Marc Fisher Post Metro Columnist Thursday, August 07, 2003; Noon ET Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live. In his weekly show, Washington Post Metro columnist Marc Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks, and oh my, I guess we can officially declare the Age of Holy Terror to be over, because nobody knows what color alert we're on, but everybody knows that Arnold's in the race and Jerry Springer's not running and the nation's back in O.J. Land with the Kobe Bryant Show. Don't bother us, world, we're busy worshipping our celebrities.
Speaking of the unholy mix of celebrities and government, good old Chief Charles Moose is back in the paper, offering us all even more evidence of his true love: profiteering. Turns out the chief was busy in the weeks after the sniper arrests--busy shouting "Discrimination!" because Marriott employees asked him what he was doing in the non-public area of a Hawaii hotel. What a piece of work.
Your turn starts right now...
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Silver Spring, Md.: I lived in California for half of my life (so far). I just shake my head at what's going on. Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger thinks it would be nice to be governor, and that he can "clean house" in Sacramento, even without a legislative majority, a mandate or experience, Gray Davis is likely history. Many lazy journalists (redundant?) will use cute headlines such as "Terminator Runs for Governor," and many voters, equally lazy, may well vote for him on the basis of his appearing in "cool" films. Journalists will also draw analogies to Ronald Reagan, though Reagan, of course, had been active in politics for years, and could deliver a speech very effectively (his early political claim to fame, starting with a speech backing Barry Goldwater). To date, Arnold has backed an initiative to add after school activities in California (without providing funds, so other activities had to be cut). What he heck is going on? I wouldn't move to California, or invest there, anytime soon.
Marc Fisher: If you happened to catch The Arnold on Leno last night, you saw that he has not the slightest notion what he might do as governor. You're right about Reagan--as slight an intellect as he was, he had spent years speaking on public issues before he first ran for governor, and he had developed an actual political philosophy. Whereas The Arnold just wants to pump us up.
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Derwood, Md.: I read that someone paid $3500 to put Gary Coleman's name on the California recall ballot ... he was the child star of the old TV show "Diff'rent Strokes.
Does either Maryland or Virginia have a recall law? If so, think of the former TV stars we could pay to put on the ballot. In Maryland, it could be Linda Carter ("Wonder Woman"). In Virginia, it could be Ben Jones, former "Dukes of Hazard" actor and U.S. Representative from Georgia. Come to think of it, where does "Love Boat" Congressman and local radio morning host Fred Grandy live nowadays?
Marc Fisher: Gary Coleman's running, Larry Flynt's running, Ariana Huffington's running. I've never lived in California, but I figure it would be unAmerican not to run.
The Arnold got a huge cheer from the Tonight Show audience when he said that he "cannot be bought" because he has "lots of money." Somehow, this approach has proven to be a winning argument around the country--Mark Warner in Virginia, Jon Corzine in New Jersey, Michael Bloomberg in New York--and yet what has it brought us? Has any one of our zillionaire politicians proven to be immune from the basic give and take of politics? Has any one of them staked out a different or bold path?
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Washington, D.C.: Marc: I am reading "The Language Police" based upon a comment you made a few weeks ago. I am appalled! I had no idea text censorship was going on to this extent. I don't have kids, but I feel sorry for my nieces and nephews. Next time I see them I am going to ask to look at their textbooks. Thanks for the heads up.
Marc Fisher: Diane Ravitch's new book is a sobering account of how our schools have foisted a tepid and soulless language on our kids, all for fear of offending any living or dead creature. Read some of those textbooks and you'll see instantly one reason why schools are doing such a poor job.
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Washington, D.C.: Marc, is it too soon to say What's up with Chief Moose? Is he using his race to shake people down for cash? Hard to believe he's a victim of discrimination for being asked to show his hotel key. The next Al Sharpton?
Marc Fisher: Sure looks like a shakedown. After all, Moose was not questioned in the lobby, but in a back area of the hotel reserved for employees. I would want any person who starts poking around in the employee-only area to be asked what he's up to, wouldn't you?
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Arlington, Va.: Moose is really a piece of work. Do he and his wife travel the country, hoping to find themselves in situations where they can claim discrimination? Sounds like they've made quite a bit of money that way. Who needs book-writing when you can file stupid lawsuits with sketchy discrimination claims as a source of income?
Marc Fisher: Much as Moose appears to be at fault in this instance, the case points out the insidious nature of secret settlements. If Marriott had done the right thing and fought off Moose's allegations, rather than caving to the timid advice from lawyers who just want problems to go away, then the chief would have been discredited long ago, and Marriott would have sent a powerful message that frivolous suits do not pay. Instead, we have a society in which is pays to be litigious and to shout "discrimination" at every turn.
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Hillcrest article:
I enjoyed your recent column on the Hillcrest. How diverse racially/ethnically is the community? Do the residents want a diverse neighborhood-economically, racially and ethnically?
Marc Fisher: Thanks--Hillcrest is (for Washington, anyway) quite mixed, both racially and economically, and that appears to have happened with very little of the tensions and competition that usually accompany change in neighborhoods. It's taken a lot of work on the part of community activists, but it's making for a much tighter and more successful neighborhood.
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Capitol Hill:
Is Hillcrest undergoing a similar transition to Capitol Hill where long-term working class people will be forced out as property values inevitably rise or have the citizens developed a plan to maintain economic diversity despite a rapidly improving neighborhood?
Marc Fisher: Hillcrest has long been home to more middle and upper middle class residents than working class people, so the transition is not as dramatic as the one that has been happening block by block on the Hill for many years now. But Hillcrest is surrounded by much poorer areas, and to the credit of the Hillcrest residents, they have reached out to their neighbors to work together for better schools and other city services.
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Not in California, thank heaven:
Two words for anyone considering voting for Ah-nold -- Jesse Ventura.
And Jesse Ventura had more brains.
Marc Fisher: Really? How do you know?
And for those many folks who are scoffing at Ah-nold's chances, consider that Minnesota has proportionately far more good-government liberals than does California, and yet Ventura won.
And whatever happened to Ventura's MSNBC talk show?
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Washington, D.C.: So, why is that when Tim Robbins or Garofalo talk, they are idiot "celebrity activists?" "Ahnuld" run for Governor w/zilch experience, and the same media fawns? I take it we've hit a point where being Republican makes you valid in the eyes of the media?
Personally, I'd like all the celebrites to just go away.
Marc Fisher: I don't see the dichotomy--the coverage of the Terminator has been highly skeptical thus far and will certainly be very tough in the weeks to come, for exactly the same reasons it was tough on Ventura and Robbins and Streisand and all those silly people who think that their ability to play a role on screen somehow makes them worth listening to on important issues.
You'll see good, hard questions asked about Schwarezenegger's lack of experience, his grasp of the issues, his past-the whole nine yards. You won't see that in the fawning entertainment press, but you will see it in the serious press.
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Fred Grandy: Did a google search -- found this on Fred Grandy.
He is a senior advisor for Independent Sector (a coalition of non-profits), and is a senior fellow at the University of Maryland and is teaching a course in the School of Public Affairs.
Marc Fisher: He's now a talk show host on WMAL, replacing Bill Press on the morning show.
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Silver Spring, Md.:
All right, I wasn't gong to comment today on Arnold but others have so here goes --
Last night he said California has junk bond status -- if the goevernor said that (it is untrue) the bond market would crash. Last night he said California has the worst schools in the country (again untrue)! I guess Mississippi wiped its brow, having been ousted. He is a shoot from the hip know-nothing who, if the voters of California actually do elect, deserve everything they get! By the way, he was apparently insprired by Jesse Ventura's election -- look at what happened in Minnesota!
Marc Fisher: Ah-nold will do his darnedest not to submit to questioning about the specifics of California's predicament, and if he has to face such questions, he will dismiss them as the usual carping of the people who are responsible for the state's crisis. Even Ventura had experience as a radio talk show host who at least made a show of taking on public policy issues--the Arnold has no record of involvement in any policy or management arena.
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Vienna, Va.: So the "Terminator" is going to run for governor? I say great ... go for it... when you got bugs that need to be gotten rid of you call on the guys who can do the job.
Marc Fisher: This is why he could well win.
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Herndon, Va.: WRC4 told the viewing audience that Arnold was running last night about 20 minutes before The Tonight Show started. Hee!
Marc Fisher: The Tonight Show is taped a few hours in advance.
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Arlington, Va.: What's your take on Moran's future now that Jay Fisette has thrown his hat into the ring? Between Fisette and the extraordinarliy capable and popular Kate Hanley, it seems like Moran's days are numbered.
Marc Fisher: See, Californians take on their failed incumbents with a wild free for all and an army of celebrities and pseudocelebrities. Here, we take on our failed incumbents with a formula almost guaranteed to keep them in office: Jay Fisette is a promising and sharp politician, a good representative of what's made Arlington a well-run community. But with Fisette and Kate Hanley and a couple of other Dems in the running against Jim Moran, it's hard to see how Moran doesn't survive. Instead of rallying around one strong challenger, the Democrats seem determined to divide the opposition and let Moran slip by.
In a way, this is the same phenomenon we're seeing in California--the further dissolution of the political party as an agent of discipline. With Lt. Gov. Cruz Busamante announcing he'll run against his own governor, the Democrats lose their only edge in the California race--a unified front.
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Herndon, Va.: Herndon, Va.: WRC4 told the viewing audience that Arnold was running last night about 20 minutes before The Tonight Show started. Hee!
Marc Fisher: The Tonight Show is taped a few hours in advance.
Yes, but NBC had made such a big deal of hyping the Tonight Show appearance and got scooped by one of their affiliates. Anybody who wanted to watch Jay to see what Arnold was going to do could turn in (relatively) early.
Marc Fisher: The news was already out on the wires and the cable news stations, so it wouldn't have made sense for WRC to quarantine the headline. And by playing a snippet from the Tonight Show appearance, they probably increased audience interest in seeing the full Arnold.
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Fred Grandy: He's from Iowa (in that he calls it home), although he actually does his living here.
Kind of like the Doles, who have lived at the Watergate for years but never paid D.C. taxes or called themselves residents (even though Liddy has not been an elected official for most of that time).
Or the way New Englander George HW Bush was a "Texan" (ha!).
Or the way Gore is from Tennessee.
Marc Fisher: They almost never go home. Who would?
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Fred Grandy: Andy Parks and Fred Grandy really have great chemistry in the morning on WMAL. I really enjoy the show but wish they would do more local stories.
Marc Fisher: Everybody in radio wants to strike it rich by going national, and they figure they can only do that by sticking to national issues, even though radio's powerful advantage is its ability to hone in on and connect with a local community. Sadly, that's largely lost in an era of satellite technology and cheap national programming.
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Arlington, Va.:
Marc,
You leave out some key issues in blaming Marriott for caving in to Moose. If Marriott had fought the allegations the bad publicity would have greatly impacted business, even if the Marriott hotel did nothing wrong. So who's to blame? The hotel, the media -- for the frenzy, the public -- for guilty until proven innocent? Certainly Moose's true colors have come out and he is not a guy I would want running security at my local department store. He should be ashamed and I can't understand his position(s). I can, however, understand Marriott's position.
Marc Fisher: Well, yes, that was certainly Marriott's thinking, but they also had to know that word of this settlement would eventually leak out, as it has, and so now they get the worst of both worlds--they had to pay out a settlement, encouraging further such suits, and they take the same PR hit they would have suffered by defending themselves in the first place. But I don't think there is much of a hit to take--everyone sees this sort of claim for what it is, and why blame Marriott for that?
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Herndon, Va.: Mr. F: While I completely agree with your view of ex-Chief Moose, he (or any other Afro-American) might be able to win a case in court against the hotel based on what the information is that's been released. I think it's a fair statement that someone who's white, walking around where Moose was, would be less likely to be asked what he was doing there.
Marc Fisher: Really? I think any good hotel employee would want to check out any stranger who's wandering backstage--no matter what they looked like.
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Moose on the loose: Bet you anything it's cop arrogance that's caught up with him. Many police fall victim to the "I'm a cop, the rules don't apply to me" syndrome.
Marc Fisher: That could be, though the Chief Moose I've seen at public gatherings tends to be quiet and shy. It's the wife who is by far the more forward and tendentious of the pair.
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Frederick, Md.: I'm still trying to figure out why Charles Moose was such a "hero" during and after the sniper shootings. Maybe the front line officers who were chasing these snipers should have been the ones to get the exposure in front of the microphones and cameras. The hero is the person who leaked the ID of the white car to the media the night they were caught. Moose wanted to wait until the next morning when the cameras were rolling to give the car's ID.
Marc Fisher: And it's important to recall that the sniper suspects essentially turned themselves in--they made several attempts to make themselves known to the authorities.
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Wheaton, Md.: Marc, I overheard on Metro two well-dressed people discussing Moose's plan to run for County Executive when Duncan moves on to run for Governor! Any truth to that rumor?
Marc Fisher: First I've heard of it. Moose is a very polarizing figure and hardly a public speaker, so it's hard to imagine. My sense is that he wants to try to make a go of it as a media celeb--doing the TV expert gigs, making it on the lecture circuit (but there is that speaking problem, hmmm.) Meanwhile, watch for the book to tank.
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Style'n: So Marc, with lloyd off to NYC, any care to fill in on the Style page 3? Seems your connections and knowledge of the D.C. area big wigs and what not makes you a good fit for such a column ...
Marc Fisher: Thanks, but no thanks. It's not my kind of writing. It is a very tough job--especially since the Post defines gossip in a way that few other papers do. Our items actually have to be reported to the same level as a news story, and that means we don't do the "people are talking" whispers items that fill the gossip columns of the New York tabs.
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Crystal City, Va.: Well said Marc. D.C., like too many other citizens, sounds like he relies upon talk radio, Entertainment tonight, and other media outlets for their news. I think the WP is falling into this trap with their Express give-away paper. Is $0.35 a day to much for generation X for a quality paper?
Marc Fisher: Obviously as a Post employee, I wish Express all the success in the world in making money. But as Howie Kurtz said the other day on his chat, the formula escapes me. This is a very special market, with extraordinarily high levels of education, sophistication and income, and putting out a paper designed for the shallow hardly seems the right approach. Washington deserves a great tabloid, with lots of spunk and a powerful emphasis on sports, politics and the life of the city.
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Somewhere, USA: I'm sorry; I'm out of the loop.
Could someone point me to a link about what happened with Moose and Marriott?
Marc Fisher: Today's story is on the Metro front if you have the dead trees edition, and online of course too. Rocci, a magical link, please?
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Takoma Park, Md.:
At last count, there were 356 candidates running for governor in California.
Including BOTH Huffingtons, AH-nold, and Gary Coleman.
Is 356 a record? Or maybe there will be more tomorrow?
Marc Fisher: It's possible the numbers could go much higher, all of which guarantees that name recognition becomes perhaps the single most important factor in determining the next governor. What I'd expect to see now is a last-minute bunch of soundalike names added to the list, an Arnaldo Schwarzenegger or a Garrett Coleman, just to play with people.
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Washington, D.C.: "Really? I think any good hotel employee would want to check out any stranger who's wandering backstage -- no matter what they looked like. "
Why don't you test this out out Marc. Take a black man with you -- same dress and stature and go walking around in hotels, apartment buildings, office buildings and such. See how many times you get checked out vs. how many times the black man gets "checked out."
Marc Fisher: Sure, the black person is far more likely to get checked out or harassed--any number of studies have shown that. But isn't there a difference between that sort of harassment in a store or hotel lobby, and a questioning of someone who is found in a place where no visitor is supposed to be, such as a hotel kitchen area or an employees-only area of a store?
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Arlington, Va.: All of this actor in politics stuff reminds me of the old story of when Jack Warner, one of the Brothers, was told that Ronald Reagan was running for governor, said: "No. Gregory Peck for Governor. Reagan for best friend."
Marc Fisher: Right. Hard to imagine Arnold as anyone's sidekick, though. As Jesse Ventura learned, in politics, it really does behoove you to play with the other children.
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Re: 356 candidates:
I believe the 356 candidates number is the number
of people who have requested the forms to get on
the ballot, not the number of people who are on the
ballot.
Marc Fisher: Right, but the bar to getting on the recall ballot is awfully low--$3,500 does the trick.
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Wheaton, Md.:
Marc....Washington already HAS great tabloids....the City Paper, the Blade, etc. ...
These are all fringe papers that have almost no truth or connection to reality.
Marc Fisher: A daily is a wholly different animal from a weekly. We do have a strong array of good weeklies around here.
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Somewhere, USA: Marc, what if, to save the governorship of California for the Democrats, Davis resigned and Bustamente became governor -- no recall election, right?
Marc Fisher: Sounds right, but then Davis would be out, and obviously that doesn't fit with his agenda, which is to win the recall and, failing that, get on the ballot and win the contest to pick a successor. And now that Bustamante has added himself to the ballot, your option appears to be closed.
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washingtonpost.com: Panel Delays Moose's Pay (Post, Aug. 7)
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Alexandria, Va.: The funniest thing about Conan the Barbarian running is watching all the lefties just IMPLODE in indignation at the temerity of it all.
Marc Fisher: That is fun, but I'd like to think that after the initial amusement factor wears off, there might be voices from all ideological corners wondering whether there's something wrong with a politics in which silly celebrities and arrogant zillionaires are the only outsiders willing to become candidates for public office. You don't see talented people from other walks of life seeking office mid-career--people with real experience in managing large operations or people with a fresh and well developed set of ideas--and that's disturbing.
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Potomac, Md.: I think the Express is a good idea, I'd read the wire reports online if I could, but there's not much I can do about it sitting in a Metro.
Marc Fisher: That's great to hear, though there's a paper I like to read on the Metro that gives me the latest news and a whole lot more. But then, I work for that paper.
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Polka Point, N.C.: Fish Man, keep up the good work! I grew up in D.C. for the first 50 years of my childhood and have watched Tony Williams with interest. Is he really a closet Republican, as some suggest, and if not, why is he so shy about embracing fellow Dems? You're the man, Fish!
Marc Fisher: Thanks--Williams is not a very ideological fellow and that's what makes him very interesting. He's a flexible intellect and a sharp analyst of urban affairs. I only wish he were as aggressive a manager as he first promised to be, and that he were stronger about getting his message out and sweeping the incompetents out of city government.
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Bowie, Md.: I am very glad Mssrs. Schwarzenneger and Flint are in the California recall race because it exposes this whole recall for the sham it is.
Any with Governor Gray's performance should be removed from office IN THE NEXT ELECTION. Recall should be only excericised for gross malfeasance.
If I was a Californian, I'd vote for NO recall and Larry Flint to be the successor.
Marc Fisher: I think I might join you in that vote--Larry Flynt is just about the perfect match for California.
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AHHHH-NOLD:
You have to admit that with such a compressed campaign schedule for the recall election, the odds of Ah-nold avoiding tough questions and skating by and winning on fluff news coverage is quite high. Our President proves that you can be 3rd rate, avoid the tough questions, and still win.
Marc Fisher: Well, if you'll recall, W was, in contrast to his performance as president, quite open to reporters' questions during his campaign. And if Bush's last presser showed anything, it was that he can hold his own under questioning, even if he is nobody's idea of an eloquent or erudite pol. Whereas Ah-nold is far more likely to appear in TV commercials and smile 'n' wave events and that's it.
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Washington, D.C.: Regarding Express: I am in the "target market" and enjoy this paper -- I read the Post at home in the evenings (and obviously check the website during the day), but I like having a compact paper that requires little brain power -- at 7 a.m., I'm not at my sharpest. I think this is the big appeal of Express -- you can't not get it.
Marc Fisher: More votes for Express! Hey, I love it when any paper is a hit. But don't you think it needs a little cheesecake?
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Kingstowne, Va.: If it's Arnold against Arianna, it will be like fighting WWI all over again, with the Austrian-Hungarian Empire battling the Ottoman Empire. Where else but in California? What a kooky state.
Marc Fisher: Plus the smut peddler, who speaks a language all his own. That'd make for one heck of a debate.
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Oakton, Va.: I've got the perfect housewarming gift for Arina Huffington if she wins ... one of Schwarzenegger's Hummers. She'll love it.
Marc Fisher: You're not kidding--I could easily see SUVs become the top issue in that campaign.
We're over our alloted hour, folks, so thanks for coming along. More next week--the column will be on a bit of a hiatus, but the online show marches on. Thanks for joining me and write if you get work.
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washingtonpost.com: That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.
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