DemoPublicans

        It may just be a bit presumptious to say so…but, i think that there are so many people who are dissatisfied with both the Republican and Democratic parties that we are going to see something that i tagged as a DemoPublican.  That is to say, that people’s value systems lie somewhere in the middle of these two parties that have become so out of touch with their constituents.  Alot of conversations that take a political turn tend to reflect the consensus that people are unhappy with the choices.  The reasons for that statement are varied.  Some don’t like the personality, or the past mistakes, or the perceived lack of experience…on and on.  That is not new to this particular election..that is always the case to a certain degree; people pick the person with who they consider will do the country the least amount of harm and promote the most positive changes possible.

         In this particularily historic Presidential election; people have  been trying to come to terms with issues that have plagued our country and tried to find the alignment within the party that they most closely associate themselves with.  That has become harder and harder to do with the economic reality that faces our nation; not to mention, constantly changing boundaries relating to levels of personal privacy as it has been invaded on the pretext of safeguarding our country in matters of national security.  Add into that mish-mash the polarization of voters applying personal religious belief systems towards determining which candidate to vote for.  Many people are conflicted on that issue; which candidate’s actions most closely reflect their own belief systems. 

          There are so many issues that have not even begun to be addressed by the candidates that it is a little worrisome.  Issues that demand addressing include things such as joblessness, homelessness, health care, education reform, addressing issues that impact the banking systems, transportation systems, homeland security, terrorism, how to provide and manage energy costs and concerns, etc.  These are the issues that people care about and base their votes on…not which celebrity gives them a personal endorsement or what music the candidate listens to; come on…get real and deal with the things that matter!

         Underneath those issues, runs a very heated debate about who should have been the Democratic nominee; experience or the lack of is important.  When Florida and Michigan delegate votes were discounted…this changed the course of the competition between Sen. Barack Obama.  There has been a strong battle between supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.  The split has been protracted and continues today…going into the Democratic National Convention this weekend.  Even some of the speakers have privately expressed unhappiness with the process; such as Bill Clinton, former President of the United States.  He says after the election he will speak his piece; of that, i have no doubt.  Sen. Hillary Clinton…now, I can’t even imagine how much pressure she is under.  She wanted to be in the place that Sen. Barack Obama is now standing; barring that…she, i am sure would have been happy to be his running mate…that did not happen. 

           How difficult it must be to stand up there and promote unity in the party when i am sure….that has to be the last thing she wants to do is encourage support for Mr. Obama.  Add into the drama, all of the “celebrity” endorsements that Sen. Obama is getting and it is turning into a bit of a 3 ring circus.  Today there was a report on a CNN research poll that said since picking Sen. Joe Biden… the run for the Presidency has become tied at 47% between Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama…compared to percentages that showed Sen. Obama in the lead with 51%, just last month.

         Everyone has an opinion on how this will play out.  Some attempts have been made calling for unity in the Democratic party…but, there is great unhappiness still under the surface.  Those that thought Sen. Hillary Clinton should have been the front runner, then fully expected Sen. Barack Obama should give her due consideration for the position of his running mate.  When it became obvious that she was passed over; and, he chose Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate those who felt slighted have pledged to vote for Sen. Obama’s competitor Sen. John McCain. 

           The Republican party has to get out their position on the issues as well.  We dont need to see a few months of showboating by either of the candidates…we need to get down to the nitty gritty and quit wasting everyone’s time on surface nonsense.

          There is much work to do on both the Republican and the Democratic side to convince voters that the person that they choose to cast their vote for is deserving and capable.  In the meantime, DemoPublicans are going to be the deciding factor in this election…God help us all to make the correct choice, without compromising the things that are most important.

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Persistent Persuasion…Getting The Most Effective Impact!

        Have you ever been in a situation where you were won over to another person’s opinion…allowing them to convince you to their way of thinking?  Maybe your original opinion was wrong in the first place; but if not, how were they able to change your mind; have you ever wondered?

         Of course, most of us have an opinion about the things that go  on around us.  Have you ever found yourself in the position of having catapulted over to another person’s way of doing things; when you really wanted to do them differently in the first place?  Why did you allow their will to trump your own?  Was their way of doing things better…or were they just more persuasive?

          It is an interesting thing to think about.  Did you give more value to their opinion than your own?  What convinced you that they were right, and your thoughts or opinions were less right?  Often it is persistent persuasion, combined with perceived superior credibility.  You know your own faults and mistakes…but, you do not know those of the other person quite as readily; giving them the advantage of a certain level of confidence, that you do not automatically give your own opinion. 

          If you are a person that often feels resentment because others seem to get their way; and, your way is often not the chosen path; you need to think about why that happens.  Do you express yourself well?  Do you listen to all of the facts respectfully and then verbalize your opinion in a fair way, with a pleasant tone of voice?  Are you easily led by the firm voice of others, into doubting your own opinion?  These are issues that are important to the daily bump and grind in life, business, families and organizations. 

         If you tend to err on the side of giving more weight to the opinions of others, you need to evaluate where that comes from.   Knowing what you think and believe; and understanding why you hold those opinions, is key.  If you firmly believe that you are in the right, your opinion can be backed up with facts or figures; and, you learn how to present your voice in a confident and respectful way…others will listen.  Present the large and small picture, put things in perspective, use examples that re-inforce your beliefs, validate your opinion with evidence or a precedence that will apply to the situation.

         Sometimes it is important to find common ground where both sides of a discussion or issue can be met.  From that point on, listening is very important.  Listen to the other side of the issue or discussion before stating your opinion.   When you do express yourself, do it in a manner that is open to some give and take; or, compromise.  People who become entrenched in getting their own way, simply for the sake of getting their own way…often don’t. 

         If common ground can be achieved and there are degrees to which an issue can be decided…you have a better chance of convincing others to agree to your way of thinking.  If you can convince one or two other people to agree with you…often, you will start to see a shift in the direction of a group.  Persuading another person or two, begins to show validity to your way of thinking.  Some people may still personally hold a different opinion privately; but, what starts to happen is, that they are persuaded to hold an opinion that is influenced by the majority opinion.  This is effective impact.

         Often, you will see an organization or business use a celebrity or a powerful person who already has credibility in a certain area to give a testimony.  This is also called social proof…that is, harnessing that person’s value as a spokesperson because their opinion has valuable impact that can influence others.  If a group, business, or organization gets a famous person who shares their passionate message to endorse them…they are more likely to persade others or inspire them to their believe their message. 

         That is powerful, and that is why you see advertisers using the most famous powerful person that they can get on their public relations team; you even see it in politics.  Think about recent developments with Sen. Barack Obama…whether you believe in his ability to lead or not…you certainly have seen the star power that has been attached to his campaign.  There have been many celebrities who have given their “testimony” about their belief that he should be President…in fact, media analysts have given mention in the news to the Oprah factor regarding his campaign.  Oprah’s opinions carry alot of weight with some voters…she brings alot of persuasion to the table.

         Influencing a group in this way, needs to be done in a way that is ethical and honest.  Forcing others to your way of thinking can backfire and cause great harm if you are malicious minded.  Think of those who use gossip or rumor to negatively affect persons, or groups of people.  No one wins in that situation and bad feelings are created; leaving everyone involved with a negative impression.

         If you use the process of persuasion…and you are doing it in an ethical way…you will start to find that people will gravitate towards supporting your business, issue, or organization.  Being persistent in stating your opinion or issue is important to getting others to support that issue.  The more people who are pursuaded or convinced, the more that word of mouth spreads the opinion, it becomes viral; and, it becomes more credible to those who have not heard it, or been previously convinced. 

          If your goal of persuasion is to get people to take action…then effective persuasion is a must.  Ken McArthur’s Impact Boot Camp Action Team has spent the weekend learning how to use their impact to get people to take action and to be effective in their collective powers of persuasion.  These team members include people like Jeff Wellman who made a splash in the internet marketing world in the last year or so.  They were exposed to experts in many areas of impact such as publishing, media, social networking and so on.  Author Brendon Burchard, who also gives inspiring advice to businesses and non-profit organizations, was present. 

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Obama Was Just “Biden” His Time…Keeping Secrets

        Well, the Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama has finally picked his running mate…it is Sen. Joe Biden.  As soon as it became apparent that the secret service was on it’s way to Sen. Biden’s home last night…the cat was out of the bag.  Alot of comments that i read regarding the potential of Sen. Biden being the running mate were controversial to say the least.  Many were saying that the choice pretty much guaranteed John McCain’s victory in November.  Others were talking about Sen. Biden’s tendency to put his foot in his mouth in the recent past.

          That is a pretty valid point considering that during the Democratic primary debate last August, Sen. Joe Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that, “I think he can be ready, but right now, I don’t think he is” regarding Sen. Barack Obama.  Well now, a scant few months down the road he is the running mate of choice…however, dont think for a minute that the Republicans are not going to capitalize on the fact that even Senator Barack Obama’s own running mate didn’t think he was ready to be president.  And, if the Obama Presidency depends on Sen. Biden’s experience and foreign relations for credibility it is on shaky ground because of Sen. Biden’s outspoken ways.  Diplomacy requires tact and skill in communication…something that is called into question from comments that Sen. Biden has made in the past during his years in politics.

           This morning, it was officially announced that Obama/Biden was the Democratic ticket for sure.   On Good Morning America today, Senator Obama’s senior advisor, Robert Gibbs said “Look we are pretty good at keeping secrets and we pride our campaign on that”.   I think that is what alot of Americans are afraid of.

          Since most of Obama’s campaign has been about the subject of change…if i were them…i would not advertise how good you are at keeping secrets…that has been a problem with previous administrations in the United States.   It is not a selling point to tell the American public that you are skilled at keeping secrets when the American public is fed up with secrets!!!

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Backstabbing,Manipulation,Scandal-New Episode of Desperate Housewives?

       Backstabbing, betrayal, lies, manipulation, scandal; is this a new episode of Desperate Housewives?  No, it is the political process of choosing a democratic front runner.  In the un-precedented, history making presidental election to come… no matter who  finally becomes the front runner for the Democratic party; it will have been controversial, to say the least.

        Whether Sen. Barack Obama becomes the first african american Democratic nominee or Sen. Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to get the nod…it is history making.  The problem is, of course, that by competing against each other for the position; they are being accused of ripping the primary process apart, by not allowing the Democrats to unite behind one, or the other, of them. 

         Today a high ranking man, in this process, Joe Andrew, the former chair of the Indiana Democratic Party is supposedly going to announce that he is throwing the weight of his support behind Sen. Barack Obama in an effort to induce other superdelegates to unite behind his campaign.  He feels that this primary process is dividing the Democrats; to the point where, it is giving the Republicans the edge for John McCain.  This is where some feel that betrayal is taking place, since it was president Bill Clinton who appointed Joe Andrew as the youngest chair to the Democratic National Committee back in 1999.

         Betrayal and judgement have also been at the top of the news headlines when it comes to the candidates as well.  Sen. Barack Obama’s judgement has been called into question because of his relationship with his long time pastor Rev. Wright.  The Reverend has become a weighted stone for Sen. Obama’s candidacy, because of some of his viewpoints regarding race and political hot topics.  Some have even questioned the Reverend’s motivations for speaking such controversial statements during this process.  Does he want Obama to win…and if he does…why has he been saying such contemptible things, causing Sen. Obama to distance himself?  The political Judas syndrome has kicked into high gear.

         Sen. Hillary Clinton was thrust into the glare of the media recently because of statements she made regarding her memories of certain events.  Her credibility was called into question, when some of those statements were proven to differ from video clips and other people’s memories of the same events.

         Dirty laundry has been aired though out this process by behind the scenes manipulations, untruths, personal betrayals, backstabbing, and race and gender discussions.  All in all, a typical day in the life of a politician; however, the cost to this country in the event of the wrong person becoming president of the United States, should be enough reason to clean it all up and get down to the business of choosing the best person for the job.  It is an awesome priviledge and responsibility to do the choosing!

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A Political Judas?

        I am not, by and large, a political person in the way of trying to convert anyone to my way of thinking when it comes to voting; that is not my intention here.  In fact…i have not made up my mind about who I am voting for, in the coming presidential election.  But, I am somewhat disturbed by the goings on with the media’s illumiation of the whole inflamatory words of Sen. Barack Obama’s recently retired pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

        Reverend Wright has been preaching sermons, until his recent retirement, that have allegedly been making statements that have an accusatory tone about AIDS being a racist plot, about concerns about his sermons and statements…calling those concerns an attack on the black church amongst other highly provacative statments.  This, as you can imagine, has caused multiple problems for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign.

       Rev. Wright was Sen. Barack Obama’s pastor for almost 20 years..and he married Obama and his wife.  They have had a spirtual relationship for quite some time. 

       I don’t know about you…but…I have been in a church situation where i was in a spiritual disagreement with someone who was head of the church; and, was preaching what i thought was violent, ill informed, and inflammatory comments from the pulpit.  My husband and I made the painful decision to leave that church because of the influence it was having on our spiritual well being. 

           I think that was the proper thing to do.  We still cared deeply for the person making the statements…but…in all honesty, that person was wrong to be saying the things they said from a pulpit.  It is a sacred, powerful place to guide and direct people in their daily living.  It is no less so, for Barack Obama and his family…or, anyone else finding themselves in such a position.  This requires discernment about who you let influence your thoughts and decisions.

       I do have some questions personally…but, because I was not in that church to hear such things being said…i have to give Mr. Obama credit and say…i would hope that he would have better judgement than to sit under that sort of spiritual leadership if it was ongoing situation with Rev. Wright. 

        On the other hand, who is betraying who in this ongoing debate about what has been being preached in that church.  If Rev Wright was saying such explosive and devisive things from the pulpit and Mr. Obama continued under that tuteledge…then, maybe his judgement has been impaired. 

        It has been alleged by a politician recently, that perhaps, Rev. Wright was deliberately sabotaging Mr. Obama’s bid for delegates.  If so, why would he be acting as a political Judas? 

        Now that Barack Obama has distanced himself further from Rev. Wright on Monday evening by saying…that the person who made such a “spectacle” at the National Press Club “is not the person I met 20 years ago”; are there persons out there who will think that he is the political Judas for distancing himself from Rev. Wright, at this point in time?

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