Bair Questions US Treasury Secretary Lew's Abilities

Former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair questioned new US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew's ability to handle his job during a Q&A at The Atlantic's Economy Summit. She initially lamented that Obama did not reach outside his inner cycle to fill the position.

"The same voices are in the room. We have to get out of this rut," she complained.

Bair particularly did not like the choice of Jack Lew. She panned his overall intelligence by saying that "he is not a quick study". She is worried that Lew probably "will not take an assertive view of financial reform."

Even more troubling, she does not believe that he can handle one of his key responsibilities as Treasury Secretary.

Bair said, "As Treasury Secretary, he is chairman of the the Financial Stability Oversight Council. It is a key voice for financial reform.  He does not have a background in that."

An outspoken critic of administration, Bair continues to give the administration a low grade for their handling of the economy.

"We are not getting more jobs and lending out of this. It is troubling."

Bair, who wrote a vivid account of her time in office called "Bull by the Horns," made some interesting arguments for business to support more infrastructure spending.

She argued, "With interest costs, construction costs so low, it is fiscally irresponsible not to embark on major infrastructure spending. It would lower the cost of doing business."

She urged both sides to come together for a budget deal.

"The fiscal uncertainty, what is happening in Washington, affects the economy," she said.

Comcast's Cohen Saved Corbett's Struggling Reelection

When I had a chance to ask Governor Corbett a question last year at a rare press conference in Philadelphia, I said, "It looks like your policies are shafting Philadelphia." The Philadelphia Inquirer lead with my observation the next day.

That is why I was surprised that Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen, former chief of staff to Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell, recently held a fundraiser for Republican Governor Tom Corbett at his home in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. The fundraiser was mostly attended by Comcast employees and prominent Republican Bob Asher.

Cohen, who has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic party, had hosted President Obama there for a fundraiser that netted $1.2 million for his reelection campaign.

Under his breath, former Governor Rendell must be muttering e tu David? Corbett is basically the anti-Rendell. He has slashed programs for the poor, suggested women "close their eyes" while having a vaginal ultrasound, outsourced the state's lottery to the British, and possibly bundled his investigation into convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky when he was the state's attorney general.

Cohen's move is also surprising because Pennsylvanians have roundly rejected Corbett gubernatorial tenure. A recent Franklin and Marshall poll has only 26% of Pennsylvanians approving of the job that he has doing.

Terry Madonna, the state's preeminent political pollster said, "Corbett has vacillated between 25-35% since taking office. These are the worst poll numbers ever for a sitting governor at this point in his administration.  Corbett's predecessors, Rendell and Ridge, were polling at 50% and 40% respectively at the same time in their administration."

He continued, "We'll see if Corbett can come back from this. Every incumbent governor, since Pennsylvania has permitted governors to run for a second term, has won. Usually, they don't face tough competition. In this case, first tier Democrats are chafing at the bit to run."

In some ways, voters have already spoken on Corbett. They elected Kathleen Kane, who made an investigation into Corbett's bumbling of the Sandusky prosecution a central part of her election platform, as the state's Attorney General in 2012. She is the first Democratic to win that office since the office became an elected one. She is the rare women to win a Pennsylvania election. Allyson Schwartz is the lone woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress.

The support of Cohen, considered the most astute political player in the state, and Comcast for Corbett is significant. Without it, the Corbett campaign would have remained on life support. Madonna, who expects Corbett to raise $20 million for the race, did not see any dissonance in Cohen's donation to Corbett.

"David has always been a businessman in politics. He has never been overly concerned with social issues."

I sent an email to Cohen's public relations people asking routine questions like such as why Cohen supports Corbett, has he been good for business, and name one policy of his that you like. He refused to comment. I am wondering if he would defend Corbett's anti-choice views to the female employees of Comcast or defend   his abandoning of Philadelphia, whose renaissance he spearheaded.

A source close to Comcast, who attended the fundraiser, explained that "If someone is surprised at Cohen's support of Corbett, they don't know David Cohen. The fundraiser was held before Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz announced that she was running. Comcast always supports incumbents and doesn't support challengers. The electoral history of Pennsylvania suggests that an incumbent will win."

He continued, "Comcast is a business in the state of Pennsylvania. They need to be able to talk to both sides."

This is technically true. While the cable industry is heavily regulated, most of the regulation comes from the federal level not the state level.

This person did not rule out the possibility that Cohen will donate to the campaign of  Corbett's "formidable" challenger Allyson Schwartz.She appears to have declared her intentions before the other Democratic candidates.

Not waiting for Cohen's check, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz supporters are dismissing Cohen abandoning the Democrats. One said, "Corbett saw his poll numbers and terrorized a leading businessman to support him."

Rachel Magnuson, the chief of staff for the Congresswomen, was not concerned about Cohen's donation.

"Allyson Schwartz does not care about a political insider. She is hearing from Pennsylvanians from all four corners of the state and they are urging her to run," said Magnuson.

Madonna names Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob McCord, who has won two statewide campaigns and has personal wealth that he put in the campaign, and former Congressman Joe Sestak, who only lost the 2010 Senate race against Toomey  by 2 points, as two other possible Democratic challengers to Corbett. He noted that Allyson Schwartz understood what it took to run statewide since she had previously run for the Senate and lost.

While it is too early to handicap the race, he thinks that a winnable race for the Democrats could be lost if there is a nasty primary battle. It was not all good news for the Democrats.

"Rendell was a liberal and won. But he won on the strength of his mayoralty in Philadelphia," said Madonna.

Kerry Cancelled Israel Trip Due to Hagel Confirmation Delay

Although he had previously said that he would visit Israel on his first foreign trip as Secretary of State, John Kerry's office now announced that he will bypassing Israel. Instead he will visiting Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi on this trip and will possibly come to Israel when President Obama comes at the end of March. The administration seems unconcerned that they will be once again criticized for visiting Israel's neighbors and not Israel.

The official reason for the delay is that Israel has not formally formed a new government after the election. This may be a fig leaf. There is no doubt that current Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu will head the next Israeli government with HaTnua leader Tzipi Livni joining the government this weekend.

According to staffers in Defense Secretary Ehud Barak's bureau, the real reason for the postponement is the logjam on Capital Hill over the Chuck Hagel confirmation as Secretary of Defense. 

"The American Secretary of Defense is more important to Israel than the Secretary of State. The Iron Dome is more essential to the survival of Israel than fruitless negotiations with the Palestinian Authority," said one staffer. "Both sides want to talk about the next round of defense purchases."

Republicans have alleged the damage caused by the delay in the eventual Hagel confirmation is minimal. The Kerry postponement proves that this is not true. Their political games are having real world consequences and could affect Israel, one of America's most important allies. 

Gladwell Lambastes Penn for Continuing Football Program

Leading intellectual Malcolm Gladwell, while at the University of Pennsylvania, lambasted the university for continuing their football program after the suicide of Penn football captain Owen Thomas. The examination of the 21 year old's brain showed that he had early signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) possibly caused by hits to the head on the field. NFL players that have prematurely died, such as linebacker Junior Seau, have also suffered from the same condition.

Gladwell, the author of New York Times bestsellers "Outliers: The Story of Success," and "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Difference," called the continuation of the program "a moral abomination". The New Yorker magazine journalist compared the university's disregard of the warnings to the callous indifference of the coal mining industry towards black lung disease.

He mocked their mercenary attitude - "We have to have football. The alumni would be anger if we cancelled the program." He urged students to boycott football games and protest outside.

"Maybe, if there is only 1500 alumni smoking cigars at the game, the university will cancel the program," he said.

He did not call for an outright ban of football, but instead held the university to a higher standard.

"A university's job is to educate and care for students not maximize alumni donations," said an outraged Gladwell.

The university official that closed the event looked uncomfortable, but graciously handled the criticism.

On the way to dinner with Gladwell, he said, "One definition of an intellectual is someone who bites the hands that feeds you,"

It will be interesting to see if Gladwell's cri de couer results in the cancellation of the football program. The students did not seem to embrace Gladwell's suggestion. But it might be because a group of students standing in line to hear an intellectual are not going to football games.

One senior football player said that football had given him many opportunities that he would not normally had.

"Being 270 lbs and 6' 2",  I can not play soccer," he said.

Former General McChrystal Reiterates Support for Hagel

Former General Stanley McChrystal spoke at the Free Library of Philadelphia today. The first part was a question and answer session with Mark Bowden, author of "Black Hawk Down".

He reiterated his support for the appointment of former Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense.

"If he will have the job, I support him," said McChrystal. "He will have to deal with sequester, integrating women in the military, which I support, and Iran in the next four years... Ahmadinjad (the President of Iran) does not exactly inspire confidence. The President will be making policy."

He compared the military's "op tempo and strategy" under him to the "Rocky Balboa strategy against Apollo Creed".

He said, "At first, we were going after only the top guys in the organization. We found that was not destroying the organization. Instead of aiming just for the top people, we hit constantly and in the mid section. When I started, we were doing 18 raids a month. At the end. we were doing 10 raids a night."

McChrystal had mixed feelings on drones.

"The other side does not respect leaders of a military that uses drones. They believe you should come up fighting mano el mano," he said. "There is collateral damage. If a drone hit a drug dealer in Philadelphia, the bystanders might think it was good he was hit. They still would have felt the impact."

McChrystal received a classified briefing on Benghazi, which begs the question why is a general that resigned in disgrace still receiving classified briefings.

"They entered the consulate not expecting to find the ambassador there," McChrystal was allowed to reveal.. "This was not organized. Other attacks in the area were. They set fire. The ambassador died in the safe room of smoke inhalation."


Chrystal said that he did not witness any extreme interrogation techniques such as waterboarding.

"The only torture techniques that were allowed were sleep deprivation, limiting sleep to 4 hours, and forcing them to be in extreme positions like kneeling," said McChrystal.

DA's Program For Young Drug Dealers Succeeds With 10% Recidivism

When Seth Williams, the first Afro-American to serve as Philadelphia District Attorney (and the first-ever statewide), was campaigning for office, he promised the black community he would devote special attention to the needs of troubled youth. 

As a down payment on that promise, last February he launched The Choice Is Yours  
(TCY), a diversionary program for young offenders, aged 18-29, who have been arrested for distribution of two to ten grams of cocaine. The offense typically carries a one to two year sentence.

The program is still young: only 57 participants have enrolled in the program so far. But, with less than a 10% recidivism rate, the results are 7 times better than the state’s recidivism rate of 71%.

With 1.53 million people in the United States arrested for nonviolent drug offenses in 2011, the Philadelphia district attorney’s office felt that the most effective use of their resources was to design a problem that would reduce recidivism for drug offenders.

Careful consideration was given to which age demographic would benefit the most from such a program. 

Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline McCauley, who was the first to represent the District Attorney’s office in court for the program, said, “We originally decided on an age range of 18-26 years old, which was later expanded to 29, because we felt this age group had the most chance of turning around their life.

"Cocaine was picked because it is the most common drug being sold by the targeted demographic and it also has the least severe mandatory sentence," said Assistant District Attorney Derek Riker, who is chief of the Diversions Court Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. 

In an interview, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams explained he created the program because of his belief in taking a “holistic and “smart on crime” approach to fighting crime. He is adapting in Philadelphia the “best practices” in the national law enforcement arena. Williams is differentiating himself from his predecessor, long time Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, by focusing his office's efforts on public safety not prosecutions.

“Since the 1950’s we have locked up 7 times the amount of people, but we are not 7 times safe,” he noted.

The pilot program, funded primarily by a $1 million grant from the Philadelphia-based Lenfest foundation, is modeled after San Francisco’s Back on Track program. Kamala Harris, who is currently California Attorney General and a rumored Supreme Court nominee, created the program when she was San Francisco's District Attorney. 

It allows first-time nonviolent drug offenders to wipe their criminal slate clean after completing an arduous year-long program run by Jewish Employment and Vocational Services (JEVS).

JEVS employees, who often act as cheerleaders for their charges, have replaced probation officers, who are typically more punitive than encouraging.

“This office is interested in justice,” says Assistant District Attorney Derek Riker, head of the Diversionary Courts Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.” Sometimes, justice looks like we are giving people a break."

Riker emphasizes that TCY participants pose no danger to the public because they have no record of violence. 

The hearings often resemble a collaborative graduate seminar than an adversarial courtroom proceeding. 

Judge Marsha Neifield, presides over Courtroom 305 in the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia, where the hearings are held. Together with JEVS employees, DA Riker, and various public defenders, her non-threatening sessions introduce a new paradigm for courtroom proceedings. A casual observer might think that he has mistakenly stumbled into a group therapy session. The lawyers and judges work hard to avoid detention for an infraction and instead propose character strengthening solutions such as more frequent attendance at NA meetings.

Neifield is "cautiously optimistic" about the program. She credits the frequent court updates for playing a central role in the success of the program, but she may be the secret ingredient that makes the program so successful.

In the courtroom, she often sounds more like a concerned parent than an officer of the court. Neifield, who is President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court, channels the perky enthusiasm of Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde" when addressing TCY participants. She lavishes praise on those that are meeting their benchmarks.

When one diversionary candidate was constantly late for her JEVS training sessions and court dates, Neifield sanctioned her by assigning to write an essay on the importance of punctuality  The judge was visibly thrilled when the offender later was holding a steady job at the local convenience store that started at 7 30 am.

She proudly exclaimed, "“Before this, the only 7:30 that you ever saw was 7:30 pm.”

Other judges have picked up the same tone.

Judge Patrick Dugan, sitting in for Niefield at another session, sounded like a curmudgeonly uncle when he gently admonished participants “to sit up straight". He urged one offender to go to college by saying, “don’t say you will try, say you can do it."  

And the participants pay attention. They seem to be thriving with the in locus parentis philosophy of the court. To paraphrase Hilary Rodham Clinton, "It takes a village to raise a young adult."

When public defender Mike Lovell ordered one seemingly hardened offender to pull up his pants because “this is a courtroom and not a fashion show,” he did so with alacrity. 

Enrollees in the program must agree to participate in quarterly or more frequent status updates. At these updates, JEVS employees report on their attendance and progress. One of the most common infractions for participants was not completing their community service. 

Even wayward defendants are given the benefit of the doubt. Assistant District Attorney Riker, who plays the role of compassionate ombudsman during the proceedings, uses the threat of a jail term only as a final resource---more often pressing participants for more accountability of their community service obligations or stepping up the frequency of status updates. He beamed with pride when he introduced one participant, who held a steady job and is completing his community service on schedule, as the most successful of the program. 

Assistant District Attorney McCauley touted the success of program participants instead of her conviction rate during every interview. 

She noted, “As they participate in the program, you can see a visual difference in them. They stand up straighter, dress neater.”

McCauley goes out of her way to help program participants succeed. During a courtroom break, she introduced El Sawyer, the operations director of The Village of Arts and Humanities. 

Sawyer, who served 8 years in Graterford Prison, helps former prisoners with reentry by teaching them filmmaking skills. 

He said, “I have found that film making is a great way for parolees to process what has happened to them."

Barry Johnson, a Navy veteran that exuded discipline, is in charge of training TCY program participants. He seems to understand the challenges that these young adults face. 

“I grew up in a bad neighborhood just like these kids," he said. "I escaped. I enlisted in the Navy. I did not get into trouble with the law,” said Johnson. "But some members of my family and neighbors did get into trouble so I know what it takes to succeed.”

The 57 participants, with additional cohorts added monthly, attend daily GED classes if they don’t have a high school diploma. Some of the high school graduates enroll in community college and trade schools. JEVS helps them with their applications and securing financial aid.

Those who enter the program with a high school diploma are required to attend twice weekly sessions at JEVS. They are taught resume writing, and job interview skills, and are assisted in their job search.

Even in an economy where youth unemployment is sky high, the enrollees are finding employment as parking lot attendants, convenience store clerks, barbers, landscapers, and construction workers. In addition, the one-time drug dealers are also required to volunteer at a local community center such as a park, recreational center, or church as part of the court mandate.

Getting a job or starting to study for a GED can be the easy part for disadvantaged youth.

Little things, such as transportation, illness, and child care, can overwhelm program participants and become obstacles to their continued success. JEVS social workers are assigned to each participant to help with these types of programs. 

TCY director Souleymane Fall, whose calm, dignified presence seems to soothe both participants and their concerned parents, sometimes fulfills the role of social worker during breaks in courtroom proceedings, which can end up taking up the better part of a day.

“I just arranged a dentist appointment for one youth,” he said in a recent interview. “I explained how to get subway tokens to another one.”

The program does not automatically kick out enrollees that have been re-arrested for minor offenses. The judge rarely considers jail. Instead, the judge imposes sanctions such as writing an essay about the importance of the program and mandatory attendance at AA and NA meetings for infractions.

The one non-negotiable requirement of the program is attendance at court dates. A bench warrant is issued for the rare few that do not show up. 

For many of the young people, many of the young people, it’s the first time that someone has paid attention to them---and quite a few relished the discipline of the program. 

“TCY got me off the streets,” said one, who appreciated being given a second chance. “I wake up in the morning and know where I have to go.”

The parents are equally appreciative.  

“TCY is a gift from god,” said one mother, who asked that her name be withheld. “My son is 18. He had never been in trouble before and now he has a chance to start over.”

Defense attorney Tracy Brandeis Roman, who frequently criticizes the over-zealousness of prosecutors, says the program offers young people a way to avoid landing in a cycle of crime that will blot their future lives.  

“I am in favor of anything that removes a felony conviction from my client’s record,” she says. “Prosecutors don’t understand or care that they will not work again once they have a felony conviction."

The Philadelphia taxpayer might be the biggest winner. According to Williams, the cost of a TCY participant is $5000 a year while the tab for a prisoner in Pennsylvania is $40,000 a year. The pilot program is funded by private donations.  To continue TCY, Williams is hoping to raise more money or convince the Republican controlled Pennsylvania legislature to support the program. He estimates that widespread adoption of the program could save taxpayers $7 million a year. 

Out of the program participants that stayed in the program after orientation, only 3 enrollees out of the original 57 candidates (approximately 6 percent) are in danger of being dropped from the program due to re-arrests as of November 2012.

One participant stopped showing up to the program after his house was robbed, which is a problem endemic to bad neighborhoods, but not one that can be solved by the program.

But the less than 10 percent failure rate, for a program that targets males a population with a high incidence  of recidivism, offers some long overdue hope to young offenders and their families.

As employers become familiar with the program, it will be easier to place new enrollees, according to TCY trainer Barry Johnson.

“It is my goal to have a long list of employers who will hire our participants,” he said. 

The success of TCY is attracting national attention. The Urban Institute has been studying the program in hopes of emulating it across the country. 

Hugh Jackman Wows at the Academy Ball

Tonight was the 156th Philadelphia Orchestra Academy Ball, which benefits the Orchestra and the Academy of Music. Globe Globe winner Hugh Jackman, who will probably win the Oscar for his performance in "Les Miserables". was the special guest star.

He sang a beautiful rendition of  "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning". When Jackman performed a Peter Allen number with the Philadelphia Boys Choir in honor of yesterday's Australia Day, he unfurled the Australian flag on stage. Naturally, he performed a number from "Les Miserables." Last night, it was the first time he sang any of the "Les Miserables" songs with an orchestra. He dedicated "Soliloquy" from "Carousel" to his dad.

"Singers rarely get to sing with an 18 piece orchestra let alone a 75 piece orchestra," said Jackman. "I sang on the set of "Les Miserable with a transistor like device in my ear that had a piano playing nearby."

As a tribute to the orchestra, he recited the first names of all 75 member of the orchestra. (There are 6 Davids.) He called the Philadelphia Orchestra, "the world's greatest orchestra" several times during the night.

The personal movie star acted like a native. Being a big soccer fan, he wiped Yanick's brow with a Philadelphia Union T shirt. He danced with Pennsylvania's First Lady, Susan Corbett during "Mack the Knife"and kissed Academy of Music president, Joanna Lewis.

Of course, there were the obligatory Philly cheesesteak jokes. His young daughter Ava brought him one on stage."

Cole Hamel of the Phillies and his wife Heidi also briefly graced the stage. They attended the Young Friend's Ball. Heidi said, 'It was their first ball."

The Hamels thanked the Philadelphia Orchestra and Academy of Music for preserving the cultural heritage for their children