2008 Primaries, Grass Roots Organization, Leadership, Messaging • June 30th, 2008

The best use of resources…?

by Chris Lato

Good-government types are always bemoaning the fact that Wisconsin’s legislative incumbents often sail to re-election without even facing a legitimate challenger – which makes this piece from Wispolitics all the more interesting.

Take a poll of friends and neighbors of what they think of their representative, and the answer is often the same when you drill down to it: the Legislature is corrupt, but MY representative is A-OK. Why? Because if the incumbent has half a brain and wants to keep his or her job, a constant presence will be maintained in the community. Appearances at parades, mailers to constituents, open houses/townhall meetings, good constituent relations, etc. are all part of keeping up appearances with those who put you in office. A good level of contact typically keeps constituents satisfied and maintains the profile of the politico. more »

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Leadership, Views on News, public relations • June 27th, 2008

Surveying the landscape

by Chris Lato

The weekend is almost here, and my short attention span won’t allow me to focus on any one topic – a few things grabbed my attention this morning.

First, were you listening to Wisconsin Public Radio at 8 this morning? If not, shame on you. Catch the Week in Review in the archives here. Thanks to Joy Cardin, her staff and Matt Rothschild for a fun and enlightening hour.

Next….is there any doubt that Scott Walker is going to veto this thing? It’s the tax idea that simply won’t die in Milwaukee County- and great timing to boot, what with the economy and all. more »

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Branding Politix, Grass Roots Organization, Views on News • June 26th, 2008

Shameless self-promotion…and another take on Twitter

by Chris Lato

After a couple days in sunny L.A. to work with one of my finest clients, I am back in Wisconsin with this commercial announcement: turn your radios to Wisconsin Public Radio this Friday, June 27 at 8 am to enjoy yours truly on the ‘Week in Review,’ with host Joy Cardin and fellow guest Matthew Rothschild of ‘The Progressive.’ I anticipate more shouting than your average episode of ‘Hannity and Colmes.’ As always - if you call in, be kind.

Since we’re in the middle of a promotion break, ever heard of ‘Twitter?’ A techie genius I work with tipped me off to this…and its possibilities as a promotional tool for political campaigns. more »

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New Media • June 25th, 2008

Politicians tweet to future voters

by wispundit

You may have heard about a crazy new thing called Twitter lately. The truth is, it’s not that new, and it’s not that crazy. Twitter was launched almost two years ago in July and has since gained almost 2 million users worldwide. The number of Twitter users is constantly growing, as is the sites popularity; around 2 million tweets are sent each day. As you’ll read below, a few politicians have started using Twitter and one has seen overwhelming success.

What is Twitter? Well, as confusing as it sounds, the idea behind the service is very simple. The service is based on the question “What are you doing now?” and from that, you can communicate your own or your business’s status to the world. Twitter was created as a cross-platform tool to communicate your status to friends. All you have to do is create an account, find some people to follow, find some people to follow you, and start tweeting. The beauty of it all is that your followers can choose how they would like to receive your updates, either by text message, instant message, or on the web. You can also update your status from your mobile phone, instant messenger, on the website, or through the multitude of applications and plug-ins that have been created just to tweet. more »

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Uncategorized • June 24th, 2008

The Christian candidate?

by Greg Batiansila

“I’ve never been invited to meet with a Democratic presidential candidate. So I was surprised when I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago to join “a small group of religious leaders, academics and faith-based organizations” to meet with Senator Barack Obama in Chicago on June 11. Since I am opposed to the leftist political stands of the Democratic Party and of Obama specifically, I didn’t really want to attend…”

So the blog post from Stephen Strang began. In it, the founder of a massive Christian communications company and the editor of Charisma magazine relates his interaction with the Democratic nominee for President. Strang discusses his reservations about Obama, explains the probing question he asked the junior Senator about abortion and gives a rough idea (it was an off the record meeting) of Obama’s response.

Strang concluded: “I returned from the meeting very concerned. Here is a liberal—Obama–reaching out to the Christian community at a time the conservative–Sen. John McCain–seems to be distancing himself from the so-called “Christian Right.” I think McCain has a lot of work to do to get the support of the Christian community. Obama seemed to have the support of at least half of the 43 leaders who attended the Chicago meeting. And in my opinion, he “made points” with the rest. The tone of the meeting was respectful and generally upbeat.”

If McCain thinks that the Christian Right are going to blindly follow a party, he’s going to be embarrassed this November.

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Messaging, Views on News • June 23rd, 2008

Picking up the pieces

by wispundit

It seems the Democrats are getting back on track after announcing Obama as their nominee.  It was just announced that former Obama rival Hilary Clinton will be joining him on the campaign trail in an attempt to reunite the party.  This comes at a critical time for Obama as he tries to underscore his decision to deny public funding for his campaign, a move that has sparked intense criticism of his credibility from both sides.

The question I have is: will the Clintons actually support Obama?

The press will be paying very close attention to Mrs. Clinton on Thursday and Friday when she meets with Obama and her top contributors to raise money for the Democratic bid.  So far, it seems she has gracefully stepped to the side to allow Obama to shine, but everyone will be watching to see if she can keep up the act.  Obama has been trying to do his part to mend their tumultuous relationship, even going so far as to scold his supporters in Detroit for booing Senator Clinton, saying, “Senator Clinton is one of the finest public servants we have in American life today.”

Only time will tell if the former contenders can patch things up with their supporters in time to succeed in November; maybe that’s why Obama is taking the extra cash.

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Views on News • June 20th, 2008

Forget Mortgages: Where’s The Student Loan Bailout?

by Greg Batiansila

The truth is “The Mortgage Crisis” wasn’t a “crisis” until banks started to have trouble. Prior to that time, delinquency rates on subprime mortgages were high (meaning people were suffering) but the Federal Government offered no solutions. In 2004, Governor Edward Gramlich (who was a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve at that time) noted some potential problems:

“While the basic developments in the subprime mortgage market seem positive, the relatively high delinquency rates in the subprime market do raise issues. For mortgage lenders the real challenge is to figure out how far to go. If lenders do make new loans, can conditions be designed to prevent new delinquencies and foreclosures?”

His questions and observations weren’t heard until the big banks and investment houses started to flounder. When their stocks were downgraded and their losses began to litter the market, the Feds realized a call to step in.

For years, college graduates have struggled to repay their student loans - while the numbers have declined of late, 10 years ago, default rates were close to 20 %.

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2008 Primaries, Messaging, Views on News • June 19th, 2008

Feingold still hearts McCain

by Chris Lato

He’s backing off considerably, and falling into line like a good Democrat, but it’s clear Russ Feingold still thinks John McCain is a force to be reckoned with this fall.

This has to be giving Democrats heartburn. It wouldn’t be the first time Wisconsin’s senator has said things that get the DNC’s teeth gnashing, but in a charged and competitive election year, Feingold’s continued words of praise for McCain as a colleague and candidate have to sting. They should also be admired by any reasonable person who’s not on the extreme fringes of either party – which represents a good chunk of Wisconsin voters.

Feingold’s intelligence and political instincts deserve respect. That said, his comments about McCain should give pause to those who think Barack Obama is simply going to have his way with McCain this November. It’s just not shaping up to be that easy, and Feingold can read the tea leaves as well as anyone.

McCain and Feingold have both positioned themselves as ‘mavericks,’ but while they can articulate the decisions and stances they take in a well-reasoned manner, they are also political animals who understand when they can take a calculated risk by stepping away from their parties.

McCain is paying the price for that this year, however. His already strained relationship with conservatives means they have been slow to embrace him. At the same time, as Feingold understands, the current political climate favors someone like McCain, who holds appeal beyond the established base. It’s a tricky balance McCain has to strike, but it can be done. Beating the ‘McSame’ drumbeat is disingenuous and won’t fly – and Feingold has to know that.

The connection between McCain and Feingold is striking. It’s a combination of political savvy and native intelligence that makes them spiritual blood-brothers. They are both very good at navigating shark-infested waters.

It must be tough being a communications manager for either one – the endless challenges and headaches would be enough to write a book. But the way McCain and Feingold operate, on policy and in public, works for them. John McCain and Russ Feingold are their own best PR managers.

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Views on News • June 18th, 2008

Flood water, and questions, linger

by Chris Lato

I have been wondering how people feel about the coverage of recent flooding in Wisconsin – how the news has handled things, and how state and local government has been handling the messaging and dissemination.

My sense is that folks are generally satisfied with the way the press has dealt with these trying times. Milwaukee TV stations are often raked over the coals for overdoing the hype surrounding weather events, but this was an historic natural disaster. This time around, the level of coverage has so far felt just right. In addition, broadcast news has a federal obligation to provide severe weather information, and from what I saw they did an outstanding job of keeping people informed.

The press seems to have risen to the occasion and done their jobs exceptionally well. We have seen some extraordinary things happen in Wisconsin over the past week and a half, thanks to members of the press who worked hard and put in long hours at their jobs. As a former reporter, I understand the rush of a huge, breaking story like this bringing out the best in reporters and editors, and we’ve seen a lot of that recently.

So how about local and state government? I’m sure folks in different communities have their own stories to tell about how the situation has been managed, or mismanaged…but what prompted me to write on this topic today was the news that the Department of Transportation has decided to build emergency crossover lanes to deal with the westbound closures on I-94 that starts in Waukesha County.

It’s a huge hardship that affects countless folks in Wisconsin. I live in Jefferson County and work in Waukesha County, so my trip home requires a different route that takes more time. Many, many others who make the trip to Madison regularly are really feeling the pain. There is no doubt this is an emergency that needed a rapid response.

How has the DOT handled this? This article in the State Journal hints at some fair questions that will keep popping up regarding this project:

When did planning actually begin?

Could planning have started sooner?

Who arrived at this as the best solution? What is the rationale?

How is this going to be paid for?

Why was this a no-bid contract? (It will be interesting to see the final price tag, since the estimated cost of $896,000 can rise or fall depending on a number of factors.)

Do you believe this project will come in on budget?

I bring up these questions because the DOT has to manage its messaging here and get out in front of this whole project. DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi appeared on Wisconsin’s Morning News with Jagler and Mueller this morning in what appears to be an attempt to do just that.

No one doubts the need for something to be done on I-94, and second-guessing always happens after the fact. But the questions surrounding the government’s handling of this project and the other flooding problems will linger, and the state will have to step up and provide even more than has been offered thus far to sustain positive perceptions with constituents.

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Branding Politix, Views on News • June 17th, 2008

MoveOn sounds off

by Chris Lato

What do you think of this ad, from the always-reasonable MoveOn.org?

There are two ways to look at this one, I suppose. One way is to consider it a powerful argument for how the Iraq war threatens to bog America down in a quagmire for decades to come.

On the other hand, I’ve watched it a few times and come to the conclusion that it’s a shameless play for the heartstrings that oversimplifies the content and intent of John McCain’s comments to the point that it’s laughable. It is the ultimate example of taking one brief comment out of context, twisting the meaning beyond recognition and attempting to build a campaign around it.

Will anyone, other than those who are in the tank for MoveOn’s extreme and distorted way of viewing things, actually buy into this one? Maybe I’m naïve - and I’m not above giving MoveOn props when they do something effective (the recent John Cusack propaganda piece is one example), but this smacks of manipulative desperation. And it’s only June.

When in doubt, bring in a baby and suggest that John McCain is a bloodthirsty monster looking to take away America’s babies for a hundred-year war in Iraq. Really, it’s a deeply silly and obnoxiously smug ad.

Besides, what if little Alex grows up and wants to join the Army, if for no other reason than to MoveOn from that domineering mommy of his?

The ad does have some discussion value: is it OK to use kids and babies in campaign ads? Is it a wise thing to do, or simply a cheap and revolting ploy? Some might say, whatever works is fair game. Consider ‘Daisy’ from 1964…

This ad must have scared the bejesus out of millions of Americans when it aired. It is undeniably riveting and unsettling. Who knows how many people it swayed?

Nuclear war: the ultimate negative ad. But the idea of John McCain taking America’s babies to turn them into cannon fodder isn’t very far behind.

On a related topic, the man credited with creating the infamous ‘Daisy’ ad, Tony Schwartz, has died. He is also credited, or blamed depending on your point of view, for ushering the era of the ‘negative’ political ad. Since then, many have happily taken the baton and run with it, but Schwartz is undeniably a pioneer.

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