My former employer, Morton Blackwell, was very active in the 1964 campaign of Barry Goldwater. That campaign had a theme – “In your heart, you know he’s right” – that doesn’t really work in politics. One of the key lessons Morton would teach neophyte political operatives was that being philosophically correct did not always translate into electoral success. After Goldwater’s drubbing in 1964, those who had been in his corner broke into two camps, as Morton described it. Some became cynical, and vowed to leave politics, the other side vowed to fight for their ideas rather than with them.
One of the elements that made this second camp successful – and allowed them to regroup and elect Ronald Reagan in 1980 – was a lack of cynicism and a positive attitude.
And that’s why this speech, even if it is only about a silly little TV show, is worth repeating:
There are always places – in the world and the media landscape – for new and innovative ideas. Those places aren’t always easy to find, but are usually worth the search.
Jim Eltringham 