Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Century of the Self
Interesting BBC film, Part 1 of 4 part documentary on the development of marketing in the U.S. in the 20th century. It, the development of marketing techniques, is intriguing in light of the evolving politics of the conservative movement that began in the mid 60s with the Barry Goldwater candidacy and the early 70s with the Powell Memorandum.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Watch Insurance Company Whore Oxendine Telling the Kettle that it's Black
First of all, we as a progressive community have got to stop just being reactive to all the crap that country club repubicans and religious zealots throw at us and be more proactive by creating our own narratives about who we are and who they are. Unfortunately, the first step is to understand what they are really saying about us and develop an effective response. I am not the person who should be dissecting this ad, but since I don't have a cognitive scientist or linguist like George Lakoff or a neuroscientist like Drew Westen or even just a plain old marketing expert standing behind me to dissect this ad, I'll take a stone age stab at this 21st century commercial. Note to the progressive community and democrats, when crafting messages for candidates, causes, or specific issues, we need to listen to and take the advice of people or organizations with the expertise and skills to do the job effectively. Campaign consultants, with few exceptions, should not be tasked with the job of crafting the narratives, language, and ads for individual campaigns.
Has Roy Barnes been declared the Democratic Party candidate for Governor? I hope not. He's on my shit list right now. I will not vote for him, period. The ad repeats the 2002 Georgia Repubican Party meme "King Roy the Rat." Rat is the word that jumps out at me, lots of negative associations there. Sneaky, disease ridden, immoral, underhanded, dishonorable, betrayal. And then there's the word King, also important to the meme being reinforced, autonomous ruler, and probably harkening back to the days of colonial rule. "Special interests" rears its ugly head again. What is meant by "special interests?" Could this mean disadvantaged minorities like African Americans, women, or anyone other than christian hillbillies? I think it does. I think though we may not like this ad, it could be effective, if there is no response. The response, however, should be wary of using the same language used in the ad and reinforcing its ideas. Rule number one: Stop Using Their Words!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Lieberman Must Go! Get Out the Vote!
Will Senate Democrats achieve a filibuster proof 60 seats majority? That is the unanswered question of the 2008 election. It is also a joke. If the three undecided races in Georgia (possible – I’ll get to Georgia later), Minnesota (doubtful – I’ll leave it at that), and Alaska (appears likely), the actual Senate makeup will be: 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, and 2 Independents. The 2 Independents include Bernie Sanders, ok – that would make it 59, and Joe Lieberman, which would bring the total to 59. Joe Lieberman will caucus with Joe Lieberman, he has no concept of team ball. Forget about him, he’s gone to the dark side. When Joe Lieberman’s seat comes up for re-election in 2010, he’s toast – take it to the bank. Democratic Party leaders will not be in the awkward position they were in 2004 and will actively campaign against him. Joe Lieberman is meaningless. Patrick Leahy became the first Senator to call for Lieberman’s ouster from the Homeland Security Committee, and he’s right! Sanders has also called for his removal. The Democrats will probably, dependent on the issue, be able to find enough Republicans to cross over, if, big if, every Democrat toes the line.
The Jim Martin race is a real long shot. History is not on the Democratic Party’s side. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, African American turnout on Georgia’s runoff elections is terrible. For now, without high A/A turnout, Democrats do not have a chance in Georgia. However, volunteers and money from around the country are coming to Georgia. The key is to utilize an energized volunteer base to Get Out the Vote. It’s up to all of us, do we want it bad enough? We’ll find out Dec. 2nd.
The Jim Martin race is a real long shot. History is not on the Democratic Party’s side. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, African American turnout on Georgia’s runoff elections is terrible. For now, without high A/A turnout, Democrats do not have a chance in Georgia. However, volunteers and money from around the country are coming to Georgia. The key is to utilize an energized volunteer base to Get Out the Vote. It’s up to all of us, do we want it bad enough? We’ll find out Dec. 2nd.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Cash Cows, Stars, Dogs, and Question Marks
Who ever our next president is, I don't want to tempt fate with an assumption, I have two suggestions for the cabinet: Ravi Batra and Richard Elkus.
One of my favorite websites lately is Fora.tv, which is a website dedicated to making ideas from around the world available on the web. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to come across author Richard Elkus, author of Winner Take All: How Competitiveness Shapes the Fate of Nations. I highly recommend you watch the video in the post above.
I grew up in the late 60's and the 70's, and during this time, I noticed that the U.S. consumer electronics (cameras, televisions, stereos, etc.) industry was quickly disappearing. Ever since, I've wondered why. The rationale of the day was that labor in the U.S. had become too expensive, and that made these products too expensive to produce and make a prof fit. "We've lost the competitive edge. This explanation was never satisfactory to me and left me wanting for decades. I read Michael Chrichton's xenophobic Rising Sun which highlighted cultural and philosophical differences between Japan and America especially as they relate to business. The Japanese have a saying: "Business is war." He also described the concept of the keiretsu. This explained why Japan, and eventually other parts of the Orient, succeeded, but it still didn't explain why the U.S. could not compete in the evolving consumer electronics business. Well, funny thing is, because of a school of thought that affects us to this day called the Boston Consulting Group Matrix or BCG-Matrix. In the BCG-Matrix, you have existing Cash Cow businesses in your portfolio which nurture and support upcoming Stars and Dogs which are a waste of time and resources and which you should get rid of as soon as you can. The funny part is that most American manufacturing businesses, decided that the consumer electronics business were dogs. The cost of getting into the electronic manufacturing business while significant, was relatively modest compared to just a few years later. Elkus warns us that if we don't put together a strategy as a nation, "the ball games over."
One of my favorite websites lately is Fora.tv, which is a website dedicated to making ideas from around the world available on the web. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to come across author Richard Elkus, author of Winner Take All: How Competitiveness Shapes the Fate of Nations. I highly recommend you watch the video in the post above.
I grew up in the late 60's and the 70's, and during this time, I noticed that the U.S. consumer electronics (cameras, televisions, stereos, etc.) industry was quickly disappearing. Ever since, I've wondered why. The rationale of the day was that labor in the U.S. had become too expensive, and that made these products too expensive to produce and make a prof fit. "We've lost the competitive edge. This explanation was never satisfactory to me and left me wanting for decades. I read Michael Chrichton's xenophobic Rising Sun which highlighted cultural and philosophical differences between Japan and America especially as they relate to business. The Japanese have a saying: "Business is war." He also described the concept of the keiretsu. This explained why Japan, and eventually other parts of the Orient, succeeded, but it still didn't explain why the U.S. could not compete in the evolving consumer electronics business. Well, funny thing is, because of a school of thought that affects us to this day called the Boston Consulting Group Matrix or BCG-Matrix. In the BCG-Matrix, you have existing Cash Cow businesses in your portfolio which nurture and support upcoming Stars and Dogs which are a waste of time and resources and which you should get rid of as soon as you can. The funny part is that most American manufacturing businesses, decided that the consumer electronics business were dogs. The cost of getting into the electronic manufacturing business while significant, was relatively modest compared to just a few years later. Elkus warns us that if we don't put together a strategy as a nation, "the ball games over."
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Karen Handel's Priorities are Wrong for Georgia
Karen Handel wrote another Orwellian opinion piece in the AJC yesterday, Integrity of elections my highest priority, in which she claims her desire is only to protect the Democratic process in Georgia. A closer reading reveals her true aim which is to protect the rule of a democratic elite in Georgia. There are two types of democracy, popular democracy and elite democracy. Popular democracy trusts the wisdom of the public where its elected officials are accountable to the public. Elite democrats believe that since most issues are too complicated for most people to understand, only a knowledgeable elite should participate. Elite democrats such as Karen Handel, Saxby Chambliss, and Neil Boortz believe that people are accountable to a select elite. So what do you do if you're Karen Handle? You throw as many hurdles as possible in the path of those who might otherwise like to participate like voter ID, "English only," or goons and thugs stationed at the polling stations to challenge suspicious looking people ala Ohio in '04. Also you create a voting system, Diebold or whatever it's called now, which is unauditable, easily hacked, accountable only to itself. In other words, don't worry about it, trust us, we're on top of it:
Sure, protecting the democratic process in Georgia should be one of her highest goals, but shouldn't "highest priority" be to incourage participation in the democratic process for all Georgians? I mean doesn't the former require the latter? Registering to vote shouldn't be a cumbersome and intimidating experience, it should be an empowering experience!"Our elections equipment is subject to one of the most stringent testing
and certification processes in the United States. Our voting systems must pass a
rigorous four-level federal and state certification process before being used in
an election. Additionally, we will deploy over 100 technicians as local
rapid-responders."
Monday, September 15, 2008
A Reminder from Jeffrey Feldman: Listen Up!
A friend at work said something that made me stop and think, he said that while we're focusing on Sarah Palin, we were going to lose our focus and lose to John McCain. Frameshop is Open blogger Jeffrey Feldman says much the same thing at DailyKos.
Frameshop: LISTEN UP!
by Jeffrey Feldman
Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 09:00:15 AM PDT
Time for some tough love, folks. A pep talk. A crash course in remembering who we are and what we do best.
DailyKos is my netroots home. The diary column is my 'hood. This is a great place. So...
LISTENING UP!
WE CAN WIN THIS THING!
BUT FIRST: WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW!
The Republicans have hit fast and hard since their convention. They've played dirty. They've landed punches. They have us scrambling. But people! This does not mean we should forget everything that we have learned and discussed on this site for the past 4 years! We can do better!
Look around you. This site has become obsessed with presenting 'facts' that 'prove' Sarah Palin is not good enough to be Vice President. All that is doing is helping McCain. But worse: it goes against everything we've learned, everything we've dedicated ourselves to. We can do better!
You think McCain supporters will respond to facts? You think that's air they're breathing?
People, diarists, friends, Kossacks: THE TIME HAS COME TO GET BACK IN THE GAME--OUR GAME!
Here are five steps to get us there...
Jeffrey Feldman's diary :: ::
STEP 1: STOP WITH THE ENDLESS PALIN DIARIES I'm talking to you, friend. That's right. You--the diarist who thinks he/she has found the fact or scandal that definitively proves why Sarah Palin will be a bad Vice President, and who thinks he/she has found the most clever and convincing way to present that utterly devastating fact. Stop, already. We have seen it. No more. There are enough 'Sarah Palin is Corrupt, Stupid, Dangerous, and Not Ready' diaries to fill a thousand blogs. We get it!
But even 10,000 more diaries like that will only help McCain--only help him.
Why? Because Palin is not on the McCain ticket because she is smart, qualified, and ready. She is on the ticket to shore up McCain's 'culture war' credentials--to put her on the 'right side' of the cultural wedge issues the Republicans use to divide the electorate and win Presidential elections.
So...the more we obsess over Palin, the more connected to John McCain the lunatic wing of the Republican Party feels.
STEP 2: TAKE A MINUTE TO REMEMBER OBAMA'S VISION We can only win this election if the majority of voters in this country (A) know what Obama's vision for America is and (B) agree with it.
Newsflash: People do not hear Obama's vision for the country when we say that John McCain is a 'liar' or that Sarah Palin is 'stupid.'
Keep this in mind: The Republicans never just say that Barack Obama is a 'liar' or that he is 'unprepared.' They say that he is a liar about something very specific. They say that he is unprepared to do something specific. And those specific things are never, ever, ever left out of the attack--never ever.
So if you are going to say that McCain lies--tell people what he is lying about and show them how that fits into Obama's vision for America:
JOHN MCCAIN LIES BECAUSE HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE HE HAS NO FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO FORCE THIS COUNTRY BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE.
Remember, there is a reason we critique the opposition and that is: to emphasize Obama's vision. So emphasize it.
STEP 3: REMEMBER THE POWER OF REPETITION If you remember one thing from the last four years of blogging about election debate rhetoric and what it takes to win, remember this: WHAT WE REPEAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC REMEMBERS.
If we repeat 'Palin, Palin, Palin,' over and over again between now and November--whether we are saying good things or bad things, 'Palin' is what will be in the minds of the public.
Remember the primaries? Remember how often the words 'Hope' and 'Yes we can!' were repeated on this site? Remember how much of an impact that had on the election. Were they perfect slogan? Probably not. But my goodness, they were repeated and that repetition had an impact. A big impact.
Stop saying 'Palin' and start saying:
GET OUT THE VOTE!
SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS!
FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE!
This is not some experiment in creative self actualization. This is not some exercise. This is the real thing.
STEP 4: WRITE IN A WAY THAT STOPS THE FEAR HEMORRHAGING At the core of this whole obsessive meltdown is a very basic human reaction: we are afraid that the American public will once again be confused by the Republican smear machine and elect yet another dangerous President who will drive this country deeper and deeper into a hole. We. Are. AFRAID.
That is totally understandable. We are human. We see what is happening around us.
But we are more than just average voters around here. We are leaders of a national conversation that sets a tone, drives language into the media, and pushes our elected officials.
When candidates we supported were afraid to run for office--we gave them confidence.
When voters felt alone in the destructive Bush era--we made them feel part of a community.
When each of us worried that there was no turning back after 2004--we rallied together and helped take back the Senate and the Congress.
We must find our confidence again. Forget the polls. Forget the nasty ads. Forget the lipstick and swine. Reach deep inside yourself and find the inspiration again.
DON'T JUST WRITE A DIARY. WRITE TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT EACH OF US HAS THE POWER TO DRIVE THIS COUNTRY TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE.
Believe in yourself again.
STEP 5: CARRY OPTIMISM AWAY FROMM THE BLOG AND INTO YOUR LIVES Above all else, use the optimism we generate here to revive and restore hope in the world around you.
One of the most disheartening things I have seen in the past week is the level of fear and concern amongst people who are not connected via the netroots.
The media obsession over Palin has cast a dark cloud over a country filled with hope following the DNC in Denver. The anxiety is so thick I can feel it in my throat. More people have told me they are going to leave this country than at any time I can remember in my life.
WE MUST LEAD WITH OUR OPTIMISM, USE OUR WRITING TO HELP PEOPLE SEE THROUGH THE FEAR AND BACK TO THE HOPE AT THE HEART OF THIS ELECTION.
Do more than write diaries that reject the McCain language, that emphasize Obama's vision, that repeat our campaign themes, and that reject fear for confidence--take all those strengths and inject them into the off-line world to help revive a fearful nation.
We are more than diarists. We are conversation leaders and that conversation has become tangled in a well-planned mess of distractions unleashed on the American public from a convention center in St. Paul, MN.
So now it is our turn to reclaim it--our turn to rebuild the kind of conversation that will win this election for those who believe in a better future.
Let's get busy.
Let's work together.
Let's not waste one more minute being afraid.
Let's win this damn election.
Frameshop: LISTEN UP!
by Jeffrey Feldman
Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 09:00:15 AM PDT
Time for some tough love, folks. A pep talk. A crash course in remembering who we are and what we do best.
DailyKos is my netroots home. The diary column is my 'hood. This is a great place. So...
LISTENING UP!
WE CAN WIN THIS THING!
BUT FIRST: WE NEED TO REMEMBER WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW!
The Republicans have hit fast and hard since their convention. They've played dirty. They've landed punches. They have us scrambling. But people! This does not mean we should forget everything that we have learned and discussed on this site for the past 4 years! We can do better!
Look around you. This site has become obsessed with presenting 'facts' that 'prove' Sarah Palin is not good enough to be Vice President. All that is doing is helping McCain. But worse: it goes against everything we've learned, everything we've dedicated ourselves to. We can do better!
You think McCain supporters will respond to facts? You think that's air they're breathing?
People, diarists, friends, Kossacks: THE TIME HAS COME TO GET BACK IN THE GAME--OUR GAME!
Here are five steps to get us there...
Jeffrey Feldman's diary :: ::
STEP 1: STOP WITH THE ENDLESS PALIN DIARIES I'm talking to you, friend. That's right. You--the diarist who thinks he/she has found the fact or scandal that definitively proves why Sarah Palin will be a bad Vice President, and who thinks he/she has found the most clever and convincing way to present that utterly devastating fact. Stop, already. We have seen it. No more. There are enough 'Sarah Palin is Corrupt, Stupid, Dangerous, and Not Ready' diaries to fill a thousand blogs. We get it!
But even 10,000 more diaries like that will only help McCain--only help him.
Why? Because Palin is not on the McCain ticket because she is smart, qualified, and ready. She is on the ticket to shore up McCain's 'culture war' credentials--to put her on the 'right side' of the cultural wedge issues the Republicans use to divide the electorate and win Presidential elections.
So...the more we obsess over Palin, the more connected to John McCain the lunatic wing of the Republican Party feels.
STEP 2: TAKE A MINUTE TO REMEMBER OBAMA'S VISION We can only win this election if the majority of voters in this country (A) know what Obama's vision for America is and (B) agree with it.
Newsflash: People do not hear Obama's vision for the country when we say that John McCain is a 'liar' or that Sarah Palin is 'stupid.'
Keep this in mind: The Republicans never just say that Barack Obama is a 'liar' or that he is 'unprepared.' They say that he is a liar about something very specific. They say that he is unprepared to do something specific. And those specific things are never, ever, ever left out of the attack--never ever.
So if you are going to say that McCain lies--tell people what he is lying about and show them how that fits into Obama's vision for America:
JOHN MCCAIN LIES BECAUSE HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE HE HAS NO FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE WANTS TO FORCE THIS COUNTRY BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE.
Remember, there is a reason we critique the opposition and that is: to emphasize Obama's vision. So emphasize it.
STEP 3: REMEMBER THE POWER OF REPETITION If you remember one thing from the last four years of blogging about election debate rhetoric and what it takes to win, remember this: WHAT WE REPEAT IS WHAT THE PUBLIC REMEMBERS.
If we repeat 'Palin, Palin, Palin,' over and over again between now and November--whether we are saying good things or bad things, 'Palin' is what will be in the minds of the public.
Remember the primaries? Remember how often the words 'Hope' and 'Yes we can!' were repeated on this site? Remember how much of an impact that had on the election. Were they perfect slogan? Probably not. But my goodness, they were repeated and that repetition had an impact. A big impact.
Stop saying 'Palin' and start saying:
GET OUT THE VOTE!
SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS!
FAITH IN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
LEAD US TOGETHER INTO THE FUTURE!
This is not some experiment in creative self actualization. This is not some exercise. This is the real thing.
STEP 4: WRITE IN A WAY THAT STOPS THE FEAR HEMORRHAGING At the core of this whole obsessive meltdown is a very basic human reaction: we are afraid that the American public will once again be confused by the Republican smear machine and elect yet another dangerous President who will drive this country deeper and deeper into a hole. We. Are. AFRAID.
That is totally understandable. We are human. We see what is happening around us.
But we are more than just average voters around here. We are leaders of a national conversation that sets a tone, drives language into the media, and pushes our elected officials.
When candidates we supported were afraid to run for office--we gave them confidence.
When voters felt alone in the destructive Bush era--we made them feel part of a community.
When each of us worried that there was no turning back after 2004--we rallied together and helped take back the Senate and the Congress.
We must find our confidence again. Forget the polls. Forget the nasty ads. Forget the lipstick and swine. Reach deep inside yourself and find the inspiration again.
DON'T JUST WRITE A DIARY. WRITE TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT EACH OF US HAS THE POWER TO DRIVE THIS COUNTRY TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE.
Believe in yourself again.
STEP 5: CARRY OPTIMISM AWAY FROMM THE BLOG AND INTO YOUR LIVES Above all else, use the optimism we generate here to revive and restore hope in the world around you.
One of the most disheartening things I have seen in the past week is the level of fear and concern amongst people who are not connected via the netroots.
The media obsession over Palin has cast a dark cloud over a country filled with hope following the DNC in Denver. The anxiety is so thick I can feel it in my throat. More people have told me they are going to leave this country than at any time I can remember in my life.
WE MUST LEAD WITH OUR OPTIMISM, USE OUR WRITING TO HELP PEOPLE SEE THROUGH THE FEAR AND BACK TO THE HOPE AT THE HEART OF THIS ELECTION.
Do more than write diaries that reject the McCain language, that emphasize Obama's vision, that repeat our campaign themes, and that reject fear for confidence--take all those strengths and inject them into the off-line world to help revive a fearful nation.
We are more than diarists. We are conversation leaders and that conversation has become tangled in a well-planned mess of distractions unleashed on the American public from a convention center in St. Paul, MN.
So now it is our turn to reclaim it--our turn to rebuild the kind of conversation that will win this election for those who believe in a better future.
Let's get busy.
Let's work together.
Let's not waste one more minute being afraid.
Let's win this damn election.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
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