HuffPo reports : “Just under three weeks before it was set to begin, the Tea Party “Unity” convention was abruptly postponed until October, in order to be closer to the November elections and also to avoid the scorching Las Vegas heat.”

TPN–We were so excited about the tremendous success of the first convention, we jumped into this second convention without considering the timing. The heat in Las Vegas in July is keeping many who would like to participate from attending. We have also received numerous emails from people who were forced to decide between family vacations and attending the convention.

TPN President

I’ve put on a number of large events in Las Vegas. When you cancel a convention registration the hotel is not happy. They have reserved rooms, scheduled staff, put aside convention facilities and more. It adds up to a big cancellation fee. Having the event in July might mitigate some of that cost. There will, however, be a fee. For an organization that has said more than once it needs more fundraising I wonder who paid the cancellation fee? Was the cancellation fee paid? I’ve tweeted into HuffPo and we’ll see if they get answers.

Perhaps a signal is that they’ve already scheduled their new October convention at the Palazzo Hotel as well. It’s possible that if they guaranteed a larger turnout the hotel may have let them off the hook. I certainly would like to have a real answer.

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During the beginning of the mortgage crisis congressional committees interrogated the CEO’s of the largest banks. These men have no idea of the day to day reality of their own business practices. They may set policy but are they in the trenches making sure it is implemented? No.

So who should the Congress have been interrogating to understand the Mortgage Crisis?

As part of the answer imagine this simple visual of the reality of the CEO and the loan officer:

• The CEO cruises at 35,000 ft to get the big picture. His corporation employs thousands and he must take care of that Big Picture to ensure their employment while providing profit to his stockholders.

• The Loan officer is on the ground talking to borrowers and filling out paperwork. He is working at getting the borrower the loan he needs to refinance or purchase a home. The Loan officer has no interest in the overall corporate picture. He is interested in two things only: a maximized commission for himself and closing a loan to create that commission.

So if you want to know the culture and practices that lead to the Mortgage Crisis, for example how the subprime market became so toxic, who should you talk to first? Should you talk to, under oath, the CEO or the man that was, on a daily basis, creating the mortgages themselves?

Mortgage company CEO’s know absolutely nothing about making a loan. If they were provided the most qualified borrower and given a blank loan packet they would have no idea how to proceed. None.

Many would question that statement. He is, after all, the CEO of the corporation. There is a simple answer to that question.

Being a CEO is a different profession than being a loan officer. The two are not interchangeable. The loan officer has no idea of a CEO’s job and the CEO has no idea of the loan officers job.

While the salaried CEO and board of directors set policy, the lower levels of that corporation operated on a commission only or salary plus commission/bonus structure. The pressure to create a larger income changed everything within the corporate culture regardless of the board’s commands.

A first step for Congress to understand the pressure packed reality of the street level culture, the congressional committees must hold hearings with loan officers and their managers. Congress will then begin to peel back the multi-layered enigma that is the Mortgage Crisis and the mortgage business.

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“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.

T.E. Lawrence,

“The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”

You must start from a place of Belief. Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is the central theme of this TEDx talk.

I will watch this video at least, oh I don’t know how many times, before I can internalize it completely. I have tried to do what he describes often in my life and I haven’t gotten the formula correct. Perhaps I haven’t implemented the formula correctly. Or perhaps my ego was in the way.

You haven’t experienced having your ego get in the way of achieving results that better your own and others lives? Good for you. You lead a blessed life, my brother or sister.

Please watch this and if it resonates at all return. Watch it again and again. Then when we have a Grail Quest, to use a mythological term from the time of King Author, we will be better prepared to lead ourselves and others in it.

Here’s the actual quote that Jerry Brown, former Democratic Governor and 2010 nominee, was referencing:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. ”

This was said by Joseph Goebbels but it also happens, largely, to be true. It only takes a quick historical tour of the last 30 years to know that the Republican Party, guided by behind-the-scenes hyper conservatives, have used The Big Lie technique constantly.

I don’t believe that Brown for an instant thinks Whitman is a Nazi. Of course not. Yet she has been brought up in the era of The Big Lie. She used the technique in her acceptance speech when she said Brown had a history of breaking his promises and of having no success. That’s simply not true. If you only hear the multi-millionairess, who will be flooding the airwaves with dishonesty, you will think Jerry Brown is the worst thing since the plague.

Brown has challenged her to a long series of one on one debates throughout the state. His concept is to get off the media campaign and into one on one substantive debates about the very serious troubles faced by California.

Will she do it? In my opinion, not a chance. She knows she can’t best Brown when it comes to the in-depth knowledge of California history, legislative rules and possible approaches. She’ll stick to The Big Lie technique whether she personally is aware of it or not.

Back to the opening issue: Jerry Brown never accused her of being a Nazi. He did reference a communications technique that has been very successful in many countries, including the US. He could have said it better. Being slick isn’t Brown’s forte. Being very real and honest is his forte. It could be a weakness in a campaign that will be very media driven. It will be the most expensive campaign in history. That money will be mostly Republican unfortunately.

PS: The source of the concept of The Big Lie, by the way, wasn’t Goebbels. Here’s the actual exact citation: —Adolf Hitler , Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X

This news story of a possible new solution for the oil spill in the Gulf. It’s off the wall and really works. Watch the video then read the newstory. http://bit.ly/cj02DL

Most of my posts are at my experimental blog. I’ll slowly start reposting them here, in order, soon. I like Tumblr. WordPress has much more bells and whistles but there’s something about Tumblr I really like. Perhaps it’s simply the stark theme with the stationary right nav bar. Who know? But if this seems like it’s not being updated drop over there. It doesn’t even have a unique name yet. Take a look http://stuart-oneill.tumblr.com.

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I’m going nuts trying to independently verify the ideas that John Hofmeister and Nick Pozzi represent as facts. It is the weekend and I doubt I can get much done before Tuesday but collect names, phone numbers and information.Based on the extensive reputation and experience of both men I personally think they are telling the truth. Independent verification, however, is needed.

Why this supertanker idea isn’t on the top of the list of items for the Coast Guard and the National Incident Center I don’t understand. If it’s hogwash it would be easy enough for the teams of scientists to disprove the theory. If it’s true than why not begin the logistical planning necessary to put the plan into play?

The undersea plumes of oil, millions of barrels, are moving maybe a greater danger than the surface contamination. What happens when those subsurface plumes begin to make landfall?

Esquire’s The Politics Blog has been reporting on this supertanker concept for two weeks. Here’s part of the May 25th column:

The Politics Blog has been reporting on the supertanker strategy for the past two weeks — here, here, here, and here. We have had conversations with people who have had significant careers in energy who have speculated that it need not be a strategy that is confined to surface collection, but by using powerful pumps and “smart pipe” could be utilized at various depths to retrieve the spreading oil. Should someone not test this hypothesis immediately? This is not a solution that ought to wait for further data, or study. Can anyone argue that it would be less effective than the current skimming and burning operations that have not prevented the ruination of delicate and vital Louisiana marshland? And that is just the beginning, and does not even contemplate the long-term deleterious effects that the oil and the chemical dispersants will have on life in a body of water that is so important to life and commerce along one of the most populous coastlines anywhere. And as goes the Gulf Coast, so goes America.

Read more

The primary author for The Politics Blog on this topic is the executive editor of Esquire, Mark Warren.

I’ve watched, known and enjoyed Jerry Brown’s career for a very long time. One of the things that has always impressed me is his strength of intellect combined with a willingness to work and think ‘outside the box‘.

That’s a worn out term but best describes his deep background and experience. I hope anyone that looks at this blog also makes the investment of time to watch his in-depth interview with Eric Schimdt, the CEO of Google, Inc. With many years political experience under my belt I think it is one of the best interviews I’ve ever seen.

I have it posted here and I sincerely hope everyone, not just Californians, will watch it. This is the caliber of intellect we need to be electing to office. In the last years we haven’t had the best in office.

Frankly I have less against Gov. Muscles, (I can never spell his last name right so I came up with my own. It’s not meant as a slam), than most Democrats. He was hemmed in by his own party and his lack of experience. [Frankly, I also doubt any Kennedy would marry a die-in-the-wool Republican.]

Now compare his background, experience and abilities against Jerry Brown. Yet Gov. Muscles is, and was, far more qualified than Meg Whitman.

The fact Meg Whitman isn’t qualified is why she has dumped more than $54 million of her own money in the race. She hasn’t been able to raise much from the public. Jerry Brown has far more cash in hand, believe it or not, than Meg Whitman after her media campaign costs and $35,000 a month consultants. That $35,000 a month cash drain only covers one set of consultants. There are many more.

Why so many consultants? She doesn’t know what she’s doing. Period. I’ve staffed and run campaigns. I can tell when one is being run by people that the public will never see.

She has pledged to spend as much as needed. Jerry Brown estimated she may spend $100-$150 million on the race. As a billionaire she can afford to attempt to simply buy the race and the governorship.

Jerry Brown explains why he’s not on the air or spending money in the interview.

If you want to see a true intellect matched with experience watch this interview.

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