From The GOP Midwest Leadership Conference
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Republicans from throughout the upper Midwest gathered here in Minneapolis for a weekend of cheerleading, lectures, information, fellowship, and - for one hour - me.
We also went to the Mall of the Americas which features the two things I almost always try to avoid: Amusement parks and malls.
I asked some of the locals if it made money. The question was answered in a story atop the fold in Sunday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune in which it was explained the mall would expand to "9.8 million square feet, more than double its current 4.2 million square feet."
Call me when it's done.
On Saturday, Karl Rove, Senior Advisor to the President, addressed the 1,200 attendees focusing largely on the President's education reform initiative.
Rove got a long, long standing ovation even BEFORE he started to speak. Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) might not think much of Mr. Rove, but the rank-and-file Republicans here think he's The Man.
He talked about the major principles involved in the education plan: testing, focusing on what works, increasing local control, and giving parents and local school systems greater flexibility.
He reminded this group, which also got heavy doses of programs designed to reach out to women, African-Americans, and Hispanics, of the President's long-held position that "no child should be left behind."
Rove pointed to the bi-partisan nature of the education package which includes significant amounts of input from Senators Kennedy and Jeffords as well as the President's pieces and ideas backed by Republican Senators and Members of the House.
That education initiative - even though versions have passed the House and Senate - has stalled, largely because Senator Tom Daschle, possibly the most blatantly partisan man in Washington, has announced he will hold the initiatives hostage to the appropriations process.
Daschle said, it was "not our desire to complete this work until we have some understanding about the degree of resources that will be made available."
In the classic Democratic manner, programs are not measured in terms of how well they provide for the public good, but only in terms of how much money is spent on them.
Nevertheless, Rove was optimistic, the crowd was thrilled, and judging by the way they applauded every reference to him, the President is extremely popular with these folks.
An obit in the Washington Post on Saturday announced the passing of Dr. Frances R. Horwich at the age of 94 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Dr. Horwich was much better known as Miss Frances, the teacher on a very early children's show called "Ding Dong School."
Miss Frances would begin every program by ringing a school bell and singing a song which, as I remember, went:
"I'm your school bell, ding dong ding; Boys and girls all hear me ring."
All right so it's not, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, baby�" but it was pretty hot stuff in 1952.
See a photo of Miss Frances, plus a VERY good Catchy Caption, plus learn how many acres in 9.8 million square
feet all in the Secret Decoder Ring
Miss Frances was the Mr. Rogers of my childhood. At the end of every program she would tell us to call one of our parents to the television so she could discuss with them what we had learned that day and what supplies we would need for the next day's class.
My mom and dad both worked, so I always thought I was getting away with something - like getting to peek into the teachers' lounge - at the end of every show.
A columnist wrote contemporaneously in the NY Times,
"The whole concept of 'Ding Dong School' is one for which a good many television parents long have yearned: the use of the screen to stimulate participation by youngsters in what is being shown, not just passive watching of one or more video shows. Dr. Horwich achieves this with the greatest success."
Ding Dong School was replaced on the NBC daytime schedule with "The Price is Right" which provided much higher advertising revenues to the network.
In the classic network manner, programs were not measured in terms of how well they provided for the public good, but only in terms of how much money was realized from them.
Interesting, isn't it, how some things never change?
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