I felt refreshed reading it. Seriously. You should read it.

Basically, she admits that party leaders cower to the religious right — thus creating a party totally out of sync with the American public. No longer is the party setting an agenda that the American people believe in. The party isn’t relating to a diverse group of people. At this point, Republicans can’t get out of their own way.

You know what the GOP has turned into? That crazy Bible-thumping man who stands on the street shouting scripture at passers by. Screaming at busy intersections isn’t going to get someone to convert. Nor will forcing religion on voters. As Parker says:

So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.

Which is to say, the GOP has surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows. In the process, the party has alienated its non-base constituents, including other people of faith (those who prefer a more private approach to worship), as well as secularists and conservative-leaning Democrats who otherwise might be tempted to cross the aisle.

Amen.

As you make your Christmas list this year, don’t just add family and friends. Take a moment to thank those who won’t have the opportunity to celebrate with their own loved ones. Show your appreciation — and spread some holiday cheer — by sending a Christmas card to:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

In the meantime, I thought I’d write about two other interesting things I learned today. One is about what makes blogging work. During the session this afternoon, the experts repeatedly commented on a couple key elements that make blogs work: quickness/timeliness, authenticity, forthcoming and transparency. If blogs are lacking in those areas, they won’t work. Along those same lines, the presenters noted that communication needs to be instant and constant. As in, the same “tried and true” approval processes won’t work. The vetting process needs to change. If blog posts or comments needs to get run through multiple levels of approval, the blog won’t work. It’s just that simple.

The second thing I learned today, is much more light hearted … and possibly applicable to a broader audience. It’s time for Thanksgiving … Mashablestyle. The web-savvy people at Mashable have assembled a list of helpful websites — everything from the history of Thanksgiving and favorite pastime recipes … to sustainable Thanksgiving tips and (fake) Napolean Dynamite’s take on Thanksgiving.

Two lessons. More to come tomorrow. Have a great day!

The company I work for just started a blog and I happen to be doing the blogging. Every once in a while, I will repost something on this site in case you want to read it — and saving me from having to write about the same topic twice.

In case you missed it, here’s the ad (Motrin took it down, but you gotta love the permanency of YouTube!):

From a marketing and PR perspective, there are some important lessons to learn from this whole debacle. Namely that we’re not living in a 9-5, Monday-Friday world anymore. People are blogging on the weekends, so comapnies need to be listening. Communicators are never really “off the clock.” Click here to read other lessons I took from this.

If you want to see the discussion on Twitter, check this out. It’s amazing how much buzz was generated in such a short period of time!

Here are my questions:

• How does Bill Clinton’s foreign involvement play into this? Not one to ever think a woman should be passed over because of her husband — but a Cabinet-level position is in a different stratosphere, thus requiring a higher threshold. That being said, I trust Obama’s judgemetn and if he thinks there are no conflicts of interest, than I’m on board.
• What happens to Hillary after this job? Multiple media reports have noted that Secretaries of State rarely last a full term — let along two terms. So, what does Hillary do next? Is she setting herself up for a run in 2016? Would she be better off leading Congress? It’s rare that long-term senators actually get elected President, so maybe Hillary is looking for a national position outside the Senate.
• Who will be the new junior senator from New York? I bet Elliot Spitzer is really wishing he had stayed away from the hookers now!
• How does the Guardian get the scoop? If this report is true, a United Kingdom paper will get credit for the scoop. How is it that a paper in the UK outworked the long line of American journalists and bloggers to get this story? Hello, journalists?!? I know the election is over, but there’s still news to uncover!

What do you think about Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State?

This widget is supposed to update every day with new happy thoughts. Check back to see what it says the next time you’re having a not-so-great day. Until then, be happy!

During his campaign, Barack Obama revolutionized how political campaigns used technology. And, now he’s taking this 21st-Century mentality all the way to the White House. Already, the transition web site has an RSS feed (trust me, there are lots and lots of people — not just techy geeks – excited about that!) … and now Obama is expanding the reach of the radio address by posting a weekly video on YouTube. I can watch that on my iPhone!

Mike and I were just talking about the radio address. Can you imagine how awful those ratings must be?!?! I don’t even know what radio stations carry it. Can you listen to it online? Who knows. It’s so exciting to see a new generation of leadership place value on communicating with the American people and finding ways to reach out to them, instead of just expecting them to find you on some radio station that no one has ever heard of.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday she would consider serving in the Senate if God gave her the opportunity and Alaskans wanted her to take the job. The state’s senior senator, Republican Ted Stevens, fell behind as the count resumed in his re-election bid.

We still don’t know the official results of the Alaska recount. If Republican Ted Stevens wins, he will likely be forced to resign since he’s a recently convicted felon. As a result, Sarah Palin could run for his vacated seat in a special election. While it looked like Stevens may have received enough votes to win, the Democrat moved ahead around the same time Palin announced that she might be interested in his seat if God and her state wanted her to choose that path. Think this might be God’s funny way of sending Palin a message?

Then, anchor David Shuster thought he discovered the source who leaked news about Sarah Palin now knowing the difference between a country and a continent.

“Turns out it was Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser who has come forward today to identify himself as the source of the leaks,” Shuster reported Monday.

Not so fast.

The New York Times reported yesterday that two filmmakers created Eisenstadt to help them pitch a TV show based on the character.

“The story was not properly vetted and should not have made air,” MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines said. “We issued a correction on air within minutes of making the error.”

Then, this morning, MSNBC couldn’t figure out how to spell “below” — spelling it with an extral l. (See Peter Shankman’s photo for proof.)

Note to MSNBC: You want to be taken seriously as a grown-up media outlet? Start acting like one! (And, give Rachel Maddow as much air time as possible. She’s terrific!)

Want to check it out? Bookmark http://m.prtini.com