It seems fitting to conclude this year's My Week in Review blog with an entry titled "My Year in Review."
The blog focuses on three major topic areas: Politics, Religion and Public Relations, and I'll focus on each one in turn.
First, PR. This year has been a productive one for our company, Cut-It-Out Communications, and we've achieved several major goals. These include reaching the level of four major clients on full retainer, changing the company name (from Cut-It-Out Editing) and hiring consultants for a major overhaul of our website, to be completed in January. We've also expanded our offerings significantly, starting a new interactive program for our clients including blogs, online press releases, e-newsletters and online content syndication. We now also provide new structured web pages for client sites, primarily for press releases and forwarding of newsletter articles, so visitors can access the website directly instead of linking to a pdf file.
Religion: Well, our annual Bob Dylan Christmas card stirred the usual praise and controversy. We've also been published on lohud.com (the online site for The Journal News) with a critique of the Religious Right and the issue of immigration. This blog was launched in the second half of the year, allowing an outlet for opinions about the link between politics and true Christianity.
Politics: Cut-It-Out Communications added new clients in the County Legislature and Greenburgh town hall. Support for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for President took various forms, including a full-page creative word-scramble advertisement in the journal for the Annual Dinner of the Westchester County Democratic Committee.
We're looking forward to fruition in many of these fields in an exciting 2008.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
A Bob Dylan Christmas
Apologies for the late post this week. Even bloggers take vacations.
For those of you who didn't receive one, my Christmas card, sent to friends, church members and my company's associates at Cut-It-Out Communications, provides the mixture of politics, religion and common sense central to this blog.
Here is the text:
When You Gonna Wake Up
by Bob Dylan
God don’t make promises that He don’t keep.
You got some big dreams, baby, but in order to dream,
You gotta still be asleep.
Chorus: When you gonna wake up,
When you gonna wake up, When you gonna wake up,
Strengthen the things that remain.
Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts.
Karl Marx has got you by the throat,
And Henry Kissinger’s got you tied up into knots. [Chorus]
You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled.
You got unrighteous doctors,
Dealing drugs that’ll never cure your ills. [Chorus]
You got men who can’t hold their peace,
Women who can’t control their tongue.
The rich seduce the poor, and the old are seduced by the young. [Chorus]
Adulterers in churches, and pornography in the schools.
You got gangsters in power,
And lawbreakers making rules. [Chorus]
Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move.
Instant inner peace,
And every step you take’s got to be approved. [Chorus]
Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think He’s just an errand boy,
To satisfy your wandering desires? [Chorus]
You can’t take it with you, and you know it’s too worthless to be sold.
They tell you, “Time is money,”
As if your life was worth its weight in gold.
There’s a man on a cross, and He be crucified for you.
Believe in His power,
That’s about all you gotta do. [Chorus]
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
For those of you who didn't receive one, my Christmas card, sent to friends, church members and my company's associates at Cut-It-Out Communications, provides the mixture of politics, religion and common sense central to this blog.
Here is the text:
When You Gonna Wake Up
by Bob Dylan
God don’t make promises that He don’t keep.
You got some big dreams, baby, but in order to dream,
You gotta still be asleep.
Chorus: When you gonna wake up,
When you gonna wake up, When you gonna wake up,
Strengthen the things that remain.
Counterfeit philosophies have polluted all of your thoughts.
Karl Marx has got you by the throat,
And Henry Kissinger’s got you tied up into knots. [Chorus]
You got innocent men in jail, your insane asylums are filled.
You got unrighteous doctors,
Dealing drugs that’ll never cure your ills. [Chorus]
You got men who can’t hold their peace,
Women who can’t control their tongue.
The rich seduce the poor, and the old are seduced by the young. [Chorus]
Adulterers in churches, and pornography in the schools.
You got gangsters in power,
And lawbreakers making rules. [Chorus]
Spiritual advisors and gurus to guide your every move.
Instant inner peace,
And every step you take’s got to be approved. [Chorus]
Do you ever wonder just what God requires?
You think He’s just an errand boy,
To satisfy your wandering desires? [Chorus]
You can’t take it with you, and you know it’s too worthless to be sold.
They tell you, “Time is money,”
As if your life was worth its weight in gold.
There’s a man on a cross, and He be crucified for you.
Believe in His power,
That’s about all you gotta do. [Chorus]
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Hillary
With all due respect to David Letterman, please see below the top 10 reasons to vote for Hillary. Unlike Mr. Letterman, however, these reasons are serious because they address a very serious topic, the future of our country.
10. Hillary knows what it's like to live in the fishbowl of the White House and has learned how to be circumspect in her words and actions. Some people misinterpret this talent as running a tightly scripted campaign.
9. Hillary gets rave reviews for her performance as a U.S. Senator. Despite initial misgivings by many New Yorkers, she humbled herself in the Senate, worked hard and listened to Senators with more seniority. The result: she was re-elected to the Senate in a landslide and universally acclaimed by New York Democrats and Republicans alike.
8. Her closest advisor is Bill Clinton, who, despite personal weaknesses, created the most properous economic climate in decades when he was President.
7. Hillary has perseverance and grit, essential components of the job description for President. She handled the Lewinsky affair with uncommon poise and determination.
6. Hillary understands the health care system in the United States better than any other candidate, and this is one of the most important issues facing our society today.
5. It would be good for our country for a woman to be elected President.
4. Hillary has deplored the excesses of the Bush administration, from suspension of habeus corpus to waterboarding, and has pledged to reverse them.
3. Hillary understands the importance of dialogue and listening, in general, and especially during crisis situations.
2. You can trust Hillary to work for her beliefs because she has done so her entire life.
AND #1
Hillary is most likely to win in November, and our country can't afford four more years of a Republican administration.
10. Hillary knows what it's like to live in the fishbowl of the White House and has learned how to be circumspect in her words and actions. Some people misinterpret this talent as running a tightly scripted campaign.
9. Hillary gets rave reviews for her performance as a U.S. Senator. Despite initial misgivings by many New Yorkers, she humbled herself in the Senate, worked hard and listened to Senators with more seniority. The result: she was re-elected to the Senate in a landslide and universally acclaimed by New York Democrats and Republicans alike.
8. Her closest advisor is Bill Clinton, who, despite personal weaknesses, created the most properous economic climate in decades when he was President.
7. Hillary has perseverance and grit, essential components of the job description for President. She handled the Lewinsky affair with uncommon poise and determination.
6. Hillary understands the health care system in the United States better than any other candidate, and this is one of the most important issues facing our society today.
5. It would be good for our country for a woman to be elected President.
4. Hillary has deplored the excesses of the Bush administration, from suspension of habeus corpus to waterboarding, and has pledged to reverse them.
3. Hillary understands the importance of dialogue and listening, in general, and especially during crisis situations.
2. You can trust Hillary to work for her beliefs because she has done so her entire life.
AND #1
Hillary is most likely to win in November, and our country can't afford four more years of a Republican administration.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Things Get Interesting
Political junkies really got their fix this week. Of course, anyone with even a passing interest in politics knows a week can be like six months in any other profession. That's why it's so preposterous to predict who the next President will be.
Anyway, Mike Huckabee is the toast of the town, and, even though I'm a staunch Democrat, I must admit he's cast an impressive penumbra over both Parties this week. My interest, as a Pentecostal Christian myself, concerns his willingness to think independently and not pander to the Religious Right. He says, powerfully, that life does not end at birth, something the anti-abortion movement seems to forget. A true Christian should address poverty, adequate healthcare, affordable housing, etc., in addition to protecting the fetus.
Also, Mr. Huckabee refuses to pander to the hating, nativist, anti-immigrant crowd. He defends the immigrant as a human being, something the rest of his Party seems to forget.
Mike Huckabee's meteoric rise obscured a major development in the other Party, namely Barack Obama's rise to number one in the opinion polls. I don't think personally that he would make a good President, mainly because of his inexperience. With Hillary, I know what I'm getting, and she's been an activist since her days at Wellesley.
So, let's see how the frontrunner dynamic plays out next week. There may be a slight falling back as the new stars receive increased scrutiny from the press and their opponents.
Anyway, Mike Huckabee is the toast of the town, and, even though I'm a staunch Democrat, I must admit he's cast an impressive penumbra over both Parties this week. My interest, as a Pentecostal Christian myself, concerns his willingness to think independently and not pander to the Religious Right. He says, powerfully, that life does not end at birth, something the anti-abortion movement seems to forget. A true Christian should address poverty, adequate healthcare, affordable housing, etc., in addition to protecting the fetus.
Also, Mr. Huckabee refuses to pander to the hating, nativist, anti-immigrant crowd. He defends the immigrant as a human being, something the rest of his Party seems to forget.
Mike Huckabee's meteoric rise obscured a major development in the other Party, namely Barack Obama's rise to number one in the opinion polls. I don't think personally that he would make a good President, mainly because of his inexperience. With Hillary, I know what I'm getting, and she's been an activist since her days at Wellesley.
So, let's see how the frontrunner dynamic plays out next week. There may be a slight falling back as the new stars receive increased scrutiny from the press and their opponents.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Hostages for Hillary
Politics is notoriously hard to predict. Bill Clinton got a shot at the Presidency in the first place because no prominent Democrat wanted to run. George Bush was a glorious victor after Desert Storm, and his approval rating was in the 80 percent range. Who knew he would be dragged down by the economy and his failure to keep his vow, "read my lips, no new taxes."
So, when someone asks you to make a forecast about the next President of the United States, you should remember that a week can be like a year in politics.
Well, yesterday we had a wrench thrown into the Presidential campaign. Some misguided soul strapped highway flares on his body to give the appearance of a suicide bomb and waltzed into a small Clinton campaign headquarters in Rochester, NH, demanding to speak to Hillary and holding some of her staff members hostage.
As we all know, noone was hurt, but I think the incident, terrible as it was, played in Hillary's favor. Her obvious concern for her staff, her emotional yet in control response immediately afterwards, showed her full panoply of feelings. She handled the situation with poise and responsibility. How unlike the way our current President responds to a crisis.
Her speech was so good that Bill O'Reilly did not even cover it. He made some fleeting reference to the situation and then went on to another story, even having the gall to make a jibe about how much Secret Service protection Hillary gets herself.
Whether Hillary's aplomb and superb crisis management affects her poll numbers remains to be seen. However, it is a wake-up call to us all about the volatility of politics and the world we live in.
So, when someone asks you to make a forecast about the next President of the United States, you should remember that a week can be like a year in politics.
Well, yesterday we had a wrench thrown into the Presidential campaign. Some misguided soul strapped highway flares on his body to give the appearance of a suicide bomb and waltzed into a small Clinton campaign headquarters in Rochester, NH, demanding to speak to Hillary and holding some of her staff members hostage.
As we all know, noone was hurt, but I think the incident, terrible as it was, played in Hillary's favor. Her obvious concern for her staff, her emotional yet in control response immediately afterwards, showed her full panoply of feelings. She handled the situation with poise and responsibility. How unlike the way our current President responds to a crisis.
Her speech was so good that Bill O'Reilly did not even cover it. He made some fleeting reference to the situation and then went on to another story, even having the gall to make a jibe about how much Secret Service protection Hillary gets herself.
Whether Hillary's aplomb and superb crisis management affects her poll numbers remains to be seen. However, it is a wake-up call to us all about the volatility of politics and the world we live in.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
The Politics of Black Friday
Why do otherwise rational people drag themselves out of bed at 4:00 AM the day after a holiday?
Why are perceptions so important in politics?
The same reason: the bandwagon effect.
It is easier for people to follow the crowd than engage in independent thinking. Thinking, after all, means you must take some time to evaluate a situation, or a candidate, before making up your mind.
That's why most people who are members of a political party, or a particular worldview such as conservatism or the religious right, will automatically adopt all the opinions espoused by the group. Otherwise, they must think about each particular item, and that might take some time, or, God forbid, require some reading and investigation instead of watching another mind-numbing television show.
So, if all the media outlets make a big hoopla about shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and the retail stores join the hype, people will respond en masse.
Thus, everything becomes a game of expectations. Of course, politicians are constantly trying to manage expectations because sometimes, if you do better than anticipated, even if you don't win, it will be viewed as a victory.
And if enough stores run commercials on TV advertising their 4 AM opening, and the news channels cover Black Friday as if it were a major phenomenon (like lemmings jumping off a cliff), the people will show up, almost against their will.
So here's a plea to the public at large. The next time you decide on a seemingly insane course of action, or evaluate a political candidate who will lead our country for the next four-to-eight years, avoid a snap judgement and mull over your options for just a little bit longer.
Why are perceptions so important in politics?
The same reason: the bandwagon effect.
It is easier for people to follow the crowd than engage in independent thinking. Thinking, after all, means you must take some time to evaluate a situation, or a candidate, before making up your mind.
That's why most people who are members of a political party, or a particular worldview such as conservatism or the religious right, will automatically adopt all the opinions espoused by the group. Otherwise, they must think about each particular item, and that might take some time, or, God forbid, require some reading and investigation instead of watching another mind-numbing television show.
So, if all the media outlets make a big hoopla about shopping the day after Thanksgiving, and the retail stores join the hype, people will respond en masse.
Thus, everything becomes a game of expectations. Of course, politicians are constantly trying to manage expectations because sometimes, if you do better than anticipated, even if you don't win, it will be viewed as a victory.
And if enough stores run commercials on TV advertising their 4 AM opening, and the news channels cover Black Friday as if it were a major phenomenon (like lemmings jumping off a cliff), the people will show up, almost against their will.
So here's a plea to the public at large. The next time you decide on a seemingly insane course of action, or evaluate a political candidate who will lead our country for the next four-to-eight years, avoid a snap judgement and mull over your options for just a little bit longer.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Political discourse and the horse race
Political pundits on TV periodically bemoan the level of political discourse in the United States. They claim coverage of the campaign for President typically consists of who's ahead, who's behind, and by how much.
Instead of covering policy proposals by the candidates, news programs dutifully report the polling percentages instead. This is referred to, with some disdain, as the "horse race."
Why does this happen? Because the American people are more interested in the horse race than differentiating abstruse details on health insurance, energy, education and military proposals. Anyway, except for one or two extreme candidates, most of the Democrats agree with each other on the broad strokes of political philosophy and the role of government. Most of the Republicans, with the notable exceptions of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, are the same.
As the owner of a full-service public relations firm, Cut-It-Out Communications, and with a degree in Government, I inherently understand this situation. Repetition is the key to any persuasive effort aimed at a large number of people. Whether it's a business running the same TV commercial ad nauseum, or a politician reciting the same stump speech across the nation, repetition ensures saturation into the collective public mind. Propagandists often spout that if you repeat something often enough, people will believe it even if it's false.
And so, the level of political discourse suffers. The media, unfortunately, abets this situation. Reporters are faced with the alternative of repeating the candidates platitudes over and over again as they meticulously stay "on message," or covering something more exciting, the horse race.
This situation has slowly become ingrained in political coverage, especially for mass media outlets. Today, the main hope for politically-active, informed citizenry is centered on the Internet. More on this in a future post.
Instead of covering policy proposals by the candidates, news programs dutifully report the polling percentages instead. This is referred to, with some disdain, as the "horse race."
Why does this happen? Because the American people are more interested in the horse race than differentiating abstruse details on health insurance, energy, education and military proposals. Anyway, except for one or two extreme candidates, most of the Democrats agree with each other on the broad strokes of political philosophy and the role of government. Most of the Republicans, with the notable exceptions of Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, are the same.
As the owner of a full-service public relations firm, Cut-It-Out Communications, and with a degree in Government, I inherently understand this situation. Repetition is the key to any persuasive effort aimed at a large number of people. Whether it's a business running the same TV commercial ad nauseum, or a politician reciting the same stump speech across the nation, repetition ensures saturation into the collective public mind. Propagandists often spout that if you repeat something often enough, people will believe it even if it's false.
And so, the level of political discourse suffers. The media, unfortunately, abets this situation. Reporters are faced with the alternative of repeating the candidates platitudes over and over again as they meticulously stay "on message," or covering something more exciting, the horse race.
This situation has slowly become ingrained in political coverage, especially for mass media outlets. Today, the main hope for politically-active, informed citizenry is centered on the Internet. More on this in a future post.
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