The Problem With Do As I Say Not As I Do

Michael Hancock is the Mayor of Denver.  He is under fire for his decision to fly to Alabama for the Thanksgiving holiday.  His wife and daughter are there.  Funny thing is, he left Denver AFTER telling the residents they should NOT travel for the holiday during a "Mornings With the Mayor" segment on local television.

He isn't the only politician in hot water recently for "do as I say, not as I do" behavior.  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that two of his three daughters and his 86 year old mother would be joining him for Thanksgiving.  The criticism was immediate and widespread.  Soon after, one of his senior advisors then said the governor's plans had changed and he would be working through the holiday.

One might think that they'd have taken a hint from the blowback faced by Governor Gavin Newsom after the public learned of his presence at a dinner party to celebrate the birthday of Jason Kinney.  Kinney is a close advisor to Governor Newsom as well as a registered lobbyist.  Here is an excerpt from his so-called "apology"

“As soon as I sat down at the larger table I realized it was a little larger group than I had anticipated and I made a bad mistake,  Instead of sitting down, I should have stood up and walked back, got in my car and drove back to my house.”

As if the governor ever drives himself.  He is driven by a driver who serves him, in addition to his 20 person CHP security detail.  Newsom also said:

“I want to apologize to you because I need to preach and practice, not just preach and not practice, and I’ve done my best to do that,” Newsom said. “We’re all human. We all fall short sometimes.”

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We are all human.  We all make errors.  But leadership is about setting the example, not just the rules.  These elected officials deserve the firestorm of controversy they created by telling the rest of us to do one thing and then doing the exact opposite.  As though the rules do not apply to them.  As though they are special or elite.

Take note of how President-Elect Biden and his wife spent their Thanksgiving holiday.  Instead of encouraging families to gather as Trump did, they talked about why it is important that we do not host large gatherings.  

That is leadership.  Setting the example.  Setting the tone.

We need leaders.  Not grifters.

Wear a damn mask - South Dakota Edition

I understand that some individuals believe there is no need to wear a mask during this pandemic.  I disagree with their belief.  I get that a lot of the time, these beliefs are politically motivated thanks to the utter lack of leadership by Donald Trump on the issue.  But I never thought I'd hear that Kelby Krabbenhoft, the CEO of a large health system made a public statement that he no longer needs to wear a mask; because he has been infected and believes he is immune.  He sent a mass email to the 50,000 employees of Sanford Health.  You can read the full email here.  Here is an excerpt:

"For me to wear a mask defies the efficacy and purpose of a mask and sends an untruthful message that I am susceptible to infection or could transmit it. I have no interest in using masks as a symbolic gesture when I consider that my actions in support of our family leave zero doubt as to my support of all 50,000 of you. My team and I have a duty to express the truth and facts and reality and not feed the opposite."

I find this to be irresponsible.  The science has not proven that there is immunity in every case.  It has not proven that once infected and this supposed immunity has been created, that an infected individual is no longer contagious.

Did I mention the mask issue is political?  Yes I did.  So it should come as no surprise that Mr. Krabbenhoft is a frequent and longtime donor to Republican politicians, candidates and causes.  He sent two contributions of $1,000 to Senator Lindsey Graham just this past March.  He gave $4,000 to Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign.

He can afford his generosity.  The 2015 tax return of the Sanford Health Foundation (the non-profit that operates the Sanford Health System) shows he was paid $3.8 million in compensation and that another $717,000 was put into what is probably a "Rabbi Trust" to benefit him in retirement.  The 2017 return of the same organization shows his compensation was "only" $2.3 million with another $877,000 going into that Rabbi Trust.

By the way, Sanford Health is a textbook example of the profit in being a not for profit, although my 2019 blog on the subject was focused on private schools.  The data below is the annual "surplus" generated by the Sanford Health Foundation:

Year        Surplus

2014        $19.9 million

2015        $16.9 million

2016        $13.2 million

2017        $10.5 million

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So who is Kelby Krabbenhoft responsible to?  That's simple.  The Board of Trustees of the Sanford Health Foundation.  Who are they?  See below.  If you feel like you want to tell them how you feel about his lack of leadership, feel free to let them know.  The company's Twitter is @SanfordHealth

Brent Teiken (Board Chair)

Sales Manager at Perficient, Fargo ND - @Life_of_Teik

Donald "Jake" Jacobs (Vice Chair)

Market Manager/VP at Townsquare Media - donald.jacobs@townsquaremedia.com 

Neil Gulsvig (Treasurer)

President/CEO at Align

Andy Nortb (Secretary)

Former Professional Golfer, Golf Analyst for ESPN - www.andynorth.com

Mark Paulson, MD (Past Chair)

Perham Health Clinic 

David Bieto 

President, Northern State Bank

Maria Bell, MD

Sanford Cancer Center

Jim Cain

Cain Brothers 

Patrick W. Durick

Pearce & Durick  pwd@pearce-durick.com/

Barbara Everist

Former South Dakota State Senator

Mark Lundeen, MD

Sanford Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

This isn't about missing computer keyboard keys

In January of 2001 the inauguration of George W. Bush was about to happen.  What did some Clinton Administration staffers do?  They removed the W key from computer keyboards.  They allegedly ripped phone wires from the walls.  This is from a New York Times article on the subject:

"The General Accounting Office, an investigative arm of Congress, said today that ''damage, theft, vandalism and pranks did occur in the White House complex'' in the presidential transition from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush. The agency put the cost at $13,000 to $14,000, including $4,850 to replace computer keyboards, many with damaged or missing W keys.  Some of the damage, it said, was clearly intentional. Glue was smeared on desk drawers. Messages disparaging President Bush were left on signs and in telephone voice mail. A few of the messages used profane or obscene language."

For the curious, here is the GAO report on the damage and allegations.

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We are in the middle of what may become the ugliest and most difficult presidential transition in history. It goes far beyond what happened in January of 2001.  Trump's decision to take a victory lap for the potential of Covid-19 vaccines becoming available soon while ignoring the fact the pandemic is spiraling out of control is putting lives at risk.  The delay in allowing the transition to procede will delay the vetting and appointment of the people Joe Biden chooses to replace the outgoing members of the Trump administration.  

As pointed out by the Washington Post, the 9/11 Commission Report outlined the dangers of a delayed transition:

“The dispute over the [2000] election and the 36-day delay cut in half the normal transition period. Given that a presidential election in the United States brings wholesale change in personnel, this loss of time hampered the new administration in identifying, recruiting, clearing, and obtaining Senate confirmation of key appointees.”

The legal challenges being mounted by Donald Trump to the results of his election loss are being tossed by judges.  Or withdrawn by his own lawyers, who cannot repeat Trump's falsehoods to judges sitting on the bench.

The truth is that the only candidate and his supporters who are attempting to rig the election is Trump himself.  Trump told voters in North Carolina to vote twice

Senator Lindsey Graham allegedly tried to get Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to throw out votes in an effort to change that state's choice of Joe Biden.  In Wayne County Michigan, the two Republican members of the Board of Canvassers initially voted to not certify the election results.  They changed their minds two hours later.

* * *

The effect is that the traditional transition of power is not taking place.  Trump's refusal to concede is bad enough.  Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration (GSA) is making things worse by refusing to sign a letter of ascertainment.  

Why is Trump doing this?  Some postulate that he honestly believes he can change the result of the election and retain power.  Others claim he is doing this to retain the support of his base while being able to raise money for his newly created PAC.

I think there is something else going on here and the clue is in Trump's own words.

At a different rally than the one pictured above, Trump said, ""I shouldn’t joke, I shouldn’t joke because you know what? Running against the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics puts pressure on me. Could you imagine if I lose?  My whole life — what am I going to do? I’m going to say, I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics! I’m not going to feel so good. Maybe I’ll have to leave the country, I don’t know." 

* * *

The result is a man whose gigantic ego has been shattered.  If Joe Biden is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics, what does it say to lose to that candidate?  It is the ultimate slap in the face.  It is worse than being a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice and being fired on national TV.  It is proof that all of his self-professed achievements during the past 4 years amount to nothing.

So he is going to do anything and everything he can to make the Biden Administration a failure.  His own disorganized transition is the model.  He will burn it all down in spite of the damage to the American people.  If more people die, he doesn't care.

* * *

Once Joe Biden is inaugurated, Congress must revise the Presidential Transition Act.  This cannot be permitted to happen again.