Tea Party - Time to Get On Brand

The most recent news about the new Tea Party movement is just so sad; not because of the violence, and the racial slurs that come out of the party, but because of how much opportunity they had to be a real movement of change. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a member of the party or a card carrier on the left. I'm just a guy who liked the fact that a group of Americans had gotten together and had taken action on something they believed so strongly in. Whether it was on the right or the left of the political spectrum - they had started to make a difference.

What makes it sad is that this group has started to turn into something worse than an unruly mob. They went from making valid statements and holding legitimate protests, to throwing bricks through windows and degrading their detractors with racial slurs. When reports sound about Tea Party members using the "N" word against the icons of the civil rights movements - like the 70 year old Emmanuel Cleaver - or the "F" word against gay members of congress, it just shifts the image of Tea Party members away from a being a valid political caucus, over to being a bunch of illiterate bigots. And no, that's not the same thing as being a redneck.

Now I know some people may be saying "that's not us." But when you have Tea Partiers like Amy Kremer show up on Fox News to dismiss what she called an "isolated" incident [I'm sorry Amy, it's still NOT OK if only a few are racists - racism is BAD in any number]. Or when you have bricks with misspelled messages coming through the windows of the Democratic Committees [I mean seriously, you can't take 60 seconds to do a quick dictionary check?]. You have to admit, even the Tea Party is taking these actions seriously. It's just a shame they can't stay on message long enough to establish themselves as an informed group.

Monroe County Democratic Committee, via Associated Press

Some have even accused the democrats of infiltrating peaceful Tea Party crowds with plants who shouted the slurs in question. But seriously, the democrats aren't even coordinated enough to keep a majority in the House and Senate. Besides, I don't think the Democrats would shoot out their own glass doors in Phoenix.

So to all the Tea Party acolytes out there - get it together. I may not like everything you say, but you are at least a step toward everyone seeing some kind of ongoing change in Washington. The only thing you have to do is to keep it together and maintain a DIALOGUE that supports the brand and message you started. Yes, it means policing your own and weaning out the racists [nobody said brand management is easy], but if you can do that, you have a chance of making history. If not, you'll be quickly relegated to being just another fringe group of bigoted, angry, and narrow-minded people who are being backed/used by wealthy individuals with larger agendas - which is something this country just doesn't need on either side of the conservative/liberal coin.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/us/politics/26threat.html?scp=1&sq=brick%20rochester&st=cse

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/25/wealthy-donor-sues-tea-party-convention-organizer-palins-fee/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/22/tea-party-protesters-dispute-reports-slurs-spitting-dem-lawmakers/




Jeff Cannon

www.ThinkCannon.com

Keeping it Real Lord Winterton

Well, it seems as if one of our brethren in the United Kingdom's conservative party did the unthinkable - he was honest. Technically, Tory, Sir Nicholas Winterton went "off message" when he spoke about not liking to travel with the common man. “They are a totally different type of people,” Sir Nicholas declared in a recent radio interview. He also spoke about the "ghastliness of people in standard-class train cars." "There’s lots of children, there’s noise, there’s activity. I like to have peace and quiet when I’m traveling.”

Now I don't find anything wrong with what he said. Honestly, we would all love some quiet travel time. However, it doesn't really ring true when the Tories have been working so hard to convince their voting Brits that they actually are very much in step with the "common man." Which is why this is less about staying on message, and more about making sure your message is true to heart.

The reality is that no matter how much Sir Winterton rides around on a bicycle - never mind the fact that his limousine followed him, carrying his briefcase, or was educated at Eton - the long established finishing school of the aristocracy and bastion of the wealthy, or married into some estranged arm of the royal family - I lost track of his wife's relation to some long dead king [was "king" supposed to be capitalized?], he is still an aristocratic old man who can scream as much as he likes about enjoying a pint with the working man, but can't escape the truth of who he is.

It is very similar to some of the politico's in these United States that like to talk about being a maverick, or being one with the common man, or bi-partisan, yet still have their hands deep in the pockets of special interest groups and corporate fund-raisers.

So the big lesson here is be true to yourself. If you are, then being true to your message should never be a problem. Nor should being "off message" ever be an issue. All it takes is personal fortitude - which is apparently lacking in most politicians these days. Hmmmmm, perhaps that's the bi-partisan element we've all been seeking in our candidates - personal integrity and fortitude.

So Sir Nicholas Winterton stop trying to pretend. Enjoy who you are and what you have. We all hate screaming kids on our commutes. Take a note from William F. Buckley - and be true to who you are - the truth will eventually come out anyway.

Just be prepared to live the person you really want to be, and accept the consequences for your actions.



Jeff Cannon
ThinkCannon.com

Today's Realty Shows Have Turned Scripted

Alas - long gone are the days of real outbursts and unplanned snaffu's. Long gone are the talent who really had little idea of what they were getting into. For better, or for worst, today's reality shows are no better than scripted programming. Only now, the directing is being done in the editing bay, and the on-screen talent isn't being paid nearly enough for their performances.

The "realty" brand is truly a brand that has lost its integrity. So, when Real Housewives of New York hits the airwaves again this year, the shame of it is that everyone knows they aren't even from New York City. Nor are they even going to be caught unawares. Instead, they're all feeling their own semi-celebrity. They're all trying to make a splash out of a ripple when the red light of the camera goes on. But the worst part of it is they're not even doing it well. Even shows like Project Runway is bringing in a group of wanna-be celebrities, rather than real designers. The producers have a say in who goes and who stays. So if you ever wonder why sometimes a good designer is "auf weidershened" when a weepy one is kept on. It's their way of directing the drama.

As Lincoln Hiatt - the executvie producer for Solitary on the Fox Reality Channel, calls sleep deprivation "a producer's ally on almost any show."

So that is how they get drama when it's needed. Keep them up later, add some caffeine or bring in the wine.

Gosh, had I known how easy directing is, I would have made a career change much earlier.

But isn't is a shame that the concept of a "reality show" has lasted for less than a few years. Instead, it has moved into the realm of trash - read Jersey Shore. And as the brand goes, so to shall the advertisers and sponsors. A shame, because it could have actually been a goose, rather than a golden egg that is already cracking....


Jeff Cannon

www.thinkcannon.com