Okay America. Whether you think NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was blowing big time smoke about Monday Night Football’s fiasco of a finale not being the ultimate rationale for giving the ‘real’ refs a sliver more of an $8 billion-plus pie that we all know SHOULDN’T have been a factor, that’s one major national focus everyone’s glad is finally fixed.
Whether the Packers will appreciate being a catalyst, that Wisconsin’s union-busting governor kinda flip-flopped on question of unions being good, or even whether fans will give the zebras standing ovations this weekend isn’t the proverbial elephant in the room. If maybe $9 million in pay and benefits brought order to everything, thanks Rog! and we’re moving on. The biggie now is, when Americans are supposedly feeling more secure with an economy that has slip-slided along at 1.3% growth, only gained about 79,000 jobs a month in the second quarter and unemployment as hung around 8.3%, what chance does the Mittster have in November?
A NYTimes/CBS News poll has 40% of respondents (vs. 23% last year) saying economy is on the right track, and if Romney didn’t get major traction before this, his chances of becoming POTUS vs. just ‘Presidential candidate Romney’ has significant parallels with the replacement refs situation. Almost everyone wanted to throw a flag when he over-stepped all normal bounds to loudly comment on the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, but there was always a strong undercurrent of not liking the vagueness about actual plans or withholding his tax returns. Almost nobody really LIKES referees, but when push came to shove, the analogy between allowing ‘new guys’ to pretend they knew whuzzup and wanting to bitch just a little at problems created by an arguably crucial holding penalty is serviceable. Nobody said, “Hey, these guys are good! Who needs the regulars?” along the way, and even if the division between Dems and Repubs POVs is as profound as the first-place Yankees and bumbling Mets, Mitt had to bat better than a-buck-and-a-quarter to get the job. The Mets R. A. Dickey is the first Met pitcher to win 20 games since 1990, but that won’t get him a start in the World Series, n’est pas?
Here’s another analogy. I’ve got two days to produce $3000 in sales in order to qualify for bonus, and yesterday I got whacked with an $860 repair bill when I’d taken my PT Cruiser in for an oil change and inspection. I scrambled a little before tapping some credit, maybe even helped myself by combining two high interest rate situations into a 0% extension through next July; $60 in fees will save me at least $42 in monthly interest. Not a bad result overall, though the $860 wasn’t a comfy hit vs. an expected $21 oil change.
I’ll take my chances on pushing out product and maybe getting a little extra something in a payday next month. And hey–I *did* get one of those dang credit apps Wednesday. I’ll take the minor positives because like many people in this country I want to believe Better can happen. If the economic recovery is weak, its persisting.
And of course, the real refs are back on the job too.
Glenn S.
CDTalent Enterprises 