The Almost First 100 Days

By Corey B. Bearak, Esq.

Presentation to The Executive Group of Gotham City Networking, Inc.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, Hub International Northeast Limited, New York

I’m not a fan of big hour-long speeches. And usually when I get a speaker, if I get a speaker, let’s say at my political club or a civic club, I usually say to them 10 to 15 minutes. I do not know if I’ll I’m going to go on necessarily 10 to 15 minutes but I did not time it when I went through it but usually I have a good sense of how long something is and I think it will be a bit shorter than that. As Mitch (Tublin) and I scoped this out, we were talking about this being the First 100 Days, but when we did the arithmetic it’s 90% of that. So It’s The Almost First 100 Days. And I want to start basically out and I always like to interject music in my talks but I’m not going to click on my iPhone as I mention it but....

The Doors’ second LP was called Strange Days, and it featured a song, People Are Strange.

And certainly these are Strange Days indeed I think those are one of the phrases – part of the lyrics – as one considers the world around us. And I think we’ll have more on that later.

Frankly, in my practice, I strategize. I plan. And not all the time but certainly when things matter.

Not all the time but certainly when things matter.

Sometimes, for some matters, I might need to think fast, almost to the point of brinkmanship.

But you expect those things to occur not and too often because you plan; you think things out; you anticipate, often in concert – common cause – using a phrase from the (Fernando) Ferrer (2001) Campaign (for Mayor) not just because Tony (Suber) is here that Freddy (Ferrer) used – in common cause with others.

When I consider my own assessment of the almost first 100 days of the administration of “Real Donald Trump” because his twitter handle is @realDonaldTrump, I see an administration in crisis mode like almost all the time – more in reaction than thoughtful deliberation.

Some argue – and you hear that a lot by the pundits – that campaigns and governing remain distinct; and that excellence at one mode often fails to equate in the other. And I’ve been on bother sides my entire career, and I never bought into that. I never bought into that. The constituencies sometimes may differ somewhat but not as much as one would think.

The only distinction involves an incoming official and his/her team’s knowledge and experience of the processes of government.

I recall in a mayoral campaign – and I think I was just out of college at that point how we were developing briefing papers and this was in the spring – you know the primary was in September and the general election was in November – we were developing briefing papers and that outlined the functions of the various agencies and departments and boards; and as I said that occurred early on.  

It aimed not to aid in the transition if the campaign proved successful but it was really so that the candidate would be able to demonstrate a handle on governing to justify that candidate’s worthiness.

And nothing of that sort seemed to occur with Team Trump from day one.

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[video playlist of presentation]