The Larry Kane Report

Class. That’s the only way to describe the private demeanor and public persona of Tom Brookshier. Beyond the football story, he will be remembered as one of the most giving of public people. His time, for good deeds, was never a problem, nor was his penchant to take younger broadcasters and athletes under his wing. People also may forget, especially the younger readers, that Brookshier was the most important national broadcaster of his time, providing commentary to Pat Summerall’s play-by-play that kept NFL fans glued to their seats.

IRAN AGAIN

As the Obama administration reels from the health care defeat, other storm clouds are brewing. The policy of two administrations has failed to move Iran from the hard line position on nuclear capability.. Thus, the reports of new American missile defenses headed to the Persian Gulf and the Middle East in general. There will be a showdown with the extremist regime sometime this year, maybe sooner than later.

THE BUCKS STOP HERE

Do I have a clue on the future of the economy? Are you kidding? But I have assembled a group of financial experts for the Voice of Reason Show Tonight at 9:30 on the Comcast Network. Some of their analysis might surprise you. It surprised me.

IT IS WAR!

There seems to be no sense of compromise in the war between the White House and Republicans. Don’t look for any thaw soon, despite that remarkable give and take between the President and the House Republicans. But I wonder about this. If the Republicans look too hungry for victory in the fall, and they become roadblocks to anything, will they repeat the excessive ardor of the Democrats in the House, and suddenly turn the public against them?  Greed and excess in the political spectrum, on both sides, often causes REAL change. Just ask Scott Brown.

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A different kind of State of The Union. President Obama was less intense, more personal and confrontation, but also self-deprecating. It is rare that Presidents offer critiques. They usually put platitudes on parade, and rarely cite their failures.

The key message: I feel your pain, which was an indication that he may have misread the public’s mood, at least until the public opinion polls surfaced. The President finally put the brand of urgency on the greatest threat to America, deficit-induced inflation. Recession and inflation could be big trouble.

For the most part, Republicans kept their seats warm, and Democrats seemed conflicted. But let’s face it. President Obama was speaking to the American people and his dramatic flourish at the end , a Reaganesque revival of American willpower, may have done the trick in getting back the independent voters who helped elect him.

BRANGELINA-

I’ve always respected Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for their kindness toward victims of poverty and disaster. But I get a bit concerned about the reports that the famed couple might split after some alleged adultery. The adultery is not surprising. But the couple has a total of 6 children. Has any one of them thought about what happens to them. I know that’s judgmental. But it is something to think about, isn’t it? Maybe I should stick to politics.

BANK ON THIS-

As we said before, Timothy Geithner, protector of banking interests and top-secret blank check for billions to the bonus babies at AIG, will be the first casualty of the Obama cabinet. Geithner’s departure will be a sign that the President is very serious about putting main street first. One critical point: Mr. Geithner has been lukewarm in pressuring banks to give loans to small business. His continued presence embarrasses the President.

NORTH KOREA-

The mini crisis in Korea should be worth your watching. North Korea’s shelling of the waters of South Korea must be answered more succinctly by the U.S. and its allies. Some people view the current provocation as a nuisance. That would be an unwise path for our government to take. North Korea is a nuclear nation. It must be dealt with directly.

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Mark it down. You heard it here first. This is going to be the month remembered as “Rehab January.”

Tiger Woods is reported to be in Mississippi at a sex rehab center, the first step in his apparent effort to fix the bad fix that he’s in. Meantime, ratings for golf are down with Tiger off the course. What will happen with the fearless champion of golf? He will obviously come back with a vengeance. Will Americans forgive him? No. But they will watch him in even greater numbers. People can be very harsh, but reality complicates their convictions. You have to wonder what’s really important to the people . Is it the spectacle or the rise and fall of the stars. Most of them should take the advice of Charles Barkley. He has said over and over again, “I am not a role model. I don’t pretend to be.”

He is also, as we learned on TV last year, not a great golfer.

This is also a month when a Senate vote in Massachusetts changed the landscape, and soon, the nation’s financial direction. It looks like Ben Bernanke may not be confirmed for another term as chief of the Federal Reserve. It also looks like Tim Geithner, the Treasury boss who may have secretly allowed bailout funds to reach cash-rich Goldman Sachs, may be sacked by the President. On those possibilities, I can only say that in the course of history, change can be good.

The political winds are blowing and Republicans think that they have those winds at their backs. In Bucks County, former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick wants his old job back. He will sign up for a rematch in November with the man who narrowly beat him in 2006, Congressman Patrick Murphy. The Democrat rode a rising tide of anger to victory. This time, Fitzpatrick hopes to return the favor.

This is supposed to be a big Republican year. But not so fast. The Grand Old Party is not being represented well on the national stage. Sarah Palin continues to embarrass. Michael Steele gets mixed reviews.  And the Republicans on Capitol Hill have not had a new idea in years. But then again, neither have the Democrats. Just because the President has been slipping lately, doesn’t mean the Republicans can win seats without earning them. More and more, people are looking for leadership, and new ideas.

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Isn’t Democracy beautiful? Supporters of the big health care  overhaul are upset about Scott Brown’s dramatic Senate victory in Massachusetts. Opponents are elated. But the bigger story here is about the power of the people and the President’s reaction.

Throughout our history, powerful people have taken their lumps at the ballot box. The President took his on Tuesday night, just as the GOP Congressional leadership got theirs in the 2006 elections.

In the Bay State, known for its Democratic establishment, the people simply rebelled against a smug Democratic candidate. They also embraced a young and moderate Republican who found a message. I’ve always felt joy at the ability of voters to send messages.

To his credit, Obama didn’t climb into a hole like George W. Bush did after 2006. This time, the President got the message and changed direction, seeking a scaled down health reform package. That’s a good piece of business, and puts the GOP back on the spot.

POLL SHOCK

I was stunned this week at several national polls that showed a public perception of President Obama doing more for banks and big business than middle-class Americans. The bailout and Treasury Secretary Geithner’s role in it are still issues. The President might do well by asking Geithner to resign. He’s a bad communicator, and has been less than forthcoming about the AIG loans.

A WHITE HOUSE WEB APP?

Is this the future of news? There is now a WHITE HOUSE WEB APP. it’s free and offers “live streaming” of major events, briefings and more. Try it. It takes you inside the world of government.

BACK AT CHANNEL THREE-

I’m rejoining Channel Three, CBS 3, just for a few minutes. In my first appearance at the station since I left some years ago, the station has invited me on the Talk Philly show at noon today. The topic is my series of 12 shows on the Beatles at the Franklin Institute. See above. It will be nice to see old friends.

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Rush Limbaugh “distinguished” himself again this week by putting a racial tag on President Obama’s fast response to the disaster in Haiti. That is quite sad.  This is not a political issue.  This is about keeping people alive.

America’s response was America’s way – fast, thorough, with dramatic efforts to save lives and save a small and troubled nation. Our aid and our troops will once again show the world that when disaster erupts, the people and the government of this nation are willing to do what is necessary.

Also the subject of Haiti:  Where is the dictator? Hugo Chavez has not said a word about the crisis in the hemisphere. Where is the dictator, the self professed man of the people?  And maybe his friends in nuclear-seeking Iran could send some assistance?

This is a crisis of untold proportions, perhaps the worst disaster in the Americas in the last one hundred years. We can’t turn away. And in the great American tradition of giving. we won’t. This is no time for political division. Period.

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