atkinson advisor

We hear a lot about spin.

The most frequent and best practitioners of spin work in Washington, D.C. Here’s what spin has done for them:

• Congress’ approval rating is now 14 percent – the lowest in history.
• President Obama’s approval rating is 42 percent – near the lowest of his presidency.

Nobody inside the Beltway is safe from the backlash of spin.

Consumers are far too smart and have far too much information at their disposal to believe spin. Ironically, the spinners would try to spin that another way.

Talking Points Memo (TPM) is a must-read publication for professionals and media involved in politics. Time magazine named TPM the top blog in 2009. TPM specializes in original reporting on government and politics and offers breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and high profile guest bloggers.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker

Election season is the fertile soil for rhetoric on issues. The Washington Post has created its Fact Checker to examine the most contentious issues in depth. The newspaper launched Fact Checker with an examination of the controversial MoveOn.org ad about General David Petraeus. After examining the issue in depth, the Fact Checker issues a Pinocchio scale. The Fact Checker has also examined Mitt Romney’s political beliefs and organizations making edits on Wikipedia.

Two weeks ago, the Republican and Democrat leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives did something they rarely do: they publicly agreed on a controversial topic. The significance of this event demands a little background.

The FBI is investigating Rep. William Jefferson (D – La.) on charges of bribery. A former aide has pleaded guilty to bribing Jefferson. The FBI alleges in an affidavit that they found $90,000 of bribe money used a sting operation in Jefferson’s freezer wrapped in “various food containers” and tinfoil. And, the FBI also alleges that Jefferson failed to cooperate with a subpoena for records related to the investigation.

Based upon this evidence and believing that materials in Jefferson’s office were pertinent to the investigation, the FBI secured a warrant and proceeded to search Jefferson’s Capitol Hill office. It is the first time that such a search happened.

The reaction from Congress was swift, decisive, and unified in condemning the Justice Department and the FBI. Unfortunately for Congressional leaders, we are not all Constitutional scholars. Their intended messages in their reponse may vary greatly from what most American heard.

www.publicagenda.org

Public Agenda bills itself as an objective explorer of public opinion and producer of education materials for citizens so that they can make more informed decisions. The website offers summaries of public opinion on a number of national issues, including health care, education, poverty, and much more. For each of the major issues, users can quickly research facts and information, view discussion guides covering at least three perspectives on the issue, or access additional national research.

By all accounts, this presidential election is the closest in decades. Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of voters have already made up their minds.

The two primary challengers are playing a huge game of tug-of-war for those undecided voters. The heated contest has mobilized forces on both sides.

For businesses, it is important to define the right standards of conduct during election time. These standards should balance our First Amendment rights to free speech with the business interests of the company.

Is your company ready to handle a diehard volunteer who posters his office with campaign material? What if a manager is aggressive about promoting the interests of a particular party during staff meetings?

Here are some thoughts:

• Be specific about standards. Whatever you communicate about electioneering to associates should be clear and concise. Make sure that you do not create more confusion.
• Appoint an arbitrator. Find a trusted, respected person in the office to be the official arbitrator of company policy.
• Host a debate. Sometimes, people just want to be heard. Giving the most vocal supporters a venue to do so could help eliminate electioneering in the office. Make the debate optional and relative for associates by focusing on issues that are important to your business.
• Focus on the importance of voting. At least, voting is an issue on which everybody can agree and work together.