Headlines:
Palestinian aid ship crossing the blockade line in the Gaza is boarded by Israeli Defense Forces.
BP oil spill continues in the 43rd day with no end in sight, BP President says, "Believe me, no one wants this (oil spill) over more than me...I want my life back."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancels visit to White House...has called White House Chief of Staff a, "self-hating jew."
The White House may have offered Joe Sestak a job if he didn't run for Senate.
Is there an image today that galvanizes public sentiment and offers hope? I'm not sure if times have changed and we as a society have, "information burnout," or what. Maybe there are so many images blown across our retinas that we just don't look...maybe we don't even care? Consider the past first. President Reagan having a beer in a pub with several unemployed workers during the deep recession of the early 80's. Reagan's public support grew from this image. In retrospect, the Reagan plan to end the recession cut enormous social programs, left many poor elderly citizens homeless and our budget deficit was only $80 million. The picture told people more that political rhetoric, or was it simply all we needed? The images of President Clinton appearing confident despite many critical events both foreign and domestic. War in the Balkans, genocide, Mogadishu uprisings, sexual misconduct and eventual impeachment...Clinton left office with an approval rating of 66%! The highest rating since World War II!!! President George Bush standing at "ground zero," after September 11th, surrounded by the heroes that worked to save others...gave us hope despite the reality of retrospective viewing.
Today, it would seem that we have no images of commitment, or at least I don't see them. Perhaps we want a small dose of panic in our leaders to demonstrate to us that they are sharing our fears and truly engaged. Maybe panic is a poor choice of words, maybe we just need a glimpse of, "It effects me too." or "I hear you and the people who dropped these buildings will soon hear us all."
The recent oil spill has made some say, "The White House is not engaging..." "No one seems to understand the crisis that we are experiencing down here." "This is Obama's Katrina..."
What if being analytical, as President Obama has been defined as, just isn't giving people what they, "need." It seems that we are absent of hope as a society in the areas of fiscal relief, war progression, nuclear proliferation in Iran, perceived "under the table deals" in our Government. Maybe we need more today from our leaders than the "us" of the past drew comfort from. Consider that President Obama gained enormous support during his candidacy by doing just that..."Yes we can." The Presidential Candidate Obama seemed very animated during his presidential run and we ate it up. The disconnect is that if promises have no follow through then it returns to hurt your image profoundly, but if the promises are continually followed by updates on why they did or did not occur, "yet" then we seem to say a collective, "OK!" and we gladly switch the channel to Real Housewives of Akron.
In my opinion, I would be happier if there was simply a positive message that, "we are on it." Israel...we got this, we are BFF's and we have your back of course. Iran, hell yes! We are watching it and if they do develop nuclear weapons...we'll have their asses! Oil spill...it is a real mess and I understand that the folks are out of work because of corporate lack of insight, but guess what...BP will start paying to help those people today and every day that this continues they will pay MORE! BP will be held responsible for all costs and we will hold their feet to the FIRE starting today...without LIMITS.
Recession...Look, it sucks and if I were you I'd be depressed and PISSED! We are going to raise taxes on those that have not been effected, we will support small businesses and we will STOP foreclosures AND not allow those who simply don't want to pay on their house and can afford to, to walk away...and it starts TODAY!
I may be naive and completely ignorant of the "workings of politics," but I know I am not alone. Most of us simply bah on our way to work, or in 10 million cases, on our way to the unemployment office. Our "leaders" are not viewed as leaders. It's kind of like when the clerk at Blockbuster gives a cursory look at the returned movies behind her and says, "nope, sorry we're out of that movie," despite the stack of the movie you want behind them. Doesn't it feel like people care more when they just...oh, I don't know...seem to try? That's all we want, simply try or even act like you do!
President Clinton flew over Central Florida in the 90's after an F4 Tornado leveled a swath from horizon to horizon. The image published of the President was him staring longingly out of Marine one helicopter. He had such empathy in his eyes. Andy Card, the White House Chief of Staff later wrote that the President was playing cards and smoking a cigar, as if on cue he stopped the card game, put the cigar down and bit his lower lip as only Clinton could and looked down at the carnage with a million dollar frown...then the cards came back, the cigar came back and we were none the wiser. Isn't that a false sense of concern? You betcha! But, how else can a human being care about everything that matters? I can't even care about missing garbage day when we are missing the mortgage payment! So it's fake...we need it. We want it and we miss it.
Don't roll up your sleeves to feign, "I'm ready to work." Just ask your image advisors and I know you got'em...and act your ass off. How superficial...indeed it is, but we'll buy it all day long!
So today leaders...all leaders...don't take meetings, don't take polls...TAKE ACTING LESSONS! I hate that I am saying that, but how great does it feel when our friends and family tell us, "Everything is gonna be fine!"
And if that doesn't work for you, then you can always pay attention to this late breaking news:
"Heidi Montag is ready to split from Spencer Pratt"...hmmm it truly is the end of the World!
PM
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