Profunksticated

Barack Obama seeks the counsel of a fictional former President, one Jed Bartlet. An excerpt:

BARTLET Senator.

BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.

I cracked up.

I’m real happy right about now. My Philadelphia Phillies won the National League East division for the second consecutive year and are headed to Major League Baseball’s playoffs. And once again, they edged the New York Mets for the title.

And on Sunday night, it’ll be my Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Chicago Bears in the NFL. Also, the Washington Redskins will play the Dallas Cowboys. Hmm. I guess I’ll pull for Washington since as an Eagle fan I’m obligated to hate Dallas more than I do the Redskins. LOL!

Weighing in on the nation’s current economic debacle:

What one writer thinks of John McCain’s bitch move. It is dead-on.

Quote:

… self is McCain’s selling point. He is either the man on horseback riding to the rescue, or he is nothing — or, more precisely, the loser come November. Obama, Lord knows, has his flaws, but he does not seem to believe that the nation’s crises are primarily about him.

And here’s something from the same writer last week saying “good riddance” to the Wall Street firms that have gone under. Also dead-on.

Quote:

Someone needs to invest in the United States of America. For the past decade and, in a broader sense, for the entire duration of the Reagan era, both government and Wall Street have opted not to. Should Barack Obama win, the era of neglectful government will probably come to an end. No matter who wins, Wall Street is vanishing before our eyes. And by the measure of their contribution to America’s economic strength and well being, both Reagan-age government and Wall Street’s investment banks plainly deserve to die.

This does beg the question of why, with all the bridges that need rebuilding, roads that need fixing and water mains that need replacing, we can suddenly, magically, provide $700 billion to cover the mistakes of Wall Street, whose behavior bordered on criminal.

And finally, here’s a letter urging journalists not to take what officials say at face value on this bailout as they did during the run-up to Iraq war:

Quote:

Ask this question — are the credit markets really about to seize up?

How does the proposal help Joe and Mary Sixpack who can afford their current monthly payment, but not the increased interest rate that has been or soon will take effect? Every day bankers work out loans with customers — so why are taxpayers being asked to act when banks are largely on strike, refusing to negotiate revised deals with many loan customers?

See you in the soup lines.

Real quick, ya’ll, here’s the full story about that legislative aide in Philly and her alleged timesheet cheating. This story aired Tuesday night. I guess people hate it when you follow them around with a camera and you’re able to call them on their isht.

Note that the reporter confirms what I suspected: They got a tip about this woman’s not coming to work on time.

Can’t embed this video, so paste the link below into your browser address bar. (Why am I telling you all this;? Ya’ll are computer literate or you wouldn’t be blogging! LOL!)

Enjoy!

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7499903&version=1&locale=EN-US

From the too-good-to-keep-to-oneself-department: We all know Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick went down in Detroit due to a newspaper’s publishing of racy text messages he exchanged with his chief of staff.

Now comes news of another African American male elected municipal official ensnared in a media-driven, big-city scandal complete with the whiff of sex.

This saga involves a Philadelphia city councilman – the son of a former mayor – and the councilman’s sometimes *ahem* questionably-attired-for-work chief legislative aide.

Seems a local TV station for several weeks has been keeping tabs on the young lady, airing allegations that she’s been cheating on her timesheets, being paid for hours she didn’t work. This chick earns $90,000 a year. She’s been spotted entering her the home of her boss, Councilman Wilson Goode Jr., one afternoon and leaving the house the following morning around 11:30 a.m.., when she’s supposed to be at work. That allegation doesn’t explicity show up in the video clip below, but has been reported elsewhere by the same station.

As you can imagine, the aide and councilman haven’t taken kindly to the inquiries, prompting the aide during the opening session of City Council last week to hold up handwritten signs accusing the station of racism.

Councilman Goode, for you students of recent American history, is the son of former Mayor W. Wilson Goode, the city’s first African-American mayor and best remembered for ordering a satchel of explosives dropped on a West Philly neighborhood in an effort to dislodge the back-to-nature group MOVE in 1985. Instead, the makeshift bomb ignited an inferno authorities allowed to burn, torching more than 60 row homes, killing five children and six adults of MOVE, and furthering Philadelphia’s then-reputation as a municipal laughingstock.

Pro was in that area the day prior, which was Mother’s Day, interviewing residents for the Jersey newspaper as the city ordered folks to evacuate from their homes.

I digress. Councilman Goode has denied a romantic relationship with the aide, one Latrice Bryant, who ran unsuccessfully for public office a few years back.

Check out the video and make up your own mind.

Profunksticated left his resume’ on Monster.com shortly after taking the gig in Maryland back in July. I still got a lot of calls from recruiters for DMV-area firms seeking proposal specialists. I should have taken it down, but the calls helped to confirm for me that a dude with my skill set is in some demand here.

One recruiter message, however, stood out. This guy said the Chief Operating Officer of this IT firm liked my resume and wanted to talk.

Long story short, I finally talked to the recruiter after a week. He said again his COO loved my resume,’ but there was one major red flag – the asking salary I listed was, get this, too low.

“‘Can we really get this guy this cheap?’” the recruiter quoted the honcho as saying. “‘We’d better make sure that’s right.’”

I was blown away. I asked the recruiter what a reasonable salary would be for a guy with my experience – 16 years in journalism and eight years in proposals. He said based on my experience and the DMV market, I should be asking for at least $15,000 to $20,000 a year more than I’m currently being paid.

And what I’m paid now is $5,000 less than the desired salary I listed on my Monster resume. I began to suspect my supposedly “low” desired salary prompted many of the recruiter calls. Maybe they too were bargain-seekers.

I later told my high school buddy, who is a Human Resource VP for a hospital, about the conversation. I told him I was lowballed. He replied that I lowballed myself, but I had no choice since I had no job for a few weeks after my temp gig ended and had to get in the door somehow.

I told him, and I will tell you all, that I want to make more money. Don’t we all? I updated my resume – and made it anonymous. I bumped up my desired salary to $20,000 more than what I’m receiving now and recast my resume’ as that of a proposal manager.

And lo and behold, I’m getting e-mails from firms seeking proposal managers who have seen my resume and want to talk. And they see my higher desired salary, so they must be prepared to pay it if they decide to hire me.

You would think that would be a no-brainer.

But my brain battles itself. In one corner is the budding “Entrepreneurial Mindset” that says, “You need to get up out of here with the quickness. Get to another gig and make the bigger salary so your butt can more easily make the bills in DMV and at the Philly-South NJ home. You know now you settled for less. Go out and get what you’re worth, damn it!”

In other opposite corner is that stronger cranial compartment, the one holding what I call the “Slave Mentality” formed over years of being told by parents and other well-meaning folk to stay in the secure job and to accept the relatively low pay. It is fear-driven. It says, “You should be happy to have this job. Your boss is a nice enough person. You should remain loyal to this company. You should be content with what you have. Why do you want to leave? You just started here.”

To which Entrepreneurial Mindset responds, “Are you freaking crazy? Loyalty? Do you remember those three layoffs/firings in the last 11 years? You know damn well these people will boot your black azz just as soon look at you when it suits them!”

Slave Mentality: “But this company offers health insurance. And if you go somewhere else for the money, you’ll have more responsibilities and more stress. And you know you try to avoid stress like the bird flu.”

Entrepreneurial Mindset: “You had just as much stress when you were getting paid isht. And a higher paying gig offers health insurance, too. Another firm might even offer perks and a signing bonus!”

Slave Mentality: “But they gave you this really cool navy blue polo shirt with the company logo on the front and the website address on the back under the collar. It shows you’re part of their team.”

Entrepreneurial Mindset: “Arrghhh! A polo shirt??!! Team, scheam! You gotta think like a professional athlete! You are a free agent! Damn! Sell your services to the highest bidder just like the ballers do!”

And so on.

A brother needs your help. Tell me if you’ve experienced a similar internal battle and how you managed to get paid what you’re worth.

I think you know which way I want to go. I need your encouragement to break these damn mental chains, ‘cause Pro is tired of settling for less.

Peace.

Profunksticated is going through some down time at work. There are several pending and active projects in various stages, but none demand my full attention. So I thought I’d write a post.

I read the Washington Post’s piece on Republican Veep candidate Sarah Palin’s term as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

What the reporter discovered – gasp!! – was Sarah Palin served as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. She engaged in the types of small-town politics common throughout the United States – you know, cleaning house, hiring friends, incurring debt to build hockey arenas, and so on.

I found nothing remarkable about Palin’s tenure in Alaska municipal politics, which is minor league compared to the hardball they play in, say, New Jersey.

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On the personal tip, The Spouse found a doctor for me down here in the DMV. My second visit was a couple weeks back. I’d had some blood work done after the initial visit. I cannot remember all the results, but one jumped out at me like a cat atop an unsuspecting bird.

My testosterone level has dipped. A function of getting older, the doc told me. That at least explains the lack of feeling “down there.” Doc prescribed a topical gel-based testosterone. I rub it into my shoulders. I’m noticing a slight difference, but it’s only been a week. I doubt, however, I’ll ever totally regain my 20-something hound dog-type libido.

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And speaking of The Spouse, she and old Pro celebrated/observed 22 years of marriage earlier this month. We went to a Virginia restaurant that serves Thai food and Chicago swing blues. We even danced. One song by the band was “I Got My Mojo Working.” Despite the anniversary, Pro’s mojo was and still is on vacation.

And for some reason, The Spouse’s fave was a piece called “Dump That Chump.” Hmmm.

Profunksticated will say the same thing about 9/11 he said last year – that he was nauseous, waiting for World War III to explode. I’ve got little to say beyond that.

I’m starting to believe the Obama-Biden ticket is toast. The fawning by the media and political right over GOP Veep pick Sarah Palin is going to be too much for the Dems to overcome.

But that’s OK. If Obama loses, he still wins. He’ll still be the Democratic Party’s titular leader. Obama will be viewed as a proven, battle-hardened campaigner who will go down in American history. He can return to the U.S. Senate and have his pick of committee chairmanships, assuming his party is in control. Imagine BHO returning to Illinois to run for governor. Who would take him on?

BHO can go on the lecture circuit, write more books and make major bank if he chooses never again to run for President. What entity in Corporate America wouldn’t want a Barack Obama as its CEO or sitting on its Board of Directors? Try to envision Obama weighing offers from several colleges and universities to serve as president. Obama for life can name his price.

Obama’s most valuable consolation prize: Watching John McCain try to clean up the mess George Bush left behind. Obama won’t be blamed if things spiral further out of control. You think a wave of schadenfreude washed over Al Gore when 9/11 occurred? “Damn, I’m glad that ish didn’t happen on my watch.”

Obama supporters will be bitterly disappointed, but should shed no tears for the brother. He, Michelle and the girls will do just fine.

Sorry to be away so long. A brother pulled an all nighter the day after Labor Day, entering the office 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and leaving 3 p.m. Wednesday. Such is the life of a proposal person.

Some random stuff on both the political and the personal: First, my bro. As you know, he has a son by another woman, born last December, three months before his wife passed away. He told my parents about a month ago.

My mom is deeply hurt. My mom’s a mild mannered woman, but spoke half-seriously about jacking Girlfriend up, and says she has no desire to see or talk to my brother’s “friend.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Mom took to my brother one of her favorite weapons of corporal punishment in our youth – the extension cord. She stung our thighs many a time when she got to swinging. Mom did see the baby, however.

Mom also says my bro needs to spend more time with his older sons, who are still grieving the loss of their mother. I can’t argue with her there.

My dad hasn’t said much, except that his new grandson is an active little bugger. I suspect my dad, being a man, is a little more understanding of why my brother acted the way he did, but no doubt wishes his son had been more careful in the not-getting-the-other-woman-pregnant department.

Also, it turns out my sister-in-law knew all about this other woman and had told my mother about the affair several years ago. I’m like “damn!” But my sis in law was ill, and estranged from her own family, so she was pretty much stuck. Look, ya’ll know what I was like, adulterousness-wise, but damn, I at least like to think I practiced some modicum of discretion.

I haven’t seen the baby. I’m not sure I want to just yet. I’m not all that hot on seeing this woman, but if and when I do, I will take her aside and attempt to have a convo.

Second, this political stuff is getting on my last nerve. I hate to say it, but I’m not liking democracy right about now. (Hope the FBI isn’t monitoring this blog). We all know Barack Obama is a smart, brilliant, gifted brother, but he’s still a politician and he has to convince a large mass of relatively ignorant people to vote for him. I do believe despite his so-called “inexperience,” that he will be great in the Oval Office.

I heard the news today about BHO’s now being behind in the polls behind John McCain, and that really pissed me off. It seems that the best man has a good chance of not winning because a huge chunk of this so-called country will not vote for a black man.

I direct you to a piece, published back in May, by, of all publications, The New Yorker, that provides some historical perspective on the modern-day Republican Party. It’s a long read, but it’s worth it. It confirms what many of us already know: These people are straight-up evil.

Here’s a telling quote:

Only a few years ago, on the night of Bush’s victory in 2004, the conservative movement seemed indomitable. In fact, it was rapidly falling apart. Conservatives knew how to win elections; however, they turned out not to be very interested in governing. Throughout the decades since Nixon, conservatism has retained the essentially negative character of an insurgent movement.

Let’s hope this form of conservatism is on life support. It’s time to pull the damn plug.

Peace.

Wow. The events swirling around this GOP presidential ticket is bordering on the bizarro. First John McCain picks this unknown, somewhat attractive female from Alaska as his running mate.

Then came word that Gov. Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, is five months’ pregnant. The right wing is coming out to defend Gov. Palin and Bristol. Most notably, Focus on the Family has stated:

“We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.”

That’s all well and fine. But the blogosphere is rife with speculation about what tune the conservatives would be singing if Barack Obama had a pregnant teenage daughter.

Back to Palin. I grudgingly give John McCain props for picking this unknown despite her “thin” credentials and conservative politics. If she were to become Vice President and McCain were to croak, I’m not sure Madame Palin would do such a bad job as President.

I’ve talked to people who spoke highly of folks who accidentally landed in the Oval Office, namely Harry S. Truman and Gerald Ford, who were good in the office precisely because they didn’t seek it. In other words, Truman and Ford were regular people – well, as regular as politicians can be – who were thrust by circumstances into the highest office in the land.

My reading of history says they weren’t too shabby. Truman made the hard decision to nuke Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, bringing a quick end to the United States’ fight with Japan during World War II. Ford issued his post-Watergate pardoning of Richard Nixon in 1974, to heal the wounds created by Watergate. Both were hard decisions, but you had the feeling Truman and Ford acted on principle, partisan politics be damned.

Sarah Palin is married with five kids – the youngest with Down’s syndrome – smoked weed, was a local TV newscaster and was a small-town mayor. In other words, she was as close to a normal person as a politician can get. She’s a regular woman who just might get the Presidency and carry out her executive duties with judgment and some common sense, all the while comporting herself as a decent human being.

You think I’m crazy? Lyndon Baines Johnson, a prototypical Southern redneck politician, was chosen by John Kennedy as his running mate to deliver the South in the 1960 presidential election. But did anyone really expect Johnson, thrust into the Oval Office when JFK was assassinated in 1963, to embark on the Great Society program? Did anyone predict Johnson would push bills on civil rights, voting rights and consumer protections into law?

I don’t think so. Now, this isn’t to say I’m going to vote for McCain. But if McCain won the election, and God forbid something happened to McCain to allow Palin to become President, she just might surprise some folk.

Peace.