PR Straight Talk

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2008 bring you closer to the realization of your Dreams!

As our planet continues its journey around the Sun, and as humanity continues to evolve, we must pray that the evolution of consciousness (Spirit, Heart, Wisdom and Awareness) keeps up with the evolution of technology.  As I’ve written, the danger for the latter to outpace the former raises profound concerns, especially with the dangers of our weaponry and the harshness of certain ideologies in different places.

Every now and then, champions surface to the fore who uphold humanity’s highest and noblest values:  Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama…and, a shining star whose Light was just recently dimmed on the physical plane - Mrs. Benazir Butto.   She was a true champion of democracy, and her courage in the face of danger was of the stuff true martyrs to higher purpose are made.  It deeply saddened me to learn of her assassination, and hopefully her death will find redemption in the struggle she fought for - to bring the voice of expression and power to the people.

The only strong voice I heard among politicians in this country regarding Mrs. Butto’s murder, was that of Senator Joseph Biden.  He called for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf, and the appointment of an interim coalition government that would pave the way for meaningful and honest elections in Pakistan.   That was a strong statement, and it reflects the views of a strong democrat (small “d”) whose experience in international affairs combined with a deep appreciation for democratic values shines through.

Every candidate has particular assets.  With Joe Biden it is deep experience in international affairs.  With Senator Hillary Clinton it is broad legislative experience and considerable experience with domestic and international issues based on her White House years as First Lady.  With Rudy Guiliani it is finely honed and effective management skills as the once-Mayor of New York, and a steadfast focus on the issue of Islamic terrorism.  With Senator Barack Obama it is “the vision thing.”

Listening to Obama on the stump, I’m frequently in awe of his amazing ability to inspire, to see the larger picture, to articulate a vision that contextualizes where as a democracy we come from, what we’ve inherited in vision and values from our Founding Fathers, how our struggle to achieve the ideals of the Declaration has evolved and must be ever-perfecting, and how our commitment as a nation to these values - the values of civil and human rights, freedom of expression,  and unity in community, demands continuing commitment.

Obama, it seems to me, has captured some of the hopefulness of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, whose articulation of the vision of the American story as evolving and perfecting based on its founding principles, was truly inspirational.  Senator Kennedy reminded us of who we were and who we can become - and his greatness, it seems to me, was forged out of tragedy (the deaths of his brother and Reverend King).

Obama carries that inspiration in his message, in his own unique and profoundly articulate way.  I think only a few presidents have used the bully pupit of the Presidency as an inspirational pupit in such a way, to capture in energy the Spirit and potential of the Republic - Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.  Whether one agrees with their politics or not, these men came in at points in time where the American public needed a certain “reminder” of who we are, where we come from and where we’re going.   And they each articulated their messages in unique ways, and sometimes via a new paradigm of seeing.  Senator Obama has that gift - and through the prism of a paradigm that is fresh, he seems to view political reality in a way that offers new approaches to old problems.  This way includes a willingness to deal with our “enemies” with fresh eyes and an openness for dialogue.

I watched C-Span the other night, where Bill Clinton delivered a speech to Iowans in support of his wife Hillary as presidential material.   The former president spoke extemporaneously for about an hour, without notes. 

I was in awe of the man’s brilliance, his deep understanding and familiarity with the issues, his uncanny ability to present his knowledge in an almost folksy way - a way that reached people.   I thought, this man is a genius - in his breadth of knowledge of domestic and international issues, and in his ability to communicate.  He assured the audience that Hillary, in terms of her experience, her knowledge and her wisdom, was the best-equipped of the presidential candidates.

I came away listening to Mr. Clinton in true admiration for his knowledge and his communications skills.   If he was accurately describing Hillary in terms of ability and competence, he was certainly describing someone who could measure up in spades to the awesome task of the presidency.

The one thing that I did not feel in listening to Bill, however, was that “vision thing”.  I was deeply impressed with his ability, and his articulation of his wife’s ability, but I was not inspired to the extent that I have been by listening to Senator Obama.  I think Oprah is right - Obama has something special.

This is not to say that the Illinois Senator has a claim on victory as of this moment.  For the issue of his experience, or lack thereof, is one deserving debate and dialogue.

If only Mrs. Clinton can summon up a vision of equal force - or if only we the American public could benefit from a candidate who comprises both the adroitness of a Bill and Hillary Clinton, the experience of a Senator Joe Biden, the vision of a Senator Barack Obama - and perhaps a dash of the commanding focus and strength of Rudy Guiliani with respect to dealing with our adversaries.

If I were advising the Clintons, I would advise them to inspire more from a place of vision.  If I were advising Senator Obama, I’d counsel more of the same with respect to vision and inspiration, but balancing that with greater immersion in concrete issues.  Joe Biden, it seems to me, can benefit more with an articulation of the ”vision thing.”  And Rudy?  He ought to balance the bellicose stance with reminding us as Americans of who we are, and where we’re going. 

A people who know who they are and where they’re headed is the nation’s greatest source of strength.

There is of course no perfect presidential candidate.  Each contender has his or her strengths and weaknesses.  In my article, “Candidates’ Style Vs. Substance: A Media Trainer’s Scorecard,” published on July 2^nd by PR Week Magazine (see url below*), I pronounced Hillary Clinton the debate winner in the field of Democratic candidates, based on my media trainer’s perception that she led or ran high in a number of the ten determinants of style delineated in the article. 

Among Senator Clinton’s strongest suits were: projecting confidence; ability to connect; ability to articulate/communicate; perception of centeredness and balance; intelligence; perception of strength.  She either led or was a close second in these categories.  Interestingly, Senator Joe Biden scored high in these categories too, which leads one to suspect that the one category not covered in the article – name recognition – can be a linchpin determinant when thrown into the mix.  It should have been the eleventh determinant. 

Yet Senator Clinton, while she was the winner, and now apparently seems headed for the nomination of her party, is not the perfect candidate.  Senator Obama took the lead in three other determinants:  heart and humanity (based on his inspirational stance of projecting a new paradigm of rising above dualism and being an advocate of inclusionism, unity and hope); likeability; and wisdom (heart combined with intelligence.)  The perception of these attributes of Obama may not be enough to carry him into the lead, at least among registered Democrats, but they have attracted many into his orbit.

What I found attractive in Joe Biden, from a media trainer’s perspective, is that he clearly represents a man of great experience, especially in foreign affairs.  That came across through his strength of message in this area, and his having projected stylistic strengths that came close to Senator Clinton’s, including self-confidence, intelligence and strength. But lack of name recognition is clearly one of the good Senator’s handicaps.

Today, on CNN, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, gave what I thought was a tour de force in his interview with Wolf Blitzer.  What struck me about Mr. Huckabee’s performance was that he maintained a cheerful disposition, deflecting harsh criticisms of him by his opponents without going into a personal attack mode.  On the contrary, when Mr. Blitzer quoted tough criticsm by Conservative Phyllis Schlafly, questioning the authenticity of Mr. Huckabee’s conservatism, the former Governor simply and politely suggested Ms. Schlafly was misinformed, and then praised and acknowledged her for her strong and consistent track record as a Conservative.

When other criticisms were drawn about his stance against abortion and his support for Intelligent Design vs. Evolution, Huckabee was not apologetic.  Rather than get into the mire of the debate on the latter, he simply presented his belief in God and the Bible, and with a sincerity that was admirable (irrespective of one’s own conviction on the matter). On abortion, he made a strong case in opposition to it which was perceived as heartfelt, that all human life must be treated with reverence, including life in the womb.  Again, I think that people of another point-of-view, if they were fair, would not have disrespected Mr. Huckabee’s sincerity in expositing his belief on this issue.

What was appealing about Mr. Huckabee’s performance was that he came across as a man with a strongly held inner value system, and yet not arrogantly so.  Moreover, he presented himself as someone who could listen to criticism without getting personal of his opponents’ expressions.  To me, this conveys character.  “Character” is a quality that can only be shown or evidenced by strength of conviction combined with a tolerance for others’ views, and by action.  With respect to the former, Mr. Huckabee seems to potentially be such a person.

In my July 2^nd article, former Mayor Guiliani seems to have been underrated.  While he had decent scores in some categories, I did not perceive him as the winner.  Instead, former Governors Romney and Huckabee came out on top.  I think here, again, as Rudy is as of now the front runner among the Republican field of candidates, “name recognition” turns out to be a linchpin determinant.  The other strength that the former New York mayor plays on is his strong and hawkish position against terrorism and the Iranian threat.  That is a strength that obviously plays well among a goodly number of Americans, and Senator Clinton seems to be taking a strong stance here as well.  Part of the reason for this may be political so as to neutralize Mayor Guiliani’s criticisms in this area were he to be her opponent in a national election (and it appears this is moving in that direction).

So who’s the ideal candidate in this current presidential political campaign?  It’s clear.  It’s Clinton-Obama-Biden-Huckabee, and perhaps with a dash of Rudy Guiliani thrown in. Since there is no such “animal,” Americans can hope that as the campaign gels into one with two major candidates on either side, that these individuals will either grow by cultivating and integrating aspects of themselves that had been more submerged – or bring to their respective tickets Vice Presidential choices that are more developed in those areas of lack.

* July 2nd PR Week Magazine article can be found at: http://www.mediamavens.com/Articles/ArticlesbyMike/PRWeed_USAJul207.pdf

Al Gore won The Nobel Peace Prize today. The Nobel Committee’s decision was a powerful acknowledgement of the urgency of global warming, a crisis that evidences itself by severe glacial meltdowns in the polar ice caps, and with many scientists predicting irreversible rises in ocean levels that in 50 years or less could mean catastrophe for the world’s coastal cities.

The announcement, flashed around the world today, means something else – and perhaps something connoting a certain hopefulness. It reminds me of the sense of global coming together that occurred when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, and humanity palpably and viscerally experienced the words that came out of Mr. Armstrong’s mouth upon putting his foot upon the lunar soil: “That was one small step for a man – one giant leap for Mankind.”

An evolutionary next step for our species. Neil Armstrong, in that one act, represented every human being becoming extraterrestrial. Our species had lifted itself to another orb, to experience a view of the wondrous blue ONE planet – Mother Earth - that birthed it. Which was more miraculous – a sense of humankind reaching another level on its evolutionary trail – or the profound realization that our home is one world, without boundaries – proof beyond words that our separation is an illusion.

The announcement about Mr. Gore’s Nobel Prize brings to the fore, in a different yet similar way, the consciousness that we live on one planet, that we are one human family, and that the peril we face environmentally is OUR problem – not an American problem, or a European problem, or an Asian or African problem, or a Republican or Democratic problem - but our problem.

This awareness has the potential to bring humanity together, to work together, to help heal the planet, and to bring it back into balance. Technology, and communications through technology has already been creating a convergence on our planet. Humans’ ascent into outer space was one major starting point. The Internet as one powerful expression of this coming together is another. Television via satellite has created still another. A global warming crisis and a prestigious award to highlight the challenge for all of us takes it a step further. The potential exists for increased dialogue and understanding of our common problems, of our common humanity, and for a decrease in tensions that separate and divide us.

The potential exists. But there is a danger. Without a rise in an individual and universal spiritual experience of the human heart – without more kindness and cooperation – the evolution we experience technologically can take us into directions too terrible to contemplate.

We need to work together creatively and shed our competitive tribal instincts while honoring our cultural, religious, ethnic and gender diversities. We need to experience a growing reverence for all life, to work towards uplifting communication – including communications in public relations and advertising that honors and upholds a universal value system that reveres our planet as the precious home it is for all of us – and that the beauty of life, and the great positive potential for creative growth inherent in life – can be that which guides us and sustains us.

That, it seems to me, is one of the key signs of hopefulness in the Nobel Prize Committee’s announcement today.