2008 Primaries, Messaging, Speeches, Views on News, public relations, wispundits • March 4th, 2008

Is this race over yet?

by Chris Lato

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you already know Texas and Ohio vote today, and the stakes are high indeed for Hillary Clinton.

The interesting thing is that the polls suggest Clinton has a shot to pull both out. Particularly in Ohio, where Barack Obama hasn’t yet laid a glove on her. In Texas, Clinton’s numbers have been trending upward while Obama’s are taking a downturn.

As always, take the polls with a grain of salt. They’ve been wrong a lot in this cycle.

How have the messages changed, or stayed the same? By and large, Obama has been able to stick with the high-minded rhetoric, although the worm is turning as far as the press is concerned. It was only a matter of time, and I’m betting he’s not quite ready for it. Meanwhile Clinton is alternately playing the victim and the victimizer. And she’s no stranger to scrutiny and tough questioning. Right now, when the going gets tough with the press, Hillary has the edge.

We’ll know more tomorrow, but reports of the Clinton campaign’s death may be just a bit premature. I still believe it’s Obama’s to lose, but there’s still a chance of this two-person primary continuing after Tuesday.

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2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Messaging, Views on News, wispundits • February 28th, 2008

Uh-oh

by Chris Lato

Barack Obama is moving ahead of Hillary Clinton in Texas.

This comes as I took a walk down memory lane today, listening to the Howard Stern Show on Sirius satellite radio (I’m a Stern fan – sue me!)

Turns out their guest was none other than Gennifer Flowers. Remember her? Well, she gamely answered any and all breathtakingly vulgar questions about, you know, The Affair With Bill. Without going into details, let’s just say I received as much info as I ever could have wanted.

If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination – and that is getting to be a bigger ‘if’ with each passing day – what does that mean for the next several months? Will we be partying like it’s 1992? Talk about going back to the future.

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2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Messaging, Views on News, public relations, wispundits • February 27th, 2008

Hijacked: Third-parties rising?

by Chris Lato

I haven’t written anything yet about the state Supreme Court race, but this article serves as a timely reminder of the sway that independent, third-party groups can hold over elections.

In the upcoming spring election, Judge Michael Gableman faces Justice Louis Butler, a Gov. Doyle appointee.

(Disclosure: Gableman’s key advisor, Darrin Schmitz, was the guy who hired me at the state GOP back in Preview »2001.)

Let’s face it – the high court races are pretty much non-partisan in name only, and the overall tone seems to be getting nastier with each election. It has been trending this way for a long time. It is fair to ask the degree to which independent groups are ramping up the rhetoric and driving the debate.

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2008 Primaries, Branding Politix, Messaging, Views on News, public relations, wispundits • February 26th, 2008

Huckabee begs: Rip on me, too!

by Chris Lato

In the world of Mike Huckabee, there’s no such thing as bad PR. Huckabee is out there begging the New York Times to take a shot at him, similar to the Times’ hit on John McCain last week, which was widely derided by conservatives.

Maybe Huckabee said this with tongue in cheek — the article doesn’t make that clear. After his self-aware appearance on Saturday Night Live, who knows which angle he’s coming from. But it’s clear he recognizes his last best hope is getting as much free media coverage as he can. From any other way you slice it, it’s all over for the guy. But he’ll have an awesome clip file when all is said and done — which raises an excellent PR question about generating media coverage that matters.

It’s interesting to ponder what Huckabee hopes to gain from all this, beyond the ego boost. Does this build his credibility? Will people be impressed by all the coverage he’s received - or is he veering off into joke-of-the-campaign status? Will his relationship with the press be an asset to the GOP after 2008? Can Huckabee parlay this candidacy into a power-broker role after the elections? After all, four years ago, Howard Dean was considered a joke, too - a joke he parlayed into leading the Democrat party through an historic rout at the ballot box in 2006. Who’s laughing now?

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public relations, wispundits • February 20th, 2008

BlogNetNews adds Wispundits

by Karl Robe

BlogNetNews, an aggregator of blogs by state for easier access in a central location, announced it will add Wispundits.com to its blogroll. Typically, BNN requires 90 days of continuous blogging to qualify. We are grateful for the nod ahead of schedule.

In one place, in one minute, according the BNN’s site, you’ll get an update on what’s going on across the blogosphere. And your readers will be able to find the best Wisconsin content, not based on random voters or some editors choices, but based on the real actions of Wisconsin bloggers and their readers. Check it out.

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2008 Primaries, Views on News, wispundits • February 20th, 2008

Great minds think alike

by Chris Lato

Milwaukee talk radio’s afternoon chieftain Mark Belling has a new column up about the potential for Jim Doyle to cut bait and head for D.C. if Barack Obama is elected President.

Great minds think alike (Lato blogged with great humility).

Prospective Republican candidates for governor may want to brush up on their Barbara Lawton opposition research, just in case.

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wispundits • February 18th, 2008

Veteran editor joins Wispundits… Sykes, Shook top online poll

by Karl Robe

An online poll conducted at Wispundits.com shows Charlie Sykes and Dennis A. Shook leading speculation about who will join Wispundits.com. Sykes captured 56 percent of the votes with Shook registering 31 percent. James Rowen and Jay Weber shared equal parts of 12 percent. And, no one believed Bill Christofferson would become the next Wispundit.

For more than 30 years, our next Wispundit’s award-winning journalism on issues, politics and government has graced the pages of the Journal Sentinel, Wispolitics, Waukesha Freeman, Kenosha News, Racine Journal Times, Shepherd Express and numerous others. For 10 years, he worked at the Waukesha Freeman where he became part of the fabric of the western suburbs.

Now, Dennis A. Shook will be contributing to Wispundits.com, offering commentary on issues from the local municipalities of southeast Wisconsin to the state house to the White House. Wispundits.com provides insightful, interactive commentary on what is working to differentiate political and issues campaigns in a crowded field of ideas in Wisconsin.

Dennis has appeared on Charlie Sykes’ Sunday Insight television program, anchored radio news and served as a legislative policy analyst for state Sen. Robert Wirch, focusing on transportation and environmental issues. Dennis is described by notable media, politicians and policymakers as one of the most knowledgeable sources of information on Wisconsin politics, government and issues dating back to Gov. Patrick Lucey.

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public relations, wispundits • February 17th, 2008

Democracy for the people, but… not for all who promote ideas?

by Karl Robe

The Center for Media and Democracy certainly does its part to ensure clarity is brought to the marketplace of ideas. But in its mission to “strengthen participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda…” the group implicitly seeks to quash the free flow of information by damning a profession dedicated to helping organizations and publics adapt mutually to each other.

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wispundits • February 15th, 2008

Rolling out the purple carpet: Wispundits.com arrives today

by Karl Robe

Wisconsin truly is a purple state, hence the color scheme of Wispundits.com. Whatever your political persuasion — blue, red, or a combination, resulting in a purple streak of independence — you will find insightful commentary on campaigns being waged across the state. If you are a politician, advocacy group, corporate advisor, media member or simply a political junkie, you are in the purple place. You might laugh, but, more importantly, you might gain insight that allows you to think differently about what you are seeing in campaigns.

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