In many ways, Mitt Romney strikes me as old fashioned, a candidate from the 1950′s.  This is a man who thinks hard. This is a man who shields his personal life from public view as much as he can, despite running for President. This is a man who has genuinely lived a life of traditional family values, and therefore does not feel the need to brag about them. This is a man who shirks from cheap shots to his opponents, who prefers to take the high road in running for the highest public office we have.   These are not bad qualities, and in fact I admire them.  But 60 years have passed since Eisenhower led, and today Americans prefer candidates who feel, rather than candidates that think.   Ask Hillary Clinton, and she’ll tell you.   Hillary Clinton pulled her win in the New Hampshire primary of 2008 because she cried, not because she thought. Her tears proved to us that she was a real person, rather than a robot set on autopilot, giving speech after speech about public policy issues.  We wanted a human being, someone who understood our pain.  We already knew how well Hillary could think; we wanted to be sure that she could also feel.

When Mitt Romney answered “Maybe” in response to Jon King’s question as to whether he would release his tax returns, Mitt sealed his own fate in the South Carolina primary.    Not only was it the wrong answer to the question, more importantly the answer played into the narrative of a man with something to hide.   The most consistent attack on Mitt Romney, and the one that sticks, is that he is a man who does not reveal his true self.    On issues like abortion, gay rights and health care,  we think we know where he stands today but he hasn’t convinced us that his change of heart has been anything other than political opportunism.  Mitt’s devotion to the Mormon faith confirms this storyline as well, because Mormonism is a religion which shrouds itself in secrecy, revealing it’s innermost traditions only to the most “worthy” practitioners of the faith.  When confronted about these issues, Mitt  is enigmatic, obscuring his own self in pious language that does not ring true. Why doesn’t that language ring true?  Because Mitt is not talking in the kind of language we are now accustomed to hearing.  Because Mitt has not convinced us that we know how he really “feels.”

Mitt Romney,  America demands that you cry! If you can’t cry when you lose, then cry when you win. Only don’t wait too long, or you may not get the chance to cry at all.

1. My closest family is alive, well and fabulous.  We love each other and we care for each other.
2. Bill and I will be married 30 years this January, God willing.  Unbelievable.
2. One of my dearest friends in the world is not as sick as we thought she might be. Thank you God.
3. My arms and legs work. I do not live in pain. I see the world as a sunny place.
4. When my radio station suddenly closed, Bob Bayne and Clark Bugard went into immediate action, setting me up with a home studio, a professional mike, the whole shebang. I was paralyzed; they moved.
5. Mike Schweitzer, fan and friend, made not one but two trips from Kentucky to CT to give me moral and technical support.
6. Jaimee Kelsey, producer, friend, too many other relationships to enumerate. We have each other’s backs.
7. I will be starting on December 5 on WFAS am from 4-6 PM, Monday- Friday. They are changing from music format to talk format for my show. I am very grateful to all the people there who have made this possible, particularly Chuck Bortnick, Marty Sheehan and Mary DeSilva.
8. The U-Stream Gang, who follow me from radio to internet to ustream to blogtalk to wherever I go.  You are my core support, my most loyal fans. I am so thankful you actually want to hear what I have to say.
9. All the listeners who have written and called me personally to ask me when I am getting back on the air. Thank you.
10. Sugar, my most wonderful little friend.  She escaped a vicious German Shepherd attack several weeks ago thanks to the bravery of my son Jonathan. Thank you, Jonathan.
11. A roof over my head, plenty of food to eat. More than most…
12. Parents, Children, Husband, Sister, Aunts, In-Laws (Parents and Sisters and Brothers), Cousins, Family, Friends. In the end, is there anything else?  Only Kindness Matters.

Happy Thanksgiving to You and to Your Loved Ones. May you Gather Together. Here are the Lyrics.  Love, Lisa

1. We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
   He chastens and hastens His will to make known;
   The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing;
   Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.
2. Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
   Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
   So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
   Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
3. We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
   And pray that Thou still our Defender will be;
   Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
   Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

This last October storm in Connecticut was recently described as the worst in 500 years.  I kid you not.  Even though we have barely kept any records for the last 100 of those 500, speculators claim that because Connecticut is now about 70 percent forested, the impact of the snow landing on fully-leaved trees substantially compounded the effects of the storm.  While that may be true, my best guess is that 500 years ago our forests had to be at least as dense as they are now. At any rate, does it matter?  It was a very bad storm.  Over 800,000 Connecticut residents lost power in the first day, but the real story is that tens of thousands suffered without power through the 8th, 9th and 10th days.  Following Hurricane Irene by a scant few weeks, the October storm (poorly named Alfred, a weak name if there ever was one) proved the following definitive facts to us Connecticut residents:

1. The “100 year storm event” is a ridiculous misnomer.  I think we’ve had at least three in the past two years.

2. Connecticut’s biggest utility company, CL& P, is currently not up to the task of preparing or responding to these storms.      Out of state crews cannot be relied upon to reach us in our hours of need.

3. We need to find solutions to avoid catastrophe in the short term future.

Here are my solutions:

1. Mutualize the corporate structure of  CL& P.  This would require changing the current corporate structure from one in which there are shareholders to one in which there are members.  Why would this be better than the current arrangement?  Here are some reasons:

A. Mutual companies report to their members, which are the people that actually use the utility.  Because of that, the directors of the utility are only accountable to the class of people who use the services that are provided.  Decision making for the long and short term is made with an eye as to what is best for the customer.

B. If the company is run well, the members receive a dividend at the end of the year, which in effect becomes a reduction in utility costs. Connecticut residents pay the most money per capita of any state in the continental United States; only Hawaaii residents pay more.  Why should that be the case?

C. Mutual companies tend to keep the lid on compensation packages for the highest echelon of management. They tend to be more conservative in their approach to spending, again because they must answer to the people who actually use their services.

C. C corporations, such as CL & P, report to their shareholders, a very different constituency. Shareholders do not have to be users of the utility, and in most cases, are far removed from the performance of the company. Shareholders care about stock price and dividends. While the Board of Directors is busy trying to please Wall Street, the utility users who depend upon this service for life and property are getting treated as a second class priority.

2. Long Term Capital Campaign for More Underground Wires

I suggest CL & P embark on a long-term capital campaign across the state to bury underground wires where and when it can.  The advantages to this are obvious in case of storm. The trouble with Alfred was not the snow,  rather it was the fact that the tree branches were so entwined with wires that people had to wait days for a competent crew to safely separate the two to begin work.   If more wires were underground, fewer would be entangled with tree branches.  If we look at our recent history as a guide, these storms are coming with more frequency , not less. The farmlands of Connecticut are not coming back anytime soon; the trees are here to stay.

I realize that there is a great cost to bury the power lines. I also realize that if those lines don’t work, it takes longer to fix them because of lack of access. Nonetheless, I have seen many incidents where new water and gas lines were laid,  opening the ground anyway. Just last year most of Route 7 was laid bare for months. A new water pipeline was being installed and the lanes were being widened.  That would have been a perfect opportunity to bury power lines at the same time. There is simply no reason why there should not be a coordinated effort among the utilities in our small state to combine the efficiency of capital projects so that when possible the utility lines are buried, one project at a time.

This week Jeff Butler, the CEO of CL & P, resigned as a result of the poor management by CL & P during Alfred. We who live in this state have a higher stake than anyone else in capable lights, heat and electricity.  We deserve for our voice to be heard.  If you agree with my solutions, please tweet or facebook this post to your circle of friends. Let’s begin a movement for change.

Next Lisa Wexler Show airs tomorrow, Wednesday, November 16th from 4-6 PM on lisawexler.com via blogtalkradio.  Don’t miss it.

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Eviction of Occupy Wall Street Underway
Livestream: http://livestream.com/occupynyc

The raid started just after 1:00am. Supporters and allies are mobilizing throughout the city, presently converging at Foley Square. Supporters are also planning public actions for the coming days, including occupation actions.

Two months ago a few hundred New Yorkers set up an encampment at the doorstep of Wall Street. Since then, Occupy Wall Street has become a national and even international symbol — with similarly styled occupations popping up in cities and towns across America and around the world. A growing popular movement has significantly altered the national narrative about our economy, our democracy, and our future.

Americans are talking about the consolidation of wealth and power in our society, and the stranglehold that the top 1% have over our political system. More and more Americans are seeing the crises of our economy and our democracy as systemic problems, that require collective action to remedy. More and more Americans are identifying as part of the 99%, and saying “enough!”

This burgeoning movement is more than a protest, more than an occupation, and more than any tactic. The “us” in the movement is far broader than those who are able to participate in physical occupation. The movement is everyone who sends supplies, everyone who talks to their friends and families about the underlying issues, everyone who takes some form of action to get involved in this civic process.

This moment is nothing short of America rediscovering the strength we hold when we come together as citizens to take action to address crises that impact us all.

Such a movement cannot be evicted. Some politicians may physically remove us from public spaces — our spaces — and, physically, they may succeed.But we are engaged in a battle over ideas. Our idea is that our political structures should serve us, the people — all of us, not just those who have amassed great wealth and power. We believe that is a highly popular idea, and that is why so many people have come so quickly to identify with Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement.

I ponder the ranking of headlines a lot.  I think about sifting among the news debris for the stories to which we all need to pay attention. Obviously, I cannot answer the question I pose.  If all of us understood the consequences of irreversible climate change, would it really make a difference? Human nature being what it is (rotten),  our lust for creature comforts rather insatiable, I highly doubt that we would change our habits even were we to know the exact date on which all the living creatures on this planet would perish. On the contrary, I can just imagine people taking the opposite tack- living for today in a hedonistic,  devil-may-care fashion.

With the human population surging toward record- breaking levels of diabetes, could it be that a hardly noticed study on obese monkeys will have been the pivotal moment in the fight against obesity? How should I know? I’m still upset about experimentation on monkeys. Why do they deserve to have been force fed to obesity, just so we could find a drug to help us do what we all know we ought to do- shut our mouths and not fill them with sugar every single day? I ask this as a rhetorical question only. Leave the monkeys alone. If you must, experiment on people; we deserve it. Only tell us about it first.

Then there is Iran.  Simple, yet complicated Iran. A President who denies the Holocaust and lives to speak at Columbia University and the United Nations. A saber-rattling , Jew-hating, America- hating, rascist homophobe who threatens the world with nuclear destruction.  Are we to believe his threats?  If so, how dare we not act preemptively to stop him and his army?  If we do not believe the threats, what is the best response?  Do we ignore the bully or stand him down?  President Obama chooses to watch and wait. Watching and waiting can be dangerous. They can mislead an enemy into thinking he has the upper hand.  Perhaps our friends will conclude the same; perhaps they too believe that Iran has the upper hand. As I said, watching and waiting can be dangerous business.

Join me Monday through Friday on the Lisa Wexler Show as we ponder, sift, explore and discover. I promise not to tell you what to think, at least most of the time. I do, however, promise to make you think.

Years ago, I asked an old and dear client of mine, Clara Hancox, about the ghost. She believed they existed so I told her about this one. She asked if there were kids in the house, which there were at the time. Clara’s explanation was that I had a poltergeist in my office, a mischievous little spirit that played jokes now and then. She advised me to go with it, not against it. I decided to talk to the ghost in a friendly manner and ask him to leave for a while, or at least let me use my copy machine.  We seemed to be on good terms.

However, recently the ghost has come back.  My producer Jaimee was making copies for me the other day. Everything was going along smoothly until I entered the room. Then the machine broke. Again and again. I diplomatically suggested that I leave the office. Sure enough, it started working again.  Yesterday, during the broadcast, Jaimee’s computer crashed.  We knew it had a virus, true. But yesterday’s episode was unlike anything either of us experienced. Hundreds of windows crowded the screen, until the computer appeared to explode from within. Finito.  Years of work, vanished.

Today we prepared as usual for our blogtalkradio internet radio show. At five minutes to four, all seemed serene. At four o’clock, the internet connection broke.  We tried to fix it, but it simply would not reboot.  The ustream wireless connection kept disappearing as well. By five- thirty, the ghost had won. I gave up. Here is what I recorded of the show:

Tonight the Republicans won control of two of the three major ruling Boards in town, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Finance. The odds were stacked particularly high against the Republicans for the P & Z Commission since all four of the Republican candidates on the ballot needed to win to flip control of the Board from the Democrats to the Republicans.

With voter registration tipping quite favorably to Democrats in Westport, why did the Republicans win?

On the Board of Finance, the Republicans raised the issue of pension obligations that went undetected by the town and its employees. Able candidates on both sides ran, but my guess is that the town understood that new leadership was the best antidote going forward.  Congrats to all the winners, particularly my good friend Michael Rea.

Why did the Republicans take the P & Z in a clean sweep of all four seats? Save Westport Now. Save Westport Now is an organization devoted to sensible land use planning.  Usually they endorse Democrats, and most of their membership are in fact registered Democrats. This year, they broke with tradition, and endorsed all four Republicans on their own ballot line. Democrats who would never vote for anyone with an “R” next to their name could vote in good conscience for these four candidates who espoused the same opinions on land use issues as the Board of Save Westport Now.

Now comes the real question- Why did SWN and the town throw out the Democrats? In a word, P & Z Chairman Ron Corwin. Ron Corwin’s leadership has brought the town to the brink of catastrophe. He has encouraged developers to submit zoning changes that would forever alter the character of the town. He has held subcommittee meetings during working hours that were almost exclusively attended by developers and their paid consultants.  Corwin has run public hearings with an iron fist and a condescending manner, placating developers and cutting off would be objectors.

Westport is a town that pays attention. Thanks to the able reporting of Chandra Niles Folsom, I was alerted to the substance of new zoning text amendments that  radically changed height, coverage and zone restrictions. Thanks to the beauty of a microphone, I was able to alert my audience to the possibility that the bad guys might win if we did nothing. Listener Gloria Ginter called my studio to volunteer to get signatures on petitions. She collected hundreds in a mere few hours. Save Westport Now became energized. No one, and I mean no one, writes a letter like Sidney Kramer. Few are brighter and more persuasive than Connie Greenfield.

Still, I was worried. Four people on a slate? That meant that the lone Democrat running needed to lose, in order for Corwin to lose his chairmanship.

Tonight at Republican headquarters, my faith in democracy was restored. Enough people cared about this issue to get out and vote. A message was sent.  Westport does not want overdevelopment either downtown or on the Post Road.  We want incremental changes in keeping with the character of the town, as it is. Tomorrow a new day dawns in Westport, and I look forward to the new leadership.

Kudos to Gordon Joseloff, Shelley Kassen, Helen Garten and other Democratic candidates, winners and losers, who appeared at Republican headquarters tonight to extend their congratulations. I really do love this very classy town.

Unbeknownst to me, my producer Jaimee Kelsey had been working feverishly all day with my board operator Giulia Cammerota to give me a send-off in true Oprah style fashion.  Testimonials from politicians, guests, family members and listeners piped out into the atmosphere.  Among the most touching was a tribute from my own son. Who knew I was actually having an effect on his morals? Certainly not I. My husband Bill had sent flowers not only to me, but to Giulia and Jaimee as well.  So did our “ustream gang” and special fan and friend, Mike Schweitzer. Of course, I had to remove them all from the studio because I immediately started to sneeze.  But it was a very nice gesture.

Such planning, such thoughtfulness, such organization! Such love.  I kept thinking about the love.  All that love at one time is hard to take in.

I haven’t been sad this week. I’ve been busy trying to find a new home for The Lisa Wexler Show.  No other place will be 10 minutes from my house, even in terrible weather. No other antenna will cover all the towns of Fairfield County in one broad stroke.  Every other station presents pros and cons- only WSTC/WNLK was a perfect fit for my lifestyle and my ambitions.  But with challenge comes opportunities.  I am hoping this kick in the pants will force me to widen my reach, broaden my audience, and even, dare I say, improve the bottom line.  This past week, I have been anxious, busy, determined, confident, scared and hopeful.  But not sad.

Today’s show zoomed by at a faster pace than normal. That was most likely because every time I tried to say anything, Giulia interrupted with a testimonial as to my wonderfulness.   (let me make up a word now and then- trust me, I know when I’m doing it) .  All of a sudden, it was six o-clock. Closing time.

Still, I was not sad.  My program director and I kicked around small talk for an hour.   At the third yawn, we knew it was finally time to leave.

Famished, I made my way to the center aisle at Stew Leonard’s, while eating the inside of a vegetarian wrap. Mozzarella balls and chicken wings would soon follow. I couldn’t help but be reminded of that poor pregnant woman at a Safeway supermarket who had her kid removed to foster care  because she forgot to pay for her sandwiches. Clearly that would not happen to me; my wrappers were firmly placed in the cart, prominently displayed for both me and the cashier as a reminder to pay.

Somewhere right around the leftover Kit Kat multiplex aisle, I wept.  Just like that. Not heavy bawling, just a tear or two.  It finally hit me- no more WSTC/WNLK studio. No more routine of going into that station every day to see familiar faces and prepare for the day’s stories.  No more Sugar on my lap, licking my nose during commercials.  No more looking out that particular window, lost in an on-air reverie about nothing in particular.  All gone.

Like so many big events in life, this one too will take time to penetrate. As Steve Jobs reminded us, our lives only make sense from a rear view mirror.  People keep telling me the best is yet to come, but really, how do they know?  How can anyone know?  What is more important is to face tomorrow with energy, optimism and confidence.  All that love will be my reservoir when my reserves of energy, optimism and confidence are diminished. Thank you all, but especially thank you Jaimee.  Whenever I need love, I can just listen to today’s show.

Some people really love change. I’m not one of those people. I liken myself to a tree. I grow roots and branches and stay planted in one place. I bend with the wind, lose an occasional branch, but stay healthy in the core. I withstand storms, heat waves and the season. But I stay rooted.

Friday will be my last day at WSTC/WNLK. For so many, those stations have been an institution in their lives, part of their regular, everyday routine. Tune in in the morning for traffic, weather, news. Tune in in the afternoon to me, if so inclined. For me, for so many years, those station signs on the Post Road beckoned like a mirage in the desert. Practicing law, I dreamed of a more interesting life, a life on the radio.

Gathering the guts to walk into that station in 2006 was a process that took years. Having already spent thousands in re-educating myself at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, I had squirrelled away thousands more to finance myself for the adventure of getting on the radio. Radio time costs money. Today the price of entry means that hosts are usually buying their time and defraying their costs by selling their own advertising. It wasn’t what I expected the business to be, but I embraced it anyway. I wanted so much to get my voice out there that I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.

Eventually, the show became so popular that my business arrangement changed. In January of 2010, Coxradio moved me to a daily drive-time show. I could proudly say I was earning money doing a job I loved.

Broadcasting is a calling. People who “get the bug” never want to do anything else. But one of the first things you learn is that talented, hard-working people get fired all the time. All the time. The reasons are varied; the station sells, the format changes, the company needs to cut costs. Occasionally, the reason is personal, but most often, it’s not personal at all. It only feels personal because when it happens to you. But if you are going to succeed in this field, you need to be that tree that bends with the wind. You need to withstand the external changes while clinging to the reasons you got behind the mike in the first place.

I was so happy at WSTC/WNLK that I never would have left. I was Mary Tyler Moore, and our station had its own cast of lovable, irreplaceable people. I like to think that I was not complacent, that I was always working harder to create a better show and move on to different, larger platforms. But now that change has been forced upon me, I realize that there was a whole world of wonderful broadcasters that I had never met. Meeting, greeting, negotiating, flirting with opportunities that are presenting themselves- all of it is so much fun. I am having so much more fun than I did practicing law on any day, at any time. I am so grateful for all of it.

On Sunday, we will no doubt have our own last, group hug. We will say au revoir but never goodbye. Broadcasting being the business it is, we may find ourselves working together again. As for me, I’ll take a few days off then get right behind the mike. Stay tuned for details. When I figure it out, you’ll be the first person to know.