There’s a lot of talk this morning about how John McCain tried to rebrand the Republican Party. According to the Washington Post:

“John McCain was re-branding his party as the party of change,” one CNN commentator said after the speech. “Re-branding” is a very popular term these days, but what does it mean? Perhaps that you can make something true just by saying it’s true.

Well, I work at a PR/marketing agency, and we always tell our clients that branding isn’t just a logo or what you say about yourself. It’s how people perceive you or your company. Perception is reality. In this case, the GOP brand is not so strong after being dragged throught the mud for the last eight years. It will take more than a speech and some balloons to recast that brand.

I know … two videos in one day. That’s right … prTini is going high tech!

At work today, there was a lot of discussion about Sarah Palin’s speech last night. A number of people commented on the  harsh tone. Myself included. Last night, I was struck by the negativity. When I watch the Clintons, Obamas, Joe Biden and other speakers — I am reminded of what a great country we live in. No, everything isn’t perfect … but we are blessed to call this home. I am inspired to want to be a better person and to do my little part to help others however I can. On the other hand, when I watch Republicans, I don’t have that sense at all. Republicans use the same tried-and-true fear-mongering tactics.

In fact, as I’m writing this, the GOP convention just showed a video — supposedly billed as a tribute to 9/11 victims. It was anything but. It was an attempt to scare people into thinking that another terrorist attack is about to hit us. And, if you listen to them, the Republicans are the only people interested in keeping us safe. The video was exploitive and completely uncalled for. It wasn’t a tribute. It was playing politics with a tragedy. In fact, MSNBC’s Keith Olberman just said the video shouldn’t have been aired on television. He rightly pointed out that if a network aired that much graphic footage of 9/11, they’d rightly be “eviscerated for exploiting the memories of the dead and perhaps trying to evoke that pain again.”

Those aren’t the types of leaders this country needs. It’s difficult to articulate — but I want a leader in the White House who inspires others to be better … to work a little harder … to give thier time and resources to those in need … to understand those who are different than us. Not someone who relies on scare tactics to win some votes. I know being president is a much bigger responsibility than just being a cheerleader. I don’t want a cheerleader. But, I do want a leader who makes people better — and in turn makes the country better.

This video starts to explain that. I hope you like it.

This is hilarious. Jon Stewart is so clever.  

Much has been made about the divide that is being created between big city America and more rural communities. Initially, I thought this was just another way for the GOP to fabricate a divide in the country. But, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if there’s a deeper, veiled meaning behind this line of thinking. I need to do some research to see if my hunch is on target. More tonight …

Rudy just finished. His speech was one low blow after the next. I think that pretty much sums up why I’ll never vote Republican. Being a POW doesn’t qualify anyone to be president. And, I think it’s stupid to attack Obama for being a community organizer. No, it’s not your typical road to the White House, but at least he understands the challenges that people face and how to get people to mobilize to fight for their rights. That’s a clear difference between the parties. Dems want to reward people who volunteer in their communities. Republicans? They mock the concept.

Sarah Palin’s up. Here we go …I don’t like what she stands for, but you have to admit the crowd in the hall is loving her. Uggh. Wonder how she’s playing in the rest of America? Do people buy this, or will they see right through it? Hopefully, they’ll remember that she loved pork-barrel $$ as mayor … she wants to control how science is taught in the classroom … she doesn’t support big government (unless it has to do with controlling reproductive rights and who you can marry) … she supports abstinence-only education … she thinks the war has something to do with a directive from God … the list goes on and on. She may be a good speaker and appealing to soccer (or hockey) moms everywhere — but she and John McCain are not the right leaders to get America back on the right track.

From CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin on one of the oddities of American politics: If you look at the last four presidential elections, the four men with the more honorable military record lost. (Bush, Sr., Dole, Gore, Kerry)

Why is that? And, what does that mean for the McCain campaign?

Take this for what you will …

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain’s haul.

This weekend, Mike and I got bicycles (which also provided a good excuse to get some new workout clothes as well!). We went riding yesterday and today — both times for more than 90 minutes. The seats aren’t exactly the most comfortable — that, or I don’t have enough padding. In any case, biking is really fun. The jury is still out in terms of a workout. From what Mike has read, we’re burning more calories biking for an hour-and-a-half than we would just running for a half-hour or so. My legs feel like they’re getting a good workout and I feel like it’s good cardio. I don’t have that “Oh my god, I think I’m going to die” feeling that I get running sometimes. But, in the end, that’s probably a good thing. Maybe I’ll be more likely to ride on a more frequent basis. Only time will tell, but thus far, Mike and I are thoroughly enjoying our new toys!

Anyone know anything about biking vs. running? And, you know how there are 5Ks for running — are there short, fun bike rides like that?

Any smart PR person will tell you that if you have a story that needs to be “buried” there are two ways to go — pick an incredibly busy news day so it gets lost amongst the clutter, or aim for a holiday when people aren’t paying attention.

Well, it so happens that today is a holiday and an extremely busy day — courtesy of Hurricane Gustav. This combination of factors makes it the ideal time to try to hide Sarah Palin’s controversial news. Her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Maybe one of these days, abstinence-only supporters will realize that approach isn’t exactly working.

From a PR standpoint, I guess it was kind of brilliant. Limit the damage by getting the story out there on a day when the media has shifted from politics to constant hurricane coverage.

For his part, Obama took the high road, asking the media to lay off these kinds of stories. As he pointed out, his mother had him when she was just 18. He believes families — and especially children — shouldn’t be subjected to the political scrutiny that comes with running for office.

We can only hope the media lay off the tabloid aspects of this story and let this 17-year-old girl deal with this challenge in private, but I hope the media uses this as an opportunity to closely examine Palin’s positions on associated issues like birth control and sex education.

Let me start by saying this: I hope Gustav misses NOLA and doesn’t cause major damage in any other parts of the Gulf Region. However, with the hurricane approaching landfall this week — at the same time the GOP is supposed to be holding its convention — there are some pretty interesting political issues raised.

My own thought: I hope the presidential candidates and their campaigns can show enough restraint and stay out of the way. Sure, this may present an opportunity for the candidates to look “presidential” and, specifically for McCain, to differentiate themselves from President Bush’s reaction to Katrina. However, with a presidential campaign comes motorcades, traffic problems and security issues. That is the last thing those people need during this crisis. I hope the campaigns just let the rescue workers to their work without making it even more complicated.

As far as how Gustav may impact the political process, www.fivethirtyeight.com — one of my favorite political blogs — had a great post today looking at this very issue. They offered five ways the storm could help the Republicans:

1. Allows McCain to Appear Magnanimous. By potentially delaying or canceling his “date” at the GOP convention, McCain appears as though he is giving something up to tend to the Gulf Coast. Sympathetic and neutral-to-sympathetic media outlets may view this as underscoring McCain’s “America First” theme.

2. Lowers Expectations Bar. The selection of Sarah Palin as the VP nominee has forced the GOP to shift abruptly from a “Ready to Lead” theme to an “America First” theme. While it is difficult to say whether one of these themes was intrinsically stronger than the other, odds are that a lot of speeches had to be re-engineered, probably rendering them less effective upon delivery. Gustav, however, may give the GOP a built-in “excuse” for more off-the-cuff, hastily-organized speeches.

3. Removes the Bush problem. The further Mr. 30% is from St. Paul, the better off the Republicans will be.

4. Do-Over. Americans have short memories, and a relatively more successful response to Gustav could allow the GOP to argue that it has redeemed itself for the mistake of Katrina.

5. Crisis Mentality May Benefit McCain. By appearing in New Orleans, and perhaps even delivering his acceptance speech from there, McCain will have the opportunity to appear “presidential”. Rather than asserting to that he is ready to lead — an assertion that was undermined the the selection of Palin — he may hope to give the appearance of actually demonstrating such leadership.

It will be interesting to see how this changes the political environment. Stay tuned …