The Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform ended its work not with a bang or a whimper, but, as Co-Chair Alan Simpson put it, by taking a "big banana and throwing it into the gorilla cage." Let's hope the gorilla doesn't slip on the peel and knock himself out before he can eat it. Seriously, the Commission and many other groups and individuals have brought much needed attention to the nation's budget deficit and debt. They have paid little or no attention, however, to a more important … [Read more...]
The Island States of America: A Threat to Our Representative Democracy
The secessionists have garnered a lot of attention lately with their petitions to leave the union after Barack Obama won the national election. While their appeals may be headline-grabbing and fabulous fodder for talk radio and cable TV, they are substantively and politically unimportant and impotent. The issues of true significance for the future of our representative democracy are (1) the structure of our federal congressional districts and the Senate and House districts within the states; … [Read more...]
Fiscal Cliff or Bunny Slope?
Superstorm Sandy was a disaster brought to us by Mother Nature. The fiscal cliff is being brought to us by human nature. Which will be worse? Time will tell. What we can tell right now is that Sandy was unavoidable. The cliff, on the other hand, was and is completely avoidable. We should not go over it, fall off of it, or even slip at all while working our way down it. If we do, the only reason will be the perversity and illogic of human nature. The only way the worst case scenario can occur … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Thoughts on Freedom and America
Most of us are probably familiar with Norman Rockwell's famous Thanksgiving painting of a family at home around the dining room table with "mom" putting the platter of turkey on the table with a beaming "dad" standing behind her. Many of us probably don't know that this painting is titled "Freedom from Want." Few, we believe, realize that this "Freedom" painting --which was one of Rockwell's Four Freedom paintings created during WW II -- traces its inspiration to an address that President … [Read more...]
The Real Winner: American Exceptionalism Defeats Extremism
ne of the things that makes America exceptional is the genius, common sense and level-headedness of its people. They proved their mettle once again on this Election Day. Immediately after the election, much of the media characterized the results as an indication that the country was divided and as a vote for the status quo. For example, The Washington Post observed in a November 7 editorial, “The nation was starkly divided before, and it remains starkly divided today.” George Will, in his … [Read more...]
Getting to Maybe: The Critical Need for Compromise in Congress
Saying no has been the modus operandi of the 112th Congress. For too many of our elected representatives, it has been either my way or no highway. Progress for the American economy and Americans has been compromised because there have been few attempts at compromise. Now that the country has a newly elected Congress, we hope those congresspersons and senators who will take part in the lame duck session and who will take office after the first of the year will realize that they are in … [Read more...]
High Anxiety, Low Information, Moderate Expectations: The Importance of Voter Psychographics in Elections
Frequently, citizens' votes have more to do with who they are as opposed to who the candidates are or what their ads say. That's why when it comes to winning elections in close races understanding psychographics trumps demographics. Voters can be classified into three broad psychographic categories: High Anxiety, Low Information and Moderate Expectations. Political campaigns typically do a good job of connecting with the first two categories and a relatively poor job with the "moderates". … [Read more...]
Election Day and Veterans Day: Time to Make the Connection
Nov. 6 will be our national Election Day -- a day on which we select the elected officials to represent us in Washington, D.C. Nov. 11 will be Veterans Day -- a day to honor and show respect for those who have served in our military forces. In this election, and in every election going forward, it is essential that we send a message to all candidates running for office that our veterans are respected and honored best when their interests and needs are placed above political wrangling in the … [Read more...]
Hope Dies Last: Why Hope Matters for Strategy
Hope may not be a strategy. Nonetheless, hope is a necessary but not sufficient condition for surviving tough times and achieving great things. Hope may not make something so. But, a lack of hope makes accomplishing anything virtually impossible. Hope is the fuel of strivers and doers. If hope disappears, progress ends. Hope is essential. It is what keeps us going against what appear to be overwhelming odds and adversity. The late Studs Terkel, America's greatest oral historian, … [Read more...]
The Importance of Beating Earnest: Lessons From the Vice Presidential Debate
From the Democratic perspective, the vice presidential debate was completely different in tone and style from the first presidential debate. Where the president was passive in his debate, the vice president was aggressive in his -- some people thought too much so. We think not because he got the job done. He accomplished his mission. In the debate, Congressman Ryan was sincere and earnest. Vice President Biden was bemused, bothered but not bewildered. He knew he had to win the fight in the … [Read more...]