The Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Republicans, Barack Obama and Dan Rooney
Andy Martin looks at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their legendary owner Dan Rooney: Republicans lost Rooney in 2008. How do they win him back? Andy Martin looks at the interrelationships between the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney and Rooney's support for Barack Obama. How does Obama measure up against Rooney's values and verities? You be the judge after reading Andy's analysis.
How do the Republicans win Rooney Back? Maybe Republicans need to absorb a little more of the ethos of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and less of the pseudo-swagger of being "Texas tough." Texas doesn't look so tough any more. The Bush Dynasty has been sent to the showers in the bush leagues of history.
Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin on the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Republican Party and Barack Obama
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANDY MARTIN REFLECTS ON DAN ROONEY, THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS' LEGENDARY PRESIDENT, AND ROONEY'S SUPPORT FOR BARACK OBAMA
WHERE DID THE REPUBLICANS GO WRONG; HOW CAN THEY GET RIGHT?
ANDY MARTIN MEASURES BARACK OBAMA AGAINST "ROONEY'S VALUES;" WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?
(NEW YORK)(February 1, 2009) Regular readers know that ContrarianCommentary.com does not follow the sports pages, and we never cover sporting events. But a New York Times column on Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney caught our eye, and we dug deeper.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/sports/football/27rooney.html
As it turns out, there have been a number of recent stories concerning Rooney's support for Obama during the presidential campaign. There have also been stories praising the guiding sprit of Dan Rooney in the Steelers organization. We went digging deeper still for the big picture.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08314/926590-176.stm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012803393_pf.html
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1151221/index.htm
Dan Rooney is an extraordinary character in American sports, and in American business. He has built an organization out of sheer grit. The Rooney Family is wealthy today, but the Steelers franchise is not the plaything of a wealthy arriviste. The family built the team's value from scratch, and built the spirit of the team based on Dan's own personal values.
All of the stories comment on Rooney's modesty, and how he eats lunch with his players almost every day. Rooney lives in a nondescript neighborhood, in the home where he grew up, and drives an ordinary car. No limos, no entourage, no hangers-on. And, apparently, no Citicorp-style corporate jet.
Rooney, of course, exemplifies the Middle American values that made the country great. Reading the material we distilled "Rooney's values" into four general areas: (A) modesty; (B) stability and trust; (C) thrift; (D) family.
There is no executive dining room at the Steelers organization. When a server in the cafeteria line wanted to shake Rooney's hand, all she had to was walk over and shake. He's in the cafeteria most days, standing in line. How many CEO's do that today? How many at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, AIG or the other wounded capitals of capital in New York? Not many.
The Steelers have had three coaches in forty years. It almost seems unbelievable. But then in Pennsylvania, trust and stability are different. Football coach Joe Paterno has been at Penn State University since the dawn of creation. Stability is a big part of western Pennsylvania. Stability is something America lost in the 90's and especially in the past few years. We need it back. Desperately.
Rooney's third virtue is thrift. His "fortune" is the Steelers. He isn't wealthy apart from the team. No hedge fund, no brokerage operation, no trust fund. The Steelers are both the source of his wealth and the repository of his wealth. So he watches every dollar. He won’t overpay, won’t indulge in egomaniacs, and is a shrewd judge of character.
We never heard of Plexico Burgess until he shot himself in a New York City nightclub. Burgess was a real lowlife to be packing heat in a crowded place. (Who does he think he is? Sean Combs?) Ironically, Rooney had cut Burgess loose long before the famous gunshot. Burgess' antics may have demoralized his new teammates at the New York Giants. They were "contendas" until the shot heard round the sports world. Now the Steelers, not the Giants, are in the Super Bowl.
Finally, Rooney emphasizes family, his own family and the family of his team. He is wedded to his community, his region, his church, and, until Obama sauntered into the picture, the Republican Party. Where did Republicans go wrong? Who lost Rooney?
Rooney is a practical dollars and sense man. He built his wealth; he didn’t inert a fortune and then squander it on a sports team. Surely the economic perfidiousness of the past eight years got to him. Rooney is not one to scream from the steeple tops. But the fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan obviously bothered him.
And then he saw Obama. Rooney took heat from the Steelers' fans for backing Barry O. But he stood by his man. And he backed a winner: Obama won.
So how does Obama measure up against Rooney's rules? In some respects Obama seems to be the exact antithesis of Rooney, which is what makes Rooney's support so surprising, and so interesting.
Modesty? Limos? Obama is intoxicated with his own importance. He has created a bubble-within-the-bubble. Obama is the most self-important public official in the entire United States. Clearly, Rooney would never hire Obama to play for the Steelers. Obama fumbles the ball on modesty.
Stability? We think Obama gets a first down here. Whether you love or hate Obama, he has pyramided a series of modest personal abilities, coupled with an outstanding speaking style, into one of the great political success stories of American history. This advance from modesty to majesty took stability. Obama gets the first down.
Thrift? Obama is thrown for a loss here. He likes to spend big on himself, especially when someone else, usually the taxpayers, is paying the tab. Obama has commandeered the entire floor of a luxury hotel for his family; he's not averse to living la vida loca while the American people by his own admission are suffering through a horrible economy. That's not Dan Rooney's style. http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/29/obama-celebrates-spending-binge-with-cocktails-and-wagyu-steak/
And Obama is planning to bankrupt the nation. Thrift is not something we associate with Obama. By the time the American people eject him from the White House, he will have bankrupted Fort Knox. Obama, moreover, would want his own personal chef; no employee cafeteria line with a bunch of sweaty football players for the Great One.
Family? Most of our writing expresses sympathy for Obama's convoluted early family life. Indeed, we don’t even believe is an "Obama." In our opinion, his biological father was Frank Marshall Davis (who had a skill set that almost perfectly matches his undisclosed son's; like father, like son). Obama was caught in the myth of Obama, and he found out the truth too late in life to change course. We rate "family" as a neutral factor.
On the other hand. Obama sure knows how to butter up those who put him in high office; he has always been a shameless flatterer. He makes the Clintons look like rookies in that regard. Although it is almost impossible to get a straight answer out of Barry O on anything, he came out and said straight up he was rooting for the Steelers today.
Of course having the President of the United States support your sports team may reflect precisely the opposite: maybe the consummate deal-maker and orchestrator, Dan Rooney, scored a touchdown when he backed Obama. That's Rooney for you. He knows how to move the ball.
Now how does the Republican Party win Dan Rooney back as a supporter? That's the question for the Super Bowl of politics: the White House.
Maybe Republicans as a party should go back to the basics. We have a list for them to start with: modesty, stability, thrift and family. Maybe they should hold their next national convention in Pittsburgh; and ask Dan Rooney to be the keynote speaker.
--------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or signed copies (delayed for signing) from the publisher are available.
---------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to oppose President-elect Barack Obama.
http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com.
Please give generously. Our ability to fight and defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American.
“The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama has no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised almost a billion dollars, and is continuing to raise money, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting experience in radio and television. He is currently based in New York promoting his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or CELL (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.] © Copyright by Andy Martin 2009.
Andy Martin looks at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their legendary owner Dan Rooney: Republicans lost Rooney in 2008. How do they win him back? Andy Martin looks at the interrelationships between the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney and Rooney's support for Barack Obama. How does Obama measure up against Rooney's values and verities? You be the judge after reading Andy's analysis.
How do the Republicans win Rooney Back? Maybe Republicans need to absorb a little more of the ethos of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and less of the pseudo-swagger of being "Texas tough." Texas doesn't look so tough any more. The Bush Dynasty has been sent to the showers in the bush leagues of history.
Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin on the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Republican Party and Barack Obama
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANDY MARTIN REFLECTS ON DAN ROONEY, THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS' LEGENDARY PRESIDENT, AND ROONEY'S SUPPORT FOR BARACK OBAMA
WHERE DID THE REPUBLICANS GO WRONG; HOW CAN THEY GET RIGHT?
ANDY MARTIN MEASURES BARACK OBAMA AGAINST "ROONEY'S VALUES;" WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?
(NEW YORK)(February 1, 2009) Regular readers know that ContrarianCommentary.com does not follow the sports pages, and we never cover sporting events. But a New York Times column on Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney caught our eye, and we dug deeper.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/sports/football/27rooney.html
As it turns out, there have been a number of recent stories concerning Rooney's support for Obama during the presidential campaign. There have also been stories praising the guiding sprit of Dan Rooney in the Steelers organization. We went digging deeper still for the big picture.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08314/926590-176.stm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012803393_pf.html
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1151221/index.htm
Dan Rooney is an extraordinary character in American sports, and in American business. He has built an organization out of sheer grit. The Rooney Family is wealthy today, but the Steelers franchise is not the plaything of a wealthy arriviste. The family built the team's value from scratch, and built the spirit of the team based on Dan's own personal values.
All of the stories comment on Rooney's modesty, and how he eats lunch with his players almost every day. Rooney lives in a nondescript neighborhood, in the home where he grew up, and drives an ordinary car. No limos, no entourage, no hangers-on. And, apparently, no Citicorp-style corporate jet.
Rooney, of course, exemplifies the Middle American values that made the country great. Reading the material we distilled "Rooney's values" into four general areas: (A) modesty; (B) stability and trust; (C) thrift; (D) family.
There is no executive dining room at the Steelers organization. When a server in the cafeteria line wanted to shake Rooney's hand, all she had to was walk over and shake. He's in the cafeteria most days, standing in line. How many CEO's do that today? How many at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, AIG or the other wounded capitals of capital in New York? Not many.
The Steelers have had three coaches in forty years. It almost seems unbelievable. But then in Pennsylvania, trust and stability are different. Football coach Joe Paterno has been at Penn State University since the dawn of creation. Stability is a big part of western Pennsylvania. Stability is something America lost in the 90's and especially in the past few years. We need it back. Desperately.
Rooney's third virtue is thrift. His "fortune" is the Steelers. He isn't wealthy apart from the team. No hedge fund, no brokerage operation, no trust fund. The Steelers are both the source of his wealth and the repository of his wealth. So he watches every dollar. He won’t overpay, won’t indulge in egomaniacs, and is a shrewd judge of character.
We never heard of Plexico Burgess until he shot himself in a New York City nightclub. Burgess was a real lowlife to be packing heat in a crowded place. (Who does he think he is? Sean Combs?) Ironically, Rooney had cut Burgess loose long before the famous gunshot. Burgess' antics may have demoralized his new teammates at the New York Giants. They were "contendas" until the shot heard round the sports world. Now the Steelers, not the Giants, are in the Super Bowl.
Finally, Rooney emphasizes family, his own family and the family of his team. He is wedded to his community, his region, his church, and, until Obama sauntered into the picture, the Republican Party. Where did Republicans go wrong? Who lost Rooney?
Rooney is a practical dollars and sense man. He built his wealth; he didn’t inert a fortune and then squander it on a sports team. Surely the economic perfidiousness of the past eight years got to him. Rooney is not one to scream from the steeple tops. But the fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan obviously bothered him.
And then he saw Obama. Rooney took heat from the Steelers' fans for backing Barry O. But he stood by his man. And he backed a winner: Obama won.
So how does Obama measure up against Rooney's rules? In some respects Obama seems to be the exact antithesis of Rooney, which is what makes Rooney's support so surprising, and so interesting.
Modesty? Limos? Obama is intoxicated with his own importance. He has created a bubble-within-the-bubble. Obama is the most self-important public official in the entire United States. Clearly, Rooney would never hire Obama to play for the Steelers. Obama fumbles the ball on modesty.
Stability? We think Obama gets a first down here. Whether you love or hate Obama, he has pyramided a series of modest personal abilities, coupled with an outstanding speaking style, into one of the great political success stories of American history. This advance from modesty to majesty took stability. Obama gets the first down.
Thrift? Obama is thrown for a loss here. He likes to spend big on himself, especially when someone else, usually the taxpayers, is paying the tab. Obama has commandeered the entire floor of a luxury hotel for his family; he's not averse to living la vida loca while the American people by his own admission are suffering through a horrible economy. That's not Dan Rooney's style. http://michellemalkin.com/2009/01/29/obama-celebrates-spending-binge-with-cocktails-and-wagyu-steak/
And Obama is planning to bankrupt the nation. Thrift is not something we associate with Obama. By the time the American people eject him from the White House, he will have bankrupted Fort Knox. Obama, moreover, would want his own personal chef; no employee cafeteria line with a bunch of sweaty football players for the Great One.
Family? Most of our writing expresses sympathy for Obama's convoluted early family life. Indeed, we don’t even believe is an "Obama." In our opinion, his biological father was Frank Marshall Davis (who had a skill set that almost perfectly matches his undisclosed son's; like father, like son). Obama was caught in the myth of Obama, and he found out the truth too late in life to change course. We rate "family" as a neutral factor.
On the other hand. Obama sure knows how to butter up those who put him in high office; he has always been a shameless flatterer. He makes the Clintons look like rookies in that regard. Although it is almost impossible to get a straight answer out of Barry O on anything, he came out and said straight up he was rooting for the Steelers today.
Of course having the President of the United States support your sports team may reflect precisely the opposite: maybe the consummate deal-maker and orchestrator, Dan Rooney, scored a touchdown when he backed Obama. That's Rooney for you. He knows how to move the ball.
Now how does the Republican Party win Dan Rooney back as a supporter? That's the question for the Super Bowl of politics: the White House.
Maybe Republicans as a party should go back to the basics. We have a list for them to start with: modesty, stability, thrift and family. Maybe they should hold their next national convention in Pittsburgh; and ask Dan Rooney to be the keynote speaker.
--------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or signed copies (delayed for signing) from the publisher are available.
---------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to oppose President-elect Barack Obama.
http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com.
Please give generously. Our ability to fight and defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American.
“The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama has no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised almost a billion dollars, and is continuing to raise money, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting experience in radio and television. He is currently based in New York promoting his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or CELL (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.] © Copyright by Andy Martin 2009.
Labels: Andy Martin, Barack Obama, ContrarianCommentary.com, Dan Rooney, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask
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