Sizing up the Glenn Beck, Katie Couric Interview

Part of the brilliance of the man known as Glenn Beck is his capacity to stay in the headlines. With that, it was not a surprise that the first interview that CBS aired of Katie Couric's new online series was with the controversial talk show personality. At the opening of the show you see a visual of Couric with photos of many personalities that we can expect on future shows behind her. I believe that many, if not most, of those interviews have already taken place. She chose Beck in order to attract viewers and she knew from that interview that he brought something that would catch viewers attention: his controversial remarks about Sen. John McCain. During the program he said he preferred Hillary Clinton over Obama (no surprise) and Barack Obama over John McCain. This raised more than a few eyebrows.

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain was never a conservative darling. The Arizona Senator has long been a rogue and has his name on more bills with liberal darlings like Kennedy and Feingold, than of Republican standard bearers. Be it his controversial views on immigration or his opposition to free speech in an effort to curtail the ability of individuals to support candidates, McCain was always more loved by the media than by the rank and file of the party. He won his party's nomination because of the huge number of independent voters and a media continuously singing his praises.

I'm among the many who has criticized Senator McCain, although I greatly admire his service to his country, I was always troubled by the radical directions he was willing to take this nation. Fundamentally, McCain was no more willing to defend the principles of the Constitution than Obama, he just had different priorities in regards to his desire for change. In spite of this, I would find it very difficult to say I supported Obama over McCain.

Radio host Mark Levin has immediately gone on the attack and John McCain has treated the remark as a compliment. I wanted to make a couple of observations of my own on the subject:

• Electing John McCain would mean more "wilderness wanderings" for the GOP. The Republican Party is in desperate need of reform. A candidate like McCain would only slow down that goal.


• Remember Jimmy Carter? There were two people that made me leave my family's strong liberal and Democrat roots. The most obvious one was Ronald Reagan, who is one of my favorite modern presidents. The second, was Jimmy Carter who could not have demonstrated more clearly how great the need was for our nation to go in another direction. Obama is going to likely have the exact same effect, except he is Jimmy Carter on Steroids.

The problem many observers are having is can we survive Obama's term? Worse still, could we survive an Obama reelection? The damage he has done, the numerous battle fronts he pursues, and his desire to create a paradigm shift in the way we govern are making us all concerned about the nation's future. On the other hand, many feel as though we are on the eve of a second American Revolution. This stage was set by the radical policies of the Obama Administration.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. His articles often appear in Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, USA Today, and other national media. Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

"Morning in America" Replaced by "Nightmare on Main Street"

In 1980 and through out his two terms in office, the theme of the Reagan Administration was "Morning in America" and it could not be more accurate. I think back to the late 1970s when I was a teenager growing up under Jimmy Carter. In the late 1970s more countries had fallen to Communism than at any time since immediately after World War II. So called “unaligned” countries, particularly in Africa and South America fell under the grips of Communism. On the economic front, Americans were facing multiple demons: double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, and double digit interest rates. When Communist tyrants invaded Afghanistan, the US response was to not play games with the Soviets in the Olympics, a choice that punished our athletes and the untold number of Americans who would love to see them compete. Carter would try to make us feel better about our plight by doing fireside chats wearing a sweater (his subtle way of reminding us there was an energy crisis as well) and spending his time blaming Americans for our various problems. The crisis, we were told, was “a malaise” that had become rampant among the American people. Americans had become depressed and needed to believe in themselves again in order to be great again.

Ronald Reagan brought significant change to the American landscape. On the domestic front, Americans had been plagued by a welfare state that expanded under the Johnson Administration a couple of decades before. Those who did not want to work, did not have to. Government was entitled to as much of the public's money as it deemed necessary. Paying excessive taxes was considered "patriotic" and complaining about them was un-American. Democrats at this time enjoyed the jovial position of being the Santa Claus of the Welfare State and Republicans were relegated to being the scrooges financing government programs. It was no surprise that the Republican Party had been the minority party since 1932.

Ronald Reagan said to work was noble and to not work was a disgrace if one was able. Ronald Reagan declared that the government was taking the people's money and that is was the Congress, not the American people, that needed to be held accountable. His massive tax cuts in 1981 led to the longest period of prosperity since the booming 1920s. More importantly, Reagan changed the way people thought about government and became to believe that monies kept in the hands of the public was always better than money in the hands of government. In no time Republicans became the party of defenders of the taxpayer and Democrats became seen as thieves for those unwilling to work for themselves. In 1980 more than 30% described themselves as “card carrying Democrats.” By the end of the Reagan Administration, this number was down to single digits. Reagan changed America’s political demographics more than any person with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln.

Today, "Morning in America" almost seems like ancient history. Instead we are facing a "Nightmare on Main Street." Barack Obama is socializing medicine, destroying the energy industry, spreading a cancer through out the banking industry, destroying incentives for those who work, and is increasing entitlements for those who will not work. He is raising taxes on those who make $250,000 a year and more, as well as on those who drive cars, smoke cigarettes, use health care, have a job, or use money (thanks to his inflationary policies).

The Obama Administration promises to create a situation very similar to the one that catapulted Reagan into the White House. Even today, friends of liberty are wondering who could help fill the void. The challenge for us is to end the nightmare and usher a new era of prosperity and freedom that we have not seen in years. The time to begin that process is now.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com.

Is There an Upside to Obama?

Friends of liberty everywhere are up in arms over the dangerous rise of Barack Obama. People are storing up guns, discussing relocation to other countries, and are even stashing away cash in anticipation that things will likely get worse instead of better under this Administration. In fact, I'm one of many who believe that Obama wants things to get worst so that he can promote an ever expanding role for government.

With all the alarm, is there an upside to Barack Obama as President? I think so and here are a few examples:

• Barack Obama is one of the most polarising politicians in US history. For the first time in decades, the political camps have been very well defined. This creates clarity that I believe is long over due.


• Because we have Obama and his Democratic colleagues in Congress, it will be very easy for the American people to determine who is responsible for the direction we are going. Obama owns this economy and the direction the nation is going as a whole.


• I, for one, am delighted to not have faux Conservative in the White House. I have long stop defending Bush, but the media continually described Bush as someone who represents the Right. His insane and at times unAmerican policies were often projected as "Conservative," which could not be further from the case. Let the Democrats defend Obama for while!


• This situation is forcing politicians to define who they are and what they believe in like we haven't seen in years. This was painful for many, an epiphany for others. We need many to have life changing experiences and we need more to be accountable.


• This is forcing true believers in liberty to stop being co-dependents to liberal Republicans who have destroyed our reputation, if not our integrity. It appears we are not taking it any more. It is about time.
  

In spite of all this "up side," those who support free enterprise, limited government, and pro-family values have plenty to make them concerned. Surviving Barack Obama and over coming the obvious addiction the general population has of government will be no small task. But instead of being at the end of America's greatness, our best days may be yet to come. In 1979 I was getting involved in politics as a teenager at a time that seemed to me was our darkets hour. Our international reputation was laughable, inflation and unemployment were at double digits, and another country seemed to be falling under Communist influence every few months. At the time it seemed like the sun was falling on a great nation. In reaitly, it was a dawn of a new era. Our best days could still be ahead of us. That choice is ours.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am). Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business and says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com.

John McCain Can't Win?

I know, it is a little early. After all, Barack Obama just wrapped up his party's nod in the last week or so. But, it appears that John McCain should be doing the finishing touches on his concession speech right about now. At least that is the conclusion of many Presidential Historians.

The story has been running in Yahoo, AOL News, and many other media and the sources are made up of authorities on both the Left and the Right. On the positive side of the articles, they seem to be thoughtful and serious in the analysis. There is none of the teenager, "Obama is so cute" or "charismatic", or "the neatest thing since slice bread." It seems to be based on political realities.

From the Yahoo article: “This should be an overwhelming Democratic victory,” said Allan Lichtman, an American University presidential historian who ran in a Maryland Democratic senatorial primary in 2006. Lichtman, whose forecasting model has correctly predicted the last six presidential popular vote winners, predicts that this year, “Republicans face what have always been insurmountable historical odds.” His system gives McCain a score on par with Jimmy Carter’s in 1980.

In spite of Lichtman's history of accuracy, some of the comparisons between McCain and other failed candidates fall clearly in the realm of hyperbole. Even his comments that show McCain "on par" with Jimmy Carter is a bit too much for me. Jimmy Carter's economic performance was so bad that it helped lead a term used to describe under performing European economies to become a part of the US vernacular. "Stagflation," which is the combination of high inflation and high unemployment, became a notable part of the US economy in the 1970s. This is, after all, Bush's economy and that economy is no comparison to what Reagan inherited in 1980.

"Several," according to the article "saw Barack Obama’s prospects as the most promising for a Democrat since Roosevelt trounced Hoover in 1932." Give me a break. McCain's prospects are worse than the one for a man who had 25 percent unemployment? It is this kind of melodrama that makes it difficult to value the analysis. It is outlandish.

I believe that many of the assumptions about Obama are based on the Pre-primary Presidential candidate. Before the Rev. Wright incidences, the Michelle Obama comments, and the difficulty he has in remembering family history. I believe that if the members of his party knew in January what they know today, they would be wondering what the "First Man" would be wearing at his wife's inauguration. Most of the historians quoted and referred to in these news stories are known for a liberal bent. I think that they may be far more "optimistic" than realistic in their assessment.

According to recent surveys on marketing, most advertising attracts sellers (others who want you to buy more ads) and not buyers. Do you want to know why? Email info@HoustonBusinessShow.com and put "marketing audio" in the subject line and we will get it to you.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Historians to Bush: the Worst President?

One of the things I learned in the pursuit of my history degree is that the subject requires a long term perspective. There should be some time between the person and his or her impact on society before historians size them up. Many of my professors at Abilene Christian University -- conservative or liberal -- would say that if they are sizing up a President's impact before his time is done, they are political scientists, not historians. Many of those same professors would say "and, after all, political science isn't a real discipline."

Seriously though, these words of wisdom are being largely ignored by historians today. According to a recent US News & World Reports, "President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history."

The worst ever? I'm sorry, but I was just talking to someone today about applying for a cashier job at a grocery store and stood in a line that went all the way around the corner. There were two openings at that store. During that time when President Carter was in charge, 13 countries fell to Communism, we had hyperinflation by US historical perspectives, and we were a laughing stock around the world. During that time, we were told by Carter that it was America's fault for being in such a sorry state. We no longer believed in ourselves, we were told.

We didn't stop believing in America, just the politicians running this country. It lead to a mandate going to Ronald Reagan and an American Renaissance. I come from a multi-generational family of Democrats and Carter single handily changed that view. With that, I'm not even sure if Carter was the worst (although he was certainly on the short list of such), but he makes Bush look absolutely brilliant.

In a recent blog post I discussed how the media has altered our perceptions of the economy. We have been fed recession garbage for years and are starting to believe it. Economist John Lott, Jr pointed out that our economic numbers are generally better than a decade ago when Clinton was President -- a period described as economically prosperous. I expect some of the average news consumers to buy into this media propaganda, but not serious historians.

George Bush will not be one of my favorite Presidents, I am sure. His failure to promote free enterprise and its success in the 2006 Congressional races haunts us today (and likely will in 2008), his expansion of government in several areas has been damaging, his inability to articulate the case for the war, and his haphazard and often liberal answers to our current credit crisis leaves much to be desired. But this is a man who presided over the country on September 11th, 2001 and helped restore confidence in this country that lead to a 17 percent growth of the economy under his tenure and remarkably low unemployment. The best President? No. The worst President? Give me a break.

Historians should know better and give history time to judge Bush and leave, what appears to be political agendas to political scientists. After all, they don't know any better.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Do Democrats Fear John McCain?

Do Democrats fear John McCain? According to the latest web commercial from the John McCain commercial, the answer is overwhelmingly, "yes." In the commercial, found at JohnMcCain.com, individuals see a series of quotes from individuals expressing who Democrats fear most in this election. Without exception, the answer is Senator McCain.

In my friendships and business relationships, I get a similar response. The prospect of a McCain candidacy keeps the Democrats up at night, I am told.

I'm not buying it. Sure, he will likely make the Democrats life difficult when he talks about national defense and terrorism. As a former POW and veteran, and heroic in many respects, he will be tough to tackle on those issues. Furthermore, he has been consistently right on the war from the beginning and the Democrats have become remarkably quiet about it in recent weeks. Why? Because Americans seem to be interested in winning again rather than merely getting out in a hurry.

However, on numerous other issues, there is a little difference between him and the Democrats. He has been terribly inconsistent on taxes, soft on spending issues, and has flip-flopped on immigration. My view is, if you have a choice between a Democrat or a Democrat impersonator, you will choose the original article.

I can't help but think that there is a little bit of reverse psychology in the quotes by these Democrat leaders in this commercial. Would they sincerely express who they really fear or would they give the impression they fear one in the effort to get the GOP to choose that candidate? My gut tells me that the latter is the case. By the way, those Republicans e.g., Robert Novak) who are saying the same thing in the ad are merely quoting what Democrats are telling them. The Democrats want McCain because he will likely do a poor job to motivate the Republican base that are so crucial in getting someone elected.

I believe that the Democrats fear Mitt Romney the most. Why? He has the important Governor credential that has been the most common characteristic of every successful Presidential candidate since the 1970s. In fact, only one candidate since Carter hasn't had that credential -- George H.W. Bush -- who sat from the lofty position of sitting Vice President. He has proven that he can win in one of the toughest states for Republicans in the country. This is no small accomplishment. Furthermore, McCain is on the brink of financial ruin. Romney has plenty of cash to sail smoothly into the general election. Romney, who does have his own flip flop problems, has the strongest favorable positions on the issues that motivate the Republican faithful. This will be crucial come November.

I am not sure any of these Republicans are worthy to cause the Democrats to be fearful. But if there is one, it isn't McCain.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Stalemate Optimism?

My daughter and I were watching the news this morning when it was announced that Sen. George Allen (R-VA) appeared to be conceeding the race to challenger Jim Webb, she said to me, "does that mean the Democrats won both the House and the Senate?" I answered yes and she said, "thank God for checks and balances." When it comes to politics, I have my kids fairly well trained.

It appears the Stock Market is taking a very similar view to my daughter, closing at a record high yesterday. This didn't happen because they were necessarily happy about the Congress going back to the Democrats, but simply remember how little government did during the Clinton years because of Republican majorities in the Congress. They see those as the "good old days."

It is true, and I discussed in yesterday's blog, that we can expect very little to be accomplished between now and '08 and I consider this to actually be a good thing in many respects (allowing the market to manage itself). But there are a few areas -- like the mentioned built in tax increases in yesterday's article -- that will make things rocky over the next few years, in my opinion.

I have to mention, as an aside, that I was part of a Yahoo Group supporting George Allen as a possible candidate for President in 2008. He was on the short list of serious Republican candidates because he was a former Governor (very important in modern Presidential politics), Conservative, from the South (also very important), and extremely popular. Well it appears the last point is now suspect. That demonstrates how big of a fall from grace the Republicans appeared to have had. I guess he might start to remind people that Jimmy Carter was defeated as Governor before he ran for President, but, then again, who wants to compare themselves to Jimmy Carter?

It appears the President could have served himself better by accepting Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld resignation before November 7th (every president requires such from each Cabinet member and senior staff when they begin their service). I'm sure it would have helped improve election results. But we have no time to dwell on yesterday, it is now time to focus on tomorrow.

On the domestic front, I join Wall Street in hoping that the next two years results in a whole lot of nothing. That is our best bet for economic opportunity and growth.