Co-ruminating

According to Word Spy, a new word has been added to the lexicon: co-rumination. Co-rumination (also corumination) is the extensive and repeated discussion, particularly among friends, of problems and negative feelings.  

It seems to be especially prevalent among teenagers. According to The New York Times, psychologists have said that “co-rumination can be detrimental to a teenager's emotional health” but they can avoid that outcome by “working towards finding a solution.”

Like, thank God I’m no longer a teenager.

The vice presidential debates

Joe Biden won. True, Sarah Palin didn’t seem confused or out of her element but she didn’t stand up to Biden.

Biden seemed to have his facts and was in command of his talking points. It’s a valid observation to say that Biden’s facts were often wrong (e.g., he twice stated that the US has spent more in three weeks in Iraq than we have spent on seven years in Afghanistan: Spending in Iraq is about $10 billion per month and spending in Afghanistan from 2002 runs about $172 billion), his positions misrepresented facts (he said that Palin’s assertion that he opposed “clean coal” was taken out of context; it wasn’t – he was covering up his lack of knowledge of the Obama platform) and he was inconsistent (he said that the surge wouldn’t work in Afghanistan and then said he supported surging more troops into Afghanistan).

There’s more, but Palin didn’t have the knowledge, temperament or game plan to challenge Biden on those issues. So Biden looked better and won the debate on style.

Despite all that, for me the clear difference came when Palin said, “We have got to win in Iraq,” and Biden countered with, “We will end this war.” Winning is hard and it affects our country’s international standing and the perceptions others have of us and how they will support or respect us. Ending a war is easy; we effectively surrender and that also affects our country’s international standing and the perceptions others have of us and how they will support or respect us.

When it comes down to it, whom would you rather be a “heart beat away” from the president? Someone seemingly in command of his facts and talking points who is committed to ending the war or someone who is committed to winning the war?

The choice is yours.

Debates don’t always reveal character

Taylor Stockdale, son of Ross Perot’s vice presidential candidate James Stockdale, reflected on his late father’s debate in 1992. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, the younger Stockdale puts things in perspective. It is an interesting read and can be found here http://wsj.com/article/SB122273224998788261.html.

Subprime Mortgages

There’s a lot of finger-pointing on this one. Some politicians point at greedy bankers. Some politicians point at borrowers who took out bigger loans than they could afford. Some people point at politicians who pressured banks into providing subprime loans to people who really weren’t credit-worthy.

But few point to community activists – and maybe they should. Community activists like the one from Illinois who in 1994 sued Citibank and achieved a settlement when Citibank agreed to write subprime mortgages in Illinois. I won’t mention that community activist’s name but you can go to the court case and scroll down to the list of plaintiff’s lawyers (http://clearinghouse.wustl.edu/detail.php?id=10112&search=source|general).

Oversight!!!

Critics (and even some supporters) of the bailout bill that passed congress say we can’t just let $700 billion be spent without some oversight. Sounds about right but who should we get to oversee the spending?

How about Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd (D, CT)? Nah, he’s already been there and done that – and not very effectively.

How about someone in the House of Representatives? How about Financial Service committee chairman Barney Frank? Nah, his experience in over seeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac left something to be desired.

How about Senator Chuck Schumer (D, NY), who serves on the Senate’s Banking and Finance Committees? Well, he’s got some experience with the crisis; he precipitated California’s Indymac bank failure by publicly announcing its “possible collapse” which, in turn, caused a run on the bank.  Maybe not Schumer.

How about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV)? He set off a run on insurance stocks last week by announcing "a major insurance company — one with a name that everyone knows — that's on the verge of going bankrupt," even though he later admitted that he had talked with no insurance companies, had no knowledge of any insurance company failure or had any special knowledge of any insurance company’s financial conditions. Maybe Reid’s not the guy.

How about someone who has spent a career in the financial industry and has been approved by both Republicans and Democrats? How about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke? That might work, but he needs someone to work with him.

This might sound crazy but Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is one of the bailout bill’s initial authors and has the power, under the bailout bill, to make decisions that “may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” Suggesting Paulson (along with Bernanke) to oversee Paulson sounds crazy but Paulson does have something else to recommend him

According to unattributed reports, in closed congressional hearings last week, Paulson angered several congressmen by his blunt and to-the-point style. You have to admit, someone who angers the likes of Dodd, Frank, Schumer, Reid and some of the others can’t be all bad.

Quote without comment

Michael Nutter, Philadelphia mayor: “Fact is, al Qaeda wouldn’t last a day in parts of Philadelphia. I’ve got gangsters with .45s that would run them out of town.”

Paul Newman

When Paul Newman died last week, many of us thought wistfully about his passing and of the legacy he left behind. That legacy has been dwelt upon by many other but I will pass along some memories of Newman.

Back in the early 1980s, I had a neighbor who was very active in Democratic politics (he even ran for congress once). As a party fund raiser, he would host cocktail parties at his home and would invite Democratic Party activist Robert Redford. To attend these parties, you would pay $150 and, in return, get a couple of drinks and a chance to personally chat with Redford. On the morning of one of these parties Redford called the host to say that he had been called to a meeting in Hollywood and had to fly to there immediately but not to worry, he would find a substitute for the party. The party was held and all the guests were assembled when there was a knock at the door. Wearing sun glasses and a “Robert Redford” name tag, in walked Paul Newman.

Another story has to do with Newman’s “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.”  The camp, begun by Newman and funded to a great degree by “Newman’s Own” food products (http://www.newmansown.com/), “provides children [afflicted] with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a camping experience of the highest quality, while extending year-round support to their families and health care providers.” Newman would often visit this camp and chat with the children. As he was sitting at a lunch table with a very young boy who clearly had no idea who Newman was, the child asked, “Who are you?” Newman picked up a handy bottle of Newman’s Own salad dressing and pointed to his picture on the label. “That’s me,” he said. The child studied the picture, looked at Newman and asked, “Are you lost?”

Westport, Connecticut, where Newman lived, had an old-fashioned ice cream parlor with

marble counter tops and wrought iron chairs. They tell the story of a local woman who, on a hot August day, decided to treat herself to a chocolate ice cream cone. She walked into the Westport Ice cream parlor and there, sitting across from the ice cream ordering station – just three feet away — was Paul Newman licking an ice cream cone. He looked at the woman and smiled. “Be still my heart,” she thought, and ordered her ice cream. She nonchalantly turned and looked over to Newman who was still looking at her and still smiling. Not knowing what else to do, she turned back to the clerk, paid for her ice cream and exited the shop. When she got outside she realized that she did not have her ice cream cone. Figuring that the clerk must have put the cone in a handy stand on the counter, she went back in but there was no cone in the stand. As she looked around helplessly, she saw Newman still sitting there. He looked at her, smiled and said, “It’s in your purse.”

Robert J. Kulak

West Hartford, Connecticut