REICH COMMUNICATIONS

More tax breaks... for the super-rich

 

More tax give-aways to the super-rich.

How ironic that many Republican leaders criticize what they call “entitlements” like Social Security and Medicare (which we pay for throughout our working lives) and other programs like Food Stamps and school lunch programs designed to help our less-fortunate brothers and sisters.  

The irony is that these same Republican leaders are giving wealthy individuals and big corporations who are their financial supporters huge tax cuts that do nothing for the rest of us other than add more than $400 billion to the national debt, which we all end up paying for through interest on that debt.

Now the administration is considering another huge tax cut for the wealthy in the form of lower taxes on capital gains from the sale of stocks and bonds.  For some of the middle class, such a tax break might mean a few hundred or maybe a few thousand dollars, while it could reap millions for the very rich.  Remember, most Americans don’t have stocks or bonds, so the price of the Dow or the proposed tax breaks will have no direct impact on them.  Instead, it would burden us and our children with another $100 billion in national debt.

We’ve already seen the administration give the super-rich a $1.5 trillion tax cut, which has added to an already-ballooning national debt.  Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, writes in today’s N.Y. Times that neither tax cuts nor tariffs are working.  In fact, he says, there’s evidence that the new tariffs are actually hurting American business while pushing prices up for American consumers.  Trump likes to say the tax cuts have helped boost economic growth to 2.9 percent last year, but a closer look shows that growth doesn’t come close to offsetting revenues lost to the Treasury by the tax cuts.

It would be nice to see our elected leaders doing something to help those of us in the middle, but their focus clearly to make the super-rich even richer.  Time for a change, I would think.

If It Quacks Like a Duck ...

 

There cannot be room for words of racism and hate in our public dialogue and from our elected leaders... especially from the very top.

A big part of the president's job is to unite and heal, not divide and hurt. The person in the White House is supposed to set a high moral example that the rest of us would strive to follow, rather than demean the office and this nation with hateful racist words.

Congress was right to issue a statement condemning the president's racist words. Yet I can't help but wonder how 187 legislators in the House could, in good conscience, sit on their hands when it came time to officially and publicly call out racism. I understand party loyalty, but this issue should rightfully go beyond whether a Congressperson has a D or an R after their name.

The Republicans in Congress have allowed themselves to sink to a new low that belies one of the core values upon which this great nation has been built. Whether you chalk it up to fear or spinelessness, it still is so wrong and so damaging. Other nations are watching and noting that Americans -- or many of our leaders, at least -- implicitly support racism and hatred.

This is not good and it must change.

We have the power to bring change. I just wish we didn't have to wait another 16 months to implement that change. Serious damage is being done every day.

Enough!!

 

Jews shot while at prayer in synagogues in Pittsburgh and California, while anti-Semitism rises here and in Europe.  Muslims shot in their mosques in New Zealand.  Black churches being shot up or set afire in the south.  Shootings at Catholic churches in Sri Lanka.  People fleeing poverty and political strife being turned away or imprisoned at our borders.

What is happening to us?  Where does all this hatred come from?  Why is it increasing now, instead of coming to an end as our world grows smaller and we learn and understand more about each other? 

Hatred and mistrust of others who believe differently or don’t look like us is nothing new.  It been around for centuries – maybe even from when humans first evolved.  It’s been the cause of countless wars and major genocides including the Crusades and the Holocaust.

As a Jew, I’ve felt that distrust or dislike from others.  Thankfully, it’s been rare for me, but it’s been there.  And of course, others of my faith have felt it in ways too painful to try to describe – pogroms in Czarist Russia, which is what brought my grandparents here to America more than 100 years ago, and the Holocaust, which caused many millions to lose loved ones and even entire families.

For what? 

We can’t blame the resurgence of hate crimes on one person, but our president is undeniably a factor in this troubling trend.  His words of hate and intolerance stir haters here and abroad and make some who might be on the fringes to take that step – desecrating cemeteries and places of learning and worship, or at the extreme, shooting people because they are “different.”  His words of “thoughts & prayers” ring hollow and false when he also embraces and encourages white supremacists by calling them “good people.”

I know he will never own up to his actions or admit he’s been absent in terms of calling out these senseless acts of hatred.  Instead, he’s to tell us something insulting like “Nobody likes the Jews more than me” or “There’s my black in the audience.”

With all the lies, distortions, moral and ethical missteps and so many other things bordering on criminality, probably the most damaging thing he’s done so far in his term is to further divide us and turn us against our fellow Americans.  It’s been so much more than pitting Republicans and Democrats against each other.  It’s been black vs. white, poor vs. rich, Christians and Jews vs. Muslims, farmers vs. city folk, educated vs. less educated, white collar vs. blue collar, “real” Americans vs. immigrants of color.

Enough!! 

It’s time for our leaders, especially elected leaders of both parties, to call him out and demand he put a stop to hateful rhetoric, starting at the top – in the White House.  He is not speaking like an American leader.  He must be told to stop, by Congressional censure or some action or statement that tells us and the world that his hate-filled words do NOT represent what’s in the hearts of most Americans.

 

 

Credibility: A Key Asset in PR

 

One of the most valuable things a person in public relations can earn and maintain is credibility. 

The media are, understandably, a skeptical group.  It's their job to verify information they are given, especially when it comes from a spokesperson for a company, organization or politician.  And if that spokesperson gets caught lying, their credibility goes out the window.  Media people won’t ever trust anything coming from that person.

Sometimes a spokesperson gets incorrect information, whether intentionally or in error.  A good and confident PR person will push back and try to convince his or her bosses to stay with the truth or, at worse, say nothing.  It’s not always easy and many of us have been pushed to give in and tell lies.

I feel bad for any PR person who works for a boss who lies and puts that spokesperson in an untenable position with the media.  I could never imagine working for Sarah Sanders’ boss, who constantly lies, contradicts himself and makes or tweets off-the-cuff statements that often create a frenzy, as politicos and the media try to figure exactly what he meant.

But I don’t feel sorry for Sarah Sanders.  She agreed to the job she’s in and, through so many presidential lies, has remained there, often repeating or reinforcing her boss’ lies with yet more lies. 

The White House media have long been on to her game, yet they must rely on her since she is the media gatekeeper to the president.

The Mueller report has proven she is a liar.  On at least two occasions, the report shows, Sanders made "erroneous" statements and, when called out on them, lied again when she explained why she lied.  She lied about the lies when under oath before Mueller and his investigators.  Even when her lies have been exposed, she has not apologized and instead went on the attack against Democrats who have been saying there’s been Russian interference in our elections.

New York Times White House reporter Peter Baker said Monday that “a press secretary’s most important asset is credibility.  If you don’t have that, there’s not much point.”  We all make mistakes, he added, but the key to credibility is to own up to them.

CNN analyst and American Urban Radio reporter April Ryan said about Sanders, “She has acknowledged that she lied under oath.  You can’t trust her.  End of story.”

Ryan has called for Sanders to be fired, saying, “She’s been caught in lie after lie. It’s beyond spin.  In any other job, if someone acknowledged they’d lied under oath, they’d be gone.. terminated.”

In the Washington Post, media reporter Paul Farhi wrote that, “to some extent, Sanders’ credibility is a moot point, given her increasing isolation from and limited contacts with the press.” 

This administration, under Sanders’ hand as press secretary, has, as of today, set a record for the longest stretch – 43 days -- without a media briefing.  So far this year, she has held only two press briefings totaling about 30 minutes.  This, as the spokesperson for the man holding the most important job in the world.

 

Shining the Light

 

As expected, immediately after Attorney General Barr released his 4-page summary of the Mueller report, many on the right began calling up conspiracy theories about the "hoax" of collusion and Russian interference in our elections. They blamed Democrats, who they say are still sore losers over the 2016 election. And they also placed blame on the media.

It's interesting that we are now hearing reports from inside the Dept. of Justice that AG Barr's summary is not accurately reflective of the Mueller report and that it does find some questionable, even if not criminal, behavior in the president's camp.

An op-ed in Murdock's Wall Street Journal, whose hard news coverage I generally respect, rekindled the "fake news" claims, citing a few instances where the media got it wrong. It didn't bother to note the many more cases where the media got it right, often uncovering things that run counter to honesty and integrity in government.

The media play a crucial role in our democracy, keeping we, the citizens, informed by questioning our elected officials on policy and actions and, yes, tweets. The media also serve us by by finding and reporting on bad or even illegal behavior in our government.

The president and his enablers don't like this, since it hampers or prevents them from doing as they please behind the scenes. Media oversight and investigation expose actions that may not be in the public interest or in keeping with ethics and moral values most Americans hold dear.

So of course those in power will try to push back and silence the media. It's painfully clear and obvious.

That's why it's so important that the majority do our own pushing back, calling out the lie about " fake news" and standing behind the media. Buy and read newspapers. Watch the news on the networks. Write to advertisers who support papers and network news or, if you can, buy the products and services they advertise.

It's on us to support the media so they can continue shining light on the darkness.

How Can We Believe Him?

When you catch someone in a lie once, you might give him a pass.  We all stretch the truth occasionally, even if just a little bit.

But when someone seems to lie constantly, even about little things, we start to doubt anything that person says.  Unfortunately, that’s the case with our president.  In his State of the Union address, fact-checkers say he lied or stretched the truth at least 30 times.  That’s a lie every two minutes.

He’s lied about so many things that most of us have lost track.  Those who do keep track of these things tell us he’s told more than 7,700 lies or misrepresentations of facts since he’s been in office.  The crazy thing is that so many of those less-than-truthful statements can easily be exposed thanks to video and audio tape showing he says or does the opposite of what he claims he’s said.

Most of us are so tired of the lies that we put absolutely no stock in what he says.  And these days, many world leaders feel the same way.  Trust in the United States globally has dropped precipitously, which is both sad and frightening.

I should admit here, before I go any farther, that I did not watch the State of the Union address Tuesday night.  I just couldn’t force myself to sit through what was likely to be an hour of lies and self-praise.  I am relying on reports from people who had to watch it – reporters and media that I trust.  And those media include not only The New York Times and Washington Post, but also the conservative editorial writers at The Wall Street Journal.

The president talked a lot about unity.  To many, including me, those calls to end divisiveness rang hollow.  In the State of the Union address, he asked that both parties work together.  Yet only hours before the address, at a luncheon with major media, he talked derisively about his political opponents.  And the next day, he went back to his old ways of name-calling those he disagrees with, calling Rep. Adam Schiff, who leads a House Committee that’s doing its job of Constitutionally-mandated oversight, a “hack.”

He lied or misrepresented facts in immigration, including the amount of crime in a border city he used as an example – El Paso.  The mayor of that city, a Republican, said the president is wrong.

He talked about the “great threat” to our national security posed by migrants coming to our southern border, even as his own intelligence chiefs told Congress that the southern border did not make their list of top security concerns.

“Do as I say, not as I do” seems to be the president’s behavioral model.  And because what he constantly does is the opposite of promoting unity – whether in politics or international relations or racial relations here at home – it really is hard to believe anything he says about anything, whether in a press gaggle or before Congress and the nation in the State of the Union.   

Maybe it's time for the real news media to focus on real news

 

We have a president who continues to be out of control when it comes to the media.

What politician wouldn’t hope for the media to report only good news about what he’s doing?  But any politician who has an adult’s understanding of how the media work in a democracy and why they seek to find what’s behind a politician’s words and actions knows – and must accept – the fact that what the media say may not always be what you’d like them to say.

But the current president continues to slam the media and use the phrase “enemy of the people” to try to convince people not to believe what they report.  In his view, the only media outlet worth listening to is what’s become the White House organ -- FOX News, which to any viewer with their eyes and minds open can plainly see is just a shill for the president.  It's what, in a dictatorship, would be State News.

The dust-up in yesterday’s White House news conference is yet another example of a president off the rails and trying to use the bully pulpit of his office to control or censor the free press.  Name-calling some reporters, including calling a black reporter a racist, and then trying to shut up CNN’s Jim Acosta by having an aide physically try to pull the microphone out of his hands is simply going too far.  The subsequent banning of Acosta from the White House because he accosted the White House aide is bogus.  If you look at the video, the aide is clearly seen trying to grab the mic out of Acosta’s hand and, without touching her, he pulled the mic out of her reach.  If anything, she physically attacked him.

Here’s what I’d love to see.  The major media should agree, as a group, to not cover presidential news conferences. Have one pool reporter there to represent them all, just in case some real news comes out.  And if there is no real news to report that day, then there’s no coverage of the president that day.  No reporting about whatever crazy things he says on Twitter, no coverage of whatever name-calling he sink to.  We’ve seen too many times how his words are meaningless, contradictory or outright lies, so why cover it?

Instead, a presidential news blackout, for at least a day.

Leave coverage of the childish name-calling and unwanted presidential opinions on irrelevant things ranging from a TV show's ratings to whether or not he likes a particular singer or sports team or celebrity who may have been critical of him to FOX and the gossip media.  Let the real news media get back to covering real news, which often legitimately does not and should not include the president’s take on things.  We’ve seen too many times how his words are meaningless, contradictory or outright lies.

It’s time to focus back on the real news of the day.

"Failing" NY Times hardly failing

 

The New York Times is not failing, but in fact is doing quite well in terms of both readership and finances.

The paper the president calls an” enemy of the people” is succeeding and prosperous because it is serving the people with factual reporting and correcting the constant stream of lies coming from the White House.

Yesterday the Times company reported its quarterly earnings and profits are up by 30 percent – that’s hardly “failing” in anybody’s book.  The subscriber base has risen again, now topping 4 million.  That includes an increase of 203,000 in digital subscriptions.

The “enemy of the people” says 70 percent of the new digital subscriptions were for news, and the rest for special features like cooking and crosswords.

Revenue from print advertising dropped again, but it was a slight decrease – less than one percent – and it was offset by increases in digital ads.  Overall, ad revenues increased by seven percent. 

The company said they're investing some of the profits in the newsroom, which we hope will bring us more hard news and investigative stories.

I’m happy to see The Times company is thriving, especially since its main product – The New York Times – continues to be a vital part of keeping Americans apprised of what’s really happening in D.C. and elsewhere during these tricky times.   

Words Do Matter

This post is personal, not political.

I am an American Jew.  Not a Jewish-American, but an American Jew. 

I am a 2^nd-generation American.  This country welcomed my grandparents more than 100 years ago when they came to Ellis Island in New York Harbor, fleeing pogroms and terrorism against Jews in Russia and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.   

This country enabled my grandparents and my parents to raise their families in peace, with each generation moving up the financial and education ladder.  I was the first in my family to graduate from college.

As a kid, I sometimes felt isolated because of my religion – mostly around Christmastime when so many friends and neighbors put up decorations and trees and we sang Christmas carols in school.   Outside of the house or synagogue, I rarely heard any mention or acknowledgement of Chanukah.

By the time my children were in school, things were very different and people – at least here in the New York area – acknowledged that some of us held beliefs other than Christianity, and the shared values as well as the differences were celebrated.

I’ve been fortunate that, except for some stupid incidents when I was about 10 or 11, I haven’t faced anti-Semitism directly.  And even at 10 when I and some mostly Jewish friends were chased off a neighborhood ballfield by some Catholic school kids who threw rocks at us and called us Christ-killers, I held no grudge, since I had so many Catholic friends and neighbors who I knew would never condone such behavior and who always treated me and my family with affection and respect.

Despite feeling a part of this great nation, I’ve always had a nagging fear – way down deep – that what happened in Germany in the 1930s could happen here.  The Jews in Germany were assimilated, like Jews are here, and they were a vital part of that nation’s cultural and economic life.  Most of them felt what eventually happened there could never happen to them.

That’s how many of us Jews here in America feel.  We love this country and we cherish the freedoms it affords.  But we can’t ignore history and as much as I couldn’t imagine discrimination or worse for Jews here in America, deep down is the knowledge that to some, we are different and perhaps viewed with suspicion or even hatred.  Usually, I feel secure because civility and the law will protect me and my loved ones from anti-Semitism that might turn violent.

Now here’s the part that may look political, but I’m just speaking honestly…  The rhetoric that we’ve seen from the president over the past 3+ years has alarmed me.  If he talks hatred against Latinos and Blacks, we know what eventually follows… the Jews.  And in his rallies, he has made some statements that could be seen as dog-whistles for anti-Semites. 

The Anti-Defamation League has documented a startling increase in hate crimes against Jews in America over the past 2 years  -- up almost 60 percent in 2017.  Part of it is attributed to the tenor of the president’s talk. Words do matter.

Many people in public life and in government, including many Republicans, have called him out for talk that might encourage prejudice.  The nut-job who shot up a synagogue in Pittsburgh Saturday didn’t take direction from the president, but he may have been emboldened to act by the hateful rhetoric, just as we’ve seen an alarming increase in violence against black people brought on by the rhetoric about “taking our country back.”  Back from who? 

I’m pretty sure we’ll feel comforted by an outpouring of sympathy and support from most Americans over these next few days.  The vast majority of Americans are horrified by prejudice and violence toward minorities.  (And yes, we Jews are a minority.)  But the sympathy and support and brotherhood must also come from our nation’s top leaders, and it must be honest support rather than hollow words mandated by the situation.

I’m an American Jew.  I would hope I and my loved ones will never be made to feel isolated from the mainstream because of our religious beliefs.  I would like to think it could never ever happen here in America.  But that’s something we all have to continuously work toward – all of us, from the top down.

 

"The truth emerges"

"The truth emerges."

 

Bob Woodward, talking about his new book, quotes his former boss, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, about the decision to publish the Watergate stories 46 years ago.  He said those words remain in his mind as his new book is being published.