WASHINGTON CAPITALS OWNER TELLS OBAMA TO GIVE IT A REST

Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Capitals, is not a popular or sympathetic figure in Pittsburgh, but he’s OK in my book.

Leonsis voted for Barack Obama and has donated the maximum amount allowed to his campaign.

Sounds like Obama shouldn’t be counting on him 2012.

“I voted for our President. I have maxed out on personal donations to his re-election campaign. I forgot his campaign wants to raise $1 billion. THAT is a lot of money–money–money–money! Money still talks. It blows my mind when I am asked for money as a donation at the same time I am getting blasted as being a bad guy!

Someone needs to talk our President down off of this rhetoric about good vs. evil; about two classes and math.

Our country was founded on the premise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Is anyone happy right now with all of this?

Hit a reset button ASAP.

Rethink how to talk to businesses and sell business leaders on your plan to make America great!

Many of us want to be a part of the solution. We aren’t the problem.”

“With my investments and board seats and companies that I own, I am at a leadership position in concerns that employ more than 200,000 people. We do our best to be good corporate citizens.

I know in the companies that I own personally or am the largest shareholder that we support now more than 500 charities. We care. Pick some business leaders that you work with and make them heroes. Don’t demonize them. Showcase them as great Americans that care and hire and employ people.

Employment is the biggest issue you will face when re-election comes. If people aren’t working, they will blame you and your administration. And since you have never worked before in a real job for a real company, you need help from people who have been there. Don’t push them away!”

Date: September 27, 2011

Categories: Politics, Sports

Tags: BARACK OBAMA, CLASS WARFARE, TED LEONISIS, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Comments RSS TrackBack 52 comments

Reply

Matt

in September 27th, 2011 @ 11:33

If he raises a billion and spends $500M, and loses he pockets the remianing money right?

Reply

Doug

in September 27th, 2011 @ 15:41

No. The candidate can repay themselves for any personal funds they used for the campaign, but they cannot just keep the excess.

Reply

Matt

in September 28th, 2011 @ 11:37

So where does it go?

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Blasto

in September 27th, 2011 @ 11:33

Well stated by Ted.
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Richard

in September 27th, 2011 @ 11:42

“I pay taxes. I am willing to pay even more taxes but I would want accountability that the money was being spent wisely on infrastructure investments; education and retraining; and anything that makes us more competitive and gets people working again. That seems fair doesn’t it?”

John, I think you forgot to quote this part.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 27th, 2011 @ 12:04

So what? He’s a liberal. The point of the post is that a guy who agrees with him enough to vote for him is fed up.

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Clenis

in September 27th, 2011 @ 12:14

Yeah so what? He copied and pasted the parts he liked and left out the part that contained critical context because he didn’t like it. What’s the big deal? People can click on the link if they don’t like being misled.

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John Steigerwald

in September 27th, 2011 @ 13:02

I linked to the entire piece and picked out what jumped out at me. Is this complicated?

Reply

Clenis

in September 27th, 2011 @ 13:23

John it couldn’t be simpler. You creatively edited a blog post to present it the way you wish it had been written. Your readers were given a misleading interpretation of the piece but were provided a link in case they were interested it what the author was really trying to say.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 27th, 2011 @ 14:22

That was not a misleading representation. The most important point of the piece was that a former Obama supporter and billionaire –one who is familiar to Pittsburgh sports fans –took the time to scold him and tell him stop the class warfare bullshit.

Reply

Colt

in September 27th, 2011 @ 15:24

I always look forward to reading what liberals say on this site. They are so entertaining. And I knew if anyone would miss the point it would be Clenis. He never fails.

But how in the world can a capitalist such as Leonsis support a socialist such as Obama in the first place? That is the part I do not quite get. He is fed up, yes. But why is he supporting the president’s re-election bid? How do you explain that, John? It would seem to me that anyone who believes in the free enterprise system would run from Obama like Bo Jackson running away from a free safety.

Rooney is a capitalist and supports Obama, that is true. But for him to do so, he had to turn his back on his own core beliefs. Obviously he had ulterior motives, and selfish desires took precedence over principle. It is quite shameful.

Reply

Mike

in September 27th, 2011 @ 21:57

I find it surprising that conservatives bitch on and on about John McCain, the presidential candidate, then bitch about moderate Republicans (of which Dan Rooney is) who decided to vote for Obama.

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John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 07:21

McCain was a terrible candidate. He made up for not being conservative enough by not being willing to go after Obama. Dan Rooney supported Obama in order to get an ambassadorship. It’s done all the time. Rooney looked bad because he’s supposed to be a devout Catholic and he campaigned for the most abortion friendly US senator in history.

Clenis

in September 28th, 2011 @ 12:38

If McCain was a terrible candidate what will Romney be? McCain beat him last time, Perry is out, so Romney is the man. By “not being willing to go after Obama” you can only mean harping on Rev Wright. Do you think Romney will do that this time? I can’t imagine conservatives are excited about this guy.
John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 21:01

Romney should have learned from McCain. We’ll see. It’s all about the independents, anyway and they are done with Obama. That’s why he’s toast.

Reply

Clenis

in September 27th, 2011 @ 17:02

“Class warfare” is a term used to describe Democrats pushing for higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. You edited a post by a billionaire whining about rich people being demonized and carefully left out the paragraph where he says he wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes. If you referred to this blog as “The No Spin Zone” that would be a clear violation but I’m not sure if it counts as pulling a punch so you might be in the clear.
Reply

Chad Farthouse

in September 27th, 2011 @ 19:20

If you don’t think that class warfare has been successfully waged against the poor and middle class in this country for the past thirty years, then you’re either not paying attention, willfully ignorant, or stupid. It is high time for a correction. If it doesn’t happen, the shit is really going to hit the fan and it’s going to get ugly, as it should.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 27th, 2011 @ 19:48

Who has been waging the war? To whom should the violence be directed? The riots in Europe were a result of the governments running out of rich people tp support the losers who had come to depend on govt for everything. The top trn percent already pay half the taxes. How much more should the rich pay?
**********************************************************
And then there’s this from the man who saved Bill Clinton’s bacon, Dick Morris: (Did I mention that Obama is toast?)

“Behind the president’s whining to the Black Caucus, begging them to “quit grumbling,” is a decline in his personal popularity among African-American voters that could portend catastrophe for his fading reelection chances.

According to a Washington Post/ABC News survey, his favorability rating among African-Americans has dropped off a cliff, plunging from 83 percent five months ago to a mere 58 percent today — a drop of 25 points, a bit more than a point per week!

Nothing is more crucial to the president’s reelection strategy than a super-strong showing among black voters. In the election of 2008, he was able to increase African-American participation from 11 percent of the total vote in 2004 to 14 percent. He carried 98 percent of them. This swing accounted for fully half of his gain over the showing of John Kerry. Now his ability to repeat that performance is in doubt.

And the emergence of Herman Cain as a serious Republican candidate could not have come at a worse time for the embattled president. Cain’s alternate narrative — self-help, entrepreneurial skill, hard work and self-improvement — stands in stark contrast to the victimization/class warfare argument that the president has adopted.

Over all, how’s that class warfare working out for you, Mr. President? Well, here are some unpleasant numbers for you:

• Before Obama’s speech to Congress and the nation — watched by 34 million families — his job approval averaged 44 percent. Now it averages 43 percent, according to realclearpolitics.com. He deployed his ultimate weapon — a nationally televised speech to Congress — and came up empty.

• The president’s personal favorability has taken a big hit even as his job approval has shown no gain. The Post/ABC poll has his rating down to 47 percent, the first time in his presidency it has dropped below 50. Clearly, the spectacle of a class warrior leading the country is grating on most Americans. Usually, despite drops in his job approval, his personal ratings have stayed high. Not anymore. The most recent New York Times/CBS poll had his favorability actually lagging behind his job approval by four points — the first time it has ever done so in their polling.

• Young people, the core of Obama’s base, now hold equally favorable and unfavorable views of the president they once adored. And his favorability among self-described “liberal” Democrats has also dropped. The percentage of those who say they are strongly favorable has fallen from 69 percent in April to 52 percent now. For a president whose reelection chances hinge on his ability to turn out his base, these numbers are depressing indeed.

Obama’s advisers likely think that fervent appeals to liberal views, including class warfare, are the best way to repair the gaping holes that are now appearing in his political base. But this is a conviction born of instinct and intuition, not generated by polling data. The fact is that as the president has ratcheted up his class warfare rhetoric, his personal popularity has fallen and his job approval has edged down slightly.

Obama stepped on his own jobs initiative speech a week after he delivered it by proposing a class-based tax revenue plan. He poured on the class rhetoric, dwarfing any focus on the job creating aspirations of his spending program. So the message we get is that the president proposes to solve our economic problems by taxing rich people. To some this is counterintuitive, since the top 2 percent spend 33 percent of the money in this country. To others, it seems like an irrelevancy, as the president once again indulges his agenda for social reform rather than promoting economic recovery.

With only 26 percent of Americans approving of Obama’s handling of the economy (Fox News poll), the president’s ratings are bound to drop further, until and unless he can post real economic gains on the scoreboard, something his rhetoric alienating the GOP House of Representatives and scaring the daylights out of the business community is unlikely to achieve.”

Reply

Chad Farthouse

in September 27th, 2011 @ 21:28

Is this a reprint of a Dick Morris column? What is Steigerwald and what is Morris? You’re getting sloppy. Paul Krugman makes Dick Morris seem like a sweaty, perverted little weasel:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/opinion/krugman-the-social-contract.html?_r=2

John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 07:34

Paul Krugman is insane. He quotes the moronic woman In Mass. who says that nobody has ever become rich on their own. That speaks volumes about her and his misunderstanding of what this country is supposed to be about. They think we’re supposed to be forever grateful to our government for “allowing” us to have the freedoms that make it possible for guys like Leonsis to become billionaires. They’ve lost all understanding of the concept of consent of the governed. They think that top down is better than bottom up. Instead of focusing on what’s “fair” they should focus on lowering everyone’s taxes, including Leonsis’. How could anyone look at the corruption and ineptitude of the federal government– under both parties –and come to the conclusion that not enough of our money is being confiscated to feed it? And Morris is no more perverted than Bill Clinton. So he likes to suck toes, you shouldn’t be so judgmental. It’s unbecoming of a bleeding heart liberal.
Chad Farthouse

in September 28th, 2011 @ 11:06

That “moronic woman in Mass.” is a Professor of Economics that is also going to be the net US Senator from Mass. Take it to the bank. Also, nobody EVER DID get rich on their own. It is not thanks to the government, like you said, but thanks to our society.
John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 11:15

Do you want to do dueling economists? Google Walter Williams , Thosmas Sowell or Milton Friedman on any subject. She was referring to tax “fairness” when she made her society reference. The government controls how much we pay in taxes. Her comments and Krugman’s make it clear that they think we need more government and more taxes. That’s moronic regardless of her credentials,

Reply

oksteelerfan

in September 27th, 2011 @ 23:05

It seems as if us people that aren’t poor but aren’t rich are always forgotten.
Reply

Donald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 05:28

What is sad John, is if Morris had written an article about a WHITE politician and talked about how important it was to get a strong showing of the WHITE population to bolster chances for re-election…… there’d be howls of racism that would rise to the heavens.

oksteelerfan

in September 28th, 2011 @ 07:53

Yet Morgan Freeman can come out and say the Republicans want to get rid of Obama because he’s a black man and there isn’t a peep.
John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 09:42

I think he said it a day before Cain won the Florida straw poll.

Reply

Nate

in September 27th, 2011 @ 13:22

The key part of that quote is “accountability that the money was being spent wisely.” Currently there is no accountability. We have tons of government agencies/groups/panels that get funding and aren’t accountable for results. Then when year end comes and these government groups have budget surplus, they go and spend them on god knows what because they don’t want to get less funding for the next year. That is a BROKEN system.

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oksteelerfan

in September 27th, 2011 @ 23:06

Amen.
Reply

Donald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 05:33

Nate, this is why liberals that mouth the platitudes (they don’t mean it) about “More taxes is great, and I’D pay more taxes..) are full of baloney.

Accountability? They want something that never was, and never will be. Look at the recent articles John has posted here. Particularly the one about the union crook thievery in Chicago with the rigged “pension” system set up to pay a thief that didn’t actually WORK for the city a pension of over 1 million current (and potential 5 million).

That garbage, that ABSOLUTE GARBAGE, goes on every. single. day. across the country. It is played out in governments from localities, to counties, to states, and is played out IN BIG BOLD LETTERS on the federal scale. Witness thieves like Bawney Fwank and Franklin Raines in the Housing Bubble scandals.

Where exactly is this “accountability”??

You’d sooner find a unicorn that farts popcorn.

Meanwhile, liberals want us to believe that we should all give MORE money to our government betters. Because MORE money will solve the problem.

That’s why liberalism is a sickness of the mind where reason and facts need not apply.

Reply

Blasto

in September 28th, 2011 @ 12:05

Donald- the only place I disagree with is that somehow this is a “liberal” only issue. Have you seen what the GOP has done when they are in power.? The facts are the facts my man..Both parties increase the size of government..cronyism..and the debt/deficit and it could be argued the GOP is worse than the Dems.
Reply

Blasto

in September 28th, 2011 @ 12:16

Donald- the only place I disagree with you is that somehow this is a “liberal” only issue. Have you seen what the GOP has done when they are in power.? The facts are the facts my man..Both parties increase the size of government..cronyism..and the debt/deficit and it could be argued the GOP is worse than the Dems. The difference may be that the liberal voter gets what he’s asking for..the GOP voter is naive enough to think he’s getting something different.

Reply

Donald

in September 29th, 2011 @ 16:19

Blasto, I won’t disagree with you.

What I should really say is “progressives”. And it has infected the supposed conservative GOP.

Right now, what you have is full-fat leftists (Dem) and lite leftists (GOP).

It’s a crisis for the average American who no longer has anybody to turn to that will FIGHT LEVIATHAN.

This is why watching the GOP “debates” makes me, as a real conservative, want to puke. The only guy that makes any sense, and talks anything about denying/fighting Leviathan is Ron Paul. And he’s treated as if he’s invisible by the supposed “conservative” talk show hosts. Astoundingly, I can’t remember the last time I have even heard his name mentioned by the local Morning Show “Warroom”.

Where do you turn? Honestly, do you have an answer cuz I do not.

Reply

Tim

in September 27th, 2011 @ 11:57

Two errors by Ted:

1) Obama worked in a private law firm. That doesn’t count as a real job in a real company?
2) Obama did pick a company to showcase: SOLYNDRA. Granted, that may have been ill advised and definetly didn’t work out, but to say he hasn’t promoted companies is false.

John, you left out the part where he said he’s willing to pay more taxes for things like education, retraining and infrastructure. Not sure how that sits with you.

Also Obama is not alone on rhetoric, Republicans demonize and bash union and public sector employees every chance they get. Those people aren’t working Americans?

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 27th, 2011 @ 12:03

I think he’s saying that being taxed for worthwhile things is one thing, being taxed for stupid, wasteful programs is another. He’s a liberal. But he’s a fed up liberal.

Reply

Blasto

in September 27th, 2011 @ 12:13

John- I believe that is exactly what he was saying and is the feeling of many of us “libruls.” ..not that I focus my level of fed-upness on Obama or blame him in particular. I am just fed-up in general. In particular with the Welfare state in this country and the absolute inability of anyone, Dem or GOP, to address it.

Reply

oksteelerfan

in September 28th, 2011 @ 08:08

What liberal has become doesn’t even believe this is a welfare state, the same as they don’t believe there is anything wrong with the EPA.

I once considered myself a centrist with liberal leanings, however liberalism has taken such a far left turn I don’t recognize it anymore.

Try to argue with one about the welfare state and listen to how the system is just fine since Clinton fixed it, especially the younger generation who doesn’t remember the time when people figured out how to help themselves, their argument is why the complaining there’s always been welfare.
Say anything against the EPA and you’ll hear I want my kids to have clean water and clean air and their mind is closed to anything else.

My favorite especially from the younger generation is it’s the responsibility of those of us with an income to pay for those without an income.
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chris S

in September 28th, 2011 @ 14:54

Leave my free money alone

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oksteelerfan

in September 28th, 2011 @ 08:11

If we had either a flat tax or consumption tax at least we all would share tax fairly.

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Birdland

in September 28th, 2011 @ 11:35

Amen. That makes too much sense, though…

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Dr. Phibes

in September 27th, 2011 @ 12:27

I doubt we’ll hear anything like this from the owners of our hockey or football teams. Burkle is a well-known Dem fundraiser and Rooney’s Irish Ambassador gig is conditioned upon his ongoing support of Obama.

That leaves Nutting. Hah! I’d like to see Obama or anyone get a campaign contribution out of him.

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Matt

in September 27th, 2011 @ 19:15

Nutting might give him a nickel out of his communion money.

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jwit

in September 27th, 2011 @ 13:40

Well said, your team is still a bunch of choking dogs every spring.
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Mike from Boston

in September 28th, 2011 @ 00:08

I re-posted this on my Google Plus and a very liberal friend of mine replied that it came off ignorant and incoherent. I, however, cannot find a single incoherent or ignorant thing in the whole article. The man speaks from personal experience and gives some pretty reasonable critiques of our current situation.

On an unrelated note, I was talking with my dad the other day (he’s an accountant and financial advisor, and a damn good one). He told me that for just about all of his career and adult life, he’s felt pretty optimistic about the American marketplace, but recently he’s felt, and I quote, “scared shitless”. The politicians need to put the rhetoric aside (even their most recent blurbs about “putting rhetoric aside” is really just rhetoric itself) and deal with their spending problems.

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Meathead

in September 28th, 2011 @ 08:24

As long as we have so many $8 per hour jobs and $3.60 per gallon gas and $4.79 per bag of chips I see little reason to be optimistic.

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Matt

in September 28th, 2011 @ 11:43

When the government stops attacking the rich and productive there are more and more jobs with less apllicants and the $8/hr jobs become $12 and $14/hr. Sure the rich will be richer, but people need to focus on what is going to make themselves better off. Making the rich less well off is going to suddenly make anyone better off.

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Niblick

in September 28th, 2011 @ 09:09

Okay, so I can sort of agree with what he is saying. But, doesn’t he sound like a bit of a whiner? I mean he is maxing out donations to a guy who thinks that he is greedy and part of the problem. Why would he support a guy like that? Wouldn’t he be making a much bigger statement if he threw his money to a different candidate?
Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 12:21

I can say with 100% confidence, that the only thing worse than my grasp of simple grammar is my ridiculously outdated moustache.

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John Steigerwald

in September 28th, 2011 @ 21:02

There goes that Mike Ditka impersonating me again. Or was it Rocky Bleier? Or Dave Wannstedt?

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chris S

in September 28th, 2011 @ 14:13

I’ll be happy as long as i continue getting paid to sit at home all day
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Esteban

in September 29th, 2011 @ 02:38

John,

Do you want Chris Christie to run?

I think a Christie/Rubio ticket would be unstoppable. What say you?

Reply

John Steigerwald

in September 29th, 2011 @ 06:44

Landslide.

Reply

DormontDirtBag

in September 29th, 2011 @ 10:33

A Christie v. Obama debate would be awesome. New Jersey street smarts versus Chicago faux-intellectualism.

Tweet @John

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