all the times I broadcast it, and waiting for the next sudden burst of news. I never met Patrick McDonald, the police officer who died after a gunfight a few blocks from the Temple campus. I never met Richard Bowes, another officer who was wounded responding to the scene. Most of you have never met them, but in a way, you have.

Over the years, at all kinds of events, I remember their faces. They are the people, the men and women, who, daily, gut it out on the streets of the nation’s most extraordinary city, a city of contrasts. More and more the city becomes a mecca, as more and more, gun violence denies some of the citizens a chance at a life without fear.

You’ve met them. Some are young, others a bit older. They wear blue and they love the city. Their pay is never enough, but that’s not what keeps them going in the sometimes harrowing and always stressful task of keeping it safe for the rest of us who sometimes may forget just how important they are.

I have spent many a night thinking about them. These thoughts began in the sixties when I first reported the death of a police officer. The first one, the latest one. It is the same agonizing sense of community loss. This time there is an irony. The police department says Patrick McDonald had been working on a special project to get dangerous guns off the streets. He, like so many others, took a bullet for us, those he protected.

A long time ago, I was asked question at a school. The student said, “Is every violent death a news story? The answer is, of course, yes. Every life has a value. Every victim has a family. But quite often we overlook the fact that the death of a police officer doing his or her job, becomes not just an object of mourning for a few, but a shared sense of grief for an entire community. So it becomes a bigger story, because that person, in this case Patrick McDonald, represents the thousands who show up for roll call every day, knowing that the price for their service to the community could be very high.

In a courtroom, where I covered a murder trial years ago, a defense attorney said I was blatantly pro-cop in my reporting. I try hard to be fair. I always have. But when it comes to the police of Philadelphia and all of our communities, I have a different perspective. I think police officers are among the most amazing people I’ve ever covered. They are courageous, serving, powerfully tolerant of all people, and enormously gracious. Most of all, they treat each other like family.

Right now that big family is suffering. The family of Patrick McDonald is huge - thousands of police and firefighters who give us so much every day.

In death, our grief and compassion is clear. In life, we salute the police officers of our city and our nation, and in return for their dedication, respond with respect and a full measure of appreciation.

A final note. Those suburban lawmakers who are fighting stricter gun laws for Philadelphia only, should go into a cave and hide their shame.

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While the President and Congress negotiate the Mother of All Bailouts, let’s pause and remember how we got here.

It didn’t just start with the deregulation of the the Bush administration. The greed and horror stories and casino-like view of our investment community started back in the 1980’s, dipped a little bit after 9/11, and roared back into the scene in about 2004. Lest we forget: The Clinton years help spawn the runaway billionaires who took the money and climbed into the nearest hole. Both parties should accept the blame, and apologize.

What is so disturbing about all of this is the fact that on so many issues our government has been asleep at the wheel. It is not comforting to think that the leaders in DC will be able to manage this incredible bailout. But then again, the investment gurus don’t stand a chance. So, our only hope is the resiliency of the people. It is a hard time, but the people of America always stand out in their courage and wisdom. At least, I hope they do.

BACK IN PHILADELPHIA, interesting side show to this election campaign. Why are the candidates skipping the western part of the state? Does McCain think he’s got it won in western Pennsylvania? Has Obama conceded the Southwest? Trips there are less frequent than the campaign stops in eastern, Pennsylvania.

FORECASTS - Don’t take it to the bank, but I think we may see several big upsets in this election. Don’t look now, but Obama is edging up in North Carolina and Florida. McCain is also moving ahead in Missouri and Ohio. The upsets will offset each other, leaving one of two states to decide it all - Michigan and Colorado. You heard it here first. As I said, don’t take it to the bank.

BOO-BOO — Why do Eagles fans boo when they see well known TV faces doing promos on the big screen at the Linc? It makes me feel like Eagles fans don’t like the media. I mean, who doesn’t like the media?

SPEAKING OF MEDIA - Kudos for the Sunday INKY Currents section. it has become exciting and diverse and something to look forward to. I especially enjoy Bowden and Smerconish. They make you think, which some of you who write to this infamous blog, should do a lot more of.

FINAL NOTE –F AND M National Poll comes out this Thursday morning. I respect Terry Madonna’s polling and I expect that this McCain-Obama head to head survey will make big news.

FINAL FINAL NOTE — Was that an  Emmy telecast Sunday night, or a bad ‘b’ movie? The TV industry seemed to dwell on the past, rather than celebrating its creative future.

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What a day Wednesday was. Temperatures in the seventies, sunny skies, and crowds of people on the streets of Center City Philadelphia. And then….

It was at the corner of Broad and Chestnut. It happened. It happens all the time, and one day, there will be tragic results.

People are crossing Broad Street headed West. The traffic light has the clear “walk sign.” A cab, trying to turn right on to Broad Street from Chesnut, roars around the corner, and screeches to a stop before a shocked crowd of pedestrians. The driver is obviously in a hurry. I make a gesture, as in “stop” , with my right hand, but the cab keeps moving. The taxi narrowly misses people trying to make it across. The margin between a close call and tragedy on the streets is mere inches.

Look familiar?

Taxicabs are a problem in Philadelphia. A few are clean. Many are filthy, and filled with the air of smoke and dirt. Seat belts are often dislodged. So you can forget safety. The drivers, some of them, make New York cabbies look childlike. Many cab drivers ignore traffic lights. I occasionally take a cab, although I prefer rail lines and city buses. Riding in a Philadelphia cab can be dangerous. Walking in Center City near a taxicab could be fatal.

Yet, there is little or no enforcement by the city. If there was, our cabs would be clean, and our visitors would we well taken care of. Instead, the taxicabs of the city often reflect a derogatory image of a great city.

Cab safety and the well being of pedestrians should be a priority of the City of Philadelphia. If a seat belt is missing or broken in a taxicab, the driver should be grounded - the car taken off the street.

A final note, there are drivers who run clean and efficient operations. I only wish them well. But right now a lack of enforcement and a gross lack of proper and safe driving is giving out town a bad rep, or should I say, a bad rap.

QUESTIONS ON THE FINANCIAL CRISIS:

Where was government oversight all of these years?

When will the high paid bozos who destroyed their companies be held accountable for highly questionable and greedy investments?

Will the government BAILOUT the stockholders who lost millions?

Will the government bail YOU out of you miss a couple of payments and find the Sheriff trying to evict you?

Where is the President?

Where is the Vice President?

Why is the Treasury Secretary a product of the failed system?

Who will pay in the end?

Does Merrill Lynch still have a “bull” as its icon?

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