It's time to change things up. I write so much for other people and causes that I forget my own voice. I read a piece my wife wrote and it was so well written and authentic, that it inspired me to finish a re-organization of my web properties and to step up my own writing. The deterioration of US politics is astonishing to me and at the same time technology is bringing about a great transformation in marketing and business. Politics lags and all of us pay the price.
My advocacy of technology in marketing and politics will only continue to grow. But I want to get beyond recommending and teaching and ensure great technology actually gets used fully and consistently. So here's to more writing, thanks honey!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Top Ten Things to Say to End Your Political Campaign Before it Starts
10- "Politics is different here than it is anywhere else."
9- "I promise I will start making my fundraising calls tomorrow."
8- "No one pays attention to political ads anymore."
7- "People hate opponent and really like me."
6- "I just feel like we don't need to raise a lot of money. We can do a grassroots campaign."
5- "My neighbor Bob will do all of the printing for free."
4- "She was uh, 14 not 12." (true story)
3- "My other neighbor Mary will 'do the website' for $100."
2- "The yard signs will make the difference."
1- "I promise I will start the door to door walking next weekend."
It's amazing how many times in my career I have heard these statements from candidates. It's like the phrase you hear when you travel a great deal, "you know what we always say in blank state- if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change. Ha Ha Ha." And then blood comes out my eyes.
9- "I promise I will start making my fundraising calls tomorrow."
8- "No one pays attention to political ads anymore."
7- "People hate opponent and really like me."
6- "I just feel like we don't need to raise a lot of money. We can do a grassroots campaign."
5- "My neighbor Bob will do all of the printing for free."
4- "She was uh, 14 not 12." (true story)
3- "My other neighbor Mary will 'do the website' for $100."
2- "The yard signs will make the difference."
1- "I promise I will start the door to door walking next weekend."
It's amazing how many times in my career I have heard these statements from candidates. It's like the phrase you hear when you travel a great deal, "you know what we always say in blank state- if you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change. Ha Ha Ha." And then blood comes out my eyes.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Dialing for Dollars in Politics: Why It's Important
People always complain about money in politics, but the reality is there is very little for 98% of campaigns or in Washington, DC in general. Wealth in politics= relationships, not money. They print it there and then ship it to NYC and LA.
Pulitzer prize winner Richard Ben Cramer, in one the best books ever written about Presidential campaigns What it Takes: The Way to the White House - including a stunning chapter on Bob Dole- wrote there is two kinds of knowing in DC: factual policy knowledge- very valuable and who you "know" which can be priceless.
At the root of American politics and business is building and sustaining relationships. Some live by the axiom "leadership is building relationships." How do you get there? In politics, it starts at the grassroots, with personal hometown relationships but quickly grows if you run for office by "dialing for dollars".
At a glance, critics say this is where politics goes wrong, but actually it forces a candidate to pick up a phone and talk to real voters, who participate in politics constantly, usually personally and professionally and write checks to campaigns. Woe is me the amount of times I've watched losing candidates stare at a call list and then call an "advisor" to talk about an "issue" position. Shortly there after, the list is back on the desk for the manager to call. good for the manager but bad for the candidate, who needs people to invest time and money in them personally.
How much easier it is for all of us to "send an email" instead of call a human being and have a conversation? In this regard the Internet is pulling apart our democracy as it makes it easier for bloggers to start rumors and anonymous message board posts to flame candidates. It was quite comical when Howard Dean called for his "online army" to do something besides sit at a computer- maybe vote in a primary and he all he was crickets chirping on election day.
If the first step of measuring any politician is calling contributors- this is a good thing. Contributors are generally business owners and lesser known community leaders. They have money because they are smart and contribute to politics because it is a civic responsibility.
And yes oftentimes they have business interests related back to the government.
Guess what? We all do! And we sit around and complain about the people who eat our dinner because they asked for it and we simply did not. So get off your entitled butts and write a check to a campaign. And if you are a candidate... for goodness sake dial your call list right now.
Pulitzer prize winner Richard Ben Cramer, in one the best books ever written about Presidential campaigns What it Takes: The Way to the White House - including a stunning chapter on Bob Dole- wrote there is two kinds of knowing in DC: factual policy knowledge- very valuable and who you "know" which can be priceless.
At the root of American politics and business is building and sustaining relationships. Some live by the axiom "leadership is building relationships." How do you get there? In politics, it starts at the grassroots, with personal hometown relationships but quickly grows if you run for office by "dialing for dollars".
At a glance, critics say this is where politics goes wrong, but actually it forces a candidate to pick up a phone and talk to real voters, who participate in politics constantly, usually personally and professionally and write checks to campaigns. Woe is me the amount of times I've watched losing candidates stare at a call list and then call an "advisor" to talk about an "issue" position. Shortly there after, the list is back on the desk for the manager to call. good for the manager but bad for the candidate, who needs people to invest time and money in them personally.
How much easier it is for all of us to "send an email" instead of call a human being and have a conversation? In this regard the Internet is pulling apart our democracy as it makes it easier for bloggers to start rumors and anonymous message board posts to flame candidates. It was quite comical when Howard Dean called for his "online army" to do something besides sit at a computer- maybe vote in a primary and he all he was crickets chirping on election day.
If the first step of measuring any politician is calling contributors- this is a good thing. Contributors are generally business owners and lesser known community leaders. They have money because they are smart and contribute to politics because it is a civic responsibility.
And yes oftentimes they have business interests related back to the government.
Guess what? We all do! And we sit around and complain about the people who eat our dinner because they asked for it and we simply did not. So get off your entitled butts and write a check to a campaign. And if you are a candidate... for goodness sake dial your call list right now.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
542 US Marine Hellcats: not relativists
Continuing on the theme of bashing relativisn in all its forms comes the greatest influence on my life: my dad. Michael J. O'Brien was first and foremost a Marine. He died when I was 15 and he was 62, mostly from smoking. So if you do, quit. It sucks to lose your Dad. But, he was more of a father for 15 years than most are in a lifetime.
He had the "code" of a Few Good Men fame. Quite frankly he would of thought of the Marines portrayed in that movie as girlie men and personally sought out Jack Nicholson to kick his ass for defaming the Corps through his role in the movie. But my Dad was not a violent man to any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps he saw enough violence during the invasion of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest and longest battles in the history of American military. He was intense with what he believed in. God, Family, Corps. And I think he really only cared about his family. There is nothing else in this world but to take care of your wife and children. Period.
It is hard for us in 2005 to comprehend this philosophy and maybe that is the tragedy of our times. I also knew my Dad understood his shortcomings, his lack of ability to deal with many of his feelings and directly communicated a necessity for me to understand women and treat them much differently than he did. But it still came through the mandate for me to respect, protect and provide for my wife as if my life depended on it. Dad is an absolute. If he thought you might be a relativist, in any sense of the word, you were not welcome in his house. This is not an exaggeration and you can ask my mother to tell the stories about how she would have to tell people (mostly family members of questionable morals) that they we not welcome to come into our home. And if they wanted to push the issue, could talk to my father directly. At 6'5 280 with a size 22 foot and hands that could crush, not just palm a basketball, he was as intimidating physically as he was philosophically.
This from a man who never made more than $40,000 a year in his life and never cared to. He would turn down promotions regularly. As well as even an innocent lunch with a female member of his office, because he was married. At his retirement luncheon, the women all remarked it was the first time they were to lunch with him. And I think he scoffed at the men who could give their lives to corporations that paled pathetically in moral comparison to the US Marine Corps.
At the end of the day he gave me an example of a life without exceptions to the rules he set forth for himself and expected of others. All I want is to know that he is proud of me and I know he would not understand many of the choices I have made along the way. I do know he would be proud of me for my future wife Laura and my new step son Jon. He would agree with how I am attempting to become a parental figure for Jon in a delicate situation. But so long as I do my best for Jon and love his Mom. There is nothing else. At least in my Dad's book and I am not sure anything else matters.
He had the "code" of a Few Good Men fame. Quite frankly he would of thought of the Marines portrayed in that movie as girlie men and personally sought out Jack Nicholson to kick his ass for defaming the Corps through his role in the movie. But my Dad was not a violent man to any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps he saw enough violence during the invasion of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest and longest battles in the history of American military. He was intense with what he believed in. God, Family, Corps. And I think he really only cared about his family. There is nothing else in this world but to take care of your wife and children. Period.
It is hard for us in 2005 to comprehend this philosophy and maybe that is the tragedy of our times. I also knew my Dad understood his shortcomings, his lack of ability to deal with many of his feelings and directly communicated a necessity for me to understand women and treat them much differently than he did. But it still came through the mandate for me to respect, protect and provide for my wife as if my life depended on it. Dad is an absolute. If he thought you might be a relativist, in any sense of the word, you were not welcome in his house. This is not an exaggeration and you can ask my mother to tell the stories about how she would have to tell people (mostly family members of questionable morals) that they we not welcome to come into our home. And if they wanted to push the issue, could talk to my father directly. At 6'5 280 with a size 22 foot and hands that could crush, not just palm a basketball, he was as intimidating physically as he was philosophically.
This from a man who never made more than $40,000 a year in his life and never cared to. He would turn down promotions regularly. As well as even an innocent lunch with a female member of his office, because he was married. At his retirement luncheon, the women all remarked it was the first time they were to lunch with him. And I think he scoffed at the men who could give their lives to corporations that paled pathetically in moral comparison to the US Marine Corps.
At the end of the day he gave me an example of a life without exceptions to the rules he set forth for himself and expected of others. All I want is to know that he is proud of me and I know he would not understand many of the choices I have made along the way. I do know he would be proud of me for my future wife Laura and my new step son Jon. He would agree with how I am attempting to become a parental figure for Jon in a delicate situation. But so long as I do my best for Jon and love his Mom. There is nothing else. At least in my Dad's book and I am not sure anything else matters.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
End of Relativism?
Just before Pope Benedict was elected pontiff, he gave an amazing homily. (That's the preaching part of the Catholic mass, right after the gospel reading.) Cardinal Ratzinger spoke about how the greatest threat to humanity was the "dictatorship of relativism."
To me, as a philosophy minor at American University, a catholic, and dealing with a huge public corruption investigation in New Jersey on behalf of a client fighting for reform, relativism is the belief that just about anything is OK. There is no "right" or "absolutes". If you believe something that I do not believe- you are not wrong, nor am I. As Cardinal Ratzinger put it you "are swept along by every wind of teaching".
This movement is just one of the many ways that the American Left has completely screwed up and been truly "believed" out of relevance or any real meaning by the conservative movement. The Red State stand for something Bush and the Blue State stand for everything and nothing all at once Kerry. You can accept and understand another person's viewpoint without agreeing with them. And still respect them, even love them but #1 have your own set of defined beliefs and #2 stick to them.
I'm predicting that over the next 25 years that this Pope's "campaign for truth" (note me not saying crusade against relativism) will have a tremendous ideological impact on the world influencing everything from American politics and consumerism to our most personal beliefs.
To me, as a philosophy minor at American University, a catholic, and dealing with a huge public corruption investigation in New Jersey on behalf of a client fighting for reform, relativism is the belief that just about anything is OK. There is no "right" or "absolutes". If you believe something that I do not believe- you are not wrong, nor am I. As Cardinal Ratzinger put it you "are swept along by every wind of teaching".
This movement is just one of the many ways that the American Left has completely screwed up and been truly "believed" out of relevance or any real meaning by the conservative movement. The Red State stand for something Bush and the Blue State stand for everything and nothing all at once Kerry. You can accept and understand another person's viewpoint without agreeing with them. And still respect them, even love them but #1 have your own set of defined beliefs and #2 stick to them.
I'm predicting that over the next 25 years that this Pope's "campaign for truth" (note me not saying crusade against relativism) will have a tremendous ideological impact on the world influencing everything from American politics and consumerism to our most personal beliefs.
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