When a disaster strikes, the person in charge had better be ready for a rebellion in the ranks and among the affected. The questions are: How come you weren’t better prepared? Why didn’t you foresee the danger? Where were the resources needed? What are you doing right now to control the damage? The fire chief in Los Angeles is the latest victim of criticism and her reputation is being torched as flames continue to leap.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket company has been a joke by comparison to Elon Musk’s SpaceX. No longer. Its New Glenn rocket soared into space last night successfully to the cheers of its controllers and technicians. Blue Origin has an ambitious schedule of launches planned and it will be a feat if it succeeds. What is needed is a serious competitor to SpaceX to keep both companies on edge. New Glenn is a PR breakthrough for Bezos. Well done.
News that a ceasefire might be imminent in Gaza is welcome to both sides. However, neither the Israelis nor Hamas have spoken directly to one another. They are using intermediaries to carry messages back and forth. One wonders how the two sides can maintain peace when they don’t trust one another enough to enter the same room. Indirect communications like this are fraught. One must trust the intermediary to convey terms exactly as proposed without editorializing or misunderstandings. That is not easy to do especially when negotiations are complex. If the two sides come to terms, it will be a big win for the intermediary — as big as the ceasefire itself.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has countered president-elect Trump’s claims of a stolen election with a 130-page report that details Trump’s efforts to overturn the results. The report details how Trump got away with criminal behavior. The document affirms what many believe but is rejected by those who support Trump. It is a communication that will be used by historians for decades to come to assess Trump’s reputation. Trump may have succeeded in the short run but he faces long odds in the future.
Conservatives can keep saying that there is no such thing as global warming, but facts remain. How do they explain them away? Sooner or later, they will need to concede and join the efforts to control it. It might not happen in the next four years, but it will come to pass.
When you are the president-elect, you can get off scot free from a felony conviction. It still harms one’s image and is unprecedented in American history. Trump will have to live with that.
But, there is no such thing as global warming…
McDonald’s is the latest corporation to roll back diversity initiatives in light of a Supreme Court ruling. The company is apparently no longer afraid of a PR backlash and lawsuits. It also might be responding to President-elect Trump’s vocal criticism of DEI programs. Whatever the reason, beneficiaries of inclusion are being left in the cold. The question now is what, if anything, will they do about it.
Puerto Rico’s new governor is making big promises to her island citizens to improve infrastructure, especially power, which is highly unstable on the island. Her constituency will hold her to them. By all accounts, Puerto Ricans are worn out by a lack of basic services on the island. They want change. It is an opportunity for the new governor and also a danger if she doesn’t produce quickly. If she succeeds, her image will soar and she will go down as one of the best governors in the history of the island. If she fails, it will be more of the same and her PR will be in the crapper. One hopes she likes a challenge.
James Carville has focused on the central issue and messaging Democrats need to take back the White House and Congress. His argument makes sense but will Democrats listen?
