By RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET Wow…We warned you it would be a busy day here at The Recovering Politician.
In fact, it has already been the third most-trafficked day in the site’s history. (Days 1 & 2 featured Jeff Smith’s introductory piece about his rise, prison time, and recovery. Something in the water in Missouri?)
To all of the newest members of the RP Nation, welcome!
To everyone, we promise much more excitement and education, and even a few laughs along the way next week.
Monday, we lead off with Part 3 of Rod Jetton’s stunningly candid “Success, Scandal & Change,” in which he addresses the scandals that received so much publicity in Missouri, and how he has recovered stronger than ever.
The RP later will interview, via video Skype, Jetton and his unlikely friend and fellow contributing RP, Jeff Smith, about their unusual relationship, and how the two have emerged from their own troubles to dedicate their lives back to the public interest. (We may have a surprise third guest as well if his schedule permits.)
And as mentioned earlier today, we will also launch a new feature next week: The RP’s Budget Crisis Update — our intrepid new Washington, DC staffer, Patrick Derocher, will provide timely updates on the goings-on in the nation’s capital to address the debt ceiling crisis.
We will also mix in a few laughs — for those of you regulars who’ve been clamoring — the RP’s latest top five list will appear: The Top Five Terrible TV Shows with Terrific Theme Songs. See if you can guess what will emerge as #1.
(RP Nation newbies: Here is a collection of the RP’s past comedy hits.)
All that and so much more. Stay cool this weekend, and see you on Monday!
By Grant Smith, RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET
President Obama and House Speaker Boehner are said to be closing in on a $3 Trillion dollar deal. [Washington Post]
Even an MBA degree from a prestigious university may not protect you from the next round of layoffs looming over the financial sector. [CNBC]
Social networking for job-seekers: the next big thing? [Fortune]
What makes a great and innovative CEO? Learn from some of the best by reading here. [Forbes]
Why investors should be bullish on stock right now. [The Street]
By RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET On Wednesday, the RP suggested that the budget proposal proposed by the Senate’s “Gang of Six,” was — while not perfect — the best opportunity for the country to escape the debt ceiling crisis with a sound plan to fix the nation’s structural economic problems.
He also encouraged you to contact your Congressman and advocate for a bipartisan solution such as the Gang of Six plan. (Click here to be heard.)
More details have emerged on the plan, and how it will slash the national debt by $3.7 trillion, through a combination of spending cuts and tax reform.
Click here for the latest, greatest summary of the proposal.
Beginning next week, The Recovering Politician will add a new feature: regular up-to-the-minute updates of the budget crisis. Our intrepid new Washington, DC staffer, Patrick Derocher, will be providing summaries of the key developments as they occur.
So if you are interested in staying on top of the latest news, come back to The Recovering Politician early and often.
And if you agree with the RP that it is time to take action, click here and register your support for a bipartisan solution.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 2:00 PM ET New studies show that the taller a woman is, the more likely she is to develop certain kinds of cancers. Being short might not be such a bad thing! [Time]
Think you’re brave? You’re not embarking on an 103-mile swim from Cuba to Key West through shark-infested waters. [NY Times]
Zumba and other giant fitness classes are the newest trend in wellness. [Washington Post]
Don’t trust the calorie counts on restaurant menus. You might be eating more than you think you are. [Wall Street Journal]
Check this out for a good laugh: 15 health-related headlines that make you say “duh!” [Huffington Post]
By RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 12:45 PM ET This morning, the RP appeared as the featured guest on “Wilshire & Washington,” a radio talk show focused on the intersection between politics, entertainment and technology. The RP is questioned about No Labels, and the role it is playing to influence the debate in Washington in favor of a bipartisan deal to solve the current debt ceiling crisis.
Click here to listen in to the 20 minute radio interview.
By Rod Jetton, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET  In my last post, I talked about some of my successes, and success can be a wonderful thing, but if you’re not careful, success can be your downfall.
It sure took a toll on me. I tried to hide my vanity and pride, but deep down in my mind, I started to believe all the things lobbyists, other members, donors and conservative activists were saying about me. When you are a public official with power over funding and other member’s bills — along with all the laws people live by — folks tend to tell you what you want to hear.
Everyone tells you what a good job you’re doing, how smart you are, how thankful they are that you are in charge, or that nobody else has ever done or could ever do as good as you.
Of course in politics not everyone is singing your praises. In Missouri the Kansas City Star and St. Louis Post Dispatch were not very friendly to a conservative Republican like myself. I received plenty of bad press. Liberals, labor unions, and trail attorneys opposed to my agenda sent me thousands of emails and letters, which were not always flattering.
Another item that made enemies and allowed the press to attack me was my campaign consulting company. By 2004, I was spending more and more time helping friends with their campaigns, so I decided to start my own campaign consulting business. I didn’t work for any House campaigns or HRCC, but I helped some of my friends who wanted to move up to the state Senate or Congress. I also was able to work on Mitt Romney’s presidential race in 2008.
Between my political activities, legislative duties and straightforward ‘tell it-like-it-is attitude’ I started picking up quite a few new enemies, and they never hesitated to start a nasty rumor or provide a negative quote about me when they could. Oddly enough, most of my attacks came from the Republicans.
You are probably asking why I didn’t listen to my critics or at least think about their charges. The simple answer is most politicians develop thick skins, because critics say such terrible things about them, and constantly mis-characterize their motives. For me it was easy to chalk up all the negative comments and criticism to enemy hacks that hated me, because I had either beat them in the legislative chess game or defeated them in a campaign. I told myself that no matter what I did they would complain.
My experience has shown me how easy it is for powerful leaders to listen to the flattery and discount their critics when they are under fire.
Another negative consequence to the flattery and criticism a leader hears is they start putting everyone into two camps. You’re either for them or you’re against them, and if you’re critiquing them or even questioning them, you fall in the latter category. They become a bit paranoid when friends or innocent bystanders try to be honest and tell them the truth. Unfortunately, I feel this sometimes happened to me and it damaged a few of my relationships.
But let’s get back to the flattery. It slowly started affecting me. Not in the beginning; I knew what they were doing and I told myself not to pay attention to them, but flattery has a way of slowly creeping up and changing your attitude. (Or at least it did me)
 Have you ever heard the story about the frog that was placed in the pot of boiling water and immediately jumped out and survived?
If you have, then you know that same frog didn’t fare so well when he was placed in a pot of cold water while the heat was slowly turned up until he was boiled to death and never even knew it. It’s very embarrassing to admit that this happened to me. Looking back on my time in the legislature I feel a bit like the frog that was slowly cooked to death and just didn’t feel the heat rising. In fact the warm water feels kind of good after awhile.
But be careful, because the warm water will kill you.
What I needed was balance. Take a moment and think about the word: BALANCE.
It’s a simple word that makes the whole world go round. Balance is required for the sun, moon, and stars to work like they do. It takes balance for us to walk, drive and function as human beings. Most importantly it takes balance in your life to have healthy relationships with your wife, kids, family, friends, co-workers and fellow citizens.
The biggest mistake I made was not having balance in my life. I worked too hard at politics and forgot about my family, friends, community and sometimes, the whole reason I went to Jefferson City in the first place. I remember telling my ex-wife that when the first campaign was over I would be home more. Then session started and I said after session I will be home more. Then I was gone working on redistricting and when that was done the next session had started, and after that I was working night and day to win the majority, and I told her once we won I would be home.
Read the rest of…
Rod Jetton: Success, Scandal & Change, Part 2-Flattery, Criticism and Bitterness
By Jeff Smith, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 10:00 AM ET 
The Missouri Senate – not the U.S. Senate – former U.S. Senator Jim Talent once told me, is the greatest deliberative body in the country today. Because any senator has the right to speak for as long as he chooses on any matter, each senator, even a freshman in the minority, can wield power if he plays the game well.
But I didn’t understand how to wield power when I got there. I would soon learn, though, from veterans like Senators Victor Callahan and Jason Crowell, and House Speaker Rod Jetton.
 When I came to the Senate, I aspired to be the young, liberal wunderkind that many journalists and activists had anointed me. In taking the unprecedented step of blocking a gubernatorial appointment before being sworn in, I sought to carve out an image for myself as a strong progressive, unafraid to stand up to the state’s most powerful Republican, Governor Matt Blunt. However, as I soon realized, the very image that helped me in my district was crippling me in the Senate.
My colleagues defeated nearly every proposal I offered during my first session, often with undisguised delight. I suffered so many defeats my first year – on amendments to restore funding cut from children’s health care, to enact an earned income tax credit for the working poor, to reveal an abstinence-only sex ed bill – that none really stood out.
All that stood out was a feeling of losing.
I hated losing, because I was very competitive. But I also saw the poverty and violence up close night in, night out, at neighborhood meetings and anti-gang marches, and that increased my sense of urgency.
I’d been in a hurry my whole life. But never did I feel such a sense of urgency as I did near the end of my first legislative session when I realized that as one of 34 senators able to change the state’s direction, I’d accomplished next to nothing. It was time to learn how to win.
******
To win – and to do so consistently – I knew that you needed to be either feared or loved. Respect wasn’t enough.
Term limits meant that no one was around long enough to be truly loved, and only a few were feared. I knew I wasn’t. For starters, I was too nice and I didn’t like pissing people off. Those who were feared didn’t care who they pissed off.
Second, I lacked institutional knowledge, both on policy or procedure. Without deep understanding of an issue and a firm grasp of Senate rules, it was hard to be feared on the Senate floor, where the action went down. Also, we (Democrats) were outnumbered 23-11, which didn’t help inspire fear. But after observing how Senator Crowell used the filibuster to great effect, I vowed that I would influence a policy debate in the same way sometime soon – and ironically, I got my first chance on one of Crowell’s own bills.
Crowell was best friends with House Speaker Rod Jetton, and was the Senate handler for the sole bill Jetton filed in 2007 – a bill to eliminate state taxation on all Social Security benefits reached the Senate. There was no coordinated Democratic strategy for dealing with the bill, so I asked the Minority Leader where she was on the bill, which was the centerpiece of the House Republicans’ agenda for the session. “Whose bill is it?” she sniffed.
“It’s Speaker Jetton’s.”
“Then Ah’m aginzit.”
Read the rest of…
Jeff Smith: Rod Jetton & Our Unlikely Friendship
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 9:30 AM ET
President Obama must deal with fierce lobbying over the future of MPG standards. Naturally, American car companies do not want any standards imposed on them. Isn’t this one of the things that got them into trouble in the first place; ignoring the trends towards more fuel efficient cars? [latimes.com]
Lawmakers appear ready to end the ethanol subsidy. This long overdue measure will free up $6 billion amid a budget crisis. [npr.org]
South African researches are stunned when a shark jumps into their boat. Even more surprising is when it says “candygram”. [cnn.com]
It appears there will be justice for the environmental activists that were murdered in the Amazon. [bbc.co.uk]
Great news from Portland, more cities now need to follow suit and ban plastic bags. [msnbc.com]
By Rod Jetton, on Fri Jul 22, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET As I am new to RP you may be wondering what to expect from my posts. Will they be rightwing rants, or milquetoast musings? Will they be politically correct or in your face opinions? The best way I know how to answer that, is to tell you my story.
I’ll start with me on the flower covered dais in a packed, standing room only Missouri House chamber, my right hand raised, repeating my oath of office. My wife is holding our Bible, and my loving family is sitting in the house well watching their dad, son and brother being sworn in as the second youngest Speaker in Missouri state history.
Many wondered how a country boy from Marble Hill, Missouri could go from the lowest ranking member in the minority party to Speaker of the House in just four years. Some said it was my work ethic; some said it was my political skills; and others said it was my friendly likable style; but no one really seemed to know the real reason.
 While I’m sure hard work, skills and smiles helped, being in the right place at the right time and term limits created an opportunity! My House seat opened up only because of term limits, and we had a chance to win the majority only because so many Democrats were term-limited. All of the senior Republicans had left which gave a friendly, hardworking guy who knew how to raise money and help candidates win campaigns, an excellent opportunity to be the Speaker in just two terms.
Life is always throwing opportunities your way, and it’s up to you to take advantage of them. I freely admit the four years it took to win my first House campaign, help spearhead the legislative redistricting process for my party, recruit candidates, win the majority and position myself to be unopposed for Speaker, were four of the busiest years of my life. I have never consistently worked that hard at anything in my life and I thought I understood hard work.
 Running track and setting school records required working out twice each day to get in the 100 miles a week it took to win races. When I joined the Marine Corps I learned a new level of hard work. They gave me 90 pounds of gear and ordered me to march through the hills, with no rest or sleep, through all kinds of weather for days on end. Starting a small real estate business and making it profitable, required early mornings and stressful nights day in and day out.
But all those experiences were just preparing me for what it took physically, emotionally and mentally to recruit candidates, win the majority, unify caucus members, advance an agenda, get good press, and stay in touch with donors all while trying to be a good father, loving husband, and solid community leader back home and in the district.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. The crazy thing is, I LOVED IT! I was having a blast, everything was going my way, everyone loved me, respected me, and wanted to know what I thought about matters great and small. The other positive aspect of all my success was the policy changes I was able to implement. Expending political capital and pushing hard for the policies I believed in was never a question for me. I studied the rules, reached across the aisle to make friends and understood how to use my political clout to get things done.
In the House it takes a united team to change things. Developing an agenda, unifying our caucus behind it and leading them in the public debate was a very worthwhile experience that required using the carrot and the stick. I rewarded both Democrat and Republican friends alike. I helped them with their priorities and gained their support on our agenda. I also sometimes punished my opponents.
Read the rest of…
Rod Jetton: Success, Scandal & Change-The Fight to Be King of the Mountain
By RP Staff, on Thu Jul 21, 2011 at 4:00 PM ET Tonight, No Labels is hosting an exclusive national telephone town hall with Gang of Six Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) to discuss the Gang of Six’s plan to reduce the federal debt by $3.7 trillion over the next ten years. You’ll get the chance to hear directly from our leaders about the Gang of Six’s bipartisan budget plan, ask questions and learn what you can do to help get a deal done. With only 12 days left to raise the debt ceiling, it is critical that bipartisan efforts are discussed and supported to avoid fiscal calamity.
|
The Recovering Politician Bookstore
|
