Citizen Brand

Lazy media

It's funny how the media can't tell us enough about how political conventions these days are four day "infomercials" for the parties.  And yet, their coverage of them actually ends up validating them as infomercials.  The 24 hour cable networks keep repeating the same spin and punditry all day long and the three old school networks treat them as a four hour mini-series with a one hour episode each night.  Jon Stewart probably has it right.  Thanks to the Bulldog Reporter for this take on convention coverage via the host of "The Daily Show.

As Convention Coverage Locks In, Jon Stewart Hammers Mainstream Media for Lazy Campaign-Spin 'Regurgitation'

As Comedy Central's "Daily Show" descends on Denver for four days of coverage, Jon Stewart took after the "established" media for getting too cozy with candidates and regurgitating campaign spin when it comes to political coverage. In a breakfast with reporters, Stewart directed most of his ire at the 24-hour cable news networks, which he called "gerbil wheels," and said the media at-large had "abdicated" to what he called the "slow-witted beast." He said the never-ending television news cycle creates a "false sense of urgency" and forces reporters to "follow the veins that have been mined," instead of pursuing serious and in-depth reporting, CNN reports. Even as Stewart shredded reporters for, in his estimation, getting too cozy with and used by political candidates, he readily admitted that candidates flock to his show to attract his much sought after younger audience. "It's just one part of their sales pitch," he said, reports CNN political producer Sasha Johnson. Stewart said he found neither Sens. McCain or Obama particularly funny and it was "absolutely irrelevant" which one takes the White House because "the jokes will be there." He dismissed criticism that comedians are having a hard time joking about Obama because of his race and said "the age joke with McCain is somewhat meaningless because it's already trite." The choice of Joe Biden as Obama's runningmate, Stewart said, was refreshing because of the Delaware senator's large personality and endless possibility for jokes. "Biden is really nice. His style is so effusive and unguarded," Stewart said. "He's emotion plus." Stewart said politicians in recent campaigns are "animatronic" because all of the "humanity has been managed out of campaigns." He referenced the back-and-forth during the Pennsylvania Democratic primary over Obama's lack of bowling skills. "It's stunning where this election is going to be decided on," he said. "Or what we allow it to be decided on."

"Elitist"

The Obama family has done everything Americans have come to expect of a family seeking to improve themselves.  Study hard.  Work hard.  Set goals to improve each generation.  Dream big and maybe, just maybe the dream will come true.

For this, the Obamas are labeled "elitist."

My family followed this same plan and as far as I know, we have never been labeled "elitist."

Food for thought.

Obama/Biden

I guess Obama doesn't read Citizen Brand.  But he did choose a running mate who will carry the gravitas he needs on foreign policy and a guy who will not be afraid to say what needs to be said from time to time in Joe Biden.  Howard Fineman of Newsweek explains.

Back to School

I didn't intend to take the summer off from Citizen Brand.  It just happened.  But I'm going to take that one small step back into the 'sphere and see how it feels.It was a great summer.  A lot of successful work and some great play made it a full season.  The weather in the heartland has been rare.  More rain than usual and less heat.  If we had more summers like this we would attract tourists.

I will write more about two incredible trips to the Rockies this summer and provide some art to go with it.  But I can't resist a trip down the political lane tonight as Citizen Brand returns to the fray.  The political conventions are upon us and as of this writing, we still don't know who Masters Obama and McCain will select as their running mates.  Speculation runs rampant and conventional wisdom is all over the board.  Let's dissect what we know to date.

McCain floated Tom Ridge, a social moderate, and it landed with a thud among the right wing of the GOP.  The right would embrace Romney, but why is it that he left the race as fast as he did when he had all the dough in the world?  McCain has entertained young governors and the rumor of Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice rears up a couple of times a week.  

  Which brings us to Obama.  Conventional wisdom currently centers on Joe Biden.  He would be a solid choice.  Biden shores up the gray hair some think Obama needs on the ticket.  But does he communicate change?  Evan Bayh and Tim Kaine round out the white guys Obama has on his short list.  But what about a woman?  A black man and a woman would be about as different - well let's face it - that would be completely different than the previous 44 administrations that have served as the executive branch since we became a nation.

Our own Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has remained on the Obama Veep list, likely as a placeholder for a woman.  And that brings us to Hillary Clinton.  The first woman to run a serious and near successful campaign for President of the United States.  After all the noise of the past year and the incredible campaign that Obama and Clinton waged to try to win the Democratic nomination, there may be only one answer to the question of who Obama should select as his running mate.  I can make the case that Hillary gives the Democrats the best chance to reclaim the White House in November.

It was both Obama and Clinton that drove up voter registration and raised record amounts of money.  Obama certainly led the way in both, but looking back, it's fair to say that the combination of the first serious African American and the first serious woman to run for President energized the electorate together and brought hundreds of thousands of new voters into the fold.

Yes, I have opined more than once that it was time to end the two decades of Bush, Clinton, Bush.  But the practical politician in me says Obama/Clinton could prove to be the ticket that has Obama raising his right hand and taking the oath in January, 2009.

Game on.  The final chapter of this epic and important election is about to unfold.

A Russert postscript

Thanks to one of my Barkley colleagues, Reid Stella, for pointing me to this perfect summation of what Tim Russert meant to us.  The piece is by Eugene Robinson of the Post.  Here is the link.

The question is who will take his place?  And not just in the chair on the Meet The Press set, but is their a journalist who can truly fill the Russert role?  I hope so.

Tim Russert

There is a vacuum in the world of journalism now.  Actually, it is bigger than that.  Tim Russert collapsed and died today while doing what he loved to do, preparing for another 'Meet the Press.'  It was his work on that program that he is most famous for, but in reality, he was bigger and more important than just a single television show.

What Tim Russert represented was the best of what great journalism has to offer.  He worked hard.  He was unabashedly enthusiastic about all things politics.  He was our guy.  He was representing us every Sunday morning asking the tough questions and always getting answers.  He was our guy.  He was there on election nights with straight talk about what was happening and what it meant to us.  And in this incredible election year of 2008, he had become a fixture in helping us make sense of the ins and outs, the ups and downs of this historic campaign.

I started out as a journalist and had always held up Edward R. Murrow as the gold standard.  He still is.  But in many respects, Tim Russert is the direct descendant of Murrow.  Two journalists who had only one mission - the truth.  Another great journalist, William Allen White would have loved Tim Russert.  As a member of the Board of the William Allen White Foundation, I plan on suggesting that we in some way honor him.  It would be a fitting tribute.

Thank you Tim Russert.  We can only hope that some of those you have inspired and mentored will pick up the ball that prematurely dropped out of your hand today at the young age of 58.

Lee National Denim Day - 2008

Tim Daly and Chandra Wilson will be our ambassadors for the 2008 edition of Lee National Denim Day.  The TV docs are teaming up to tell America to wear their jeans on October 3 and give five bucks to fund critical research in the fight against breast cancer.

This is the 13th year for Denim Day.  Lee Jeans and Barkley created the program in 1996 and today it is a model for grassroots cause branding programs.  Our partner, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and its Women's Cancer Initiatives use the millions of dollars raised to fund collaborative research teams at a dozen leading cancer research institutions nationwide.

As our client at Lee, Liz Cahill said, "We've learned from our incredible team of scientists in Lee Labs that just like jeans, one cancer treatment does not fit all.  Through our Lee Labs for translational research, the early detection blood test, and our work with the National Breast Cancer Coalition, we're making a significant impact in finding and treating this disease in its many different sub-types and arming people with the information they need if they're faced with a diagnosis."

Companies, organizations or individuals wanting to form their own teams can begin signing up June 5th at denimday.com.  And then be ready to wear your jeans and make a difference.

Of Bobby and Barack

It took 40 years.  America has fought four wars, one of which is still raging.  The world is a remarkably different place in June of 2008 versus June of 1968, but there is one very strong connection.  Barack Obama is the true heir to the presidency that should have been.

My personal political hero is Bobby Kennedy.  It has taken me four decades to find a candidate that I believe will make the kinds of changes we need.  Bobby Kennedy would have been a much different president than even his brother was.  Barack Obama will be a much different president than any we have had in the four decades since that turbulent year of 1968.  A year that shaped a generation's thinking and actions, including yours truly.

And yet Obama will mean much more than even RFK could have hoped to mean.  His is a truly historic campaign as was that of his worthy competitor, Hillary Clinton.  But the Clinton campaign did not comport itself consistently as one that deserved the historic tag.  It was at times difficult to watch and listen to the Clinton campaign.  In 1992, the Clintons represented change.  It was a change that was never fully realized as scandal and impeachment politics sidetracked the promised progress.

And now there are two.  McCain and Obama.  An aging war hero versus the young gun.  Two United States Senators.  Two men once again when many expected the first woman to grace the presidential stage.  The questions begin.  Can Obama convince Hillary's female and white male base to stay in the Democratic fold? Will the hundreds of thousands of young Americans who have been energized by Obama stay tuned and vote in November?  Will John McCain figure out a way to distance himself from his promise to stay in Iraq for 100 years?  Will Obama pick Hillary for VP?  Would she take it or tell him to take a hike?

But those are the questions of practical politics.  Obama has raised our sights to look beyond the mundane day to day politics.  He is challenging us to step up, get engaged and embrace real change.  He is a reminder to this child of the 60's of a time when politicians could be respected and be believed.

It took 40 years.

Cause takes Windy City by storm

The Cause Marketing Forum circa 2008 is in full swing in Chicago.  Barkley hosted the opening reception last night.  Our theme was a 'Cause Art Gallery' and in addition to a few highlighted causes, Kansas City artist Mike Savage came along with us and produced a stunning cityscape of the Chicago skyline which has been donated to the Chicago Children's Museum for them to auction off and raise money for their worthy cause.

There were many great presentations today.  One that stood out in my mind was the peek behind the curtain of the great campaign being rolled out by St. Jude Children's Hospital.  Behind the networking and celebrity power of Marlo Thomas, St. Jude utilizes all aspects of marketing communications to raise awareness and money for their cause.  An important dynamic of their campaign is the utilization of other celebrities that could be the precursor for transitioning from one face and voice to many faces and voices.

McDonald's was given the Golden Halo Award this year.  It's interesting to note that the Ronald McDonald Charities are a separate organization from McDonald's and in fact, the company supplies only ten percent of the funding for the Charities.  But the power of a brand name makes up for actual cash in a case like this.

I had to leave for a flight to the west coast before the final presentation of the day about Dove's Real Beauty campaign.  Stacie Bright of Unilever, who was part of our Barkley/PRWeek Cause Roundtable last fall, is speaking far and wide about this groundbreaking cause campaign.  It's a great example of how cause is changing from the days of transactional cause fund raising to a deeper program driving social change.

It was great to catch up with people who I have come to know over the years in the cause arena.  It's always good to see Carol Cone who paved the way for all of us in cause.  I also finally met Joe Waters, a fellow cause blogger over at Selfish Giving.  We have commented on each other's ideas, pointed to each other's posts over the past couple of years but had never met.  Joe presented a breakout today on the great Halloween Town program he and his team run at Boston Medical Center.  Joe is a great cause ambassador and a guy who practices what he preaches every day.

This was a special CMF because we used it at Barkley PR as our annual retreat.  We had almost all our partners from the PR firm with us in Chicago.  It was a great opportunity for all our pros to interact with other cause marketers and also see that the work they do each day at Barkley is part of something bigger than just our programs.

Cause Marketing Forum - 2008

I am in Chicago at the 2008 Cause Marketing Forum and I'm not on my own.  In fact, the entire Barkley PR team is in Chicago for the Forum.  We take a retreat each year and this year we achieved a dream I have always had of putting everyone on a plane for a retreat.  This is the year.

It is fitting that the planes we stepped on have brought us to the Cause Marketing Forum.  Cause branding is an integral part of who we are at Barkley.  We have been a part of the Cause Marketing Forum since its inception earlier this decade.  For the first time, the Forum's annual conference will be held outside of New York City, another sign that cause is now mainstream.

Barkley is hosting the opening reception tonight and our team has created a compelling theme for the attendees to enjoy.  Think of what a cause art gallery might look like and you will begin to see the picture.  Art is subjective.  What might look like a pair of jeans to one person may look like a way to fight breast cancer to another.  A simple tube of lipstick?  The means to fight ovarian cancer.  A red dress?  You get the picture.  And stay tuned here on Citizen Brand because we will be reporting the goings on in Chicago and we will have some art to go with it.

Cause is here to stay.  If you have yet to board the train, it is time.

Blockbusted

Leave it to The Onion to cleverly throw dirt on the grave of a business model that is past its prime.  Click here and be ready to laugh out loud. 

The sad news is that Blockbuster is a brand that could have owned the movie at home market if they had thought about what their customers wanted instead of thinking they were in the business of renting movies to go.  Their customers want at home entertainment and they want it as convenient as possible on their terms, not on Blockbuster's terms.

Reminds me of the analogy that our founder at Barkley told many times to demonstrate that a company needs to think about its business through the eyes of its customers and act accordingly.  The analogy - a person wants to buy a drill because they need to drill a hole, not because they want to own a drill.

Like I said, leave it to The Onion to put another nail in the Blockbuster coffin.

TwoHands update

Brady and Alicia are about two years into their online business selling fair trade goods at TwoHandsWorldshop.com.  It's growing quite nicely because they are doing some very cool things to market themselves.

Last Saturday, more than a hundred folks braved some cool, rainy weather to attend the Lawrence version of a worldwide coffee break.  The event at Watson Park in Lawrence was sponsored by TwoHands and served up some great fair trade coffee to the attendees.

On May 19th, TwoHands will cosponsor a special showing of the film "Black Gold."   The film has received rave reviews in telling the story of how one man fights for a fair price for his coffee.  It should make us think more carefully about our morning cup of joe and where the beans for it started.

Finally, TwoHands will be present for the big Wakarusa Festival from June 5-8 at Clinton Lake outside Lawrence.  Brady and Alicia will have fair trade products on sale throughout the festival which is fast becoming one of the big music festivals in the nation.

Great stuff!

Jayhawk Journalists

I attended a great reception Wednesday night with the Kansas City area alumni of the University of Kansas Journalism School.  I was the official host since I secured the venue, but that is all I had to do as host.  The J-
school staff did the rest.

It was a great and diverse group of people of all ages who all had one very important thing in common - we are all "Jayhawk Journalists."  There were newspaper and magazine people in the room; television reporters and anchors; some of my fellow marketing and public relations pros as well as Dean Ann Brill and many of the J-School faculty.  Each of the faculty members took a little time to update us on their areas and what students are doing today.  A lot of great work being done across all areas of the school.

I also picked up a couple of new blogs to read and pass them on to you here.  Whitney Mathews is a 2006 grad from KU and is the web producer at Fox 4 News here in Kansas City.  She has a very active and fun blog at MyFoxKC.  Also, my good friend and associate dean at the J-School, David Guth, has ventured into the blogosphere with Snapping Turtle.  What David may lack in frequency, he will more than make up for in content.  I am looking forward to being a guest lecturer in David's fall class on elections.  A great year to talk politics for sure.

If you have read any good blogs lately and think I should be looking at them, please pass them on.

Global warming is good for business

From Reuters, a brief review of a new book from Harvard Business Press which tells today's business leaders they had better remove their heads from the sand when it comes to global warming:

BOSTON (Reuters) - Chief executives can no longer brush off concerns about climate change but need to start figuring out how global warming -- and regulations intended to curtail it -- will affect their businesses.

So asserts "Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy?" (Harvard Business Press, $18), a new book due out May 1.

"You can remain completely agnostic about the science of climate change but still recognize its importance as a business issue," write authors Andrew Hoffman and John Woody.

Their slim 97-page volume doesn't delve into the science of climate change, which suggests that, by burning fossil fuels and releasing greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, humans are warming the earth, potentially setting the stage for enormous changes in weather patterns.

Rather, they presume that human responses to climate change -- primarily in the form of regulations that raise the cost of emissions -- will affect how businesses operate.

Smart CEOs will respond by developing a way to measure their company's "carbon footprint" -- the emissions caused by heating buildings and transporting goods, for instance -- finding ways to reduce it and then taking a role in lobbying to influence what new environmental regulations look like.

"I'm talking to those who think, well, the science isn't there and I'm going to continue to stall -- big mistake," said Hoffman, a professor of sustainable enterprise at the University of Michigan, in a telephone interview.

'THIS IS A BUSINESS ISSUE'

"Let's take all the environmental language out of it, let's take all the moral language out of it, the 'Do the right thing' language out of it, and simply say, brass tacks, if you're a business, this is a business issue," Hoffman said.

Climate change will also create opportunities, in the form of new demand for green products, which is attracting new investment, the authors note.

"In green building and alternative energy, there is money to be made," Hoffman said. "That's where (investors) are going and if you're not thinking about this, you're missing out on these capital flows."

The authors cite U.S. industrial heavyweights General Electric Co and DuPont Co as companies that took on climate change directly and found opportunities to both cut their costs and develop projects that appeal to businesses and people concerned about sustainability.

Those companies stand out in part because U.S. CEOs generally trail their European Union counterparts in engagement on this issue, Hoffman said.

"The EU has been under a carbon regime and so they're much more used to addressing this," Hoffman said. "But there's a cultural issue too ... There is, I think, within the general public within Europe a greater sense of the scientific evidence around climate change and the need to respond than there is in the United States."

Taking climate change seriously -- and taking steps to reduce a company's emissions and other environmental impacts -- also gives it a better chance of having influence on future national and international regulations on emissions.

"Regulation is coming. If you want a seat at the table to influence what that regulation should be, you've got to get on this now," Hoffman said. "It may even be too late."

A Kansan in Shanghai

My colleague, Jeff Risley, is representing Barkley this week at an IPREX meeting in Shanghai, China.  IPREX is the 60 member global network of public relations firms that Barkley has been a part of for more than a decade.  Like the foreign correspondents of old, Jeff is writing dispatches from the other side of the Pacific at his blog, Risley Ranch.  Link here and here to see his first reports.

I had the great opportunity to visit China in 1984.  It seems amazing that in the last 24 years, the most populous nation on the face of the earth remains at times mysterious and still cloaked in secrecy.  The veil is being lifted rather forcibly of late as the Beijing Olympics loom less than 100 days away.  Will these Games prove to be the leverage the rest of the world needs to help China understand what is required of a nation who is a growing economic force in the world.

Jeff will return from China with his own views.  I look forward to sharing stories of what we both saw 24 years apart.  It will be interesting to see what has changed and what has not changed.

Salute to the Kansas Jayhawks

All hail the champs!  Please allow Citizen Brand to take a moment to revel in my alma mater's success on the hardwoods this past weekend.

The Kansas Jayhawks won their third NCAA national championship in men's basketball with victories over North Carolina and Memphis.  It had been 20 years since my 'Hawks brought home the hardware and it was a sweet feeling indeed.  For those of you who may have been in a fog on Monday night - those of us who love being in the "Phog" will always remember where we were when "The Shot" swished through the net of San Antonio's Alamodome.

In 110 years of Jayhawk basketball, there has perhaps been no shot of greater importance or timing than the three pointer that guard Mario Chalmers made with 2.1 seconds left in the game.  It capped off a furious rally by the 'Hawks who found themselves nine points down with 2:12 on the clock.  They had led most of the evening until Memphis took control in the mid to late second half.  But this 2008 group of 'Hawks have demonstrated all year an ability to reach down and find whatever is needed to get the job done.

Mario hit the three forcing an overtime.  Memphis went into shock.  The Jayhawks scored the first six points of the extra stanza and the rest is history.  KU wins its third NCAA title tying it with Duke and leaving it just one title behind North Carolina.  It took Coach Bill Self just five seasons to win his first national championship at Kansas.  It won't be his last.  And it won't be his last at Kansas.  Despite a media frenzy building out of Stillwater, Oklahoma from T. Boone Pickens' PR machine, I do not believe Self will leave Kansas for his alma mater, Oklahoma State.  Kansas has a few rich alums too.  Expect this media driven story to end soon and OSU will have to find a new head coach elsewhere.

I am unabashed in my love for the University of Kansas.  It's a great university with a proud tradition of academic and athletic excellence.  The 2008 men's basketball team added a new chapter to this continuing story.  Their record of 37-3 is the most wins ever by a Jayhawk squad and they are national champions.  Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!

Kansas Jayhawks Best of Best

I will have more later but for now I will let the Associated Press tell the story of one of the best national championship basketball games ever played.  My Jayhawks have won their third national title since 1939 when the first NCAA champion was crowned.  It was an incredible ride these Jayhawks took us on this year.  37 wins and three losses; a shared Big 12 regular season title; a third consecutive Big 12 conference tournament title.  And after a 20 year wait, now a national championship.  Here is the AP story:

Chalmers' big shot leads Kansas to first national title since 1988

Associated Press
Updated: April 8, 2008, 12:33 AM ET

SAN ANTONIO -- With each year, Mario Chalmers has become a better shooter from beyond the 3-point arc.

He saved his best for a night that college basketball fans will long remember.

Chalmers' 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play sent the national final into overtime, where Kansas pulled it out 75-68 over Memphis.

It's the Jayhawks' third NCAA title, and their first since 1988.

Chalmers, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, finished with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. he made all six of his free throws and had three assists.

The Jayhawks have endured countless disappointments in the NCAA tournament, and they looked like they were headed for another until Chalmers took a pass, and launched the tying shot from the top of the key.

During his career, he has gone from a 37.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc as a freshman to 40.4 percent as a sophomore and 47.6 as a junior.

After his big 3-pointer Chalmers' teammates mobbed him as he returned to the bench for a timeout. At the other end, the Tigers walked off the floor with their heads bowed.

The game was still tied, but it felt as if Chalmers had won it.

Chalmers also did some good work on the defensive end. Among the nation's steal leaders all season, Chalmers had four. That was the most among the Jayhawks on a night they totalted 11 steals and took the high-scoring Tigers out of their comfort zone on offense.

At times, Chalmers seemed to be everywhere -- pestering the Tigers on defense and then slicing into the lane at the other end of the floor, only to find an open teammate.

When it ended, he was in the best place of all -- on a podium at center court, hoisting a national championship trophy with his teammates.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Give it up for the Postal Service

The United States Postal Service gets a lot of grief and is the object of jokes every so often, but we all should stand and applaud for their "Mail Back" program.  Currently in ten cities across America, if you have an iPod; cell phone; digicams; gameboys etc. that no longer work, you can pick up a special envelope at the local Post Office and send it in to be either recycled or disposed of properly.

Here is more in a post from a University of Kansas student on a classroom blog.  Also a hat tip to Triple Pundit.  The company on the receiving end of the busted electronics is Clover Technology Group.  The folks at Clover are paying the postage in addition to recycling all the defunct devices.  This is a program that deserves our support so it can go national thus making it easy for anyone to recycle electronics.

The statistics regarding electronic waste are staggering.  Hundreds of millions of computers, cell phones, ink cartridges and even televisions are being cast aside for newer improved models.  This is one area where we can all do our part.

The Red Phone

As we head to the next showdown in the best political race in a generation, Rich Harwood has a nice take on the ad campaigns of Obama and Clinton evoking the fear tactics of the Walter Mondale's Red Phone or Reagan's Bear in the Woods ads of years gone by.  I will reprint it below or you can link to it here .  Rich is a smart guy who makes you think beyond the answers of the moment and focus on what can be in the moments of tomorrow.

It’s jolting and ominous. Indeed, the dueling Clinton-Obama “red phone” ads are a throw-back to previous eras, a time of the cold war, a bear in the woods, daisies and detonation. The red phone is an icon of fear, often used when other arguments fail. But that’s just it: the red phone is about the past. I want to look to the future, one rooted in our present-day reality.

This campaign has given us Senator Obama, who has captured many people’s imagination; Senator Clinton, who has demonstrated just how tough she is; and Senator McCain, an American hero. But my concern here is not about media buys, “get out the vote” operations, or how to excite people and motivate them to vote. I have no problem with tough-minded ads.

My concern is that I want candidates who call us to look to the future by genuinely reflecting and understanding the present. We’re squarely barreling into the 21st Century, whether we like it or not and things have changed dramatically from the 1990s, or even from 2004. For instance:

•    In just the past few years the auto industry has undergone a total makeover, well beyond changes in the 1980s and 90s. With tens of thousands of workers recently laid off or bought out, the auto industry of the future is not the one of our childhood.

•    The Internet has altered how we get information and news and with whom we connect, changing what and who we know, and how communities function. 

•    While younger Americans are re-entering politics, the huge baby boomer generation is retiring and seeking meaningful things to do; yet no one is clearly proposing how to tap into this energy, other than to say, “Vote for me!”

•    National security issues have fundamentally changed in the last eight years, with terrorism, the further emergence of China, an increasingly testy Russia, just to mention top-of-the-head issues.

With fundamental shifts taking place in this country and around the world, old discussions about the same old issues won’t work. Nor will simply updating various policy proposals, arguing endlessly about who voted for NAFTA and what they think today, or talking about speeches vs. solutions. 

I remember sitting in a restaurant in New Hampshire in 1995 with a group of citizens I was interviewing for a project with the Pew Center for Civic Journalism. The project was built around listening to Americans talk about their concerns and hopes. People talked movingly and with deep frustration about how their factory jobs had gone overseas.  They were clear that something was changing in America, but weren’t exactly sure what, and they were holding on for dear life to the past.  Of course, that’s not uncommon, we all do that.

But there’s little doubt today that the world has gone through a major transformation and that we are not returning to the 1980s, or even the 1990s. What’s more, no president alone can shape the future, or craft a new, complete and cogent narrative for the nation. Such changes emerge only over time. And yet, a candidate for the presidency and future president can help us “turn” toward the future, so that we can begin to see it and address it. You see, the fundamental choice before us is not simply a matter of debating one policy or another, but a choice about our orientation concerning the next leg of our common journey.

When I was 23 years old, several presidents ago, I was a young aide to senior staff for the Mondale for President Campaign. That campaign also produced a red phone television ad, one used against Senator Gary Hart (D-CO). Just a few short years later, in 1987, I made the decision to start what has become The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, in part because I felt that politics had become more about striking fear into people’s hearts, than tapping into their aspirations and solving problems.

In many respects, politics is on the upswing this year. The positive changes have been a long-time in the making, a manifestation, I believe, of Americans’ long-held aspirations for a better politics and public life. Which leads me back to the red phone: this year’s race, I believe, is the first in recent times to be squarely about the new century, about an era already upon us, one which represents a fundamentally different trajectory for our nation. If, as I believe, our trajectory is fundamentally different from era’s past, then I want a campaign which talks about that different path and how we can take it.

"God's Gonna Cut Em Down"

I was looking for something to kick off the weekend right and Ernie Schenck came to my rescue.  Check out this Tony Kaye version of Johnny Cash's  "God's Gonna Cut Em Down."  When I hear Ernie say he is astounded by something, I take notice.  Wow is right.

Enjoy.