Before the votes are even counted, her fellow Democrats have compiled a list of reasons why Martha Coakley has struggled: anemic retail politics, a blind-eye to shifting momentum and an inexplicable appearance on a sports talk radio show that led her to misidentify a Red Sox star.
There is truth to them all. But they also gloss over an obstacle that has received far less attention – a glass ceiling that remains almost impenetrable even in the Blue state of Massachusetts.
Sexism? In that haven of progressive politics? In the home of John F. Kennedy, and one of the homes of Robert F. Kennedy? In a state with so many institutions of higher learning?
Massachusetts is my adopted home state, and I loved it for the six years I lived there. Surely, these allegations are wholly inconsistent with a rich history of tolerance in the era of Democratic dominance in Massachusetts.
Not much has gone right in Washington DC over the last year, and that includes the hometown football team – which is looking more and more like it’s being run by the same people who run the Metro.
Last weekend, the Redskins managed to lose by missing a 23-yard field goal and allowing a 53-yard touchdown pass.
How sure was Washington’s victory? Why, you could bet a 60-inch TV on it…
Google has released their 2009 Zeitgeist report – a summary of popular search trends along various topics. Lists like this are usually predictable – the most-searched-for baseball team was the Yankees; the alphabet soup of AIG, GM, and TARP led bailout-related searches.
But search results can also give a good concept of popular thinking on key news topics. For instance, the top term used in healthcare-related searches is “Obama.” That seems to indicate that, for better or worse, people are closely identifying the President with the health care reform issue. Also interesting is that the Heritage Foundation was the #5 search term in this category – which could mean that Americans are open to hearing alternatives to what has been circulating on Capitol Hill.
Google also looks at localized search topics for several major cities. Movie theaters and school websites dominated the results, especially colleges. In DC, the top term was “fcps blackboard” – the portal for the Fairfax County public school system. This actually says a lot about the Washington, DC workforce and commuting patterns. (I knew I had company on my daily commutes into and out of Your Nation’s Capital from Merrifield, but had no idea it was enough to alter search results; Metro clearly needs more trains.)
That education websites are so popular also notes another trend. Around the Thanksgiving table this year, my soon-to-be brother and sister in law commented that they hadn’t seen their daughter’s recent report card, despite the marking period having ended. They explained that they just check her grades online.
Pollsters can call voters, ask questions, track answers, and get a pretty good idea of what folks are thinking. Still, there’s an element of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in that method – that the very act of measuring could affect the responses to poll questions. Internet searches are somewhat anonymous.
As the old saying goes, you are who you are when no one is watching.
The Thanksgiving weekend accident that sent Tiger Woods to the hospital proves that what’s true of nature is true of modern media and media consumers: both abhor a vaccum.
The bizarre circumstances surrounding the situation suggest a deeper explanation than Woods heading out to his local Best Buy to snag some Black Friday door buster deals. Traditional media outlets have reported poked fun and spread rumors. But TMZ is pointing to eyewitness reports that contradict the facts given by ESPN on the ubiquitous crawl across the bottom of the screen during the Thanksgiving weekend college football games. TMZ also reports that law enforcement agencies are looking more deeply into the matter.
Honestly, the truth of Tiger Woods and his wild ride are of little import to world affairs. Everyone – or at least, almost everyone – is happy that his injuries weren’t serious, and he can go back to being the amazing golf ball whacker guy that he was on Wednesday.
For TMZ, though, the Tiger tale gives them another notch on their belt to go along with their scoop on the death of Michael Jackson. What used to be a disdained celebrity gossip site has now played a key role in two major stories over the past six months. Woods even had to respond to the reports – predictably calling them false, but offering no new details.
TMZ succeeds because they fill a need for information that other media are unable to provide – working largely by interviewing witnesses, digging through public records, and other classic hallmarks of the un-sexy world of old fashioned shoe-leather journalism. Contrast that with the largely opinion-driven chatter that permeates 24 hour news channels, and the secret of TMZ’s success becomes a little more clear.
In this age, a stellar reputation built over years can turn to spit in a few clicks of a mouse… In the few hours in between film clip posting and absolution by MLB, every save in Rivera’s illustrious career was put in question.
Sherman’s fear of a rogue blogger making unfounded and senseless claims is understandable, especially given the fact that Major League Baseball at least payed lip service to the idea they were “investigating” the charges. But Mariano Rivera’s reputation is not in danger.
Rivera has people standing up for him now because of his entire career – not for the success he’s enjoyed, but because of how he enjoyed it. A recent Sports Illustrated article summed it up nicely. David Ortiz and Jonathan Papelbon – from the Red Sox – gushed about their respect for his personality:
“I have respect for Mariano like I have for my father,” says Boston designated hitter David Ortiz. “Why? He’s just different. If you talk to him at an All-Star Game, it’s like talking to somebody who just got called up. To him, everybody else is good. I don’t get it. To him everybody else is the best. It’s unbelievable. And he is the greatest.”
Sure, coming from a steroid cheat that may seem tainted, but Ortiz isn’t the only one singing Rivera’s praises – or the only one whose respect Rivera has won.
Writer Tom Verducci reminded readers that Rivera taught Roy Halladay – a pitcher for a rival team – how to throw his signature pitch during the 2003 All Star Game. While over the past 30 years, great closers like Dennis Eckersley and Francisco Rodriquez have celebrated strikeouts the way NFL players celebrate touchdowns, Rivera shows respect to every hitter he dominates.
It’s an important lesson in image management: for all the power of online communications, there is no substitute for genuine substance. So when a blogger posts an accusation – with flimsy evidence – accusing Rivera of cheating, you can bet there’s a reputation at stake.
This commercial started running earlier in the NFL season, but seemed to get less airplay after Troy Polamalu’s injury. With the safety back on the field for the Steelers, this commercial is back in the Sunday afternoon lineup. And, for aspiring PR flacks, it offers a good lesson for staying on message:
Note that Polamalu answered his own questions – not the reporter’s – and even found a way to pivot off the reporters’ line of discussion (“You asked with your eyes…”) onto his own. Textbook – even if it is just a commercial.
This use of technology made me think about the applications to political efforts – and reminded me a little bit of the portable DVD players used by Rep.Patrick McHenry when he ran for Congress in 2004. Way back then, door-to-door volunteers delivered video messages from McHenry to voters. In 2010, those volunteers might be armed with a personal video message, voter history, precinct walking sheets, polling locations,and megabytes of other information which is constantly being updated – literally in the palms of their hands.
Just as all the technology in the world won’t win a campaign without a good message, the Wizards can’t rely on gadgets to crack the 20-win barrier. But given last year’s results, it can’t hurt.
Mashable is one of the best blogs out there talking about all the next big things. Their post today on the imminent announcement of the NBA’s social media policy is a great example of why expert advice about online media should be taken with a grain of salt. In reading the tea leaves on what limitations the NBA might create on its players use of social media and networks, Adam Ostrow calls the NFL’s policies unnecessarily stringent:
The NFL recently reinforced its reputation as the “No Fun League” by banning all social media activity by players, their representatives, and team personnel both during and 90 minutes before and after games.
Actually, that restriction isn’t so bad. Considering that there are extremely intricate guidelines about sharing information – especially on injury reports – a careless update on Facebook or Twitter can inadvertently tip a team’s hand.
There’s always a case to be made for maximizing your communications avenues. But given recentplayerconduct, the NFL offers a good example of when it may be a good idea to sacrifice a little transparency for message control.
Jim Eltringham 