The way the Republicans are gearing up for the March 1st "Debt Ceiling"
fight...you would hope the President is studying lessons from the "Cuban
Missle Crisis".
It seems the Republicans want to run our government more like a business
instead of a non-profit organization. If that be the case than someone needs
to inform them you need more than just a CFO but a little expertise and
importance placed on Sales and Marketing as well.
For instance, today being labeled a Democrat or a Republican, a Liberal or a
Conservative, is considered about as cool as watching Bill O'Reilly dance disco
at his cousin's wedding. But calling yourself socially liberal and fiscally conservative,
and you are suddenly an Executive Vice-President at Goldman Sachs.
Throughout our history, America has prospered and done our best when we as
a nation had a clear marketing message and our Presidents acted as CMO and
Chief.
Even before we had our first President, the Pilgrims instinctively did an excellent
job of marketing the "New World" as the place for Religious Freedom.
President Grover Cleveland was the first to demonstrate true marketing savvy
when he coined and marketed the phrase "The Industrial Revolution."
And in the 1950', even though we were only 3% of the world's population we were
manufacturing 50% of all the world's goods and services, allowing "IKE" to create
an image across the world that our streets were paved with gold.
JFK moved America's image from America the Beautiful to "Beyond the Stars" and
it was Ronald Reagan who understood the power that came from selling "American
Exceptionalism."
Bill Clinton made the U.S "The Bridge to the 21st Century" by embracing Al Gore's
"invention of the Internet" and it was President Bush who brought back images of
John Wayne with his Ranching and his Bullhorn.
And in 2008...it was President Barack Obama who electrified the world with a message
of "Hope and Change" that briefly restored America's prestige to the rest of the world!
Now as we are about to enter the President's second term - the Republicans insistence
on marketing a domestic economic war with the President - doesn't allow our President
to market the best of America.
After his first term - we had hoped that Republicans would understand that "Born in
America" was better left as a Bruce Springsteen song than as a T-shirt x'd out with
the President's picture on it!
"What is Tax Cuts" is not the Final Jeopardy question no matter what the Category
or the answer may be!
The "Fiscal Cliff" would serve America much better if it was just a ski resort in Colorado.
And the "Debt Ceiling" should not be marketed as a limit on the American Dream but
a bill that needs to be paid by a boring accountant with a jelly stain on his shirt from
one too many donuts.
Perception becomes reality...especially when you are not living in the real world...and
if the Republicans think that threatening "it is better to bring the house down...than to
live with one that has too big a mortgage...is a good marketing plan...than maybe they
should study the Mayans...How did that Armageddon marketing plan work for them?