So...What's Next?!?

Getting Political

Alright - so am I a Democrat or a Republican?  Well Rush would reject me as a Republican, but that's ok, I reject him as valid.

I have voted Democrat the past several years but I suspect that is because the Republican option was not...valid.

When I was young I was definitely Republican. This would be the Regan/(valid)Bush era.

When did I change? When I was in college. Yep that liberal education ruined me :)

Seriously. I am the only person in my family, throughout all generations on both sides to get a 4 year college degree. I did not fulfill some "hope" of the family. In fact I am probably not in their top 10 list of who would get a college degree (which is why I decided to get two :) ). But when I finished HS I realized I had no skills to get any kind of decent job. My future looked like it would be years of asking "would you like a baked potato or french fries with that?" Granted there are days when I actually miss waiting on tables, but it was not something that I felt would continuously satisfy me.

One day, a month or so after graduation, I was in a bikini (which used to look REALLY good on me) driving my very fast Mustang to the beach. The road was Pines Blvd, which as you drive east turns into Hollywood Blvd (FL not CA). However before you reach Hollywood, on the right side is a lovely campus of one of the best community colleges in the country, Broward Community College. That day it caught my eye and I made a U-Turn and went to the registration office to find out if I had a possible future.

The answer was yes. It did not matter that I blew off High School as long as I could pass an entrance exams (exams were my specialty) and as long as we were poor enough I could qualify for financial assistance! We were definitely poor enough. The year was 1990, the president was Bush (the valid one).

So I became a college student. The assistance was not much. In fact I still worked two jobs and could only afford two classes at a time. Life did what life does and took me on some side roads...i.e. band groupie, marriage and child and still I had not finished college.

So, my husband, child and I pack our bags and move to Tallahassee to finish school. By this time Financial Assistance had increased significantly thanks to Clinton. The year was 1996.

Thanks to the pell grants I was able to attend school full time and pay for living expenses as long as my GPA stayed high.

Fast forward to 1998-2009. My husband and I live a nice middle class life. We make at least twice, if not three times more than we would have had we not gone to college. What that means is we pay more income tax and have more buying power. This is good for the economy as a whole. This is why I lean toward the Democratic party.

If tax money is allocated for tax cuts for the wealthy in hopes that they will use the money to create jobs, I have to ask who will be qualified for those jobs? If we do not invest in educating the mass public, our citizens will not be qualified for the good jobs, and well, companies will have to look overseas for talent. This I saw first hand when I was an IT recruiter in the late 90s.

I still think money should be spent on quality, relevant education, but the conversations of today seems to be on healthcare. Those who oppose any government healthcare plan seem to have only one point of resistance, "who is going to pay for it?"

The answer is you will, whether we have a healthcare plan or not. If people can not work because they did not get the healthcare they needed, your tax dollars will go to support them. If people have to spend all of their money on healthcare because they did not have insurance, that is money that is NOT taxed and therefore not going back into the system. That is also money that is not being used in the marketplace. Healthcare for all is a safety net for all.

Government spending on issues that help the masses and thus enables the masses to reinvest the money back into tax revenue and the overall economy makes a whole lot more sense to me than creating tax cuts for the wealthy in hopes that they will create jobs which the masses will most likely not be qualified for.

I understand that there are socialist ideas in these programs. But I personally prefer to look at these programs as strategic investments and that is how I evaluate them. I do not ask how will we pay for these programs I ask what will we get in return for these programs. Like the Republicans I am not a fan of hand outs. I REALLY do not want to see people getting something for nothing. I certainly believe that if taken too far, welfare and government programs can and will bring this country down. But as a capitalist and an American, I do believe in providing opportunities for all Americans to do great things and for fellow Americans to support the greatness in those who can do great things if given the chance.

Following the path in front of me

I am half way through the book The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and I have to say I am starting to feel re-energized. It is not about Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, or any of that - it is about empowering people to do things for themselves, to be involved, to be social and connected.

As I read about Howard Dean's use of Meetup in 2003 it dawned on me I was part of that crowd! I had been stuck in a cube - bored to death and knowing there needed to be somewhere different I needed to be, something more I was capable of. I surfed the web while cold calling to sell training classes and came across the Meetup site, I signed up for several types of events that interested me, but only attended a few democratic events.

A year and a half later I would be launching my social media agency and in the beginning I used meetup to arrange my own meetings.

As I have been working through some of my more recent projects and as I have been reading what other social media consultants and agencies are focused on, I am feeling again like I have found my niche. It is not big brands - at least not right now, it is getting people to talk to each other about what is important to our lives right now - which is NOT Coca-Cola!

So, I am spending this rainy afternoon reading this book about the moment in history when politics and the Internet met for the first time to empower masses of people and I am feeling energized and idealistic again. When I decided to take a break from the book and log into my email I found an email from someone who is working with the City of Atlanta and an email from my client at PBA. My client at PBA is letting me know that we are on the fast track to the launch date and I have a lot of work to do -  now! My work is to rally and train people to use the Internet to make a difference.

I am returning back to the book, which is becoming a bit of a training guide for me, and I am smiling knowing  that I will be able to be part of the next line in history, and I am thankful that this path has been laid in front of me.

I Think I Want to go into Politics...

This is not necessarily a "news flash" - it is more of a step forward in embracing something I have been interested in since my 8th birthday.

Why my 8th birthday....well I turned 8 on November 2, 1980 and I was allowed to stay up late to watch this...

I was the only one in my family still awake during Regan's speech. I was celebrating. My dad, being a very strong union man, was not so much celebrating over the next 8 years. I did not so much always agree with my dad.

I have no political stories beyond that. I watched, I listened, I had opinions which I expressed among friends...I also had the distinct advantage of going to the bar with my dad on many occasions, and believe me it is true that ALL of the world's problems are solved at the bar, but unfortunately the minds behind the solutions are too drunk and then too hung over to make anything happen...not to mention broke after spending their paychecks buying each other drinks...but I was sober and I was involved in the debates, at a very young age.

I simply was too shy - yes shy...to ever step up to the plate, to get involved.

Several years ago I bought a book of the greatest American speeches, which I read, and then edited it. I thought maybe I could be someone more behind the scenes, maybe I could be a speech writer, but I did not know how I could get to the right people and of course I had the nagging doubts that I would be good enough.

So, yeah - long story that leads to the fact that I have always been interested just....paralyzed.

Well, lately more and more doors are opening. I am meeting many people that are introducing me to many more people. People who are passionate about making things happen. People who are in position to make things happen, and people who have turned to me to create the strategy to make things happen. 

Tomorrow morning I am presenting to the Public Involvement Advisory Group (here are the slides - Download PIAG) and I have been looking at how I can be more involved, where my strengths are and where I want to go.

I want to go into politics...I want to play more in the world of government, and thankfully, I am not so shy anymore.

Dealing with Disappointment and Embracing Forgiveness

So much Obama coverage. So many high expectations. So much anxiety about what's next.

I have been thinking about what my blog post reaction is going to be.

Today many of us are seeing the tides changing. Bush is out, gone, see  ya', don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out....Obama is in.

I am happy. I am optimistic and hopeful. I am inspired. But I am also prepared.

Over the years I have searched for people to look up to. Many times I have been disappointed. The last time was a crushing blow to my gut on so many levels. But it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

I had to pull myself up, look at myself in the mirror and take a long and detailed inventory of what was going on in my world, on the outside and on the inside.

I see the world, not just Americans, but the world putting so much faith into one man. I give Obama a tremendous amount of credit in that he is trying to balance expectations while continuing to inspire confidence. That is a delicate balancing act and I am taking notes daily on how he handles himself. But in the end, he is going to be a huge disappointment to many people. Not because he is not capable to lead and do what's right, but because no one can please all of the people all of the time. Even Christ himself was not able to please everyone. Think about it....

I have reflected back on the past 8 years...the long, drawn out 8 years...

I did not like Bush from the moment I saw him. It had nothing to do with political party. I was a Republican at the time. yeah...hold that thought for a moment...I was a REGISTERED Republican in FL.

But there was one moment that things looked very positive. A moment I will remember forever. It was the moment of unity right after 9/11.

That is what this time reminds me of. We are experiencing a wonderful moment of unity right now, with each other and with the world. There is anxiety and chaos and heartache right now, and yet there is hope and unity.

But not to sound like a downer...that is not the point... but when all the parades have marched on and all the bands have finished playing, and the real work begins, many people will begin to experience the crash, the disappointment.

I am prepared for that disappointment, or perhaps I am prepared not to be disappointed. I know that there is a lot of good that Obama can do and I know that he has a lot of characteristics that I admire, but at the same time I am prepared to carry my own weight. I am prepared to be a part of the process and to be responsible for my actions. I will accept that he will not always make decisions I agree with.

That is what I learned from the last time I was disappointed, is that we can not put so much hope, in regards to our own life and destiny, in the hands of someone else. That is a lesson we can all benefit from if we truly want to see change in this world.

I am also starting to learn what it means to embrace forgiveness. I can tell you that all those bitter feelings hurt the person carrying them and those around that person more than it even affects the person who those bitter feelings are felt for. It makes me wonder why then, if most of us know this to be true, why is it so hard to forgive sometimes? I am starting to learn that we hold on to the bitterness in order to hold on to the person. We wish things would have been different and we think that we can make things different by staying in the presence of when things went wrong. As I begin to forgive people in my past I find myself letting them go and then my instinct says "wait, no I do not want to let them go!" And so when I try to hold on I also find that I hold on to the bitterness too.

So I am learning to embrace forgiveness, allowing it all to melt away, leaving space for something new to take it's place. It could be a new relationship, a fresh start with the same person once the air clears...or it could be a new path.

I am even embracing forgiveness of Bush. By allowing myself to forgive Bush I am actually allowing myself to be impressed with how he has handled the transition. Almost proud of him.

I find myself listening more to the position that Bush and Cheney were in and decisions they had to make. I am not convinced that there was not as much corruption and arrogance as I felt there was at the time, but I can listen and hear that there was more than just the ugliness that I suspect that existed. By embracing forgiveness I am allowing myself to find some good in the men that I could not even begin to watch on TV for so many years. Also, if I do not forgive these two men, among a few others, I will only keep them in my life along with the bitterness. I want them to go away and so I will allow myself to forgive. If, by some miracle, Bush turns out to be someone who does something great one day I will be able to see that action with fresh eyes and have a sincere appreciation as opposed to a tainted reaction.

This is a time of celebration, but I hope people are also prepared to not be disappointed or deal with the disappointment that will begin to seep in over the next few months. The last  thing we need is to allow our own expectations to let us down in the near future. We have to be prepared to do the work for ourselves. We have to forgive any bitterness we have against any one we feel has wronged us in the past. We have to work to move forward, to move ahead, to move together - in unity.

STOP THE WHINING!!!

We all have issues, baggage, stress, and disappointments. We all get an opportunity to whine and complain every now and then. But I am so sick of hearing Sarah Palin whine about the McCain campaign, the media, blaming her bad image on being a woman or on "class" or because she is a "republican". Every sound bite from her is a new excuse.

I mean she went from obscurity to national celebrity! People uncovered her strengths and weaknesses, which is what happens when you go in the public spotlight and are asking to be the 2nd most powerful person in the world.

I do not agree with Sarah Palin on most things and personally hope she does not go too far in her career, but I DID respect that she was able to advance her career as a working mom and someone who seemed to sincerely stand by her beliefs. I DID believe, as McCain said, that she had a bright future in the Republican party. But she is sabotaging herself with her ongoing whining. She is young and has been handed so much opportunity to work with and all she can do is continue to live in the past and dwell in her disappointment. I suspect she might fear that she has reached the peak of her fame and influence and is trying to hold on to it instead of using it to move forward.

Finally, um...if Sarah does not like how the media treated her, it is probably not a good idea to keep talking to the media about how they treated her. Stand up and start showing a better side, a stronger side of you for the media to report on.

Ugh - I guess I should be pleased that she is doing this to herself considering I do not agree with her ideologies - but I just can not stand the constant whining.

It's Not About Obama; It's About You

Last month I attended an Obama event and the host of the show had a perfect impression of Obama. He was a comedian, but also was expressing a very serious message, repeating Obama's words, "this isn't about me, it's about you."

First, that sentiment was one of the top brilliant ideas from Obama. Through my experience and study of social media I have found that sentiment to be the motivating force around activism.

But more importantly that idea spreads the responsibility for change to all of us.

I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Nan last night with a group of very successful Entrepreneurs and business leaders. Each had a different idea about Obama. In one discussion I came to realize the real significance of what an Obama presidency can do for this country. In the conversation the person I was speaking with did not agree with Obama's healthcare policies. I suggested that the worse case scenario that was being described could not happen because there were still many levels of check and balances even if the Senate won the vast majority. Knowing that I was speaking with a man who founded and led a large and successful company, I related the idea to leading a company which is more of a dictatorship and does not have the same checks and balances, and yet a vast shift in direction was nearly impossible. What struck me next is how a leader of a company can inspire greatness from their team, and that is the type of leader Obama is.

In the coming years we may not always agree with Obama, but he has already proven to be an inspiration and a wonderful model of the spirit of leadership.

I listened today to a 20 year old black college student who said "I know the history of my people..." and it dawned on me that for many young people today the story of racial struggle is already a "history."

I heard people today letting go of their own "stories" of being a victim and grasp ideas of hope.

If Obama is only a symbol of change, a symbol that can inspire the masses and heal wounds around the world, he has already done his job because the rest of the work will be done by the masses that he has given hope to.

There are some people who are not ready for this kind of change. I know that there are people who are even frightened. I have read blogs of people who feel this is a sign of the end of time. I hear the hush whispers of people praying for his safety in fear of what would happen in this country if anything were to happen. I know many people do not agree with Obama politics and feel he will take this country in the wrong direction.

But if we look at just this moment and agree it was not about Obama; He is just a strong, smart, charismatic young man who has inpired a world of people. And if we hold on to that inspiration in us,  we can make the change that matters. In fact, we would acknowledge that we already have.

Why I am Voting for Obama

In 2000 I supported McCain, but he did not win the primary and "smirky" became our worse nightmare.

In the primary this past year I have to admit I was more focused on the Democratic ticket. I saw Hillary stoop too low at times and cross lines I was not real comfortable with. I saw Obama give one of the most amazing, inspiring speeches in response to being attacked for the church he attended. It was at that moment I quietly began to focus more attention on Obama.

Then it was the Obama - McCain race. I have been watching this one closely because I liked both candidates. In fact, yesterday I was listening to an old episode of Dan Carlin's Common Sense podcast which aired during the primaries, and at that time Dan pointed out that the only two decent people running were Obama and McCain.

But what has happened to McCain?

I listened closely to both candidates and from the start I never heard any real substance from McCain. His speaking style always made me feel like he was a grandfather trying to simplify his message for his grandchildren.

Then came the insult of his choice for VP. I mean come on, her reference to Hillary during the announcement was so lame and so obviously pandering. I do give Palin credit for one thing, she is pretty consistent. She does not seem to be someone who changes her stance for political reasons. I do not agree with her on anything, but I do respect  that she stays true to her beliefs. It has been pointed out multiple times that she is no Hillary which is true, but she isn't trying to be Hillary either. She has truly found her own groove, and I do applaud her for that.

But back to why I am voting for Obama.

I am voting for Obama because he was linked to Ayers. Now, when I first heard snippets of this story I thought, if this is such a dangerous domestic terrorist, why is he not sharing a jail cell with Timothy McVeigh. So I looked into the story a little more and found out that Ayers is actually a fairly influential and respected person in Chicago. He has radical opinions, but he is not dangerous. Um...we need radical opinions. Ayers could express himself in a much different way, but he comes from an era when people where very radical...an era when Americans successfully made strides in making some much needed changes. I do not say that I am supporting Ayers or anything that he stands for, I am saying that this was a stupid political sound bite meant to mislead and scare people. I have had enough of that for the past 8 years.

The same with the Socialist bit. OMG...A friend of mine is not for Obama. (Note...I really do not know many people supporting McCain, only a few who are against Obama...that is interesting.) Anyway my friend feels that we should not have an economic policy that taxes the rich to give to the poor. Um...we just gave to the rich....lots and lots and lots of money to the rich....hello!

Seriously though, economics is a very complex and mysterious discipline. I was one of a very few who did well in my Micro and Macro economics classes. Many smart people struggle understanding even the simplest concept of supply=demand.

Most of us listen and comprehend economics based on what we have experienced, and I am no exception. I know that I would not have gotten through college without the Clinton economic policies. I know that because I did not have to pay taxes because our income was so low, and was given pell grants for school, my husband and I now both make at least twice as much as we would have if we were not given such an opportunity. That means we have more money to buy, invest, and we pay more taxes. Hmmmm....I guess we are SPREADING OUR WEALTH AROUND.

As Obama keeps trying to explain, economies grow from the grassroots up, not from the top down. He is not and never has suggested any kind of socialist policies. He is speaking about economic policies that spread OPPORTUNITIES AROUND. I know that the spreading opportunities around is McCain's sound bite, but no one goes anywhere being imprisoned by a corporate employer.

My view of the the McCain economic policy is that it reminds me of a very old system where the rich rule the system and the peasants work for their masters and pay taxes to give more money to the rich. It is a very old system. 

Now let's talk about the war. Um....
This picture was taken more than 5 years ago. This is a picture of Bush declaring victory....more than 5 years ago. Since then there has been lots of progress including free elections. It is time for us to move out of Iraq, repair relationships, and focus on the homefront.

McCain likes to say that Obama wants to concede defeat. I want to know what does McCain think a victory looks like. Iraq is not our country! We need to ensure international safety, I get that...but exactly what outcome does McCain seek and how long will it take to reach that outcome?

Finally Healthcare. I have a friend who is from Denmark and is a nurse here in America. As an insider she has explained a lot of what is wrong with our system. I am not such an arrogant American to think that we can not learn a lot from our friends in Canada or in Sweden.

But all of these "sound bites" and scare tactics that the McCain camp keeps using mixed with more and more arrogance, makes me feel more and more that a vote for McCain is a vote for a 3rd Bush term, and that is quite disappointing considering McCain was one of the few that people I thought might be an ok guy.

A Few of My Favorites

Alright - no secret politics here...

I started out wanting to watch the SNL version of the VP Debate again...because...well I need some comedy relief after enduring a bit of the crap slinging...but then I started finding other videos...here are some of my favorites.

Politics in Today's World (this is great)

Quick Observation/Question

Well, first a little PR. Jim Stroud and I are in the jobs section of the AJC this week. http://www.ajc.com/search/content/hotjobs/careercenter/articles/2008/09/28/online_job_networking.html

Alright, now that we have that out of the way...

I was thinking about a scenario. What would you do if were hiring for a high level position and narrowed your choice down to 2 candidates. You invite both candidates in for a side by side interview and they start to bash each other, bring up past mistakes, and avoid really explaining how they would handle the current job they are interviewing for. My guess is that you would throw them both out of your office.

Why then do we accept and expect such behavior from our politicians?