Rush Limbaugh has come directly after our own contributing RP, Krystal Ball, with a new Web site called “Rush Babes.” Here’s Krystal’s response:
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20 years as a senior-level executive with three Fortune 500 companies, a high-level governmental official, a political player rubbing elbows with governors, members of congress and even private visits with the President. However, after 20 years of climbing the corporate ladder, extensive travel and a cell phone permanently in my ear, I started to feel that while I had achieved some level of “success,” I was lacking “significance.” While playing corporate musical chairs, the music suddenly stopped one Friday afternoon and I found myself without a chair in that ivory tower I had grown so comfortable in occupying. But it was a 300 year old story that would not only be redemptive; it would provide the purpose I had been seeking and the means to help others in similar situations find their purpose. Ironically, I had delivered thousands of speeches over the years about the power of purpose. Included in those speeches was a simple yet powerful story of a bystander observing two people laying bricks. The first person when asked what he was doing responded, “I’m laying bricks.” The second responded, “I’m building a cathedral.” Naturally, the “cathedral builder” had resonated more with me than the “bricklayer,” but after 20 years of playing the corporate game, pushing my way to the front of the room, I was starting to feel more like that “bricklayer.” And unfortunately, I wasn’t alone.  Click to order Greg's book Numerous studies report that less than half of employees are actually satisfied with their jobs and feel a sense of purpose. Other surveys suggest that a high number of employees would leave their companies today if the economy were better. And with one in ten Americans currently unemployed, six of those ten unemployed say the next job they get will most likely not provide purpose; instead, they expect to have to settle for something less. A women and workplace survey from “More Magazine” revealed that 43% of the women surveyed say they are less ambitious now than they were a decade ago. And only a quarter of the 500 women ages 35 to 60 say they’re working toward their next promotion. Three out of the four of women in the survey, 73%, say they would not apply for their boss’ job, reporting the stress, office politics and lack of purpose make the leap simply not worth it. In fact, two of three women said they would accept considerably less money for more free time and more flexibility. The bottom line is, there’s never been a time when Americans, male and female, young and old, public and private sector, need a sense of purpose. Read the rest of… The Politics of Laughter How to Advertise to Men and Women [Pleated Jeans] I do this about once a day. [Books of Adam] When you ask your dad to kill a bug. [picture] Not likely to end well. [picture] Yup. [picture]
Christian Louboutin is expanding into beauty. Will his infamous red soles find their way into his makeup line? Hmmm… [The Cut] Imagine your shopping in a clothing store…with digital wooden hangers…that change when someone likes the item on Facebook. Weird, right? Weird, but real. [Fashionista] Hot or Not?: The Caviar Manicure. [Racked] Low and behold, the intrigue, the mystery, the infatuation behind – wait for it – Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie. Check it out: [Esquire] NBC’s Fashion Star is renewed for a second season! [The Cut]
From press release: Congressmen Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Scott Rigell (R-VA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), and Reid Ribble (R-WI) today appeared together in front of the U.S. Capitol to send a clear message to America: Congress is broken, and we’re ready to fix it. “The American people recognize that Washington is broken,” said Congressman Scott Rigell, a Republican from Virginia Beach. “This is underscored by the fact that the 112th Congress has an underwhelming 12 percent approval rating. It is a sobering reality that Congress is, indeed, in need of reform, and it’s time we do something about it.” At a press conference Wednesday, Rigell, Schrader, Ribble, and Cooper formally launched the Fix Congress Now Caucus, a small but committed body of like-minded, reform-driven Members — seasoned and new to Congress. Their mission is simple: “We will identify, agree upon, and move forward legislation and rule changes that will fix this institution to such a degree that we are able to fully meet our deep obligation to our fellow Americans — and to our children and grandchildren. And we will be bold in our efforts to truly make a difference.” The top priorities of the Caucus are reforming the benefits of Congress, addressing the inefficient and unaccountable budgeting process that leaves the country without a budget year after year, and finally, elevating the debate from the bitter partisanship now rampant in Washington. As the first practical expression of that goal, the founders, flanked by other Members who have signed on to support their efforts, announced their unanimous support for HR 3643, ‘No Budget, No Pay,’ a bill introduced in the House by Cooper and in the Senate by former House Member Dean Heller of Nevada. The bill essentially establishes ‘pay for performance’ in Congress. It prohibits payment to any Member of Congress if both houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year by the same date. Schrader, a Democrat from Oregon agreed: “One of the fundamental responsibilities of Congress is to designate a fiscally responsible budget for which the Federal government has to operate. If we cannot perform this most basic task, we have no right to be collecting a paycheck from hardworking American taxpayers who rely on us to do so.” “Diagnosis is the first step to treatment,” said Cooper, a Democrat from Tennessee who has long advocated for Congressional reform. “So I’m glad my colleagues are recognizing that Congress is broken. By tackling reform, this caucus will push for medicine – like No Budget, No Pay – that Congress could actually swallow.” Ribble, a Wisconsin freshman who sits on the House Budget Committee, said: “I ran for office for the same reason that I helped start the Fix Congress Now Caucus. I want to ensure that my children and grandchildren can experience America as it should be: the land of opportunity. “We want the Fix Congress Now Caucus to be a vehicle to correct the systemic dysfunction that has plagued Washington – regardless of party affiliation,” Ribble continued. “If our colleagues on both sides of the aisle stand with us and work toward commonsense solutions, then we can make sure that generations to come have a chance at the American dream.” Rigell also stressed the importance of elevating the tone of the debate in Washington from partisanship rhetoric to a more civil debate. “We must strive for a civil tone in Washington. In all debates we have here, we must seek the true facts and not question each other’s motives,” Rigell said. “But do not mistake civility for weakness. Each of us is firmly rooted in our principles, but we are also committed to seeking the common ground that Americans expect us to find to address this nation’s great challenges.” For a full list of Fix Congress Now Caucus Members and more information visit: http://rigell.house.gov/FCNC/
I love–LOVE–trying to take perceived problem and turning it into an unforeseen solution. Creating a new situation that is “better” than the condition before the problem. I was wondering what my first exposure to this concept was and think I remember–at least in part. A favorite book of mine as a very young boy involved a family of bears. The playful young boy bear was picking blackberries (so the story goes) and got blackberry juice stain on his plain-colored shirt. The mother bear–tempted to get angry and scold her son—had a better idea. She took blackberry juice and dyed the entire shirt a pretty blue-purple color. The “new” shirt was not only not stained– but better than before. I can’t remember the name of the book…but I sure remember the story. I can’t imagine that I was over 5 years old when I read and re-read it. And to this day when I’m surprised by a disappointment, I almost always quickly ask myself, can we make blackberry dye –figuratively speaking–to solve the problem So, yes, children’s stories matter. That one either gave me an idea for a life philosophy or reinforced it. Or both. But it started with a kids book about imaginary bears solving an ordinary problem. Differently and creatively. And successfully.
As Schmitt documents, the group has lagged in its audacious plan to elevate a third party presidential candidate. Its goal of securing ballot access in 50 states, which was supposed to have been accomplished last fall, has barely crossed the halfway point. The top contenders in their online virtual primary—Buddy Roemer and an unauthorized rump of Ron Paul diehards– are compiling embarrassingly low numbers that look like single precinct caucus totals. And the veil of indifference about the identity of an eventual candidate has been lifted in favor of a not so covert push for former Comptroller General David Walker, a serious man but one whose flirtations with running have yielded 360 online votes and an occasional Google alert.
Read the rest of… In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Profiles in Courage,”John F. Kennedy wrote admiringly of U.S. senators who put the national interest ahead of partisanship, ideological purity and regional parochialism. Many sacrificed their careers because of their stands, but Kennedy held them aloft as examples to be emulated for their moral courage, intellectual independence and public candor. Judging by Sen. Richard Lugar‘s defeat in the Indiana Republican primary last week, today’s most partisan voters would give the book an unfavorable review. Lugar served the people of Indiana in the U.S. Senate for 36 years. My father was a colleague of his for four years, and I served with him for another 12. My father and I saw the world differently from Sen. Lugar in many respects, and we often voted differently. But Lugar is a statesman in the best sense of the word. He was thoughtful, civil and willing to find common ground when doing so served the best interests of our nation. Those characteristics made him a great senator, but they also turned him into a soon-to-be ex-senator last Tuesday when he was soundly defeated in his Republican primary by the tea party-backed Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock. Lugar was undone by the antithesis of what Kennedy so admired. Read the rest of… Thanks for joining us for what I believe was a very enlightening, and sometimes even entertaining debate on the relevance of Mitt Romney’s alleged bullying of a fellow prep school attendee nearly 50 years ago. Some concluding observations:
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