It is the dawn of Labor Day weekend here in the United States. It is the traditional end of Summer and the start of Fall--this is as US Presidential Campaigns have been going on--and it is interesting to see this perspective from the Fortune's Geoff Colvin on the challenges being faced by leaders around the World:
 | September 2, 2016 | |
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| is is as | Today, let’s tour the world visiting leaders in a pickle. We don’t have to look very hard; quandary is the default state for leaders. Here are four whose troubles may be even more difficult than your own.
—Thousands of protesters jammed the streets of Caracas yesterday demanding a referendum on the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro. Power Sheet has been chronicling the Maduro mess because it’s such an appalling example of a humanitarian crisis caused entirely by terrible leadership. Venezuela could have a thriving economy, but instead many of its people can’t find food or are dying from shortages of common medicines. Maduro is still responding by doubling down on failed policies. It’s a classic case of refusal to confront reality, and it will get worse before it gets better.
—Brazilian President Michel Temer faces impossibly high expectations. Getting rid of President Dilma Rousseff was cathartic and necessary for Brazil, but the country’s recession, high inflation, and deep-seated culture of corruption won’t improve anytime soon. Rousseff is right in objecting that the ostensible reason for her impeachment — violating federal budgeting rules — was just an excuse. Citizens were furious over the crumbling economy and corruption that was even worse than they thought. But replacing her won’t fix those problems, and the country will suffer buyer’s remorse within months.
—Prime Minister Theresa May must negotiate Brexit, and she can’t win. The U.K. voted in June to leave the EU. Then the Tories chose May to succeed David Cameron, who promptly resigned to make way. Then everyone went on holiday. Now it’s time to negotiate the exit, and Brexit supporters think they voted for more and better jobs, a stronger economy, lower taxes, and fewer immigrants — a combination that cannot be delivered. When you can’t win, what do you aim for?
—Donald Trump can’t simultaneously please his base and retain any prayer of winning in November, so… He decided to please his base. After muddying his centrally important immigration policy last week, Trump this week set out to clarify it, which he did. He rolled out a fuller version of his hard-line promise to build a wall, make Mexico pay for it, and deport illegal immigrants — a policy that can’t win mainstream support and that prompted at least two members of his Hispanic advisory board to resign. The clarification will likely be clarified.
And if you’re suffering campaign fatigue? Remember that, by tradition, the campaign doesn’t actually begin until Monday. Enjoy the long weekend.
As I was thinking through plans for @DailyOutsider for September and beyond, it was gratifying to make a decision about being silent on the state of the Campaign until after November 9 although the signs (so far) are leaning towards the election of Hillary Clinton. This was also a week that two very interesting milestones were met: |
The national debt hit $19.5 trillion for the first time ever this week, a little more than seven months after it hit the $19 trillion mark.
The debt clocked in at $19.51 trillion at the end of Wednesday, the Treasury Department reported Thursday afternoon. Precise debt figures on any given day are released on the following business day.
Read the full story here..
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This is as the Washington Examiner also came out just this morning as I was helping with Social Media Curation for the network on how Gun sales hit another record in August. I also was gratified to pick this up that provides some interesting insights always on the state of politics right now as the US Campaign season begins in earnest:
Examining Politics Podcast - Episode 18
From his mother-in-law's kitchen in Houston, David Drucker calls in to host this week's Examining Politics. John Dickerson, host of Face the Nation on CBS News, talks media bias and his new book. Lisa Boothe and Byron York join us in studio for the weekly Examining Politics roundtable. |
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As I am going to be "Dark" On the Grid, off "Daily Outsider" and work away gearing up for September, I picked this up on my "Personal Walkabout" which is quite a compelling couple of minutes from one of a multitude of motivational sites that continues to grow all the time--which is really cool--as I wish all in the United States a Fabulous & wonderful labor day weekend.
Update: One final thought to share to put things in perspective on the eve of this labor day Week-End:
"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself."
~Chief Tecumseh
Your Inspiration For Today!
Starting the day with a positive thought sets the tone for everything that follows. Instead of focusing on your troubles and worries, you can think about your blessings. Take a few minutes when you first wake up to think about the many good things in your life.
