The man who can see into the future
To predict the future, sometimes you have to alter the past. That's one of the lessons Mike Causey learned in a recent column about the mid-term elections.
I read a fascinating column last week by a Washington-based political expert. Of whom there are many. He explained why the Democrats would lose the Nov. 4 midterm election. It was accurate to a fault, perhaps because it was written two days AFTER the election had taken place. Which made me think …
Two days BEFORE the election I wrote a column which nailed it. I predicted how many seats the GOP would pick up in the House and Senate, the defeat of Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Mark Pryor (D-Colo.). I even said that a long-shot Republican, Larry Hogan, would be elected governor of Maryland, which may be the bluest state in the nation. Also that New Hampshire would reject Scott Brown because he was perceived as a carpetbagger from Massachusetts.
Prior to the election, most of the major (and minor) media was all over the place. Guest experts writing in Politico — one of the most respected political journals around — made solid predictions. But based on their hopes and dreams, not on any solid information since there was none. Democratic experts predicted the Democrats would hold on to the Senate. Republican experts said their side would take control. So half were right, half were wrong. Where did I got wrong, after otherwise being so right …
My only mistake was that I failed to actually turn the spot-on column in to my editors. Instead, I got side-tracked by a call from a reader who explained why some feds call in sick when on vacation, while others use annual leave when they are actually sick. That column ran in place of the Pulitzer Prize bait column. True, sick vs. annual leave piece get a lot hits and comments. But running it in place of my Nostradamus-like bull’s-eye again denied me the fame and fortune that has been so elusive over the years.
I thought about asking FederalNewsRadio to let me back date the column and post it. Who would know? People who originally missed it (because it never ran) would never know the dates had been switched. Some probably would have said they read it at the time and knew I was right. I would have gotten my just deserts. It seemed, to me, like a win-win situation. Almost a public service.
The only fly (flies actually) in the ointment were my two editors, Mike O’Connell and Julia Ziegler. I realize it would be hard to explain that I originally wrote and planned the column for to run Nov. 4. I thought the best thing to do was make like comedian Steve Martin when the Internal Revenue Service asked why he had failed to pay his taxes. His response: “I Forgot!” Me too, which is true.
Mike and Julia are great people. But they are also young, idealistic and in some cases — like this one — pretty rigid. So I dropped the idea.
But trust me. The piece was brilliant, right on the money and (had it been published ahead of its time) was ahead of its time. By two days.
My plan is to leave the world of political reporting and return to covering the people side of government. But be sure and watch this space the day before the November, 2016 presidential race. You will be amazed.
Trust me!
NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:
The Jetsons television show of the 1960s predicted a number of technological advances that have since come true, including the robot vacuum cleaner, talking alarm clocks and tanning beds.
Source: Tech Vert
MORE FROM FEDERAL NEWS RADIO:
McDonald says ‘biggest reorganization of VA’ to rebuild trust is underway
Veterans Affairs Department Secretary Bob McDonald’s goal is straightforward: rebuild the trust in the agency. In his first 100 days as secretary, McDonald met with dozens of employees, lawmakers and other key stakeholders to both listen and understand how best to do that.
Goode out, Toler promoted as DHS cyber roles churn
The quiet period for the Homeland Security Department’s cybersecurity division turnover seems to be over. Brendan Goode, the director of the Network Security Deployment division in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C), joins an ever growing list of executives leaving for the private sector.
Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Mike Causey
Mike Causey is senior correspondent for Federal News Network and writes his daily Federal Report column on federal employees’ pay, benefits and retirement.
Follow @mcauseyWFED
