"Film Peddler"

My father, Solomon Elias Horowitz, who was a dress manufacturer for over 35 years, was a super salesman. As I grew up, I wanted to be anything other then a salesman in that I looked down my nose at the process of selling, and did not want to be a salesman like my Dad.

Serendipity was at work as I found myself at 28 at Screen Gems International, as an administrative assistant to Lloyd Burns, vice president and general manager of the division. My job was to help my boss in managing overseas sales of the movies and television product that my company owned -- as well as to be verbally abused for whatever reason my boss chose.

As time passed, my responsibilities grew and even though I characterized myself as an executive who sold things, I was primarily a film salesman -- more involved in selling then anything else.

A very bright and ambitious man named Helios Alvarez ran our sales office in Brazil. The market was extremely complex, and we were very lucky to have Helios working for us.

I was with Lloyd when he was on the phone with Helios, who was attempting to renegotiate his contract for the third time within 18 months.

Lloyd pushed the hold button and said "Helios thinks that he has me by the balls..." (There was a long pause) "...and he does."

This brings me to my point: the president is a super salesman who continues to sell America the same bad stuff and -like Helios- he has our country by the balls since he and his people now control the four branches of our government -the Executive, the Congress, the Judiciary, and of course the broadcast media.

What is the president doing following his state of the union address? He travels to friendly venues AND IS COVERED BY CABLE AND BROADCAST TELEVISION, so that his remarks are repeated over and over again.

Will News Corp, General Electric, Viacom, and The Walt Disney Company provide the Democrats a meaningful opportunity to reply to the president's incessant self-serving positions? I think not.

The Democrats are disorganized, and so can only watch while he sells himself and his FAILURES to America. They are operating as though there is a mute button on their positions. What a combination: the administration has the media by the balls, using them to sell failed concepts and policies to Americans over and over and over again, while Karl Rove brilliantly keeps broadcasters from making critical comments about the president's failures and contradictions.

How sad.

Norman Horowitz

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