The Elephant in the Room is Wearing Lipstick

Mr. Man-on-Dog misses the real beast in the room: Rick Santorum's 12/18/2008 piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Elephant in the Room: Republicans need a new leader, neatly summarizes the bankruptcy of the Republican Party's ideology. In more than 600 words of technical analysis of the Republican's communication process and tactics during the recent Presidential campaign, Santorum devotes exactly 88 words to the substance of the Republican message. Santorum's diagnosis of the party's failure "to shape a governing vision and communicate it to the American electorate" includes a breakdown in strategic planning, egos, institutional interests, policy disagreements, indifference, incompetence and failure to use technology as well as the Democrats. He concludes that "our governing philosophy was not rejected in the last two elections; rather we could not plausibly explain how our ideas and actions matched" a philosophy grounded in capitalism, world domination and "the values of our forefathers." No wonder! Nowhere does he suggest that the party's abuse of our constitutional rights; its massive failure to regulate its cronies in the financial markets; its use of torture; its attempts to create an American theocracy; its invasion of other nations; and its cynical base-building campaign to deny gays and lesbians their equal rights may be sources of the fact that the Republican Party was "taken … to the woodshed for a beating in the past two election cycles." The Republic Party of late has some experience with lipstick and should know by now that it can't put it on a pig. Communication that move hearts and minds, garners support and changes behavior must stand on a foundation of actions that are aligned with public expectations and then — and only then — effective communication about those actions. Santorum believes that the Party can return to the time when it "ran circles around the Democrats." Technology is not enough, he says; the Party needs a new chairman to "winsomely" communicate about its "vision." My dictionary defines winsome as "charming, especially because of a naive, innocent quality." Mr. Santorum, if you think winsome will do it for you, then you're going to lose-some more.

Every Cloud Must Have A Silver Lining

Effective communication in the recession is building relationships: My aunt Ruth is an 87 year-old Roman Catholic nun who entered the convent at the age of 17.  She now lives in a retirement community for nuns, helping "the older girls," and keeping up her routine, which includes the morning paper and the evening news.  We took her and my 89 year-old mother on a shopping trip to the King of Prussia Mall recently.  This led us to a conversation about the current tough economic times.  Despite my aunt's routine, she hadn't known (!) that the nation and the world are hard in the grip of "the worst economic recession since The Great Depression."  (Both of them were aghast that a shirt they saw cost ... gasp ... $30.) Ahh, to be blissfully unaware of all that is happening around us.  For my part, I can't get seem to get away from the bad news, even though I've long since stopped opening my 401(k) statements.   But this dark cloud has a silver lining: effective communication is building relationships.  I see relationships opening up and strengthening all around me.  Neighbors have started to share tips for saving money. More dinner parties have turned pot luck. There's talk of starting a vegetable-purchasing co-op.  We hear couples pledging to "get through this together" and friends promising to lend a helping hand if it's needed.  People are taking their dogs for long walks around the community instead of, I can guess, something pricier.  Frugal is in fashion and conspicuous consumption is as socially incorrect as wearing fur or a white hood. I was born after WWII but I imagine this is how the culture must have felt in the days of Victory Gardens, black-painted windows and saving chewing gum wrappers.  The sense of shared adversity seems to be drawing many of us closer together rather than driving us apart.  Sure, all of us, except the crazy rich and the plain crazy, are tightening our belts.  But we're noticing some wonderful consequences of doing so.  I don't know what's ahead.  But for now, I'm taking that Perry Como offered in his classic Melancholy Baby: cuddle up and don't be blue.  Happy holidays.

Read my December 2008 newsletter.