The straw that broke Herman Cain’s back? Tom Brokaw’s American Dream. 'Tis the season for battling over the Medicare “doc-fix.” NBA champ Shaquille O’Neal’s “Uncut” autobiography. Conrad Murray gets maximum sentence for Jackson death.
The straw that broke Herman Cain's back?
During this year's presidential campaign, Herman Cain has battled accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace and seeming incompetence on key issues such as foreign policy. Yesterday, a new item was added to the list: a revelation of a long-term, extramarital affair.
A woman living in Atlanta named Ginger White alleged that she and Cain had a relationship which lasted for thirteen years, ending shortly before Cain declared his run for the presidency.
Cain responded Monday by brushing off the news and saying, "Here we go again," insisting that both he and the country were more concerned with issues of political importance.
The campaign seemed determined to keep moving forward in hopes that all the obstacles in Cain's path would fall by the wayside. However, this morning Cain told staffers he is "reassessing" his candidacy, and will make a definite decision on whether or not to keep running in the next few days.
All of this comes at a time when Cain's surge in the polls has been waning. Once the Republican favorite for the nomination, he is now routinely losing to Mitt Romney.
WEIGH IN:
What does Cain's reaction to Ginger White's story signify? Is the smart move to play it down and keep going, or address it head on and reevaluate one's position? Can such a crisis be managed effectively in Cain's favor? Does he still have a realistic chance as a viable candidate? And, especially at this point in the race with a candidate that has already suffered the slings and arrows of a presidential run, should we still care?
Guest:
Jennifer Jacobs, chief political reporter for The Des Moines Register. She was on a conference call earlier this morning with Herman Cain and his campaign.
David Mark, Senior Editor for POLITICO
Phil Noble, founder of PoliticsOnline and its affiliated company Phil Noble & Associates, an international public affairs consulting firm.
Tom Brokaw's American Dream
In a time when joblessness is on the rise, politicians are frozen in hyper-partisan gridlock and financial instability threatens to be the norm, it may seem as if the "American Dream" is disappearing.
Tom Brokaw, former news journalist for NBC and best-selling author, turns his attention to the issue of our country's destiny in his new book, "The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation About America."
Brokaw reflects upon the principles, values, ideas and practices which once established America as a prominent, successful nation. He then looks toward the future for ways in which we can progress positively as a society.
Using stories of Americans who are affecting change today, as well as his own personal family history, he presents a variety of ideas and models for combating the diminishing expectations we currently face.
WEIGH IN:
How can we as a country begin to regain our footing? Do we need to do “more listening and less shouting,” as Brokaw posits? What is currently missing in America that is affecting us so? Will our children and grandchildren be better off, or worse, than us?
Guest:
Tom Brokaw, author of “The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation About America,” writer of five bestsellers, including “The Greatest Generation,” former anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw”
The veteran news anchor and journalist will discuss his new book with Marty Kaplan at the Writers Guild Theatre (135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills) at 7:30 PM tonight. Tickets cost $20. More information can be found here.
Tis the season for battling over the Medicare "doc-fix"
The not-so-super committee may have thrown in the towel, but there's another budget battle brewing just in time for the holidays. Next up: how to fund the Medicare "doc-fix."
Figuring out how much to pay doctors for treating Medicare patients is a perennial problem. There is a formula, but it fails to provide enough money to cover the program's costs. So each year, Congress steps in and passes a temporary fix, only to increase the size of reductions required the next time around.
Now, doctors are facing a huge 27-percent cut in Medicare payments – unless Congress acts by Jan. 1. The main options on the table include a one-year or two-year fix, which would cost $22 billion and $35 billion respectively.
In the past, lawmakers would have just thrown that on our deficit tab. But that’s harder to get away with in these fiscally austere times. Failure to fund the fix could undermine health care for millions of elderly and disabled beneficiaries – who would surely hammer politicians at the polls in response.
WEIGH IN:
So what’s a politically gridlocked Congress to do? Will lawmakers be able to pull another rabbit out of their hat? Is another temporary patch really the right solution? The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a permanent fix, which doctors and AARP would love, would run us $300 billion. Whatever the solution, how should we pay for it?
Guest:
Joseph Antos, Health Economist for American Enterprise Institute (AEI); Former Assistant Director for Health and Human Resources at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), where his is currently a health adviser
Theodore Marmor, Professor Emeritus of Politics and Public Policy at Yale University; he is an expert on Medicare and author of many books including most recently “Fads Fallacies & Foolishness in Medical Care Management and Policy” (World Scientific Publishing Company)
NBA champ Shaquille O'Neal's "Uncut" autobiography
In the opening of his new autobiography, "Shaq Uncut: My Story," Shaquille O'Neal notes that, "People always say I'm bigger than life." The 7-foot-1-inch center is recently retired and turns 40 this coming March.
O'Neal's played on powerhouse teams like the Lakers and the Miami Heat, and formed an unstoppable duo with his ex- teammate Kobe Bryant.
"It's just time for me to do something else," O'Neal said.
O'Neal's on track to receive his doctorate in May in human resource development and for the next five years, plans to work for TNT, traveling and "just staying out of trouble."
As a young boy, O’Neal fantasized about playing basketball, being a musician and acting on stage. Obviously, he achieved his primary dream as he was nothing less than a superstar in the NBA, but he even realized additional goals by rapping with Biggie and Jay-Z and hosting “Saturday Night Live.”
But O’Neal did not always live a charmed life; he was born to a teen mother and estranged from his biological father. His tenure during the NBA was occasionally marred by infighting with teammates, poor career choices and overblown egotism, all of which is covered in the new book.
His stepfather, a disciplinarian, was a huge part of his life growing up, O'Neal said. His stepfather was strict but taught him to be a leader, not a follower, and O'Neal seemed to embrace this role in his time with the Lakers.
When O'Neal teamed up with Bryant, the pair became a nearly unstoppable pair. Bryant's sheer talent coupled with O'Neal's size and speed led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. O'Neal was traded to the Heat after tensions between him and Bryant escalated, but O'Neal said it was much more of a mere business transaction.
O'Neal said he was so focused on being a team leader that personal relationships took a backseat. He was willing to push buttons in order to get his players to perform at a higher level.
"I did everything correctly, I did everything calculated, and that's why we won three out of four," O'Neal said.
He also praises his Lakers' coach Phil Jackson for never yelling and always "lifting" the team with his philosophies on the game. O'Neal described Jackson's coaching style as "calm, cool and collected" and said that Jackson's extensive resume garnered implicit respect and trust from his team.
When asked how O'Neal would rate himself among other Hall of Fame Centers, he placed himself at number five. In the company of players including Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, O'Neal attributed most of his success to "a lot of hard work."
WEIGH IN:
What are some of your favorite memories of Shaquille O’Neal on and off the court? Did he bow out gracefully with his retirement? How did one kid from Newark, NJ become one of the biggest (literally) names in basketball?
Guest:
Shaquille O’Neal, author (with Jackie MacMullan) of “Shaq Uncut: My Story” (Grand Central Publishing); four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP who recently retired from the Boston Celtics
O'Neal brings his considerable expertise to Barnes & Noble tonight in Santa Monica at 7:00 PM. This will be a wristband event. For more details, inquire in-store or online by clicking here.
Conrad Murray gets maximum sentence for Jackson death
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor handed down the maximum allowable sentence to Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray today. He’s been sentenced to four years behind bars for Jackson’s death with the judge calling his actions a “horrific violation of trust.” Murray will likely serve only about half his time because of prison overcrowding but the judge did order him to pay restitution to Jackson’s estate and children. That amount will be determined at a later date but will most likely be much less than the $100 million the prosecution originally requested.
WEIGH IN:
What do you think about the sentence? Was the judge’s penalty too harsh or still better than Murray deserved? How does the closing of this final chapter of Jackson’s life affect the legacy this great artist left behind?
Guest:
Stephanie O’Neill, KPCC Reporter