keneudy.com

To my friends on the Left

Like most of you, I think President Obama is doing a great job. He seems to have a plan for economic recovery and national security. He's implementing those plans in a disciplined way. Most of all, I'm gratified that President Obama has begun the painstaking work of restoring America's image in the world. Nothing is more important to our country.

If Barack Obama were running for president again today, he would have my vote. But he hasn't been perfect moveon.org kind of guy, has he?

One example? Obama has said we should only look forward and not look back on Cheney’s torture chamber. I think Cheney, John Yoo and others should be held to account.

On health care, I find myself largely in agreement with Obama's reform principles. Having 47 million Americans without coverage, and families coping with ever-increasing health care costs isn't right. But one of the president's remedies -- government-run insurance that competes with private-sector insurers -- troubles me.

Sure, my firm, Capstrat, has worked for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for many years. But my view of health care is informed by our work for BCBSNC and many other wonderful health care clients.

Doing nothing on health care is not an option, but having the government compete with private-sector insurers inevitably will drive the private companies and community hospitals out of business. They won't be able to compete with a powerful central government. Every American eventually would have a single option for health care -- the federal government. Though many of my friends on the Left pine for single-payer, I don't. I'd like to find some way to avoid that.

Now, some of my friends on the Left have been gleeful that some of our early-draft PR work for Blue Cross was leaked to the Washington Post. Liberal bloggers are outraged that as a big Obama campaign supporter, I would participate in any effort to question the president's health reform agenda.

Let's be honest: do you have to agree with the President on everything all the time? I love my wife, but we disagree about something nearly every day.

I hope that we pass health care reform this year. But we need to have an honest conversation about how best to do it.

Republicans: Stick out your tongue and say "Are you kidding me?"

I heard the House Republican Whip, a weasely little mouse named Eric Cantor on the radio this morning. He was complaining that House Democratic leaders refused to accept recommendations from the GOP on the stimulus package. That's why not a single Republican voted for it.

Boy, that's rich. Why would anyone take advice from the party that led us into this economic quagmire? We had a budget surplus the day George W. Bush first stole his way into the White House. Now...

Taking economic advice from Eric Cantor on the economy is like taking health advice from Dr. Kevorkian.

Truthometer gone haywire

I was on the treadmill this morning watching Morning Joe when Bill Adair, the respected D.C. correspondent for the St. Pete Times came on. Adair created the TruthoMeter during last year's campaign and it gained a fair bit of notoriety. See, so much of what is alleged by candidates in campaigns falls into the gray area. Journalists love it when they can get someone, especially someone who is allegedly neutral, to assert whether a claim is true or false.

Anyway, the producers of the show pulled up a video of Obama promising last October to pay an incentive of $3,000 for each job created in America. They spun that campaign promise through Adair's new "Obameter" and it honked "BROKEN."

Please, it's roughly 30 days into the Obama Administration. Can anyone really claim whether that's a promise kept or broken after a month? That's nuts!

The financial crisis -- like abortion?

After our traditional family Thanksgiving meal, the talk turned as it inevitably does to politics. Two of my female relatives said they supported John McCain because of Barack Obama's pro-choice position.

I cringed, because my wife is a hard-wired, pro-choice Democrat. But she was great. She said, "Barack Obama is not FOR abortion. Nobody likes abortion." And that was it. Family harmony was preserved.

On the drive home, her response got me to thinking about the issue of abortion compared to the financial bailout. I'm beside myself with the notion of giving the financial services pirates a free pass -- impunity from the greedy and irresponsible decisions they've made.

But I'm resigned to the notion that if we don't bail them out, the consequence would be worse.

That's how I feel about abortion. I don't rejoice that we have it, but it's better than making it illegal, and relegating it to back alleys and butchers, the way it was before Roe v. Wade. Nobody's FOR it, but the alternative might be worse.

I don't like Ike....

....but not because of his religion. I heard on POTUS, the excellent station on XM Satellite, that Ike was a Jehovah's Witness when he was elected. The commentator said Ike converted to the Presbyterian Church before he was inaugurated.

Wow, I wonder what the right-wing religious Taliban would say about a jehovah's Witness candidate for president?

Mitt the chameleon

Mitt Romney gave a speech on Thursday explaining his Mormonism. Reviews have been mixed. Bust most of the pundits have yawned. There was a question about whether he should have made the speech.

I don't really care about Mitt's religion. And even if I were a Republican, I wouldn't. I've known quite a few Mormons and, without exception, they have been disciplined, family-loving, hard-working people. In fact, most are a lot more strait-laced than I am. Most of the Mormons I know don't even use caffiene and occasional profanity.

I don't think Mitt made the speech to quell the concerns about his religion. He made it for the same reason he seems to make every other decision -- naked political gain.

Mitt needs to re-ignite his campaign in Iowa before he gets swamped by Mike Huckster. He already knows he's not going to turn around the right-wing religious jihadists in Iowa. They've gone so far around the bend fleeing Mormonism that they'll never come make to Romeney on the ballot.

Mitt has changed his position on universal coveerage, which he championed as governor of Massachusetts. He's changed his positon on abortion. He's changed his position on gay rights issues.

Mitt's a windshield wiper, vacillating from one side to the other.

I don't mind a politician changing his mind. I think it's a sign of maturity and self-confidence. But I do wish I really knew where Mitt stands on all those issues.

He'll take any position to win. He'll even use his religion to try to jumpstart his campaign in Iowa. That's objectionable.

Is this why newspapers are dying?

It's really not big news anymore. Newspaper advertising was down by about 10% in the second quarter. Online advertising within newspapers was up by about 8.5%. But that's not a virtual offset. Online revenue makes up about 7% of overall newspaper advertising revenue, according to the Newspaper Association of America.

So overall newspaper revenue continues to decline. The fallout continues in the newsroom, where fewer journalists are left to write about a more complicated world.

Sure, there are bloggers. Just like this one. But the majority of them have an agenda. They're not bound by the conventions of accuracy, fairness, balance. Much less the relentless pursuit of the truth.

How did it happen, that the traditional journalism world, called semi-perjoratively Mainstream Media in the blogosphere, lost its indispensibility?

As a former journalist, I'm wistful for the days when newspapers were loathed on both sides of the partisan divide, but still trusted.

Today, as I read in newspapers about the success of the surge in Iraq, I just scratch my head and wonder about the complicity of Mainstream Media with Bush. They did it in 2002 and 2003, when they swallowed whole the Bush-Cheney fiction about weapons of mass destruction.

Is this a replay?

Is this lack of jouranlistic skepticism at least one big reason why readers don't trust Mainstream Media anymore?

Murdoch: not the threat

It's interesting to me how the mainstream media have been in dither about Rupert Murdoch's bid for the Wall Street Journal.

Now, I love the Journal. It may be the best-written and best-edited paper in existence. And I certainly don't like Murdoch's politics.

But who is the greater threat to the future of newspapers? Murdoch, or the Wall Street analysts who continually whine about "puny" 20% profit margins of publicly traded newspaper chains?

Those analyst opinions have led to dramatic layoffs and "early retirements" in newsrooms around the country -- LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe and dozens of others.

Wall Street and institutional investors in media companies are a much bigger threat to newspapers than Rupert Murdoch.

In my life....

Today is my birthday. I have spent some of the day thinking back over my life, which has accumulated a few years now.

I am astounded at the number of bad decisions I've made. This is not a confessional; no lurid details. Suffice it to say an accounting for all the dumb things I've done, even as an adult, would take more time that you possibly have.

For example, I have wasted a lot of money buying a Mercedes and a BMW. I hope not to make that particular mistake again.

It's a cliche, but I've learned much more from my mistakes than from any successes I've had.

As I look in the rear-view mirror, I see some pain and disappointment. Compared to some people, though, I've had it pretty good.

I've learned that I have a good gut instinct, and that I ignore it at my peril.

I've learned that the worst hiring mistakes I've made came from over-hiring. That is, hiring someone who is over-qualified for a job. That person will be restless and discontent almost from the first day on the job.

I've learned that God gave me two ears and one mouth for a reason. If I can listen twice as much as I speak, there's a small chance someone will think I'm smart.

I've learned -- and this is a big surprise! -- that some people don't like me, know matter how much I want them to. So really, the lesson I've learned is that there's nothing wrong with me. It's just a bad chemical reaction when I interesect with certain people. I don't have to keep up a vain attempt to get that person to like me.

As I've been able to make more money, I've learned that it doesn't make more happiness. Nothing in my life that makes me happy is a result of the money I make. I've heard people say this, and I've thought, "Yeah, right." But now I've lived it.

I've learned that not all Democrats are good (which I already knew), and not all Republicans are bad (although even Barbara Bush probably would concede that her son George W. gives new meaning to the word arrogance).

I've learned that some of the worst examples of humanity I've met are "religious."

I've learned that the written word is a demanding mistress. I love to read but never seem to have enough time to get through the magazines and books on my bedside table. And the best part of any workday is the attempt to write with clarity and persuasion. Emphasis on attempt. That's why, with luck and grace, I'll live to see another year.

Man without a party

So Michael Bloomberg has asserted his political independence. A guy with that much money can do so. I didnb't notice the head of the Republican National Committee, Mel Martinez, chasing the New York mayor out the door, begging him to stay.

Nor did I notice DNC Chair Howard Dean giving hearty applause and inviting MB to come on over.

The parities are so captive to the extremes of their membership that courting an avowed middle-of-the-roader would be perceived as weak-kneed. Too bad.

The only element captivated by Bloomberg's declaration of independence was the news media, especially the 24-hour cable channels. It gave them temporary relief from talking about John McCain's free fall and Hillary Clinton's campaign song.

Bloomberg is a passing fancy. He's unlikely to be the third New Yorker in the race. But it's easy to see he's enjoying the attention.

I can't remember Al Gonzales

You can tell when a politician has stopped worrying about political survival and started panicking over freedom itself.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales yesterday said "I don't recall" more than 70 times in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday. Translated, that means, "I know I can't hold onto this job much longer, but at least Patrick Fitzgerald won't be able to indict me for perjury."

Here's a guy who swore on the Bible that he would uphold the laws and the Constitution. Yet, he unleashed the dogs of the Justice Department on U.S. Attorneys who weren't aggressive enough in prosecuting members of the opposing political party.

How are citizens supposed to have confidence in their system of justice when the guy in charge of all federal prosecutions is either a crook or is suffering from an acute case of memory loss?

Somebody pin a note to this guy's cardigan and roll him out to the dog track.

Behaving your way out of a jam

If you're in the communications world, it is important to pay close attention to the actions of David Neelman, the CEO of JetBlue. You're witnessing a case study in the making for how to respond to a company's poor performance in the face of a weather-related debacle.

You know the story -- a snow and ice storm in New York on Valentine's Day caused horrible disruption to JetBlue's flight schedule out of JFK Airport.

JetBlue was slow to cancel flights. The airline lost control of its communications system -- crew, reservations, everybody. Passengers were stranded on runways for up to 10 hours. One passenger was asked if she would every book JetBlue again. Her reply: "Not in this lifetime."

Whew! Neelman could have blamed the weather, air traffic controllers, anything.

But he didn't. It was clear that this leader accepts all the scorn being thrown his way. He didn't flinch.

And he took action.

Yesterday, Neelman announced that JetBlue will being paying passengers a fee for being kept waiting by the airlines.

The airline will double the number of reservationists on duty during storms, and will cross-train 1,300 airport workers for different jobs in emergencies.

I have had bad episodes with almost every airline. I'm not a fan of flying anywhere. But Neelman's forthright acceptance of responsbility, and his rapid remedy response might save this relatively new carrier.

David Neelman once again has proven something I tell my clients from time to time: "You can't communicate your way out of a situation you've behaved your way into."

As Neelman demonstrates, you have to behave your way out of the jam.

Let's see how this plays out.

Liberals feeling blue

Have you noticed how the liberal bloggers don't seem to be having as much fun these days?

It's easier to throw verbal punches against Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff. And hitting the president on Iraq is stating a blinding glimpse of the obvious. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

Is it only a matter of time before the libloggers turn on Pelosi and Reid? They don't have to. There's plenty of mendacity to go around. Here are some other targets:

Oil companies.

Haliburton.

Duke lacrosse players (the culture of privilege).

Fox News. Always Fox.

Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dick Cheney. Remember without him there's really no Bush. No Patriot Act. No Rumsfeld.

Libloggers, have at it!

Did you miss me?

Sorry I've been incommunicado.

It's no excuse, but I've been really busy at work. And so much has happened.

Tom Delay gone.

Bill Frist gone.

Donald Rumsfeld gone.

A harem of hypocritical televangelists -- gone.

We will be talking about all this, plus ethics in the public square in 2007.

See you then, if not before.

The congressional travel ban...the baby with the bathwater

In Washington, the Congress is considering ethics legislation, including a ban on nonprofit organizations sponosring trips for members of Congress.

Now, you could argue that trips like the ones Jack Abramoff arranged should be banned. Abramoff, the disgraced D.C. lobbyist who will spend a stretch behind bars for his maneuvers, funneled client money into phony-baloney nonprofits, which paid for congressmen to take golf trips to Scotland.

But there are nonprofit organizations that do extraordinary work. I've been associated with one, the Faith & Politics Institute, for many years. And I've been on two trips in which members of Congress attended. One trip was a civl rights pilgrimmage to Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma, Alabama. The other was a trip to South Africa, where we studied the work of the Truth and Reconcilliation Commission.

The F&P doesn't support or oppose legislation. It does seek to promote civility and understanding among people who come from different backgrounds.

I hate to report it to my clients, but I didn't do any lobbying on either F&P trip. Didn't have time. Didn't think it would be very effective. In fact, it would have been perceived as downright rude by members of Congress or their staffs. They might remember me from the trip if I were to call on them now, but I doubt it.

But the trips did change my life. I still marvel at the stories Congressman John Lewis told as we toured the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. Pointing to a photo of him at a lunchcounter, being yelled at by a young white man, Lewis said, "What you don't see is right after this picture was taken, this guy punched me in the nose."

Incredulous, I asked congressman Lewis, "What did you do?"

He responded, "Nothing. That was the challenge of nonviolent resistence. I could not fight back."

That was the most powerful personal tesimony I'd ever heard about from the Civil Rights movement.

In South Africa, I heard story after story of grace and forgivenss, beyond any capacity of mercy that I had ever imagined. The Truth and Reconcilliation Commission gave black South Africans the opportunity to face their former white oppressors...and forgive those who admitted to their indecent actions.

How are people able to forgive the hatefulness emobodied by apartheid, I wondered? I was told that forgiveness was not a feeling; it is a decision. And it frees those who forgive from the burden of resentment.

If those aren't lessons that our members of Congress need to hear, what are?

I favor complete, detailed disclosure of congressional travel -- where, why, what, how, the daily intineraries, which corporations sponsor the trip, which lobbyists or corporate executives attend. Even whether members steal away to play a round of golf or a set of tennis.

I'm persuaded that members of Congress benefit by getting out of Washington and being exposed to the real world. And in the vast, vast majority of times, their constituents benefit, too.