Obama's Campaign Error, Booker's Political Suicide

Much have been made of New Jersey's Mayor Corey Booker's rebuttal on Meet the Press last weekend of President Obama's critique of Romeny's Bain years. While we can all agree that Corey is plain suicidal, at least politically, the jury is still out if Obama's strategy of making Bain the center of his definition of Mr. Romney will really work.

According to its proponents, defining you challenger earless crucial to winning elections. Using their supposed strong suit agains them (John Kerry's Vietnam record, remember?) is also supposed to be a game changer. Since Romney have decided to make his years in Bain as the core qualification for his intended Presidency, the reason goes that Obama has to puncture that believe. To Newt Gingrich that said it never worked for him, the retort was that he never had enough money to make that case, and he was often hedged in by the GOP Elders.

Well, yes and no.

It is true that when the case of Bain is being made, substantial focus on Wall Street and its destructive effect on Main Street works. But the strategy also hold very dangerous omen and the Obama campaign has to be very careful. It is not as simple as saying this is a Wall Street guy that became rich because he flipped companies, some sort of connection to the current pain of the people and private equity have to made: and here it where it gets really difficult. Basically put, slandering works (i.e. call Romney a Wall Street candidate that screwed  up our lives), but the details are iffy (i.e. work on shells here, buddy!) Clearly the President must be willing to alienate some of his Party's most loyal donors, piss off the whole of Wall Street and basically run an industry wide slandering campaign if he hopes this succeeds. Or May be not...

I for one think that attacks on opponents have to be cascaded and the Obama campaign might have started from behind with the least effective story on Romney. Here are three lines that work for Mr. Romney, in their order of potential effectiveness:

• He will say anything to get elected i.e. etch the sketch
• He is clueless on National Security & Foreign Policy...basically a novice
• His understanding of the economy from Wall Street is flawed and largely got us to where we are 

I think the Hope train chose the least effective one and are not even consistent with it as the Corey incident shows. Why can't the President find himself strong surrogates beyond Mr Biden? Even Mr. Romney look better surrounded with a full team, cabinet and party in place than Mr. Donkey! May be Chicago need to start dusting up Karl Rove's swift boat playbook. 

Attacks on opponents character works better on a blank slate like Kerry and Romney, and the flip-flopper of 2004 should be the etch the sketch of 2012. Only after this is established in voters' mind after 6 months of badgering will the pulverization of the strong suit aka swift boat ad, or Bain capital bomb be thrown with the kitchen sink!

This is going to really be fun! Can't wait for mud to start flying. It is a 3 billion dollars election baby! Thanks to our clueless Supreme Court! 

The Early Problems of An Infant Nation: Nigeria

Watch 3.13 of the second video. The Sardauna expressing an apt political decision not to stand for a federal seat and "choosing to live among his people"...how I wish Awo did the same.

It is interesting to note the mutual suspicion between the North and South from day one, and how the rebellious (Awo) vs status quo (Zik & Ahmedu Bello) personalities of the then leaders might have contributed to everything going amiss!

Occupy Nigeria: Fuel Subsidy Crisis & Way Out

We understand Labor and Government are finally talking after much prevarication by our stubborn President. A starting point of compromise and negotiation should look like this:



1. Immediate reversion to the ex-fuel price of 65 naira up until the end of current budget year of March 31, 2012.

2. Empowerment of a joint task force of the EFCC, ICPC, CBN and Nigeria Police under a Sitting Judge to investigate the cabal that have milked fuel subsidy in the last 10 years, recommending fines and jail terms where appropriate. Tax fraud, racketeering and forgery should all be on the table for use to nail the offenders. 

3. Implementation of the following in the new budget:

a. Drastic reduction in the allowances and payments to political in both arms of government with a view to reducing net overhead expenditure to 45% of budget size. This includes removal of security votes, removal of constituency projects, reduction in number of advisors/assistants, reduction in the size of the presidential fleet, and reduction in the size of pools of vehicles maintained by the FG.

b. Law to mandate the RMAFC to tie basic salaries of political officers to the minimum wage (as a multiple) and remove ALL allowances. All benefits to political officers are to be provided as line items in budget, and must be justified by MDAs and agencies. Nigeria's president (as the highest paid) should not earn more than the equivalent of $200,000 per annum and should feed his family from it. Period. 

c. Immediate dissolution of the PPRA, and transfer of powers to meet domestic fuel demand shortfall due to NNPC's moribund refineries to a new agency governed by a board of 2 Representatives of the Executive, 2 Representative of Labor, 2 Representative of Civil Society and 1 Representative of Fuel Marketers. All organizations present their nominee.

d. KPMG or Price Water House is invited to recruit true professionals into this quasi agency. Also, Agency accounts is to be audited by KPMG every three months. 

e. New Agency to put out invitation to tender on supply contracts for open bidding by local companies only- investors in "under construction" private refineries being given preferential treatment, 3 months ahead of anticipated demand shortfall. Where good prices are not secured by bids, agency is empowered to negotiate for direct consignment from international refineries. 

4. Upon implementation of the above in six months, labor shall engage with government with a view of securing some contribution from Nigerians towards reducing the cost of subsidizing importation, in return for elevated level of investments in new local refineries with 3 years. 

5. Pass the Petroleum Industry Bill immediately, split up NNPC into manageable parts-separating the refineries into various companies while commercializing them.