THE CULT OF PERSONALITY

Am I alone in this observation? Are too many Americans so blinded by the charm of the 44th President, that engaging smile, aided by a sea of lapdog media members... that they can't see reality? I've run into too many people who have no clue about the Executive Orders that have been signed since Inauguration Day: the pro-abortion moves, rampant spending and pork, etc... and when informed about the facts, they don't seem to care. What matters most, I guess is the quest for "change" and "hope", hope-for-change. And cool slogans, posters and more smiles. I just saw an NBC TV story about how the Obama buzz is pervasive, and retailers are cashing in by warming to the image.... it's everywhere. Hey, that's the wonder of marketing. But when you really think about the sort of hypnotic spell apparently cast on the masses --- something we thought was only a campaign season phenomenon---isn't it just a little bit creepy... and Orwellian?

GETTING A CLUE ON DIGITAL

The U.S. Senate, in all its "wisdom", voted to delay the TV switch to all-digital... to June. Not February 17, as we've been told endlessly for many months.  Just how much time does the American public need to be told they (well, those small numbers who still use analog, over-the-air television) must convert or have no Boob Tube?  Government (aka TAYPAYERS) even subsidize the conversion boxes to help in the transition. Hey, what's a little more money thrown at problems? The House still has to approve the delay to June, and it might happen. This is a big poke in the eye to businesses (like San Diego's Qualcomm) who've invested millions and millions in the changes. Once again, government is tone-deaf to to how the economy works.  Maybe they're concerned that someone dense enough to miss the digital change message after all this time is their "political base". And they can't afford to lose those diehards in the base who blindly support everything the new administration does. So, politicians must keep communication with them over old TV technology and lull them via "stun" mode, swayed by smiles and platitudes and promises. Why, with no TV, these people might actually read something. And know what's really going on beyond the carefully cultivated images.

JOB ONE

The main focus for the new President should be: National mood improvement. The funk has gone on long enough, and both major parties have played a role in creating the problem, aided by the national media. Yes, the economy is most important, but right now confidence has to be restored first. That's not done with out-of-line executive orders giving terrorists more wiggle room, promoting abortion and adding new restrictions on business due to global warming hysteria. (And Mr. President, please resist temptations to reinstate the un-Constitutional "fairness doctrine" to try to put a cork in talk radio.) National and state leaders need to back-off further squeezes on the auto industry, too. When the economy's on the ropes, it's not the time.

LARSON ON TELEVISION THIS WEEKEND

I'll be a guest on KUSI-TV's "San Diego People" with Paul Bloom, Sunday at 10AM.  We'll be talking about Obama's first 100 days and expectations, etc.  The half hour show airs on Channel 9 and 51 in San Diego.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Past the smiles and good feelings, the post-inaugural euphoria, the real message is delivered via what happens behind the scenes. Keep your eye on the Executive Orders the new President signs... and ask yourself if his actions meet the rhetoric. Of course elections have consequences, and fellow conservatives who are now acting surprised and irritated that Obama is going to make moves that empower abortion advocates (for example) ...well, it's part of the package. Many of us warned of this months ago. You get what you buy, no matter how intoxicating the image is. So far I'm not encouraged by what's being signed... we'll see how it all plays out in the big picture.

GOD BLESS HIM

It's become the thing-to-do: Wishing that Barack Obama is "successful" in his new job. Often it's said without any qualifiers, so let's be clear: I want the new President to be successful in everything that is in the best interests of the country... not party. And yes, he is my President (as of tomorrow). I will not stoop to the level of the far-left (and some on the far-right during the Clinton era) saying otherwise. The American people voted and now get what they want. Of course it's still not evident what we'll be getting, or just how much of a miracle worker than "44" will be. There will also be millions who wake up on Wednesday morning and wonder where their free money is. Some will be stuck for a while in a long, post-euphoria hangover. But I pray for the President-elect, his family and for their safety. I also hope for an abundance of wisdom for the new leader. The challenge will be to avoid typical party politics, those grandstanding gnats in Congress and the temptation of "easy" fixes. One more thing: On this MLK Day, this is indeed a great moment for America in terms of equality. That's something that rises above petty politics.

BUT SOON IT'S BACK TO WORK: Will Congress press for a return to the "fairness doctrine" to try to put a cork in talk radio? It's possible, of course... unless both left and right fight it. Here's the latest on the issue from Human Events' Jed Babbin and Rowan Scarborough (and yours truly is even quoted in it):
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30238

SNAP OUT OF IT

America... get a grip. All the angst over retail sales, housing meltdowns, financial sinkholes, etc. is taking a huge psychological toll on the nation. President-elect Obama's main job needs to "counsellor in chief", bring in some sunny optimism... and fast. Enough of the "it's horrible, it will get worse, blah blah blah".  Think Reagan... "Morning in America".

Case in point: Retail sales numbers were released yesterday. Yes, December was down more than experts expected, 2.7%  About 10% December 08 vs. December 07.  Not a surprise, considering all the negative news... the non-stop telling Americans "you're not buying, it's going to be awful". 

BUT: With all the nasty, negative news for weeks throughout the Christmas season, didn't you expect much , much worse? Exactly.  And care to take a guess regarding how retail sales fared for the entire year?   Off 10%?  20? More?  We wouldn't be surprised if those were the real numbers, based on political spin, Wall St. news and constant jitters.   Here's the real number, 2008 vs. 2007 in retail sales... for the entire year in the USA:  Down 0.1%  That's right. A mere TENTH of one percent. Surprised? You bet. Let's get over it and move forward with more confidence.

SPEAKING OF REAGAN: The 40th President used to love to tell the story of the little kid who was digging deep through a huge manure pile. When asked why he was doing that the boy said, "With all this manure there's got to be a pony in here somewhere!". Now that's optimism.

ENOUGH ALREADY

With the inauguration less than a week away, everyone from news hacks to late-night comedians are taking their final shots at President Bush. It's like a low-level clearance sale. The cheap shots abound as they bank on the short attention span and lack-of-historical-context general public. A common theme: What has Bush really accomplished? Hey, I've given him plenty of flack for spending too much and occasional dumb decisions (Harriet Miers comes to mind) but one major thing is certain: George W. Bush has kept Americans safe in the homeland since September 11, 2001. A prediction: The USA will get whacked in the next year. The media will, of course, blame Bush. That will be far from the real story.

MANAGED EXPECTATIONS

That's what Prez-elect Obama's all about right now. Seems like there's an almost hourly update about how awful things are and how they'll stay awful (or worse) for a longggg time. This points out a couple of things: He's not sure his plans will really work and his most ardent supporters (who think they just elected God) are slow learners... have to tell them over and over again that it's not going to all be wonderful magic on inauguration day. I hope and pray that he does the right thing and America gets out of its major mental funk soon, but one of the ways he'll need to make that happen is to avoid blaming Bush for everything over the next few years. It's now all about what's the President going to do, vs. the non-stop empty platitudes during the campaign.

LARSON NEWS: Thanks very much for all the emails since I departed 1700AM last week.
It's been very encouraging as I work through the next steps in settling things after such an unexpected turn. I've been in this business too long to fall into the temptation to "grich and moan" about the situation. Besides, I'm not the only person impacted by the recent events. Needless to say, the story isn't "over". We'll see how things work out. I'll keep you posted here when I'm able to say more.

For those concerned about "what's Larson doing now?", please go to www.marklarson.com for updates on all the "Larson, Inc." work I've always been doing...and will now be expanding. These are crazy times for media .... radio, TV and especially print. But its nothing different compared to what many companies and employees are going through right now.