As always, when it comes to the business of Transparent Ted Leonsis, I usually refer to the blueprint he laid out for all of us to be happy — “The Business of Happiness — Six Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Work and Life.”
I know I have referenced Transparent Ted’s book before, but I can’t help but go to it again, because it is still remarkable to me that he believed he could write a book telling people how to be happy.
That’s a 55-gallon drum of arrogance right there and explains as much as anything how he appears to have failed miserably in his drive to abandon the District and move his Wizards and Capitals franchises to a new sports and entertainment complex in Alexandria.
The deal for the proposed project was left out of the Virginia budget proposal by lawmakers last week, all but killing the project.
There remains the possibility that Transparent Ted’s good buddy, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, could introduce a separate bill or budget amendment for a vote next month, though it seems unlikely the Democrats who control the General Assembly would give the Republican governor with presidential aspirations a win.
You can look at the political squabbles and the financing debate and the transportation questions raised about the arena since the news broke in December of the move. But ultimately, it comes down to the one man who every time he opens his mouth believes he is issuing commandments he’s carried down from Mount America Online.
“This book is a compilation of what I’ve learned about the business of happiness — how to live without regret and die with a smile on your face,” Transparent Ted wrote in the introduction to his 2010 book.
The biggest roadblock to Transparent Ted’s vision was the man in the mirror.
You might think he has a few regrets now. Most men who have been publicly humiliated as he has been would have regrets — maybe regretting dancing on the grave of the District when he announced plans to abandon the city at his Dec. 13 celebration.
Or regretting to make sure Youngkin had the support he needed from a Democratic state legislature before counting the empty seats in his new arena.
Perhaps regretting ignoring the history of so many failed projects like this— Jack Kent Cooke’s proposed Potomac Yard football stadium, Disney America and others — in such a politically volatile state.
This is one of the reasons I’ve never taken Virginia seriously as a legitimate candidate for a new football stadium for the Commanders.
Transparent Ted didn’t even get to perhaps the hardest part of this plan — fighting the not-in-my-backyard faction, heavyweight champions in Northern Virginia.
He found himself in a word-to-word battle with the “Stop The Arena” movement and was losing ground.
It is why Transparent Ted launched daily assaults on the public about the benefits of the new arena.
He must certainly be regretting not sending a big gift basket to Virginia State Sen. Louise Lucas before he needed her support — you know, that’s how Michael Scott on “The Office” believed good business was done: “Gift baskets are the essence of class and fanciness.”
Transparent Ted is no Michael Scott.
But the day after his proposed arena seemed to be near death, there was Transparent Ted speaking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors about “how we can harness the power of entrepreneurship, small business, and the benefits these businesses can bring to our community,” according to the chamber’s social media account.
Ouch. That would have been a painful discussion for most men in the wake of the news.
Not Transparent Ted. Less than 48 hours after the likely death knell of his Potomac Yard project, his “Monumental Opportunity” social media account — created to churn out propaganda to gain public support — tweeted out: “We have a monumental opportunity to have two professional sports teams and a new world-class entertainment district in Virginia. This project is a win for the Commonwealth and a win for our region.”
No shame, and if Transparent Ted has any regrets, they’ll likely go to the grave with him with a smile on his face. The undertaker may have to use all their power, all their skills, for that one.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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