MEDIAMIX

DEMOCRATS:PLEASE FIGHT BACK FOR OUR SAKE!

2008-09-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

WHY IN THE WORLD AREN'T THE DEMOCRATS FIGHTING BACK? WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF? THEY HAVE ALL OF THE RIGHT THINGS TO SAY ABOUT GEORGE W. BUSH AND I'M NOT HEARING IT.
WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY? WHAT ABOUT HEALTH CARE? WHAT ABOUT JOBS? WHAT ABOUT REGULATION AND THE LACK THEREOF, CREATING THE WORST MARKET IN YEARS.

I AM STUNNED THAT THE PASSION ISN'T IN THESE ADS OR IN THE SPEECHES. YOU WON'T OFFEND THE VOTERS, YOU WILL MAKE THEM HAPPY. CAN ANYONE CAN TELL ME WHY THE DEMOCRATS
WON'T FIGHT?

I AM HOPING THAT JOE BIDEN WILL COME THROUGH. PLEASE JOE TEACH OBAMA HOW TO LAND A PUNCH!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE NEWSPAPERS GONE

2008-07-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have always loved newspapers. I worked on two of them the Baltimore Sun and The Washington Star and also the Diamondback at the University of MD. I am married to a journalist. He's worked on many more paper than I have. But we are now involved with trhe internet and get much of our news from the onslaught via cellphone, blackberry,
and you name it.

I still receive my hard copy every morning. By that time I have pretty much been aware of most everything in the news except my horoscope. But if I really want an in-depth report, I like to sit and read a nice fresh paper every day.

Why are they dwindling in size and staff? Is it because no one really cares about the news to want to read it? Or are we just so jaded that we don't have the time to
finish a story that isn't more than 2 paragraphs?

Are we going to let this great tradition of newspapers and in-depth reporting die?
If we have to rely on Cable for news we are doomed.

I have a bet with my son that in five years the papers as we know them will just be delivered on Sundays if that. Maybe they will be available on EBAY.

I'M MAD BUT I'M OVER IT AND I'M AN OBAMA GIRL NOW

2008-06-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

I was very angry at the way Hillary was treated by some members of the press. Why is it ok to say iron my shirt but not ok to say shine my shoes. Everyone should be treated with respect. Here's a candidate who received more of the popular vote and has 18 million people in her constituency. Why were they bugging her to quit? Why was the media so annoyed. I used to love Keith Olbermann but it will take me a while before I can stand being yelled at by him again.

I think this country needs to learn how to understand free speech. We can express our ideas but we shouldn't make fun of and try to witchify a person merely because they are running for office.

So anyway I was bitter and still may be. But I know that I want what is best for the country now.

WHY SHOULD HILLARY GET OUT OF THE RACE?

2008-05-09T12:48:00.002-07:00

I was on a conference call last evening with Bill Clinton and Terry McAuliffe. Well it was me and about 1200 other people who were Hillary supporters. It was a very interesting experience having Bill on the line. He made sense and answered questions too.

Here's the line I liked: Hillary is getting more of her votes from people who really need a president. It's true that all of us need a president, but some need help more than others and the people who are desperate really know what they need. And it isn't Barak Obama or John McCain.

A large group of voters have included women over 45. We are being dissed big time!

I think Hillary Clinton is just too darn smart for this country.If she would have been born someplace else, Pakistan maybe, she would have been a head of state by now. This country still can't make the leap of having a woman as a leader. Look how MSNBC which is a liberal media outlet has been campaigning for Obama. Not only that but trashing Hillary Clinton.
They're saying she should get out of the race and let the men take over.

If our country elects an African American man to be president we should be proud. But we should hang our heads in shame at the way Senator Clinton has been treated.

Obama's Speech is Sweeping the Country

2008-03-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

Whether you are for or against him, Barak Obama gave a powerful speech this week. If you have white guilt or not, it really outlined how we should all come together and make each other great. That would make the country the greatest it could and should be.

He hit on all of our buttons and presented a plan to start and rebuild America. He didn't talk to us like we were five year olds. He treated us like we were oh...grown ups. Just imagine that! A speech that wasn't filled with lies.

He also had the courage to stick with his minister. Barak turns out to be a stand-up guy after all.

Even though I am a Hillary supporter, I do feel and am starting to understand the Obamamania
that is sweeping the country. But he has a tough road ahead with the campaign. People are starting to think he is a bigot. I really don't see it, but he now has to be very careful. We all do.

If McCain is a Liberal and Hillary is a Republican, We are in a State of Confusion

2008-02-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

To make matters even more confusing, President Bush said today that he wants to continue on the path of peace and prosperity. He was talking about Senator McCain without giving him a full endorsement. Although by the looks of the latest photograph of them, I think they are in love with each other. So we would go back to the Clinton days of real peace and prosperity and call it the Bush years? I am confused.

And now Senator Clinton is being endorsed by Rush Limbaugh? WHAT! Does that mean Ann Coulter will be endorsing Barak? Oh that's right she is for Hillary now too.

I am a Hillary girl, but I am angry that the righties are giving McCain such a hard time. He was a POW that could have left the prison but chose to stay with his men. That's a real hero in my book. But he is still not good enough for them. He's actually too good for them.

On Obama, he never really voted against the war, but he spoke out about it. Hillary would start bringing our heroes of today back home where they belong.

We are in for a long campaign, but I do hope that the people can choose who they want and not the super-delegates. That would be the most confusing and insulting of all.

HILLARY CAN CRY ME A RIVER CAN THE OTHER CANDIDATES?

2008-01-09T06:35:00.000-08:00

At last emotion wins! Hooray for New Hampshire. Great going Hillary. I find her brillaint and charming and yes she did laugh last time I met her. But we've never seen her come close to tearing up. Is that what it takes?

Is that the secret weapon of politicans now? Will we now see Obama breaking down after he says Hillary is likeable enough? Will Edwards cry when he talks about sweeping ni the mill? Will Guilliani (remember him) weep when talking about crime in New York?

I have seen McCain (another fave) get teary, but he can do that and it really seems sincere.

It is somewhat acceptable for grown men to get teary in public, but the guys get so uncomfortable when the women do it. Emotion is a natural human condition. All the better for the times we are in. It doesn't mean we cry before we think. We are thinking so much and that's why we are tearing up as a nation.

I say LET IT FLOW!

What it Really Means to be a Democrat

2007-11-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is a hard task to be a true Democrat. We defend the rights of free speech and believe in it.

We are fighters and have died for our country. We do not take for granted our liberties and will march in the streets to protect them.

We believe that ALL people have rights and that is what this country was founded on and we embrace it. We think that ALL children should have good schools and we as a nation should keep our children healthy even the poor ones.

We think the government should help our poor and middle class and train people to work.

Our seniors need help with Social Security and presciption drug programs.

Why is it wrong to be a liberal? Is it natural for our society to be so conservative? Are we really a conservative nation? Don't we want to help the poor and middle class with things like healthcare and education?

I asked one of my Republican friends why he hated Hillary so much. The only thing he came up with was that she was ruthless. Of course, Guilliani isn't ruthless and neither is Romney.

Another one said she should have left Bill. Is that what family values is all about?

Where are our values? Let's fix up this country. We can do it. It begins with us. Of course it should begin with our leaders. If I can find one in both parties I would be happy.

Where Are Our Priorities?

2007-06-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Why are we complaining about Paris Hilton yet so addicted to news about her going to jail and her life in jail and her life in general? Why should we care? I hope she does well,but there is so much other news and trouble in the world that we have got to focus on today.

We have to start really caring about and helping one another. Our country talks a good game, but we focus on our idol which is money. Why didn't the immigration bill pass? The companies would be losing too much money. Why don't we have universal health insurance for our citizens? Companies would lose to much money.

I think people are so disturbed and upset more and more because they are deeply in dept and they know financial disaster is lurking around the corner. There are so many forclosures because people cannot claim bankruptcy anymore for that. So many must choose between losing their home and other needs.

Maybe Paris Hilton can lead the way for fortunate people to care about others rather than making the next million. Let us pray that will happen soon for the sake of our civilization.

ILLEGAL SHOULD MEAN ILLEGAL BY BOB UNTERMAN

2007-05-01T07:45:00.003-07:00

Curtailing illegal immigration

Suppose bank robbery was not punished. If you robbed a bank and you were caught, you'd simply have to give the money back. And oh yes, you'd get a lift home. Obviously, if that were the case, we would have banks being robbed every second of every day. So why are we surprised that illegal immigrants flood across our borders every second of every day? If caught, Border Patrol agents simply ship the illegal immigrants back home. Our government's attitude seems to be, 'no harm, no foul'. And now we are going to spend a ridiculous amount of money on an utterly ridiculous, and useless, fence as the "cure" for this serious problem afflicting America.

There is a better solution. I have a radical idea; let's make illegal mean illegal again. Let's pass a federal law saying that instead of merely being sent home, anyone convicted of illegally entering the United States would serve 6 months in jail for the first offense, 18 months for the second offense, and 36 months for the third offense. And only upon completion of their sentence would an illegal immigrant be sent home. This would remove the primary impetus for such illegal immigration, sending money home. An incarcerated illegal immigrant can't earn money; he or she can't send money back home, so why cross the border? Hence once America seriously enforces such a law on a nationwide basis, illegal immigration would drop precipitously.

(Depending upon how seriously we want to curtail the flow of illegal immigration, we can remove other rewards for crossing our border illegally. We could end the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born here even if the mother is here illegally; we could stop free health care and free public education. All these reward illegal entry. America needs to decide just how firmly we want to deal with this problem.)

But wait, you say, can we afford to build and staff thousands of new jail cells? Wouldn't incarcerating this veritable flood of illegal aliens cost billions? But no, I say. Let's steal an idea from Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. Let's set up large tent city jails near the US/Mexico border. We could house the illegal immigrants in these inexpensive, temporary facilities. Those caught in other locales around the country could be transported to these southwestern locations. Again, I suspect that once we were to seriously enforce such a law, the need for such facilities would fall dramatically.

{Yes, we need some sort of guest worker program (a future blog entry from someone smarter than I), and some sort of grandfather clause for folks who have been here and paid taxes for many years (another future blog entry). Yes, the United States bears some responsibility for the crushing poverty in much of our hemisphere (yet another blog entry). But the lack of legislation in these other areas should not deter this crucial first step. This fairly simple, cost effective, solution can become a reality, but only if we have the national will to do it.}

So when will Congress grow some cojones and pass such a bill? Believe it or not, something quite similar to this law is already on the books. This is precisely why these people are already called 'illegal'! So why isn't the Bush administration enforcing the law? Beats the hell out of me.

Guiliani Attacks Democrats Strength on National Security

2007-04-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Guiliani Attacks Democrats Strength on National Security
by Douglas Schoen
Just as significant as the decision by the House yesterday to approve funding of the troops in Iraq with the setting of a deadline for withdrawal, were Rudy Guiliani's comments in New Hampshire on April 25th.
In what the New York Times called one of the harshest partisan attacks by the Republicans on the Democrats, Guiliani said that the Democrats simply did not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us and made it clear the U.S. would suffer "more losses" if the party reclaimed the White House.
The Democratic response was strong and unwavering, but it also reveals that national security could well be the achilles heel of the party as it goes forward into campaign 2008. As I argue in my new book The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World, the only way the Democrats can lose the next Presidential election is if they apper to be weaker than the Republicans on national security.
Such was the case in 2004 when Senator John Kerry and the Democrats led George Bush and the Republicans on virtually every important issue facing the country--save for the war on terror and the struggle for Iraq. By the 2006 mid-term election, the gap on these two critical issues had disappeared and the Democrats were able to win a landslide victory, not only because of dissatisfaction with Bush administration policies both here and abroad, but also because the Democrats were perceived as being superior on the key domestic issues facing the U.S.
That is why it is important for the Democrats to try to achieve two goals simultaneously with the fight in Congress over continued funding over the war in Iraq. First, as is very clear, the Democrats need to do exactly what they are doing; pressing the case that in their view future funding should be tied directly to the setting of a timetable for withdrawal as well as goals to be achieved along the way--political reconciliation, equitable sharing of oil revenue, and the development of responsive local government institutions.
But the Democrats also have to make it clear that if President Bush pursues his ill conceived policy of opposing any sort of timetable or goals for withdrawal, they will not leave the troops and the war effort unfunded. To be sure, the President, however wrong he may be, is still commander-in-chief and must have the final say on matters like continued funding of the troops already on the ground in Iraq.
I well understand the vehement opposition this last statement attracts, and am sympathetic to those who hold an alternative view. But that being said, the best way to make the case John Edwards made yesterday: that the U.S. is less safe and secure in the fight against terror is by not giving the Republicans any opening to attack the Democrats on national security.
Ultimately, this is a tactical judgment which, however frustrating it may be for many, reflects the fact that we cannot abandon our troops and we cannot allow the Democratic party to once again be perceived as weak on national security.
If we are able to avoid having the Democrats portrayed as weak, and to avoid having Senate leader Harry Reid become a focal point for opposition to Democratic foreign policy positions, the party will be much stronger going into election 2008.
This positioning will also help the party press a vigorous argument against the Republicans on national security and terror when it really matters most--in the run up to the 2008 vote.
Douglas E. Schoen is the author of The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dicators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World (William Morrow, 2007).
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Madam Speaker

2007-01-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wasn't it heart-warming to see Nancy Pelosi sitting behind the president last night?
She conducted herself so well. It seemed though that VP Cheney was looking at her and smiling
and she was looking at Bush and frowning. What a couple. Is it half empty and half empty?

Bush looked so weary and gave the best speech that HE could under the circumstances.
Where are we headed as a country? I think it maybe Watergate and Vietnam all over again.
But we can hang in there and go shopping.

I thought the speech by Senator Webb was strong and brilliant. He has the credentials and family background of being Marines to fight the Bushies. And he looked the part too.

The buzz in Washington is that he did very well and he has a good future.

Getting a Good Job takes Two

2006-09-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Guest Contributor
Amy Hess

I’ve interviewed candidates for the past 8 years for my company. Usually we have a strong batch of entry-level candidates that handle themselves professionally. The resumes used to be good and for the most part, so were the candidates. In the last two years, I’ve seen a switch. It’s not unnoticed by my collegues and others I’ve spoken with. The resumes aren’t as good and many even contain simple spelling mistakes such as listing “America University” for American University or saying that a resume is “attacked” instead of attached. But more than that, it’s the attitude that comes along with these resumes. The attitude seems to be that we owe the candidates something and that they’ve already paid their dues. They expect big salaries, no administrative work at all (which we all do to some degree) and a host of benefits. It seems to be all about them and not what they can contribute to a company. Their attitudes seem to be that they’ll test a job out for a few months and then leave if they feel like trying something else out. When did it become acceptable to only have a first job on your resume that you stayed at for only a few months? I receive more and more resumes from candidates who just got out of college and have been at their positions for only a month or two.

The attitude is also less formal. Written thank you notes are a thing of the past. I can accept that. But I can’t accept the laxness in the emails. Emails that are misspelled or way too informal for someone who doesn’t even know me and is applying for a job. I’ve seen “hah hah” written in an email when I pointed out a mistake in an email. (the girl who wrote that her resume was attacked. I asked if she meant “attached). My supervisor and I have been stalked by candidates who won’t let up, even when their resumes are inadequate for the position. And we’ve also seen the opposite—candidates who appear interested and enthusiastic and then disappear. We’ve taken our time to interview them. If they aren’t interested, a simple email will do. Thanks for your time, etc. What happened to not burning bridges? Why say you are excited for the possibility after a 2nd interview and then fall off the face of the earth? It’s disrespectful.

There’s been a lot of write-up lately about so called helicopter parents. Parents who hover around their kids and make every tiny decision for them. Maybe this has something to do with it. Without the parents, they just don’t know what to do. Or maybe parents are teaching their kids that the world is only about them. The days of text messages and IMs have had to influenced the language I see. I’m not sure what it is exactly but I know that it doesn’t bode well for any industry—or for our very fragile world.

WAKE UP AMERICA

2006-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

It is disturbing that the US has a strategy of adapting in Iraq. To what are we adapting?
How is that different than Stay the Course? Why should our young people be sitting ducks
for the Iraqi's? And why should the elections have anything to do with this failed fight?

Over 60% of the American people are against this war now. We are waking up as a country.
and we should start bringing home our troops. Whe we do there will be more peace in the world.

The question is how and when do we begin. Bush is in the Lyndon Johnson phase of his presidency.Only he doesn't have a draft so he is safe for now from huge marches and demonstrations.

Our country is waking up, but it is not a morning country. it is taking a while.
Where is the voice of America?

BOOK BUZZ FROM BOOK EXPO AMERICA

2006-05-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

by Amy Hess, guest columnist

We all want buzz. To be a part of what everyone is talking about. This is especially important in order to for authors who must be a part of the buzz to sell books. At a Book Expo America/PMA panel I attended yesterday, Sandy Trupp, Managing Director Planned TV Arts (and primary writer of this blog) launched a discussion on the fine art of creating it. Diane Rehm of NPR, Dan Raviv of CBS News and Marie Arana of Washington Post’s Book World were the featured guests who dished on what journalists really want and how to get your message out there in a super saturated world. Diane Rehm who gives significant air time to books is cutting back on the number of authors she has on her show. She says that with everything going on in the world, she just doesn’t feel that it can be justified and instead must talk about news. It’s sad because so many do enjoy author interviews and the break from the news headlines. Many people say they enjoy author interviews in their cars, but at the same time, more and more shows are doing shorter author interviews.

As publicists we advise our authors to find a news hook and tap into that. At the same time though, we have to be careful that we can separate our author’s voice from the masses that flood the media with their opinions on the latest headlines. How much is too much coverage on a topic? When does it become saturated? The panelists agreed that you need to show a new angle on a topic in the news to be covered. It’s very difficult to appear without a news hook although lighter topics that interest the host can be covered. Dan Raviv will occasionally do a story on a biography or historical non-fiction, even if the headlines don’t warrant it. But it’s still rare. Diane Rehm admits that she won’t cover something that she doesn’t find interesting. Marie Arana is partial to international affairs and history, but tries to balance her coverage of those types of books with other subjects to be fair.

And there are guidelines that will get you in the door. As busy as Marie Arana is, she personally reads every email she’s sent. She may not respond, but she prefers an email. She doesn’t like to hear from authors themselves, only publicists. Diane Rehm’s staff doesn’t work with publicists very often. You have to mail Diane’s producer a book. And no self-published books. In order to compete with the 150 books a week she receives, make it as easy on the producer as possible.

All of the journalists want the information they need at their finger tips in an easy to read, short, and smart format. Dan Raviv likes to have a biography but finds Question and Answer sheets a waste, wanting to come up with his own questions. Diane likes them because it may point her to an angle she hasn’t thought of before.

All agreed that they are cynical of blurbs which they feel are now manufactured and mean nothing. Same with endorsements. And backlist books aren’t likely to be covered. However, positioning the person with a backlist book as an expert on a topic in today’s news could work.
When you do get a hit, it may go further than you realize these days. Podcasts, streaming video and audio, and online radio often use coverage from other venues so your message goes further. This can be hit or miss. Getting covered on a blog though doesn’t seem to do much good-yet. Journalists follow the track record of bloggers carefully and unless the source is very reliable, they just can’t trust it.

They all agreed that books that are well-written and meaningful should have a chance in this sometimes celebrity-driven news world.

I DON'T: THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND CIVIL UNION

2006-04-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

GUEST COLUMNIST: BOB

I Don't
The Separation of Church and Civil Union

I am against gay marriage. (And so should every Democratic candidate in the upcoming election.) Not because I am anti-gay, (just the opposite), but because I am against the merger of church and state. At present our government insists on forcing the state into the church? Nothing is more wrong-headed than the following words: "So by the power vested in me by the State of…..". Marriage is sacred. Sacred, as in religious. So why is our government involved? Why is the state granting powers to ministers, priests, rabbis, imams, shamen or whatever? We need to get government out of marriage.

Marriage, that powerful word, is a religious word. Each and every religious institution should be able to define marriage as they see fit. Without the fear of government imposing a definition. So that if a church decides to believe that, say, only right-handed people can marry right-handed people, and left-handed people can only marry left-handed people; so be it. That church can then solemnize only the marriages that they see as fit.

Every religion has the right to set whatever rules for marriage it wishes. The Catholic Church does not marry divorced people whose prior Catholic marriage has not been annulled. That is their right, and no government neither can nor should force them to do otherwise. Similarly, to select a potential example, if the Baptist Church refuses to solemnize a marriage between two members of the same sex, that is their right; and no government should force them to do otherwise.

Let our government insist on civil union in order to be a legal duo in the eyes of the state. And our government can then set whatever regulations we, the people, agree upon for civil unions, not marriage. And stay the hell out of the church's business.

Which is not only the right thing to, but would help save the Democratic Party. Democratic candidates can then say, in all honesty, that they are against gay marriage, using that precise language. Which would remove a powerful weapon from the Republican Party arsenal. "Gay marriage" makes Red State residents fear East Coast liberals imposing distasteful values upon their church. Being against gay marriage, in those words, takes away the "wrong values" argument from Republicans. And being perceived as having the proper values is a key to Democratic victory in November.

What the Media Won't Tell You About Dubai and the Ports

2006-02-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

The on-going coverage of the P&O Ports acquisition by Dubai Ports Worldwide is a bit surprising to many in the maritime world. Surprising, maybe disturbing, is the complete lack of investigative skills media giants like CNN (especially), who have covered it incessantly, and other networks have exhibited throughout their coverage.

I am not suggesting it isn’t prudent to look at these issues, but if national coverage is going to dedicate hours of air time to a highly-specialized industry such as international shipping, it is incumbent on reporters, anchors and producers to actually learn a little more about the subject they are covering. Instead, they sensationalized something as mundane as the sale of an international company and in doing so, tossed an emotional Molotov cocktail into the viewing audience, sat back and fed on the panic. It is highly irresponsible and just plain bad reporting.

Most erroneous of the statements which have continued to scream across headlines is “U.S. Gives Control of Six U.S. Ports to UAE.” For anyone in the maritime industry, or who has any connection to it, that statement, if it weren’t so inflammatory, would be laughable. P&O Ports is a stevedoring company that leases land within port property, they own only forklifts and top loaders which facilitate the transfer of containers for over-the-road transport, utilize port-owned cranes to remove cargo from ships and employ labor. They have no authority for overall port management. The similar example would be a foreign car manufacturer operating a factory in the U.S. that builds cars and employs U.S. workers to build them.

Port security, either landside or water, software the runs the gates into the terminals, port access – among other security issues -- are all coordinated by the port administration, or authority, in each state and/or municipality along with the Coast Guard and Customs. There are approximately 14 terminals at the Port of Baltimore – each run or managed by a different entity, some public, some private. P&O Ports, which currently leases its space from the Maryland Port Administration, falls under the jurisdiction of the Port of Baltimore, not the other way around. That was never going to change. The same would be true for the five other ports in question.

Few people interviewed were actually maritime executives – or even journalists who cover the industry for trade journals. Why? Because those industry representatives, for whom this is every day ‘stuff,’ knew the coverage was ‘much ado about nothing.’ Interviewing them would have taken the wind out of the firestorm.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle have been disappointing. Many of these same politicians take regular port tours in these various states. They’ve either learned nothing or are seizing the moment to grandstand before a local election. They were clever to jump on the wave of hysteria sweeping their constituency, ordering further investigations whereby typically none are warranted. No one expects the average American to know where their flip-flops, computer keyboards, clothing or household goods come from or how they get here. Maritime officials don’t expect soccer moms at Wal-Mart to contemplate the complexities of foreign flagged ships or bills of lading. What we all should expect, however, is our news outlets use due diligence toward the subjects they cover, no matter how complex, and to consult the experts who know the topic better than they do. I am now curious about some of the other industries they erroneously cover and how accurate their reporting really is.

Lisa Shenkle
Guest columnist
Former Director of Communications, Port of Baltimore
Freelancer, Journal of Commerce and Shipping Digest

What Happened to the Kinder, Gentler Nation?

2006-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

Are you at your wit's end with everyone's attitude? I know I am.
People are very rude to each other and have forgotten three little words:
please, thank you.

I think part of the reason is that there is so much corruption out there and the country
is tired of it and frustrated too. The trial of the week is underway with Ken Lay. Pretty soon we will see Tom DeLay drag out his stories. And then Jack Abramoff will spill his guts and rat on all his people.

People in Washington are just on edge and nervous. There are too many secrets and too much bullying.That has the trickle-down effect across the country. Is intergrity back at the White House? Will the State of the Union be a boring speech or will it be filled with promise and hope. Not just for the very rich, but maybe for the little guy too.

Let's see if we can be happy again as a country.

Life in South Carolina

2005-12-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

My colleague sent me this letter:

months ago, I traded my blue state status in Maryland for the blazing redstate of South Carolina when my husband received a job transfer to MyrtleBeach, South Carolina. While more people are flocking to the area from the North, (you'd be surprised how many people from New Jersey and New York live here) it is still moreSouthern than anything else. I've also been told that there is no realmiddle class here, everyone is either really rich or really poor. I hadnever seen food stamps being used before I moved here. It has been a bigshock, however I've taken it upon myself to use it as a learning experienceto another way of thinking and different culture.
I am loving the friendliness, pride people seem to take in their workwhether it's professional or blue collar, less traffic and conjestion andmost importantly, the BEACH! It's refreshing to meet people and not havethem ask you what your job is before they ask you your name. The thing isthat they don't really care. I made two good friends several months ago andthey just recently found out what I do. They knew I worked from home butmost importantly they knew they liked me. And that was enough.
I'm definitely homesick for some good old fashioned political debate. I tryto spark it sometimes, but it doesn't happen. I've heard from people downhere that they "just don't care" and that "they didn't think their votewould count." (to be fair, I've also heard the vote not counting idea backhome). When challenged, these people said they do care, but not enough totalk about it. Interesting. But in reality, I think that many people hereare either rich and just fine with the status quo or so poor (I've talked topeople working three jobs, living in trailer homes) that they don't look atthe big picture because they can only live day to day and think aboutputting food on the table.
My entire experience has changed the way I see the world. When I moved here,I was so worried because I couldn't find a Starbucks and didn't think mysomewhat sophisticated habits could be taken care of here. When you realizethat your best friend here grew up never having new clothes, receiving toysfrom charity at Christmas and not having running water,you can't help but change the way you think. There is a world outside Washington, D.C. and I am slowly understanding it and the country better.

The role of the media in the indictments

2005-10-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

Every night on cable news, the White House is scrutinized. The big question is will Cheney be the next one to be indicted. This is history repeating itself. In the Nixon era, VP Agnew went first. He pleaded Nolo Contendre and disappeared. And then we know what happened after that.

Now we see Scooter going and speculation that Cheney is next after Rove of course. People just don't like snitches. Especially when a covert CIA operative is involved. And it's against the law.

We are seeing books such as War Against Truth and War and Destiny and many others coming out in question of the war in Iraq.

Finally the media is discussing this in detail. As they should. People need to be informed whether they are lefties or righties. Information is good for everyone. Let's hope that the media will keep on reporting and discussing this and as we find out more and more facts, the truth will prevail.

Cindy Sheehan and what does winning look like?

2005-08-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

When Mrs Sheehan first asked President Bush to explain what winning meant, he could have invited her in and told her what he thought. Instead, it has exploded into a uncivil war of sorts
and the country is fiercly divided.

Now I know that the President of the US can't invite everyone to his house. But now he will be met everywhere he goes by Gold Star Mothers for Peace. And the people who disagree with her
have a right to do so, but they do not have a right to be so horribly mean-spirited.

She has suffered a loss of a son in this war. Be kind. What is the purpose of being so hateful?
Can anyone answer her question instead of trying to rip her apart?

When will we know when we have won? The strategic objectives are constantly being switched by this administration.First it was the weapons of mass destruction, then it was scaring the other members of the axis of evil and then it was creating a democracy (other than Israel) in the middle east. Oh and defeating the insurgency.

Are we winning? When President Bush speaks in front of a live audience other than on TV and radio that is a mix of Republicans and Democrats then we can say we are moving forward.

Why Did Bob Novak Really Walk Off the Set of CNN?

2005-08-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have to wonder why an experienced and seasoned TV pesonality like Bob Novak walked off the set of CNN last week. Was James Carville being too hard on the guy? I don't think so.
They have worked together for many years and they know how to stand each other.

Afterall, journalists socialize with each other and with politicans. So what was said or not said to make Bob walk off in a huff. Is he upset about the Valerie Plame incident? He should be.
Does he think he'll be indicted? Does he know too much?

I think he was waiting to be asked not to walk out. And no one said oh don't walk off Bob.
If you look at the repeats of it, you'll see that he waited a few seconds and when they didn't beg him to stay, he walked off.

It is absolutely unacceptable to do this. What do you think? Should we give him a break? CNN didn't care for it either. Maybe he is just cracking up.

Valerie Plame

2005-07-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Is anything secret anymore? Ms Plame is a hard-working CIA covert agent and the overfed
politicians in DC are trying to make her and her husband out to be villains.Bob Novak should be
sitting in a cell like Judy Miller is. But he cooperated and gave his source up. Or did he?

This is a very serious matter. Karl Rove studied with his mentor
Lee Atwater on how to be a mean-spirited politician. He hates
Democrats. This is going to unravel into a big mess and it took a giant step
today with the Washington Post saying that Plame's identity was marked as
SECRET!

Even if it wasn't marked as secret, a White House official should not be throwing names out
of people in the CIA.

Is there any other news out there!

2005-06-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I watch too much cable. I really do care about the missing girl in Aruba and I hope they find her. But really, isn't there any other news topic we can listen to and discuss?

Don't you find it infuriating that we have a war in Iraq and we have to listen to hour after hour about the landscape of Aruba and maybe for a minute or two, we can find out the day's news in Iraq and here.

And everyone has an opinion.Well that's good, but we are really reaching the bottom of the barrel to talk about how inadequate the detectives are in Aruba. Don't you remember Chandra Levy? Was that case ever solved? No it wasn't. but they have an excellent detective on that case now. So stay tuned.

And if you have any interest in PBS speak up now. This is the only forum for many people with out cable to watch non-network shows. The shows are so good and not interrupted with awful commercials. So many children grew up with Mr Rogers and Sesame Street.

I know Bob Novak hates that show, but most of the children and parents I know love it. Do you think FOX is getting a kids network ready to go?

Please let us know your thoughts.

cheers,
Sandy

BACKLIST BOOKS

2005-05-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

When is a book considered backlist? It's almost as soon as it comes out. With so many titles
to consider and sell, the publisher just can't give every book it's due. However, a creative author will work with the house and go beyond the marketing and publicity plan set forth.

The key is not to complain, but to get out in public and create a buzz. The publicity, sales and marketing department work about 6 months in advance of the pub date. The sales rep has about 10 seconds to present each title and has to choose what to sell.

The marketing team has a few months to do mailings and drum up interest. The publicist has a few months as well. A smaller house will keep backlist titles ongoing for years. And in many cases it works well because timing is everything.

So what should a poor backlist author do? Go out and give talks, do readings, have another book party and get on the air whenever possible.

Office Emails that Really Click which I wrote with Maureen Chase had ongoing publicity for about five years. Every time one of us did a radio or TV show we saw an increase in sales.

So you may think that writing a book is tough. At least that has an end. Publicity is ongoing.

Publicists are Dedicated People

2005-04-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

I was reading Bookangst.com . You know Max's blog. He trashed publicists and being one I wanted to give our side.

Every author deserves good publicity. But the author has to be involved too. We need to know that you can be counted on to plug your book when you are doing an interview for instance.
I have done media brush-ups with authors and they are talkative and 99% of the time forget to mention the book. I am getting tired of saying: that was good, but you forogt one important thing.

When you do an author interview it is valuable air-time. Be engaging. Give your title and tell what it's about. Read your own book before you do an interview.

We had a great author touring our Morning Drive Radio Tour this morning and her book is called Unstoppable Woman. WOW!
She gave me so much energy today to work on her book. She gave the interviewers so much energy to do a good interview.

I love authors. I'm married to one and I am one myself.

My next entry will be about mid-list.

Max are you out there?

Can the People Change American Politics?

2005-04-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have a running debate with a very dear friend of mine. She is a Republican and I am a Democrat. We agree on most everything else except politics.

We do have heated debates sometimes and sometimes we can actually agree on some things.
We always have a good conversation and we respect each other.

I think we can have a good conversation in this country about politics and where we are headed as a nation. Way too often though, people are so angry that it gets nasty and defeats the whole
purpose of having an exchange of ideas.

Should the rich get richer on the backs of the middle class?
Should our tax money go toward programs that aren't working
and that don't seem to help the poor?

Where is the debate? I suppose we could watch C-SPAN and see it, but
very few people do that.

The media should get the facts out to the people and still stay objective.
It can be done. But many people are getting to the point where they just do
not trust the journalists.

Who are the most objective journalists out there?

A Great Little Book Store

2005-03-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

In Today's Wall Street Journal there is a story about Politics and Prose which is an independent bookstore two blocks from my house. It started out as a tiny shop called Second Hand Prose. Cute right?

Then they moved across the street on Connecticut Ave and success came quickly to them. But still they were a very friendly neighborhood place catering to the locals and always having room for a local author event.

But when fame hit, they got an attititude. It was next to impossible to book an event and the lead time is now five months ahead of publication date of a book. If you aren't representing a celebrity it is very hard to get a reading there. Gosh I remember the good ole days when I
had so many events there. One time to bring out a book on jazz, I had a jazz vocalist to announce the author. And we had a trio with her.

They would provide wine and cheese from Marvelous Market down the street too. Now they have a coffee shop that has goodies.

True it is still a great place to go and read and have coffee and a healthy snack. But I think the soul is leaving the building. The owners are always nice, but it really isn't the same.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

cheers,
Sandy

White House Correspondent or Not

2005-02-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Washingtonians are still talking about James Guckert AKA Gannon and how he was able to stay in as a White House reporter for such a long time. What a joke.How could you miss the set up questions he asked? Who could keep a straight face? And Helen Thomas lost her seat?

I keep waiting for some good journalists to really ask some hard-hitting questions. I know they have been better lately, but really. Do we need Sam Donaldson and Carl Bernstein to do everything?

What do you think?

WEST WING AND HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

2005-02-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last night's West Wing on NBC was an exceptionally good program.
It was all about campaigning. The Jimmy Smits character was
loosing and wasn't allowed to participate in the debates.

He was advised to do punky ads and he refused. In the end he gave a one minute
live speech on TV and looked into the camera and said what he thought was right.

Could we actually get away with that today? Would that work?

I think we definitely need to come back to our senses and try this sort of thing in
our country's campaigns. Not only political campaigns either. We always advise our clients to take the honest approach. There is no such thing as a good cover up.

My Trip to New York

2005-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Had some business in New York on Monday, so Phil and I went there
over the weekend and had a great time with friends. We went to hear Mark
Murphy the great jazz vocalist at Iridium. It was amazing.

The next day we went to have drinks at the Oak Room Bar possibly for the last time
since they are closing next week. It was so historic and fun. Where else can you get a tuna
salad sandwich for $19?

We had a big group of people later that night for a Chinese dinner party on the west side.
They included a woman who ran for the Senate seat in St; Louis to New York Times
writers. My friend Daphne really put together quite a group of artists , writers and politicians.

The next day Emily and I went to some meetings and had lunch with one of our publishing clients at Giorgiones in the meast packing district. We really had a good talk.
I asked her about the future of publishing and she said budgets are being cut, but it will thrive.

Then on to meet our agent coordination client and take her to meet with an agent. This agent really liked that we were representing her and said that it gives writers a platform that agents like.

A Typical Day in Washington,DC

2005-02-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the MediaMix. I do publicity mostly for publishers and authors. The mix comes from the many different types of stuff we do with the media from health care to political agendas. We’re in Washington, DC after all and about two blocks from the White House.

We see the motorcades everyday and this morning there was an odd one that stopped traffic for miles. It involved busses of people coming back from a Presidential prayer breakfast I think. Horns were blowing and lights were flashing. It really was confusing because although we are used to this, no one knew where to go, basically everyone stopped in their tracks. I just waited on the sidewalk until it went through.

I love book publicity and have been doing it for over 20 years. I’ve been here at Planned Television Arts DC office for eight years on Feb 18th. The home office is in New York.
So I get to take trips up there and mix business with fun.

Sometimes publishing rebels think they will change the mindset, but it takes a while. Publishing is a world all to its own. I think book people just want to cling to typewriters and think that computers are too anti-intellectual. But slowly and surely the literary types come around.

I like doing work for the Think Tanks here. What a great job it would be to just think all day. Then write papers that give thoughts and ideas. And sometimes even solutions, but not very often. DC is intriguing that way.