Radnor Reports from Ken Feltman

Obama refuses to yield on healthcare reform

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:19:17 -0600

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.President Obama's stubbornness is causing Congressional Democrats anxiety as he keeps pushing healthcare reform. Most Democrats are hearing from the voters back home and the voters are not happy. Voters assume that time spent on healthcare is time not spent on jobs. Expect Obama's favorable rating to continue to slip if he keeps pushing healthcare. Expect more and more Democrats to jump ship if the party leadership does not change the agenda. At this point, it may be impossible for Obama to recoup positive feelings toward his leadership. Focus groups show that more and more people are giving up on Obama. The recent Healthcare Summit produced mixed but generally positive reviews of Obama's performance. Then, as focus group analyses came in, that initial impression changed. People are exasperated with the effort, with Obama and with the House and Senate Democratic leaders. With the Summit, Obama took firm c...

Bye Bayh, American pie

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:15:54 -0600

By Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.Hear reason, or she'll make you feel her. Benjamin Franklin The retirement of Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh stunned Democrats. Bayh, a moderate in a right-of-center state, has never been threatened in previous elections. He was ahead in the polls and had a huge war chest. He was expected to win but he tossed in the towel. He said, in effect, that the job was not fulfilling anymore. The primary reason most Democrats are retiring is straightforward: They think they will lose in November. Democrats across the country are getting discouraging results from their political advisors and pollsters. If negative poll results caused accidents instead of jittery nerves, the emergency rooms would be filled with Democratic candidates. Bayh did not have popularity or money problems. He faced a tougher election than usual but was favored. Bayh quit for a second and a third reason. He was tired of being pressured by Senate...

Refine Your Economic State Of Affairs With Debt Settlement

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:09:20 -0600

Exeter, Rhode Island Ecommwire.com - If you are like the majority of borrowers, you have a couple of blemishes that are on your credit history, which you are embarrassed about. This form of disaster can occur for any person, regardless leaves you with a sizable quandary. One poor mark on your credit tends to increase in modest amounts till your entire financial life is really battered. Striving to move out of debt, and be sure that you are managing all of your daily expenditures is not always easy. The majority of people require a considerable amount of support becoming debt free, however really, it is a really uncomplicated process if you know your Online Debt Consolidation Quote options.Your initial step to moving out of debt and pulling your budget properly on track will consistently imply it is required to move back and truly look at your budget. Are you spending substantially greater money than you...

From Vladimir with cunning

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:21:14 -0600

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.My comments about Vladimir Putin in last month's Radnor Geopolitical Report drew many positive and a few sharply negative comments. Yes, comparing Putin to a boy who pulls the legs off spiders is a bit much. That remark was taken by some Russians as a slur against their country. Please know that the comment was about Putin, not Russia or Russians in general. Invariably, Russians have treated me with friendliness, kindness, efficiency and courtesy. The Russian people are generous hosts and delightful guests. They have made significant contributions to many fields and have more to contribute, but they are held back by difficult demographics and a government that values its security above all else. Comments from Russians were a bit guarded or defensive: "Your government is always opposing us." "We are not accorded the respect that we deserve." "Who are you to judge?" "Only Putin could have stopped the eastward...

Cash Advances - Are They Worth Deliberating If You Have Little Credit?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:55:15 -0600

Mediasyndicate.com, Jan Valley Cottage, New York Have your and your family ever been crushed with an unanticipated expenditure, like a sizeable automobile repair bill? How have you addressed it? Do you get out your Discover Card and pay for it, including interest fees, over an extended period of time? Or perhaps you do not own a credit card. Or maybe you are one of the millions of borrowers who secure exorbitant credit, and have already charged to the limit on your charge card. Do you have pals to acquire cash from? Most individuals do not wish to do that ' and most friends are not okay with that, either. So what selections do you have? It is up to you, but you could receive Advantages of Faxless Advance Payday Loan Options exceedingly quick done with some companies.Can you get online and have a couple of minutes to go through an application? Apply easily with Action P...

Campaigning and governing

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:21:26 -0600

by Ken Feltman of Radnor Inc.Former Illinois State Senator Mark Rhoads and I worked on a victorious congressional campaign together many years ago. Later Mark ran for and won a seat in the Illinois Senate where he quickly became a leader who was known for working with everyone to get things done.Here are his thoughts on the difference between election night celebrations and the quieter dedication of being sworn into office:"In the fog and noise of political battles, sometimes Americans forget just how great democracy really is. The minute when a winning candidate is announced on election night is noisy, wild, and jubilant for the supporters or gloomy for the losers. But when the winner is actually sworn into office, it is a more quiet, solemn, prayerful, introspective, historic, proud, and awesome moment even in a very short, simple, and low-key ceremony. In fact, often in the rituals of American history the less hoopla there is, the more important the moment seem...

Cash Advances - A Nifty Selection When There Are No Choices Left

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:15:22 -0600

Myfreepr, January Vinings, Georgia Ever been strained with an unforeseen expenditure, like a large doctor bill? How have you handled it? Do you get out your Discover Card and take care of it, including interest charges, over a period of time? Or perchance you do not own a charge card. Or maybe you are one of the millions of Americans who bear excessive debt, and have already charged to the limit on your charge card. Do you have friends to acquire money from? Most people do not want to do that ' and most friends are not approving with that, either. So what do you do? Well, you can possibly receive Online Payday Advance Loans - Customers Seek Them to Evade Upscale Overdraft Penalties .Are you able to get on the internet and have minutes to go through a loan application? Apply online with ActionPaydayLoans.com for a payday loan or pay...

Online Auto Credit - Gaining Access in a Troubled Economy

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:37:01 -0600

Free Press Release Charlotte, NC January , :Gaining access to auto credit is constantly a challenging task in a turbulent economy such as ours, where most lenders and those who are in the business of funding people who want to buy cars, are tight-fisted and scared of giving out auto credit. People can source auto credit that they need through several ways and means. When searching for auto credit, online searches have the least hassle and stress and the most flexibility. Auto credit is available online, but approval is based on many things including your credit report and other factors that vary by lender. With a good credit record, you can smoothly walk away with an online auto credit You do not need to go through the hassles of submitting hard copies of your relevant documents or application form while applying for auto credit. It is not necessary for any paperwork. Entire process...

Do Republicans know why Brown won?

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:10:40 -0600

By Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. - Mark Twain "The World Bids Farewell to Obama" screamed a headline in Der Spiegel, a leading German publication. "U.S. President Barack Obama suffered a painful defeat in Massachusetts on Tuesday. With mid-term elections looming, it means that Obama will have to fundamentally re-think his political course. German commentators say it is the end of hope." Many other publications from outside the United States echoed the same gloomy assessment after Republican Scott Brown won the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. Articles and editorials in the U.S. were not so one-sided. White House officials started spinning a few days before the election, generally blaming the Democratic candidate for running a poor campaign and crediting the sour economy for voter disenchantment. Obama sympathizers tried hard to distance the president from the Ma...

A Republican victory in Massachusetts?

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:11:23 -0600

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.January , , : pm EST. Radnor has not polled Massachusetts. Two polling firms we work with have polled for the Tuesday special election that will decide former Senator Edward Kennedy's replacement. One firm polled likely voters Thursday and Friday and found the Republican candidate, Scott Brown, leading by to , among decided voters. The other firm's latest three-day tracking poll, through Friday, shows Brown with a lead for the first time, to . Recent published polls show Brown gaining or in the lead. From discussions with Massachusetts political activists and media representatives, we have learned the following: - Democrat Martha Coakley presumed that winning the Democratic primary was tantamount to election and abandoned the campaign trail during the holidays, giving Brown a chance to draw unchallenged media coverage. - The Massachusetts Republican Party is not a meaning...

Back to Westphalian realism

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:32:11 -0600

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.The strong do what they will and the weak suffer what they must. - Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian WarThe Peace of Westphalia is usually cited as the end of Europe's religious wars, which began in when Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses. Thousands had died and more were displaced in bloody battles waged in the name of the same Christian God. Westphalia may have put an end to Europe's religious wars, but not Europe's bitter religious and ethnic prejudices. The current century, and especially the last, show us that hatred based upon another's faith or genes is as strong as ever. Coming out of the Peace was a new way of looking at politics. Politics began to be the art of the possible, not the competition of principles held deeply. Westphalia introduced a practical statehood into fractious Europe. The emerging nation-states were carved with more defensible borders enclosi...

August angst

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:01:18 -0500

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Healthcare hostility

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:27:09 -0500

By Ken Feltman of Radnor Inc.The August recess was supposed to be a time for the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats to solidify support for their version of healthcare reform. Two things went wrong. First, the Democrats have yet to agree on a plan. So Obama is still promoting generalities and the Congressional Democrats are still attacking each others' plans. Democratic senators and representatives have watched agast as their townhall meetings turned into mosh pits, with arrests and bloodshed. The Democrats have resorted to attacking the Republicans for "packing" the townhall meetings. Wait a minute. Where are the supports of reform? Where are Obama's legions of activists? They were everywhere during the campaign, jamming into every rally and disrupting whatever they could. The Obama campaign issued written instructions that told how to keep out anyone who did not support Obama. Where are they now? Some are showing up f...

Get some cynicism or go home

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:22:36 -0500

By Ken Feltman of Radnor Inc.Long-time Washington dwellers are cleaning up. They are doing their best to grab every dollar, yen, lira, won, peso, rupee, yuan, Euro, schilling or baht that the foreigners brought with them or can import. And the foreigners are happy to be fleeced. They think they are establishing a "presence" in the city that they - and their fleecers - believe is the new financial capital of the world. Wherever you go you become entangled in camera crews, with press ID tags dangling from their necks. They miss their prey as often as not and end up interviewing each other, chattering in Mandarin more often than any other language. In a town full of gray-suited, gray-haired and gray-eyed men, it is hard to pick the senators from the lobbyists. The hat-in-hand American bankers and businessmen, also recently arrived, are easier to identify: They look confused as they zip around in chauffer-driven vehicles. Disdain is t...

Healthcare: Conjuring versus leading

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:39:16 -0500

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.Fifth of a series to review other articles in this series, please go to Medical Insurance Reform.com .Whenever a new public opinion poll is completed, news reports concentrate on who is up and who is down, the horserace, the snapshot of public opinion at the time the survey was conducted. Most people do not think of polls as brief stops along the winding journey of changing opinions. But tomorrow's headlines are often hidden in the cross-tabs and footnotes. That is the case with evolving attitudes about healthcare reform. Centrist Americans - independent and middle-of-the-road voters who supported President Obama in large numbers in November - do not believe that Obama knows what he is talking about when he says that healthcare reform can bring both universal coverage and cost savings. It is as simple and as foreboding as that. A possible re...

Getting along in a former backwater town

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:53:35 -0500

Washington is a perfect blend of Northern hospitality and Southern efficiency. - John F. KennedyBy Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.The world has a crisis and Washington is at the center of efforts to resolve it. Naturally, people from all over are descending upon Washington to plead their case. Wherever they come from, the visitors are very American in one respect: They want Washington to do things the way they do them back home in, say, Zurich or Beijing. Whether these seekers of advantage are from faraway governments, banks and businesses or from as close as New York or Charlotte, they are struggling. Most seem to insist on doing things the hard way, stubbornly trying to enter through a door marked "exit." They bring along cadres of public relations advisors, lawyers and consultants who are undoubtedly very good at getting things done somewhere else. They expect habits and methods that work in Singapore or Rio ...

Will Obama escape Chicago corruption?

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:53:15 -0500

Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood.- Daniel Burnhamby Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.Daniel Burnham was the architect and urban planner who supervised the design and building of the Chicago World's Fair of . That grand and graceful exposition set the tone for future fairs and for today's Chicago. Burnham was the architect of Chicago's lakefront parks, which stretch for miles along Lake Michigan, a public treasure imitated but not yet duplicated. His buildings and parkways continue to rank among the favorites with practicing architects and urban planners. They are enjoyed by millions every day, from Manila to New York. Daily, thousands pass through Washington's elegant and functional Union Station, most never realizing that it was once s...

Healthcare: Generational warfare coming?

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:51:19 -0500

by Ken Feltman, Radnor Inc.The law of unintended consequences pushes us ceaselessly through the years, permitting no pause for perspective.- Richard SchickelSecond of a series.A battle with a PPO over a referral to a specialist. Zooming cost increases at an HMO. Inexplicable denials of coverage. These common frustrations have more and more Americans ready to turn healthcare over to Uncle Sam. The healthcare providers and insurance companies are doing a poor job of satisfying the public. More and more politicians spin enticing versions of healthcare reform. An increasing number of healthcare consumers believe that it is time to give the government a chance.The law of unintended consequences should give U.S. consumers pause before we let the government plunge into nationalized healthcare. Once the government creates a national program, consumers wi...

Healthcare Reform: A Popular model for Failure?

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:22:29 -0500

By Ken Feltman of Radnor Inc.A few shrewd observers of the Obama White House have reached a conclusion: We will and will not have healthcare reform. In other words, a reform bill will pass and the president will sign it with great fanfare. What will that bill look like? Either it will be watered down, passed just to allow President Obama and Democrats to check off a campaign promise but reforming little that really needs reforming - or the bill will be "rahmed" through the Congress, with virtually no Republican support and full of unintended consequences that will bedevil patients and medical practitioners for decades to come. For a definition of Washington's new verb "to Rahm" please see the box below. Some detractors call Obama's tactics cynical because he is not addressing the supposed real causes of the current crisis. The president keeps saying that the United States must control runaway health spending. A new report from Obama's Counci...