Ball In

Yesterday was a rather challenging day for reasons which I will not disclose here (not wanting to bore you, dear reader, with my trials and tribulations). 

Before I delve into Dr. Calvin Ball’s double-plus-un-shocking announcement, allow me a moment to talk about Lisa Kim’s cheap and snide comments about “the character of the community” as posted in a Howard County Facebook group.  Personally, I found her Trump-esque jeremiad against rental properties to be off-putting.  I am not precisely certain why she chose to inveigh against those who aren’t seeking to purchase homes, which include many young adults as well as working class families, but the underlying tone is ugly. I hardly believe that rhetoric calling for the functional equivalent of a wall around Columbia is representative of Howard County values.  She, in her capacity as a candidate for County Council, needs to explain her stance and, in probability, apologize.  We in the Fightin’ Fourth deserve better.

Turning now to Dr. Ball’s launch of his campaign for County Executive, it was a rather subdued event.  With hundreds of friends, family members, colleagues, acquaintances, hangers-on, politicos, neighbors, and others gathered in the grand room at Kahler Hall, I expected the energy level to be more pronounced.  For those anticipating red meat, it was mostly pescatarian fare. 

There were some individually solid lines and turns-of-phrases in his speech, including his thoughts on Howard County as a “beacon of love” and this being a “people’s campaign.”  His reminder that we must think about, and advocate for, those among us who are struggling, those who have not yet secured their “slice of utopia” (to borrow a phrase he employed last night) was precisely what this lefty wanted to hear, and rightfully so. 

Dr. Ball’s speaking style is mellow/cerebral.  I wasn’t expecting a fist-pounding, rafter-shaking oration.  That said, as someone who constantly scanned the room, I could not help but feel as though the assembled wanted to be stirred, charged, “fired up and ready to go,” if I must use that phrase, more than they were.  I didn’t get a sense that people were ready to charge through a brick wall following his summation.  Optimistic? Sure.  Intellectually inspired? More likely than not. Emotionally energized?  Time will tell.   

One of the major applause lines centered on running a positive campaign.  Consistent with the candidate, I can visualize a Ball-for-County Executive campaign adhering to the “Choose Civility” precept.  That said, when the crunch time comes and Team Kittleman and their allies decide to start throwing elbows (and some already have), I hope that Team Ball’s orientation towards “the nice” won’t impede their ability to embrace “the tough.”  In the fight for progressive values, sometimes it takes more than hugging it out.

In solidarity.

Being and Batty

Some scientists say there is at least a 20% chance that we are residing in a simulation run by hyper-intelligent aliens. If they are correct, that means odds are, at minimum, one-in-five that you and I are simulacra, deluded into thinking we are “real.”  Elon Musk puts the odds at far better than 50/50 that we are denizens of a rather complex version of Galaga. 

When you dream, perhaps those sheep are electric.

Tie this into the “one-electron universe” theory (posited by physicist John Wheeler to fellow physicist Richard Feynman during what could have been one of the worst phone sex chats of all time) that “all electrons and positrons are actually manifestations of a single entity moving backwards and forwards in time,” one must ask, “are the alien video game programmers extremely lazy, extremely efficient, or both?”

Is death “Game Over” or do we level-up?   

While humans are capable of pondering such questions, and science might one day provide answers, assuming we are not annihilated by ourselves or some external force (a hard re-boot, indeed), it still amazes that for all of our technological advancements over the past, call it century, our human faculties in some regards remain quite limited. 

From a communications perspective, we are still bound by fallible senses and minds that misperceive.  We fail to discern cues.  We ensnare messages delivered to us by others, even those who speak the same language and those we know well, in a web of our own past experiences or expectations or emotions, thus distorting their meaning.  It is as if each of us walks around with a Tower of Babel lodged somewhere near the cerebral cortex.

Sure, telepathy might resolve some ambiguities.  That said, it will be prone to create new challenges. We all saw “Scanners.” 

I suppose we will have to make do with some form of mindfulness, to hope to see the world as it is (as real or artificial as it may be) and, from there, hear what others are saying as they intend the words to be heard.  Hopefully, that will enhance our understanding of one another.  Thus, while our time is finite, as “tears in the rain,” we might stand a chance at being more connected with our fellow humans (or replicants, whichever you prefer).

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

Audience. Purpose. Context: A Spartan Considerations PSA

Allow me to handle some house-keeping and provide a brief rationale for it.

My primary Twitter account (@JasonABooms) has served multiple functions.  In recent years, it has been primarily a gateway to my Spartan Considerations essays on national, state, and local public affairs and politics (bonus points if you read the wine reviews).

Increasingly, in light of my career focus and interests, it has become evident that brand alignment dictates the need for @JasonABooms to be centered on strategic communications and communications research.

While some of you will enjoy such information and related musings, others in my audience will not find such posts relevant.  For you, I have created a new account/nom de plume: @SpartanConsider. There, you will find my ruminations on political and public policy matters…and whatever other topics I choose to cover.  Howard County news?  @SpartanConsider.  Thoughts on the Presidency, political theory, and past & future U.S. presidential elections?  @SpartanConsider.  Slats?  Off-line but @SpartanConsider as his schedule allows.

So please, feel free to follow me @SpartanConsider.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Until then, stay tuned, as more will follow.

Slats: A Non-Origin Story

“Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again”

I am oft asked about Slats, my mentor (of sorts).  A recurring theme is, “Why didn’t he make it Big?”  “He could have been a James Carville, a Paul Tully (n.b.: look him up), a Lee Atwater (twisted, evil little freak that he was, he was a Talent); much better than that ghoul Bob Shrum.”  Yes, I have heard it all.  

Over the course of many besotted (in the archaic sense of the word) evenings, and some afternoons, both during and after my tenure at his company, I was able to piece together his arc.

You see, during the course of every conversation in a public place, Slats’ eyes would invariably wander to the nearest woman (or women) that he found attractive. This is hardly an unusual behavior for a heterosexual man of his (or any other) generation.  But it was not the glances there were the issue, it was the pursuit, which dominated a great deal of his time, off hours and on.

An obsession is a thought; a compulsion is an act.  When it came to sex, he possessed both the “O” and the “C” with a fervor that younger men found admirable…and more mature men recognized as problematic.  It became clear, to me at least, that he was pursuing something, and not someone…and that whatever feeling or state of being he sought, he would never catch it.  He believed, as he implied in moments of extreme candor, that his world could be made whole again, if he just met the right Someone (even when he was already married).  In his mind, he was <this> close to finding the One.  That whatever was denied him in the past would be restored. That his pain would be forever salved.

He did (rarely) find someone wonderful, yet he always seemed to bungle it, for reasons which I can scarcely fathom and I guess he may never comprehend…even in his dreams when the lies we tell ourselves are stripped away.

“Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping”

Of course one can never know what it is truly in the mind of another.  Message producer/message recipient…even in ideal situations, there is always static that impedes communication, to say nothing of the unambiguous fuck-ups in both word and deed.  But at some point, perhaps during the late hours during moments of solitude and despair, the idea of More (see: Schopenhauer) festered.  And it, perhaps, drove him.  Political consulting, a former passion of his, became merely a means to an end.  He was good enough, and better than most, when he applied himself.  Yet he was never fully “present” as the Vipassana folks say. Not 100% mindful.

“And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence”

And as he got older, I saw more of a feral desperation in his eyes.  An existential angst that was growing more intolerable as he sought to reconcile his fears with his place in the universe.  A fear that he would never be who he was supposed to become.  A fear that he would not only never be content, but that his troubles would become insurmountable.  That the choices he had made were demanding payment in full.  And even when he managed to make a correct decision, a self-destructive impulse would foil his better instincts.  This drove people, good people, away from him.

“In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone”

Of course, he labored in an era where prose and poetry meant more than data analytics.  Campaigns like Fred Harris ’76 were of a time and place, long before the rise of Big Data, back when Pat Caddell was idealistic, and not too far removed from college.  Segmentation overtook the craft.  And even bearing in mind some brutal campaigns in the early days of our Republic, it feels as though campaigning, and governing, have become coarsened.  Perhaps more transparent, but less illuminating.

'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp”

Slats may be a living fossil. A T-Rex in a post-Cretaceous world.  Out of place, out of time. Eyes full of regrets and the “angel’s share” from a single-malt.  He must know, by now, that his number will probably never be called. He persists but with a creeping world-weariness that is veering into nihilism.  A few short years, perhaps, until the Flash and the Void.

“When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night”

Which, of course is why I bring up Slats MacCune, a living tragic figure and monument to another era. His obituary is already written, yet he draws breath.  The only variable is how Act III concludes, and when.  And then applause, and Fin.

“And touched the sound of silence.”

Future: Override

So the veto came, to the shock of none.

Assuming the four Council-members hold the line and no one "evolves" (or "flip-flops," depending on your point-of-view) on the issue, the Howard County Council appears set to override County Executive Kittleman's veto of the Nutritional Standards bill later on this month.

Policy considerations aside (although I tend to favor the compromise bill that the Council developed), I've gone back and forth on the wisdom of Kittleman's move from a political perspective. Ultimately, i think he is making a mistake.  But is it a good or bad kind of mistake for him?

I listened to his rationale for his veto, which can be found here, frankly it sounded like a boilerplate GOP play - perhaps principled but a little tired, mostly uninspiring and a bit platitudinous.  Yet another variation on "Get the government out of our lives! (except on the following 50 issues but let's not discuss those right now)."

So his veto helps him with his HoCo base, although I am not sure he needed that (or is he fearing a contested primary in 2018?!).  Perhaps he thinks a more confrontational posture will help him in future negotiations with the Council on other issues.  He has demonstrated that he can throw an elbow, OK..so what comes next?  Maybe he is looking at his future and sees a shift to the right as necessary if he wants to hold a political office that represents more than Howard County.  Does that mean the end of "Mr. Nice Guy?"  Perhaps the Kittleman brand is going to take another turn.  Maybe "Mr. No!"  That doesn't exactly radiate the sort of optimism one might expect from a "different kind of Republican." Let me use more "quote" marks.

Bottom line in this hastily written post - this is probably smart politics for Kittleman over the long-haul, assuming he has aspirations that require being nominated by a Republican party that is drifting ever right-ward.  But it is bad policymaking.  Moreover, he better get ready for life after the override because there is a fine line between "principled" and "ineffectual" - especially if he finds himself standing alone (or only with Mr. Fox) one too many times. There is a Howard County mainstream and right now, he is squarely to the right of it.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.

“Columbia Speaks. CA Listens.” OK, So Now What?

In case you haven’t yet, you should check out the four documents that comprise the written reporting from the “Columbia Speaks. CA Listens” initiative.  The links for each can be found below.  One and four are the most important and are in bold; two and three are fine if you really want to get into the details.

1) Summary Report (14 pages).  A must-read.  Start here:

http://www.columbiaassociation.org/home/showdocument?id=6580

2) Table Discussion Notes (31 pages).  “Showing the work.”  It is worth a gander:

http://www.columbiaassociation.org/home/showdocument?id=6574

3) Post-Event Comments (6 pages).  If you read the Table Discussion Notes, you might as well look through this document too…

http://www.columbiaassociation.org/home/showdocument?id=6576

4) Comment Card Q and A (17 pages).  The other “must-read” as it also contains helpful news you can use (in the form of question answers from “appropriate CA subject experts”):

http://www.columbiaassociation.org/home/showdocument?id=6578

A. Initial Thoughts and a Hearty Thank You:

First, I am pleased that the Columbia Association took the time to put together this event and intelligence-gathering process.  Moreover, I am elated that (apparently), some specific operational and communications changes have been, or will be, enacted based on the feedback received from the residents who participated.

Kudos to all of those involved who took the time to provide, gather, analyze, and/or implement the intelligence contained in the four documents.

B. Beyond That:

1) I am a bit concerned based on the descriptor of the “discussion moderators.”  Without knowing anything else about their specific backgrounds beyond that they were “moderators from Howard Community College’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center,” I would have preferred if at least some of the small-group (read: breakout) sessions were led by professionally-trained meeting facilitators or, preferably, focus group moderators.  Being of the latter group, of course I am biased.  That said, I look upon this as being a research initiative, and if the purpose of “Columbia Speaks. CA Listens” is to uncover insights to inform and enhance business and communications strategies, well, I would want some qualitative research experts around to help structure and guide the discussions.  Sometimes conflict within such conversations is productive, it helps shed light on concerns and possible solutions.  To that end, I consider “mediation” to be a different mentality and skill-set.  This is not a criticism of their work, it is just something to bear in mind.

2) The summary report could have been organized a bit more efficiently so the reader could locate, at a glance, the executive summary of key findings for each of the main sections and, importantly, the implications/recommendations/tangible changes that the CA will highlight as they seek to reform the relevant processes and procedures.  It is OK in the current form, but a table of contents, the use of different colors, some re-ordering of the sections, perhaps even translating the narrative document into a PowerPoint deck, would make the document more reader-friendly. 

Now, these two abovementioned concerns might sound like procedural griping, and they are to a certain extent, but they are important nonetheless.  Both have the potential to impact the substantive success of the initiative and I hope that the CA keeps these considerations in mind for any follow-up listening programs.

C. Beyond “Beyond That”:

I. Programs and Service Offerings – Proposed Changes:  Of the ideas presented, improved signage sounds like a reasonable, and relatively simple, fix.

2. Governance – Proposed Changes: It essentially boiled down to “how best to increase participation” and “how best to empower our residents, given the specific responsibilities of the CA.”  Nothing earth-shattering here, with one notable exception.  The proposed “advisory task force” could be very helpful, or rather deleterious, to Columbia…based on the composition, world-view, and recommendations developed by such a task force, should one be created.  This is a notion worth watching.

3. CA Communications and Engagement – Proposed Changes:  Some practical website revisions were outlined, as were some ideas on improving other existing information delivery vehicles. I think some additional website usability testing might be in order.

Stay tuned, as more will follow.