Showing posts with label Governor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Governor. Show all posts
Sanford: More Popular than 'The Terminator'?
In terms of personal strife, our own Governor Mark Sanford has certainly seen his share. Over the past six months the married governor has endured ongoing criticism and public relations fiascos stemming from his actions related to his relationship with an Argentinian woman.
When it comes to the most unpopular governors currently in office across the nation, one might think Sanford would be a star in the topmost tier. But according to a poll released today by Public Policy Polling, Sanford doesn't even make the top 8 in terms of unpopularity. If the poll is correct, Sanford has a better approval rating than California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Budget and financial issues appear to be the root reason of the unpopularity of the eight most unpopular governors, says PPP. They include:
John Baldacci (D) of Maine
Jan Brewer (R) of Arizona
Jim Doyle (D) of Wisconsin
Jim Gibbons (R) of Nevada
David Paterson (R) of New York
Bev Perdue (D) of North Carolina
Ed Rendell (D) of Pennsylvania
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California
Takeaway from this poll? Even in an age when scandals like the Mark Sanford affair rock the country, more obscure, less flashy issues may ultimately have a truer impact on a governor's overall perceived image.
VIEW THE FULL POLL RESULTS
When it comes to the most unpopular governors currently in office across the nation, one might think Sanford would be a star in the topmost tier. But according to a poll released today by Public Policy Polling, Sanford doesn't even make the top 8 in terms of unpopularity. If the poll is correct, Sanford has a better approval rating than California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Budget and financial issues appear to be the root reason of the unpopularity of the eight most unpopular governors, says PPP. They include:
John Baldacci (D) of Maine
Jan Brewer (R) of Arizona
Jim Doyle (D) of Wisconsin
Jim Gibbons (R) of Nevada
David Paterson (R) of New York
Bev Perdue (D) of North Carolina
Ed Rendell (D) of Pennsylvania
Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California
Takeaway from this poll? Even in an age when scandals like the Mark Sanford affair rock the country, more obscure, less flashy issues may ultimately have a truer impact on a governor's overall perceived image.
VIEW THE FULL POLL RESULTS
What the Confederate Flag is Doing to South Carolina and Our Politics
If you've lived in South Carolina for any significant period of time, you undoubtedly know that the Confederate flag flies in front of the Capitol in Columbia next to a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers. Our state has a storied and tense history with the flag, which perched atop the Capitol building from 1962 until the state senate passed a bill in 2000 to have it moved to its current location. And there it has flown ever since...albeit a more traditional square-shaped version of the flag.Yet many remain vehement that the flag is a symbol of racism and want its removal entirely, including the NAACP, who has maintained a long-standing boycott of South Carolina as a result.
When gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod announced this week that he believes the Confederate flag should be permanently removed altogether from the Capitol grounds, angry hornets from both sides started buzzing again. While the Confederate flag issue is a tense one, it for the most part has remained dormant for the last nine years. McLeod maintains that flying the flag is a detriment to state economy and will ultimately hurt jobs and economic growth.
With our ear to the ground when it comes to South Carolina politics, we have noticed in the last day or two just how fervid the argument over the flag is. While certainly a legitimate argument with many people's feelings deserving to be taken into consideration, it also made us think about what this persistent issue is doing to South Carolina politics.
With our ear to the ground when it comes to South Carolina politics, we have noticed in the last day or two just how fervid the argument over the flag is. While certainly a legitimate argument with many people's feelings deserving to be taken into consideration, it also made us think about what this persistent issue is doing to South Carolina politics.
Regardless of whether or not you think the flag should go or stay, regardless of whether or not you agree with McLeod that the flag hurts our economy, we would be remiss not to point out the zealous and angry discord the issue is allowing to continue...and drag on...and on.... The issue has created a serious crack in our politics, our political parties and our people, and each time it resurfaces we open those old wounds. Our point? Sure, it's a heated issue and a very personal one for many people. But we need to work together to heal this fissure. It's bad for our state, it pollutes our political climate and it pits our people against one another.
As a state that is already perceived by much of the nation as floundering in a fishbowl of political quandaries, we need to band together, not allow issues to sever our political parties.
More insights and info into the Confederate flag issue:
FITSNEWS
The Rock Hill Herald
The Greenville News
A PR Dream Team: Why Eliot Spitzer Might Have Gotten Luckier Than He'll Ever Realize
Undeniably, reporters and PR people have to work together. In a sublime world, public relations staff and reporters would offer one another easy, fluid transfer of information, but let's get real. Reporters seek facts and instant access to experts that will validate their stories, while PR folks usually have a solid idea of precisely how they think a story should be told. And rightfully so, as their job is to craft a positive image for the person or entity for whom they work. While the need for information can at times create a bit of a love-hate relationship, quality public relations people will ultimately establish and maintain good media relationships.
We bring this issue up because of a recent Gawker item on Eliot Spitzer, the former Governor of New York outed in 2008 in a prostitution scandal. Spitzer's communications director and press secretary were thrown right into the heat of what the piece refers to as Spitzer's "PR meltdown". It seems that Spitzer's people had established exceptionally good relationships with the New York Times reporters hunting for the juicy scandal, as they apparently allowed Spitzer's press team to preview parts of the stories and asked permission before contacting sources. In the article you can read a play-by-play of actual emails between reporters and public relations team.
The moral of the story? Whether or not a scandal lies ahead in your future, having the right public relations people on your side with good press relationships remains a fundamental necessity. As bad as it seems for Spitzer, in reality with the magnitude of what he did, it could have been much, much worse.
The Maersk Deal... a Shift in the SC Governor's Race?
As you probably know, we like to harp on how substantial a role public relations plays when it comes to politics, campaigns and the political climate. Positive public relations and perceptions equate to gold, particularly in a state like South Carolina where the partisan divide remains profoundly distinct and scars from political scandal still bleed profusely.
As we begin digging tooth and nail into the heat of the 2010 election, South Carolina candidates no doubt long ago began seeking the constituent rapport, image-boosting press coverage and essential political endorsements that are so synonymous with crafting a solid public image. It's no secret that to get elected, you have to be liked... by a lot of people.
Senator Larry Grooms, a Republican candidate for Governor, has until recently been trailing behind in the Republican primary, particularly in regards to fundraising. Two of his opponents, Henry McMaster and Gresham Barrett, already hold notably prominent positions in the state Attorney General's Office and in U.S. Congress, respectively.
But Grooms might already see the tide shifting considerably in his favor thanks to his role in a recent deal with Denmark-based Maersk.
Back in 2008, Maersk, a shipping line located in Charleston, announced its intentions to pull its business from the state because of failing efforts to renegotiate a deal with port labor unions. Grooms got involved in the Maersk deal, hosting meetings not only in his offices but also in his home down in Charleston. Grooms co-authored a port restructuring bill, the passage of which played a pivotal role in convincing Maersk that remaining in Charleston would be financially sound. On October 22, 2009, Maersk announced it would not leave but rather enter into a revised contract with the State Ports Authority through 2014.
If Grooms can capitalize on this recent profile boost and his role in aiding South Carolina's economy, he can truly lionize his place in the Republican primary for Governor. He needs to have viral links to articles spotlighting his involvement making the internet rounds; he needs supporters writing letters to the editor on his behalf; he needs laud and congratulations circulating all over Twitter and other social media. Grooms truly needs to get the word out about his involvement in the deal, especially to his constituents. And while some people eat up South Carolina politics each and every day, the majority don't... and as a result probably don't even know about Grooms' involvement. PR opportunities offer a limited window of maximization opportunity, and now is his time.
SCHotline Blog's Michael S. Smith II wrote an in-depth piece on the subject that is a must read; view the article here.
Governors and Publicity: It's Getting Viral now
With the state's current governor embattled in multiple public relations snafus of his own that just don't seem to end, South Carolina also has an impending gubernatorial race just getting its wheels churning. The concurrence of the two has us wondering just how the upcoming Governor's race will impact not only Sanford's fight to stay in office, but the outcome of the state's next election.
On Monday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dwight Drake release a mock movie trailer video entitled "500 Days of Sanford" that quickly went viral, making the rounds on Twitter, Facebook, email and statewide newscasts. The video forecasts a grim outlook for the remainder of the Sanford administration, assuming he stays in office, yet does it in a way obviously meant to poke fun at the embroiled Governor. The public relations and marketing gurus hired by Drake to create the video no doubt intended to capitalize on Sanford's uncomfortable position by further hammering him as a poor leader. At the same time, they managed to sprinkle Drake's name throughout a public that right now is fascinated with the Governor's scandal.
An offscreen voice on the video says, “This is not a love story, it’s a story about a governor’s last year and a half in office. 500 days left of uncertainty, of wondering where he is.”
Ultimately, did the 76-second video really cause the Sanford negative publicty pit to be dug any deeper than it already is? Did it position Drake as the best candidate for Governor among a field of, oh, 9 or 10 others at this point? Was it a waste of money?
An offscreen voice on the video says, “This is not a love story, it’s a story about a governor’s last year and a half in office. 500 days left of uncertainty, of wondering where he is.”
Ultimately, did the 76-second video really cause the Sanford negative publicty pit to be dug any deeper than it already is? Did it position Drake as the best candidate for Governor among a field of, oh, 9 or 10 others at this point? Was it a waste of money?
Our opinion is that it was a smart move on Drake's part. The YouTube video probably cost him no more than a couple thousand dollars at the most, and by piggybacking on the ongoing Mark Sanford buzz, his video got a lot of attention. That amount of money he spent, which really amounts to only one or two large campaign donations, got him endless social media hits plus a number of TV newscasts mentions and links to his video from TV and newspaper online newsrooms. Watch the video for yourself and decide what you think.
Dwight Drake Announces Candidacy for Governor of South Carolina
Dwight Drake, a longtime Columbia, South Carolina lawyer with Nelson Mullins, announced today that he is joining the growing group of Democrats running for Governor of South Carolina in 2010. We had to remark on this newest entry into the gubernatorial race not because of any party affiliation or the candidate, but because Dwight Drake's announcement now brings the field of candidates for South Carolina Governor to a staggering total of 12. The current candidate list reads as follows:
Gresham Barrett (R) Dwight Drake (D) Amos Elliott (D)Robert Ford (D) Lawrence “Larry” Grooms (R)“Nikki” Haley (R)W. Mullins McLeod, Jr. (D)Henry McMaster (R)Harry L. Ott, Jr. (D)Vincent Sheheen (D) Jim Rex (D). André Bauer (R) has indicated he may run, but not announced anything officially.
(Source: WSPA.com)
(Source: WSPA.com)
We are particularly keen on how this South Carolina Governor's race will play out, both in the primaries and in 2010, because of the negative publicity the state has seen over the Mark Sanford affair. Sanford has been in the Governor's seat since 2002, and his fast fall from grace has left an open-ended road for how his successor will lead the state. Interestingly, Dwight Drake was also the lawyer who represented two South Carolina students who sued Sanford to force him to accept federal stimulus funds.
Read The State.com's coverage of the Dwight Drake announcement here.
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