Archive for October 20th, 2010

She’s not qualified to be Senator … so what?

October 20, 2010

Christine O’Donnell is taking a lot of flack for not being qualified to be a US Senator.

Hmmm.  Started me thinking.

What qualifies somebody to be a Senator?

Does an Ivy League law degree do it? Or, experience running a company?

How about a couple of decades of sleazy backroom dealing?

More directly, what difference does it make if Senators simply vote like lemmings along party lines?

Doesn’t seem like experience matters one bit.

An example: Mark Warner of VA touted his business credentials when he campaigned for the Senate.

Since he’s gotten there, he’s voted straight Dem on all significant issues.

As a former entrepreneur, he sees no risk in raising taxes during a recession. Really?

When he was a CEO, did he make business decisions based on numbers as flakey as the CBO’s?  I doubt it.

I’m not looking for qualifications any more.

I just want somebody who will vote the will of the people instead of the will of their party.

Period.

P.S. How come these people weren’t so concerned about qualifications in 2008 ?

Posted in Politics - General | Leave a Comment »

Dems: “An inefficiently distributed base of voters”

October 20, 2010

An interesting election snippet that caught my eye …

“The Democratic Party has “an inefficiently distributed base of voters.”

It “consists mostly of union workers, upscale urban liberals and minority voters, many of whom are clustered in highly Democratic districts.”

In many other districts, Democratic candidates depend on “independents and soft partisans,” the very voters who have defected from the Obama coalition of 2008.

If Democrats lose control of the House by a small number of seats, this might be condign punishment for a practice they favor  — racial gerrymandering.

It concentrates African-American voters in majority-minority districts in order to guarantee the election of minority candidates.

George F. Will: An election of historic significance
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=George+F.+Will%3A+An+election+of+historic+significance&articleId=289c83e0-246d-46a2-aaa6-701321cf476f

Posted in Elections - General | Leave a Comment »

What are women talking about?

October 20, 2010

TakeAway: Women consumers are an formidable force, shaping how billions of marketing dollars are spent annually.

However, getting a deep view of their market influence, especially in a digital and social age, has been hard to come by.  A new monthly brand index aims to change that.

Women drive 85% of all consumer purchases (often by being unofficial brand ambassadors) and talk about brands constantly – about 92 per week.

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Excerpted from Brandweek, “Women’s Top Brands Listed” By Jim Cooper,September 27, 2010

A new monthly brand index that’s designed to be a comprehensive measure of the 25 brands most important to women compiles online search data, social media buzz data and online chatter.

Brands that used new media in their marketing mix were some of the biggest movers on the list. Gap, for example, which moved from No. 44 to No. 17 in August, offered a discount incentive to shoppers that checked in through Foursquare. Pizza Hut also offered a discount via Foursquare in August and saw its rank hit No. 60 from No. 73.

Brands with recently launched social initiatives also had solid gains on the index. Starbucks moved to No. 33 from No. 59 with a boost from buzz about an in-store donation program to help rebuild neighborhoods in New Orleans. And Olive Garden hit No. 92 from No. 145 with the news that it had raised $6 million for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society through its Pasta for Pennies program.

Edit by AMW

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Full Article:
http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3i386774579db7c2033a69ab0af09f5664?pn=1

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Posted in Mktg - Promotion | Leave a Comment »