Op-ed: For crisis’ sake

  • By Bob Franken
  • Saturday, January 16, 2016 5:57pm
  • Opinion

In the immortal words of Rahm Emanuel, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Of course, he’s moved on from Washington power broker to broken mayor of Chicago, where he’s becoming a walking, talking crisis himself. He’s fighting for his survival in the midst of a police controversy that even by Chicago standards has become a scandal. The difference between the murderous cop abuse this time and that of generations past is the video that makes it impossible to sweep under the rug, like they’ve always done. But still, the advice to never miss an opportunity to kick your opponents when they’re down, no matter what the consequences, is sage wisdom for any politician.

Of course, first you must have a crisis. Otherwise, you look pretty foolish if you’re screaming bloody murder. Case in point, the Iranian takeover of 10 sailors on those two ships that had lost their way in the Persian Gulf and beached on the Iran’s Farsi Island. Even though it was obvious early on that it was an accidental incursion and Tehran’s leaders knew that, there was an overnight lag time before the crews could be released. That was enough time for the usual suspect Republicans to pounce.

John McCain, who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee and who always can be expected to erupt in a hard line of thunder, criticized President Barack Obama for not mentioning the situation during his State of the Union address. That’s when some delicate diplomacy was going on (is diplomacy ever anything but delicate?), and POTUS probably didn’t want to, uh, rock the boat. Besides, the president was otherwise focused on delivering his “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” speech.

Is that too sarcastic? His message about the country was largely glow, not the gloom that dominates the campaign rhetoric from the other side

“There will be voices,” he declared, “urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background.”

Speaking of the Republican candidates, they had another of their “Be Very Worried, Be Hateful” debates. Ben Carson was the most apocalyptic of all, warning of nuclear attack: “They explode the bomb, we have an electromagnetic pulse,” he warned “They hit us with a cyberattack simultaneously and dirty bombs. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue at that point?”

As for the non-chaos over the sailors, they were back from their overnight. When captured, they had been taped briefly on their knees with their hands on their heads while Iranian sailors searched their boat. The video was probably released to please the country’s hard-liners. Ted Cruz was quick to identify himself as a hard-liner: “Any nation that captures our fighting men and women will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America.”

Cruz has got his own problems. He insists that the law is settled and that he’s qualified to run for president, even though he was born in Canada. True, his mother was American, but is that enough to meet the Constitution’s natural-born-citizen standard? There’s a genuine legal debate about that. Many experts don’t think it’s settled at all. It’s fair to say that Democrats are chortling about his dilemma, given all the grief Obama got from the “Birthers” even after he showed conclusively he was born in Hawaii. Donald Trump was one of those sleazy leading voices, although in a show of consistency, he’s now raising doubts about Ted Cruz. Still, let’s be fair: Has anyone heard Cruz end a sentence with “eh?” I don’t think so.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the campaign silly season is well underway. Do not worry. No one will let a crisis go to waste — even an imagined one, though one could argue our absurdly dismal political choice is the real crisis.

Bob Franken is a longtime broadcast journalist, including 20 years at CNN.

More in Opinion

Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) speaks to reporters about his decision to veto an education funding bill at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: The fight for Alaska’s future begins in the classroom

The fight I’ve been leading isn’t about politics — it’s about priorities.

Dick Maitland, a foley artist, works on the 46th season of “Sesame Street” at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York, Dec. 15, 2025. (Ariana McLaughlin/The New York Times)
Opinion: Trump’s embarrassing immaturity Republicans won’t acknowledge

Sullivan should be embarrassed by the ignorance and immaturity the president is putting on display for the world to see.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of debating an omnibus education bill in the Alaska House Chambers on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Choosing our priorities wisely

Rep. Justin Ruffridge reports back from Juneau.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: As session nears end, pace picks up in Juneau

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

Alaska Department of Education and Early Development Commissioner Deena Bishop and Gov. Mike Dunleavy discuss his veto of an education bill during a press conference March 15, 2024, at the Alaska State Capitol. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Strong policy, proven results

Why policy and funding go hand in hand.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski speaks on a range of subjects during an interview with the Juneau Empire in May 2019. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The Jones Act — crass protectionism, but for whom?

Alaska is dependent on the few U.S.-built ships carrying supplies from Washington state to Alaska.

Cook Inlet can be seen at low tide from North Kenai Beach on June 15, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Solving the Cook Inlet gas crisis

While importing LNG is necessary in the short term, the Kenai Peninsula is in dire need of a stable long-term solution.

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet are dragged up onto the beach at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Capitol Corner: Creating opportunities with better fishery management

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.

The ranked choice outcome for Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shown during an Alaska Public Media broadcast on Nov. 24, 2022. (Alaska Division of Elections)
Opinion: Alaska should keep ranked choice voting, but let’s make it easier

RCV has given Alaskans a better way to express their preferences.

The Alaska State Capitol on March 1. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Keep Alaska open for business

Our job as lawmakers is to ensure that laws passed at the ballot box work effectively on the ground.

Image provided by the Office of Mayor Peter Micciche.
Opinion: Taxes, adequate education funding and putting something back into your pocket

Kenai Peninsula Borough taxpayers simply can’t make a dent in the education funding deficit by themselves, nor should they be asked to do so.

Brooke Walters. (Courtesy photo)
Opinion: A student’s letter to the governor

Our education funding is falling short by exuberant amounts.