Wednesday, November 2, 2011

BofA backtracks; Perry says he's on track


Good morning. Welcome to O-pinion, the Observer’s home for opinion and debate on the issues of the day. I’m associate editor Fannie Flono, and I’ll be your host today, bringing you perspectives from the Observer’s editorial board and pundits from around the nation.

And on the national and local front, they're still talking about Bank of America's reversal on those debit card fees. Candice Choi , writing for BusinessWeek, quotes an unemployed 38-year-old who summed up the feelings of a lot of BofA customers. Diane Abela said she would have closed her account if BofA hadn't backed down: "I had a feeling if there was a big outcry, they wouldn't go through with it. I'm unemployed and $5 makes a big difference. When you're working on a budget every week, it's the last thing you need."

BofA finally listened, which we said this morning was a good thing. The marketplace showed what it would bear. But the public needs to beware: BofA and other banks will likely be on the hunt for new fee opportunities to make more revenue.

Switching to politics:


The pundits were still talking about Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's wacky performance at a fundraiser in New Hampshire last week. The video has gone viral on YouTube. Perry defended his behavior Tuesday. But according to the National Journal, the performance got distinctly different reviews on Tuesday morning at National Journal's Election Preview. Two veteran political strategists suggested that Perry was under the influence. The Texas governor's ebullient performance was "not presidential," said Democratic consultant Steve McMahon, adding, "Perhaps he had been drinking." Republican Charlie Black, who advised former presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, agreed that Perry's behavior was "odd." Noting that Perry has had back surgery, Black added: "Maybe it was back medicine that he had too much of."
Moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS said the governor was "sort of acting silly."

With Perry's poll numbers going the wrong way, maybe silly isn't the description he should be aiming for.

And what about the Hermanator (he's been annihilating the Republican field thus the moniker)? He's still fending off questions about those past sexual harassment charges. The New York Times says one woman got $35,000 -- a year's pay -- in a settlement. Not so little. The same story said one of the accusers now wants the National Restaurant Association to let her out of her confidential agreement so she can defend herself against Cain's charges that she's a false accuser. Uh oh.

The Washington Post said Cain is only digging deeper holes for himself as he keeps talking about the matter. He should shut up, says Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake. We don't know about that but it's clear the way he's talked about it hasn't helped.

3 comments:

Garth Vader said...

Ms. Flono,

I would like for you to address the origins of the very obvious and coordinated blackout of the candidacy of Ron Paul in the Observer and in other mainstream media outlets. This blackout was confirmed and documented by the Pew Center, and is so pervasive that the Paul campaign promoted their latest fundraising effort using the catchphrase "Black THIS Out" (it raised 2.3 million dollars in 36 hours, getting donations from more individuals in one day than Rick Perry got in the entire third quarter).

Two weeks ago Paul released a comprehensive and specific plan to immediately reduce federal spending by $1 trillion and to balance the budget within 2015, both goals that a vast majority of Republicans would welcome. Yet the Observer did not print a single word regarding the Paul plan, in contrast to its extensive stories on "9/9/9" which is a tax plan that only addresses revenue, rather than the actual spending cuts which - again - most rank and file Republicans support.

So please answer this simple question: What is the origin of the Ron Paul blackout? Thanks.

1rudeguy said...

How do you go from the BofA story right into this tabloid stuff about the GOP presidential hopefuls??

Oh yeah, right. The disgusting liberal slant that makes the CO the joke that it is...

BLACKSPEAK said...

Perry is now beginning to appear to be on drugs... He's playing that "folksy" role to the extreme. You can't fake sincerity.