Courtesy of San Diego-based political observer John Dadian, allow me to present John’s annual “Dadian Arena Awards” for your amusement and enlightenment! This is solely the work of Mr. Dadian and may or may not reflect the view of the Libertarian Lass. Enjoy!
Forget all of those other awards. The Dadian Arena Awards are here! In keeping with the philosphy of Teddy Roosevelt, these folks in 2009 – the good ones and the bad ones – were all “in the arena.
It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.
We solicited opinions of political insiders throughout the state. Responses do not reflect the opinion of Dadian & Associates, Inc., but were certainly very interesting. Let’s see if you agree with these answers.
TOP NEWS STORY OF 2009
Barack Obama Sworn In As 44th President
Michael Jackson’s Death At Age 50
Tiger Woods
Economy
Health Care
MOST ADMIRED PERSON OF 2009
Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger
Ford Motor Company for not taking TARP funds
All members of the U.S. military
MOST DESPISED PERSON OF 2009
Any Financial Institution for taking the money and using it to pay obscene salaries and not make any loans
Bernie Madoff
Balloon Boy Dad
PEOPLE WHO RECEIVED VOTES FOR BOTH MOST DESPISED AND MOST ADMIRED PERSON OF 2009
Nancy Pelosi
Arnold Schwarzenegger
BEST POLITICIAN
Federal :
White House Chief Of Staff Rahm Emanuel
State:
Jerry Brown
Local:
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders
San Diego Supervisor Ron Roberts
WORST POLITICIAN
Federal :
Anyone whose arrogance got them involved in a scandal
State:
Anyone whose arrogance got them involved in a scandal
Local:
Anyone whose arrogance got them involved in a scandal
BIGGEST FALL FROM GRACE
Federal :
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
State:
Assemblyman Mike Duval
Local:
Poway Councilwoman Betty Rexford
RISING STAR
Federal :
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
General Stanley McChrystal
State:
Soon-to-be Assembly Speaker John Perez
Former Governor Jerry Brown
Local:
San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa
San Diego Councilman Tony Young
Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher
SMARTEST POLITICIAN
Federal :
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
State:
John Garamendi (“He Got Out Of Sacramento!”)
Local:
San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio
San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer
Best Answer from our respondents: “trick question!!! This is an oxymoron!”
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OF 2009
Federal :
Health Care Reform
Wars In Iraq & Afghanistan
State:
Budget Gridlock
Water
Local:
City Of San Diego Deficit
Keeping Chargers in town
Union-Tribune sold
POETIC JUSTICE AWARD:
Bob Kittle being laid off from the San Diego Union-Tribune. As the Voice of San Diego put it, “Love him or hate him, to know Robert A. Kittle…is to have an opinion about him.” Judging by the responses to our survey, there wasn’t much love out there.
PREDICTIONS FOR 2010:
Democrats lose 5 Senate Seats including Harry Reid in Nevada
Republicans take back the House
Tom Campbell wins Republican nomination for Governor; beats Democrat in November
Jerry Brown regains Governorship
BIGGEST GAFFE OF 2009
President Barack Obama in the second paragraph of his inaugural address, “Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.” While Obama IS the 44th president, he is actually only the 43rd American to take the oath. Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms. He is counted as the 22nd president, serving from 1885 to 1889. He won back the office four years later, and is counted also as the 24th president, serving again from 1893-1897. Shame on President Obama’s speech writers for not catching it.
Honorable Mention (late entry)
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: “The system worked. The traveling public is very, very safe.”
“On what planet do you spend most of your time?” – Rep. Barney Frank
“It’s gotta get better” – Anonymous respondent to our survey
“Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan … we’ve got a lot to drink about.” – Jimmy Buffett
MOST DISGUSTING QUOTE OF 2009
Assemblyman Mike Duvall: “She wears little eye-patch underwear, so I can see her eye patches. So, the other day she came here with her underwear, Thursday. And so, we had made love Wednesday, a lot. And so she’ll she’s all, I am going up and down the stairs and you’re dripping out of me. So messy.”
You Can’t Forget These Quotes of 2009:
“I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places right now. It’s not that it’s going to Mexico. It’s that you are in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes everywhere through the aircraft. That’s me.” – Vice President Joe Biden, on NBC’s Today show, giving his advice on dealing with the swine flu outbreak, which seemed to contradict the Administration’s advice to the public
“This is like Special Olympics or something.” — President Barack Obama, on The Tonight Show, referring to his pitiful bowling game
“You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not Secretary of State.” – Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, during an August press conference in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to a student who asked her, “What does Mr. Clinton think, through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton?” According to State Department officials, the student approached Clinton afterward and said he had meant to ask what “Mr. Obama”
“You know, do me a favor,” Could say ’senator’ instead of ‘ma’am? It’s just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I’d appreciate it, yes, thank you.” – Senator Boxer to Brigadier General Michael Walsh who appeared before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
“You lie!” – Republican South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson, interrupting President Obama’s health care address before a joint session of Congress after he said the legislative reforms would not apply to illegal immigrants.
“If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there’s still a 30% chance we’re going to get it wrong.” – Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to members of the House Democratic caucus who were gathered in Williamsburg, Va., for their annual retreat.
“I don’t want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country. My question for you is, What are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created according to the Constitution?” – Katy Abram, a Pennsylvania mother, speaking at a health care town hall moderated by Senator Arlen Specter in August in Lebanon, Pa.
” ‘This Is It’ really means this is it.” – Michael Jackson, pop star, in March, announcing plans for a series of “final curtain call” concerts in London in July, which would have been his first major live performances in 12 years
“They should see it like a weekend of camping.” – Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s Prime Minister, on the thousands of people left homeless by an April 6 earthquake that killed more than 300
“Doing God’s work” – Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein’s description of how he spends his time as a banker, in an interview with the London Times.