The Taboo Topics...

Have you ever been told to avoid talking about politics or religion with people? While I understand the idea behind these instructions, politics and religion are actually topics where you could have some pretty good conversations. So is the problem the topics or that fact that a lot of us aren't very good at talking?

Somewhere along the line, we may have lost the concept behind an open minded discussion. Instead, a conversation is more like a battle where your goal is to verbally smash your opponent into submission. Whatever happened to the idea of having a discussion where you may ultimately, agree to disagree?

Exposure to new ideas can be a very healthy thing. Remember at one point in time, it was thought that Earth was flat and was the center of the universe. I find it interesting at a time when the world is more connected than ever, some are more isolated from the ideas that come from it.

Sink Tries to Stay Afloat in Politics

I recently had the chance to meet the State of Florida's Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, at a cocktail party. What does Florida's CFO do? The job is a cabinet level position and is responsible for managing the state’s $15 billion in Treasury funds, serving as the State Fire Marshal, overseeing workers’ compensation and the state’s risk management programs, licensing all insurance agents and investigating insurance fraud. Surprisingly, Florida is the only state to have this position.

The office largely goes unnoticed and and Sink is starting her campaign efforts for the 2010 election. She's got a basic website up but promises upgrades very soon. Sink sends out a weekly electronic newsletter on news of her office and currently had roughly 500,000 subscribers.

The social networking is a good idea as it's very challenging to get elected to a Statewide office. Florida has eleven media markets, so the cost of traditional advertising in each one adds up quite a bit. Sink estimates that she'll need at least $6,000,000 for her campaign. The fundraising is more difficult because the maximum contribution here is $500.

The CFO does have some attractive qualities that the state of the economy has really put in the spotlight. She's the former President of Bank of America. Having strong financial background in a state that has been hit hard by the housing crash isn't a bad thing. She's the only Democrat in Florida's cabinet. When asked about that situation, she replied by saying of her colleagues, "They're afraid of me."

It will be interesting to watch Sink's campaign and career. She's been mentioned for higher office, possibly even Governor, should the current Governor decide to run for the U.S. Senate.

Is Image Everything?

Who needs words when you run a Presidential campaign? This week Barrack Obama has gotten a ton of positive coverage of his international tour. Who ever set up the photo opportunities has done a great job. The Senator has been shown speaking to lots of foreign leaders as well as addressed large crowds in very photogenic locations.

Senator McCain may have had a productive week but not in the world of images. One that seems to be getting a lot of play is him sitting in a passenger seat of a golf cart being driven by former President George Bush. Something about the image reminds me of Michael Dukakis' infamous ride in a tank.

The disparity has been discussed by the national media but there hasn't been much talk about what the candidates have been saying. It's a bit like showing someone your family album without telling you anything about the trip.

President Ronald Reagan was a master at using images. In journalism school at Arizona State University, I learned how he would make a public appearance when bad news was coming out. While the story might be about inflation, the image was of the President shaking hands at a white collar bar. This would dilute the bad news of the story and make people say, "Gee, the President seems like a nice guy."

I expect both McCain and Obama will visit Texas very soon to survey the damage from Hurricane Dolly.