Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, has a basic theory
about what makes people truly successful. He says that if you have the right
education, the right timing and the right experience, combined with a truly
extraordinary work ethic, you can be an outlier, somebody who succeeds beyond
everyone’s expectations.
One of the nuggets in this very interesting book is
Gladwell’s reciting of the 10,000-hour rule. Gladwell repeats the theory that
for someone to be truly proficient in a complex task, that person must work at
it for 10,000 hours or more. Ten thousand hours is a long time, about 10 years.
It was the French general Ferdinand Foch who said during the First World War: "Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I attack."
Foch’s tactics during the Great War, as it was called back then, unnecessarily killed hundred of thousands of French troops at the Battle of the Somme, leading to his eventual dismissal and an unhappy place in history.
In the fall and winter of 1998, I had the brief chance to work for Haley Barbour at his firm, Barbour, Griffith and Rogers (before Speaker-elect Denny Hastert asked me to return to Capitol Hill and serve as his spokesman).
Haley was the hardest-working, smartest, most capable person I have ever worked with.
The elections today should send a simple message to the
Obama administration and congressional Democrats: You lost the middle class,
and you won’t get them back until you fundamentally change your legislative
agenda.
During last year’s campaign, President Barack Obama
consistently stressed how his policies were going to help the middle class. He
talked about his middle-class tax cut. He promised that any new spending would
be paid by the rich. He attacked his opponent, John McCain, continuously for
his plan to raise taxes on the middle class. He promised change the middle
class could believe in.
Let’s say that your car is constantly breaking down and you
know that you have to buy a new one because you need a car to get to work.
You just bought a house, you have some credit card debt and
you are worried about the economy. You are not too certain that your job will
be there next year.
One of the original earthquakes that helped weaken the
foundation of the once-impregnable Democratic majority in the House was the
check-kiting scandal of 1992.
I was working for the House Minority Leader, Bob Michel, at
the time.
In 1992, ATM machines were just starting to become
ubiquitous, and many old-time members still went to the House Bank to get money.
According to various news reports, top donors to the
president got the run of the White House, including meetings with top officials
and a chance to bowl in the president’s own little alley.
It is the bowling that captured my interest. I think it was
Richard Nixon who installed a bowling alley in the White House. Perhaps the
president and the Rahminator worked on their enemies list as they bowled a few
frames.
It dawned on me as I was doing some grocery-shopping at the local Harris Teeter. Each week, I pick up a gallon or two of milk, and I always look at the expiration date, trying to get the latest possible date, which is usually two weeks away.
Two weeks ago, I was amazed when the expiration date said Oct. 31. Wow, November is already here. When I go to the store this weekend, we will already be in the middle of November.
As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) attempts to
put a healthcare reform bill together that will meet the various requirements
laid down by the White House (deficit-neutral, no abortion language, no
healthcare insurance for illegal immigrants, no new taxes on middle-class
voters) and tries to square that reality with her own assurances (that it will
include a “robust” public option), she also has to make a decision about what
kind of process she will use to get her bill passed through the House.
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