Bob Cramer's Blog

I am hitting the highway headed for the lowcountry bright and early on this Thursday morning.  With miles to travel before I sleep, I’m fueled up, packed full and heavy footed, ready to take the Genesis out on the Eisenhower Interstate, free to cut loose its 375 horsepower power train and put this South Korean “2009 Car of the Year” winner to the test.  The Lexicon stereo system may be playing some Bruce nice and loud but the windows will not be rolled down but up due to heat though my own energy will be high and caffeine as I make my way across I-20 and I-26, heading east into the heat, the marshes and eventually the coast.

I’ll be talking to my newest friend: the nice lady who lives permanently in my navigation system.  She does have an attractive voice, with her stern but sweet “turn here” or “make a legal U-turn”.   She is super intelligent, knowing almost every little road in the country and she doesn’t get mad at you if you make a mistake.    I should introduce her to my step-brother who is single at the moment.

Thanks to my other in-car communicator, XM Radio, I will not miss a moment with my friends at CNBC.  They have been shaking up their line-up some, and lately I am not sure exactly who is on Squawk Box and Squawk on the Street.  But I do know one thing: I like listening to first cousin Jim Cramer now in the morning as well as in the evening.  My wife even likes to hear his soothing voice sometimes when I air the re-run at 11pm right before bed.  She says she prefers to listen to Cousin Cramer’s calm demeanor and well calculated stock picks even more than she likes to watch the Golf Channel (I think I may still be dreaming).

 So my bags are packed and I am ready to go.  I’ll obey all speed limits, keep my fluid intake to a minimum, avoid truck stops at all cost, refrain from buying boiled peanuts or texting while driving, and stay focused on the road while making small talk with Navigation Lady.  I’ll see you down the road, promise.

The big city, here they come.

I just dropped my oldest son, Ben, and his friend, Sean, at the airport for a three-day recording trip in New York City, my old hometown.   Amid questions of how the subway works and is Park Avenue east or west from Lexington, these musically talented young men, armed with melodies and lyrics, ambition and energy, are taking another big step in pursuit of their rock n’ roll dreams.

It is certainly a tough road to travel.  The odds of making it big in music are probably smaller than playing in the NFL.   The power of the large labels has declined, and over-the-air radio, the way people my age were first introduced to hot new music, is now shared with the online Pandora’s, Spotify’s, XM’s and of course iTunes.   Clearly, the music industry, like the book industry (good-bye Borders), is going through digital growing pains.

These new realities don’t discourage them.   Playing shows still remains one of the bright spots, as people still want to hear live music.  Music piracy is on the decline, and according to reports today, even Baidu, the Chinese Google equivalent, is starting to actual pay royalties for licensed copies of songs.

After spending a year at the Frost School of Music in Miami, Ben is taking his musical talents to the more rock-friendly confines of Athens, GA this fall.  I expect this week’s new recording to have a more upbeat, jamming rock orientation (I hear them in my basement so I have a sneak preview) from some of his earlier work, including last summer’s more folk-rock orientation (click here to listen).    

I don’t know much about music.  I’m just learning how to blog.  But I do know this, it is great to see young people follow their passion, and that journey can take them to lots of unexpected places.  For me, there is also a nice irony or poetry to watch my son travel to where I was born, to stay with my Mom, to practice his craft: musical chairs of sorts, generation after generation, different creative talents but sharing a common familial bond and start-up instinct.  My grandfather started his magazine in NYC; I started my (brief) journalism and entrepreneurial career in NYC.  It is nice to see my son start or resume his musical ambitions in NYC.

I wish the boys well this week and you can be sure I will be promoting their new work on my world-wide blogging network soon.

The U.S. Women’s soccer team takes the field somewhere in Germany today within a hand ball’s length of a World Cup championship.  Not too far away, in the much beleaguered European Union, a number of U.S. men golfers sit near the top as final round play commences at the British Open.  Whether on the international front or the domestic stage, the U.S. metaphorically could sure use a winner.

We need our swagger back.  We need our confidence.   We need the old, on the golf course, Tiger Woods.

The talk the last few weeks has not been what makes this country the greatest the world has ever seen.  “We are not going to pay our bills”.   “We cannot live within our means”.  “We cannot come up with a grand bargain.”   Trust me, if the NFL players and owners can agree on a new contract, our leaders in Washington should be able to solve this debt ceiling debate.

But that is only the symptom.  We need a plan.  We need a go-forward strategy that is clear and articulate, and one that most Americans can buy into.  We need our President to lead from the front.  We need congressional leaders to stop making pledges.  We need to ask the American people, not just our military, to make sacrifices.  We need everyone to step up their game, including me and you, to make our country stronger and more focused, like the athletes representing us on the field today.

The sign of America’s greatness are all around us.  We are creating new companies that worldwide investors are valuing at billions of dollars.   Some of these new technologies are helping bring down dictators and awaken a global thirst for freedom.   The American people, despite the hard economic times, continue to be generous and philanthropic in the help of others. 

Give the American people a challenge, a direction, a focus, and we will get it done.  Let’s all be in it as a team.  Let’s not spend money we don’t have and let’s spend the money we do have effectively, let’s try and hire more people, let’s do better in school, let’s keep more of our energy dollars at home, let’s be reasonable but disciplined how we cut our deficits, let’s make commitments that we keep and let’s try and be nicer to each other, whatever political party you support. 

Just watch the U.S. women today.  They may not play the most beautiful style of soccer, but they are a team with a goal and purpose.  They refuse to lose.  They sacrifice and give it their all.  They represent the best in us and we should act more like them.

To my faithful reader(s), one thing your loyal blogger values above all else is the truth, and nothing but the truth (and I am not talking about the new, controversial Direct TV ad with Tommy “The Truth” Thompson and a kid called “Half Truth”).   I’m talking nothing but facts, Jack, and before I can say I did not cut down the cherry tree, I must confess that my headline this morning is a slight exaggeration, a white lie of sort, as I did not get up quite that early (but it was close).

On the subject of truth, in Washington the great debate has shifted from actually solving the nation’s debt ceiling and restoring full faith and credit(ability) of the United States government  to who should be believed, the President or Eric Cantor, as to what happened in that Cabinet meeting room in the White House on Wednesday night.    At least all of this is a slightly more pleasant discussion than as to what happened in the infamous New York hotel room a few months back.  I will say no more.

Chubby, cheating pitcher Roger Clemens got a lucky call yesterday.   You may remember that he was accused of not telling the truth to the United States Congress (doesn’t that happen every day?).   Faster than you can swing and miss at the Rocket’s heat, his perjury trial was ejected as the prosecutors evidently showed video testimony of former teammate Andy Petite being questioned about his wife (this was G-rated testimony thankfully).    Anyway, the Judge said this was a no-no, and the trial was no longer a go-go, and I can tell your reaction to all of this is only so-so (work with me here, it’s early).

In local news, the ramblin wreck of GA Tech crashed into the proverbial wall of truth yesterday, according to everyone’s favorite, the NCAA.     Evidentially, what began as a minor inquiry over $312 worth of clothes to a player turned into a four year’s probation and stripping the school of its well earned 2009 ACC championship.  Ough!  Even a Georgia fan might find that a little harsh.  But you know what they say, the cover-up is usually worse than the crime and the truth will set you free.

So before I fall off my moral high horse (or put another quarter in to continue the ride), I need to jump off this carousel and bid you adieu.  See you over the weekend.

It was so hot yesterday in Atlanta that when I left work to return to my Chastain Park home I made a wrong turn and before I could say traffic jam ended up in the north Georgia Mountains.

I don’t know how you spell relief (Rolaids), but the cool air, green trees, the slower and simpler way of life all hit me like a late afternoon rain as I raced to a house full of computers, headphones, smart phones, the new Verizon MiFi (the hockey puck look-a-like that serves as instant Wi-Fi virtually everywhere) and of course, old reliable, the HDTV.   Feeling right at home, I jumped in to check on that important email, review my stock portfolio (what goes up, must come down) and to settle in for the All-Star game only to rapidly come to my senses, grab a kid or two and hit the great outdoors for old-fashion basketball and soccer playing, sweat and exercise, in the late afternoon twilight.

As night descended and the air turned (somewhat) cooler, the crickets were out in force, harmonizing with the frogs and the other wild creatures into a symphony of sounds.   All was good and the National league was leading (go Braves) as I headed to bed.

I have no newspapers this morning so I will spare you, my loyal reader(s) any profound comments on the news of the day.   Also, I had to borrow this computer from a family member and patience is wearing thin.   So while I am just a few miles from the start of the Appalachian Trail and fantasized  (for a brief few seconds) about heading north, I must be back in the ATL later this morning, taking the heat inside and outside the office, living the dream.   I am up for it.   Talk soon.