If you don’t vote, then you’re hostage to someone else’s choice.

After a weekend of listening to the political pundits say the same thing over and over on facebook, twitter and boring blogs,  I was ready to shoot myself.  As I watched TV on Sunday, I closed my eyes and the conversations sounded like those  I heard over 10 years ago by mostly the same people.  There is something wrong with this conversation becuase it focuses on the continued theme on what “Latinos are not” and what they say we are not is a political force in Houston.

It’s time we change the conversation Houston and we start by focusing on what we are saying about Latinos.  We are a growing community in population and making strides in education and business and the horizon looks very bright for us politically.   Whether you were born here or traveled here to live, there is one thing this city cherishes in Houstonians and that is the entreprenerual spirit and the ability to take care of themselves and thier own.

This spirit includes being the decision makers of our community and electing our next Mayor and City Council members.  This spirit includes voting on propositions that will impact how we live and do business.

Do not be held hostage by someone else’s ideas of who should lead our city, this election is too important.  The landscape of this city has changed, so should the conversation, on Tuesday November 3, cast your vote  and that will be a conversation worth having.    See you at the polls.

With all the recent hoopla and buzz surrounding health care reform I have noticed that there are not any young voices speaking for or against the issue. Young people are largely disengaged with the healthcare debacle because they believe they can afford to be. Most of us do not own homes nor do we have retirement accounts or even savings accounts that we have worked hard for. We feel we have nothing to lose in this debate. We gamble with our health and more often than not we get away with it, but the truth is, we all grow older, this isn’t Neverland and there is no Peter Pan. The shock and horror of growing old happens to all of us. We rarely think or even speak of debilitating or chronic diseases, but it’s a possibility that all twenty something’s may have to face later.

Not participating in the ongoing healthcare reform battle will leave us all to settle for decisions others have made for us and this could potentially leave us with dire consequences in the not so distant future.

Whatever plan is eventually enacted by Congress, the full effects won’t be seen for many years to come. The youth of America appear not to be terribly concerned or interested in the heath care / insurance issue, but I fell we will be the ones who will live under the new proposed system for decades to come. We will be the ones who will have to pay for the consequence of inaction or worst yet, a bad new law.

The majority of us in our generation are constantly indulging on cheeseburgers, fast food and smoking and drinking like there’s no tomorrow. But that’s exactly why we’re going to need dependable, quality health care in our old age. Some of us even have an additional stake in the system as we pursue jobs in the industry. Even if you, somehow, don’t rely on the healthcare system for services or employment, as long as you’re a taxpayer, you’ll be picking up the tab. Just because something doesn’t affect us right now doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look down the line at the negative payoffs that may be coming sooner than we think.

Getting old and sick isn’t something that we all like to talk about, it’s not something we even like to think about, but it’s going to happen. Many of us were there to help put President Obama in office, but we can’t stop there. We can no longer sit this fight out.

In actuality, this is our fight, not our parents, not our grandparents, but ours. We owe it to our future selves to know what we may be walking into. There is no doubt that health care reform is needed, but more than any other age group, we are the ones who need to realize that any decisions made now regarding healthcare will ultimately be affecting us more than any other demographic. We need to get informed and get involved in decisions that will shape our futures. No one can honestly afford to brush off this important debate. Anyone who does, young or old, ultimately deserves what they get.

With all the drama that took place at town hall meetings across America this past August you would not have believed that so many people would tune in to watch the President. So the question I have to ask is, why would so many viewers spend time watching a politician, who according to recent polling data, the majority of Americans do not trust, talk about an issue they don’t agree with him on?

Could it be that Americans across all political parties, ethnic and age groups are truly interested in healthcare reform? Maybe the President is right, healthcare reform is tied to our economy’s recovery and Americans understand the connection. Didn’t the polls and the “talking heads” predict early on last year that Mayor Rudy (Winning Florida will win me the election) Giuliani was going to be the GOP nominee for president?

Could it be that they are wrong … again!

Picture one 2010 scenario: The perfectly-coiffed Rick Perry, longest-serving Governor in Texas history, squeaks by to win the Republican Primary to face-off against Democratic multi-millionaire hair exec, Farouk Shami (think BioSilk and the CHI hair-straightening irons) or an even hairier opponent, Kinky Friedman, whose cult following has expanded with each bid for Governor.

Seriously, in the “anybody-but-Perry” category, there are no standouts among the motley crew of Democrats. They desperately need a candidate who captures the hearts and minds of Texans or the race for Governor will be decided in the Republican Primary with the promise of orchestrated thrills and chills like Friday night wrestling: Smack-down 2010, Welcome to the Thunderdome.

The Politics of Indecision

U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison aims to send Governor Perry into early retirement and she has the money to make it happen. Kay’s problem is that she suffers from the politics of indecision.

In 2006, she intended to run for Governor, and then sat out the race. Some say that the state’s conservatives sent her a message:  Not now Kay, next time. She says that the Governor pledged to retire in 2010. Either way, she’s a candidate now, and has yet to announce her retirement from the Senate, leaving politicos in limbo questioning when the Governor will appoint her replacement and who that might be…  Kay, it’s time to make a decision already.

Kay’s campaign is all about pointing to Perry’s failures and saying that he’s been there too long. Tough talk coming from a Washington insider. Her 16 years in the U.S. Senate make for a tough sell as she tries to distance herself from Washington and its policies.

Without a clear campaign strategy, she’s tried to out-right Rick Perry and it’s backfired. Labeling Perry “governor-for-life” isn’t enough for Kay to win. She needs to claim the party moderates and change the face of the GOP primary. At risk is her base of women. In particular, those women whose support she won when she voted against overturning Roe v. Wade, and who may cross party lines to vote for her.

Compounding Kay’s ability to connect with Texas women is mounting speculation that Governor Perry may name the first Latina to the Texas Supreme Court in a move to solidify Hispanic voters who are still stinging over the Senator’s snub of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Though recent polls give Perry a lead over Hutchison, they also show large numbers of undecided voters. Enter Debra Medina, a Ron Paul Republican who chairs the Wharton County GOP (near Houston). Count on her to split the conservative vote. More importantly, she’ll dip into Kay’s base of women and join Perry in branding the Senator a flip flopper who shouldn’t be trusted to lead Texas.

Flip Flopper

Former Forth Worth State Representative Tom Schieffer may lead the field in flip flopping. The two-time Bush appointee and former George W. Bush business partner (co-owners of the Texas Rangers baseball team) has Democrats questioning his pedigree – it’s a bit too red for most of the party faithful to sign on to his gubernatorial bid. His campaign spends most of their time trying to prove their credentials leaving little time to articulate a vision or to connect with Texas Democrats.

Most voters stay home during non-Presidential elections or sit out the primary and cast their vote in the November General Election. This means that candidates must increasingly target their message and presence on the many social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to turn out primary voters.

Take Hank Gilbert, the highest Democratic vote getter on the 2006 ballot. A lifelong Democrat who ran for Agriculture Commissioner, Hank’s a simple man, a farmer chock full of Texas grit who lacks the resources to spread the word about his campaign for Texas Governor. His social media strategy amounts to four photos on his Facebook page (let’s hope the beauty queen in that photo is related). Democrats may need to forfeit the social media advantage to Kinky. There are at least five Kinky Friedman groups on Facebook, 478 videos on YouTube, and Kinky’s crew tweets to boot.

It’s time candidates move forward to fully embrace 21st Century American politics in Texas.

In this new political landscape, shifting demographics and social media have changed almost everything in Texas, although a good media strategy doesn’t guarantee victory. Candidates who ignore these new realities are sure to lose. Remember Tony Sanchez?

Lone Star Latinos

Since 1977, I’ve had a hand in scores of campaigns from school boards to presidential elections and have seen record numbers of Latinos running for office and turning out to vote throughout the country. Nowhere is this truer than in Texas.

Texas’ Hispanic population is the second largest in the nation with roughly 3.6 million Latinos registered to vote.  The largest voting blocs – Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso and the Valley — boast burgeoning Hispanic populations with the fastest growing numbers of Latino voters.

This is good news for Democrats who are focusing new resources on Lone Star Latinos. Democrats are getting a much needed boost in 2010 from the Democratic National Committee. This week Virginia Governor Time Kaine became the first DNC Chair to ever visit South Texas holding the quarterly meeting of the 300-plus DNC members in Austin this weekend for the first time since the 70’s. Proof of their commitment is the team of 10 full-time political strategists on the ground working everyday to turn Texas blue…and they’re still hiring.

Democrats are banking on the fact that Texas is trending blue in a historically red state. The current Gallup poll (Hyperlink: http://www.gallup.com/poll/122003/Political-Party-Affiliation-States-Blue-Red-Far.aspx) ranks Texas as competitive – 42% of Texans call themselves Democrats; 40% Republican. While Democrats are much better than Republicans at losing statewide elections, both parties have a decent shot at losing the important down-ballot races for the Texas House – Democrats are two seats shy of a majority.

Hispanic candidates rarely fare well in GOP primaries, and this year Latinos have little reason to vote Republican …wait, there’s Ted Cruz running for AG, another Republican with good hair.

One candidate is blowing their financial advantage by waiting too long to buy media. Going on TV earlier would have given them a psychological lead and branding advantage over the other candidates. The second mayoral candidate sends daily news releases about who is working for their campaign, or “spinning” about their great campaign organization.  They spend more time talking to insiders than to voters and remind me of a bad episode of the 1990’s sitcom “Spin City.” The third mayoral candidate is too worried about playing it safe to win the election.

While these candidates play insider politics and blow through their campaign war chests, they lose their chance to seize the lead and connect with voters. I should point out, in the interest of full disclosure, that I know all three of these candidates. I know that all three of the top mayoral candidates are well qualified to be our next Mayor, but I do have to question their campaign tactics.

What do these candidates have in common? They over-think their election strategy by flip flopping on issues and campaign strategies. Case in point, can anyone tell me what any of the top 3 candidates for mayor stand for? Can anyone tell me what issues they differ on? Political campaigns are about winning the hearts and minds of voters. They are about ideas and communicating your stance on issues that are important to voters. They are about leadership. But most importantly, campaigns are about building TRUST with voters.

For inexplicable reasons, some candidates don’t seem to understand these basics.  History has shown us that instead of trying to prove to voters that they are the best candidate for the job, they start to worry about losing. And, that’s when it happens…they lose. 

 Flip Flopping

In 2004, Republicans were able to retain their hold on the White House largely by depicting U.S. Senator John Kerry as a “flip-flopper.” It did not help matters one bit that Senator Kerry uttered such dense statements as, “I voted for it before I voted against it.” The Bush campaign was able to spin Senator Kerry into a candidate who could not be trusted on national security and other issues and President Bush returned to a job he did not deserve.

As a veteran of hundreds of campaigns from school boards to presidential elections since 1976, I view the election process with a very unique set of eyes. I can guarantee that the moment a candidate starts seriously thinking about winning and losing, they have lost the heart, soul and direction of the campaign.

It’s time we move forward and embrace 21st Century American politics.

In the new political landscape, social media has changed almost everything. Candidates now post campaign themes and ideas on Facebook. Voters post comments, pictures and videos on multiple social media platforms. Rumors that can boost or kill a campaign (and sometimes facts) move quicker in today’s world than they did just a few years ago.

The real question about social media and candidates is does the number of Facebook fans translate into voters and money for a campaign? It did for President Obama, but that may not translate into voters or money for everyone. In short, having a Facebook or social media page does not win voters.

Candidates need more than a social media strategy. Candidates must learn how to connect with voters outside their base of comfort and show up to special interest screenings whether they share interests or not. Candidates can’t always buy endorsements, as some have done in the current election cycle; they need to actually talk to voters about the issues that impact their daily lives. They need to engage in grassroots campaigns. They need to have a total integrated campaign plan.

The Politics of Indecision

In 2008, the politics of indecision tanked the presidential hopes of U.S. Senator John McCain. While exit polls showed that 62 percent of the electorate ranked the economy as the most important issue, McCain famously quipped, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should” . The Obama campaign made sure that Americans saw that clip on every social media outlet. McCain would go on to suspend his campaign and fly to Washington with the working theory that he would put country first, and force Obama off the campaign trail. That didn’t happen. What happen was that Senator Obama was able to forge a bipartisan compromise, and alter the dynamics of the race for his advantage. Senator Obama won the election 365 to 173 electoral votes.

 As we embrace a new political engagement strategy in American politics, we need to remember that ours is a representative republic, despite the fact that only 3 of every 10 voters shows up to participate. Low voter turnout insures that political insiders become the new smoked-filled backrooms where elections are brokered.

Houston’s candidates in the November 3 election would do well to remember that engaging voters and connecting with them is still priority #1. Elections are still about ideas and values and not just a personality contest. Elections today are about using all the mediums available – direct communications, grassroots campaigning, voter outreach – and about connecting with the heart and mind of that target voter.

 Candidates that do not understand this are destined to lose.

Own Your Name, Own Your Brand Identity

At a recent networking event, I met an artist showing her work which I recognized from a previous occasion. In my conversation I found out that she had no website, did not own her domain name, trademark, or copyright for the purpose of selling and protecting her brand image which in her own words is her life and identity.

In a separate encounter, I spoke with a young attorney whose mother was a well-known community activist and philanthropist who made numerous contributions to the community. Her mother has since passed away and several organizations are using her mothers name for fundraising events without the consent of the family. I explained that her mother represented a brand, of idealism, integrity and a trusted identity that people associate with leadership. If she wants to manage her mother’s legacy she needs to control her brand identity and own the domain name and trademark.

These two examples may not be the typical product or services you would associate with branding or marketing like Coca Cola or Patriot  Bank. In today’s entrepreneurial market and recent networking experience, I find more people selling their own “Brand identity,” meaning their brand of individual skills and experience in a service capacity.

Brand identity matters and many of the marketing principles still apply in today’s virtual world.  The relevance of your product and/or service, translates into knowing your business and using your brand identity as the differentiator from the sea of competition.

Brand marketing is crucial, regardless of what type of media outlet you choose, print, web, Facebook, Twitter, or presentations. Your message must be consistent, so next time you want to post that half-naked picture of yourself from a party you attended in South Beach on Facebook, which has a link to your law firm you may want to take a pause.  Every person you meet has the ability to see your Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn pages.   Which brand identity are you selling, the professional you or the “hey let’s party” you?  Be memorable and position yourself for success and the first step may be by owning your name brand identity.

By the way, the two women mentioned above took my advice and now own their names and brand identity.  

The key question you need to ask yourself today is; do you have a professional brand identity and do you control it?

Great article on when to keep your mouth shut, so let’s take this article one step further and add the social media perspective.   In a recent round table discussion of my peers, the conversation was not who you were connecting with on FB or Twitter, however who people were hiding or disconnecting because of boring banter.  If we follow Dr. Albert Morabian’s graph, on the impact of a message;  7% are words, 38% are voice tones and 55 % are facial expressions and body language then those words need to be pretty concise when using social media.   The consensus at the end of the discussion was that people need to learn to EDIT themselves before they ruin their credibility.  Some people share too much information and forget that this is a vast audience that may impact them professionally and personally.  This all goes back to branding yourself, if your posting random thoughts just because you can… then be prepared to enjoy the positive feedback as well as the negative that are now associated with your name.    Facebook  and Twitter are suppose to be fun, however never loose sight of when sharing too much inforamtion  may cause disconnects or hides that may come your way.

Many can tackle social media marketing, but few approach it like onlineLINK Marketing, a new business unit of carreñogroup.

onlineLINK Marketing can help you climb the social media mountain by first developing a SMO (Social Media Optimization) strategy. Next, we work with you to identify desired outcomes traffic/page views, sales, reputation, social responsibility, influence, credibility, and brand awareness.

Once we understand the desired objective, we choose tactics wisely, while cognizant of what actions will influence the desired outcome with the most impact.

Social Media Marketing is characterized by communities that allow users to do many or all of the following:

· Create profiles/accounts

· Grow a network of colleagues/friends

· Collaborate with other community members

· Submit content

· Vote on content

· Tag content

· Comment on content

With the overabundance of social media options, onlineLINK Marketing ensures that you embark upon the right channels with the right content!

For more information read this: Academia VS. Industry: The Difference Is in the Punctuation Marks