The coming weeks Republican National Convention will be never-ending source of political commentary and analysis most of which will center around the presumptive Candidate, Mitt Romney and his V.P. designee, Paul Ryan; no surprise here. At the moment most polls show the race between the President and Gov. Romney evenly split which I find, considering that proximity of the November election, to be a sign that the challenger is failing miserably in the OnPoint message category.
For Romney, the Convention will be his last mass-opportunity to distinguish himself before a broad spectrum of Voters that are only occasional political followers representing 30% of the still undecided category; the segment of the electorate that will decide the upcoming election. Romney not only needs to distinguish himself, he must be powerfully articulate in the manner in which he delivers the message – more on this (message) in a moment.
Last week I had the occasion to speak with a long-time friend; we worked closely together for several years sharing an office during our time in the accounting profession; today he works abroad providing analytical services for various central banks and we have many interesting conversation. Gary had a fascination with horse racing and he was convinced he could create a system for selecting winners; I recall he would spend hours studying racing forms and, as he put it, scoring the various entries from around the country. During these years we worked out offices in San Diego and Santa Monica and during the racing season he would spend his spare time at the Del Mar track proving his “winning routine”.
“…the whole effort starts and stops with compelling cause!”
During our last visit I asked him if he still followed the racing form and how he was doing with his system. He responded with a chuckle particularly when he said, “You know there was a moment when I thought I had it nailed; do you (Curtis) remember what you told me? You said, ‘the key is figuring out how to create a window that will take bets on horses that don’t run; those are the ones that never loose.’ See, you run with the horse in the race; that’s what people bet on. But think of the number of people who, for any number of reasons, don’t bet at all. Your comment made me think; I’d have a huge statistical advantage if I could figure out how to handicap a race based on the number of people who choose not to bet? I considered that perhaps their reasons were more valid than the information on the racing form but in the end I couldn’t figure out a way to reliably score such a critical anomaly.” He asked me; “Do you know what the anomaly was?” I said, “Possibly; let me take a stab at it.” I paused for a moment and then continued; “The anomaly centers on undefinable risk, adverse outcome and ownership. Folks likely choose not to bet because although they know the certain horses will lose they are not able to define for themselves how to hedge the risk of not losing on a bet they place. Because of this uncertainty they detach form the process and thus have no ownership in the outcome and believe, due to the absence of compelling cause, that by doing nothing they are better off.”
“Exactly!” he said, “But there’s one more piece that contributes to the scoring anomaly and I like how you use the phrase ‘compelling cause’; you can’t alter outcome without compelling cause and I couldn’t figure out how to score this important attribute; the whole effort starts and stops with compelling cause!”
Back to the Romney message; he must develop and articulate his message effervescing with compelling cause. What is compelling cause: It is the kinetic force that gives life to the direction of outcome; it is itself the force multiplier of critical mass. His deliver will be important but secondary to the content of his message and this is where his credibility, as a Candidate, is weakest. Recently Mr. Romney has begun to tease the media mantel with the various phrases accented with the word “bold”; yes by all means however simply repackaging the same stale RNC/GOP mantra will not work. He will need to step over and beyond the rabble of Party fodder and into an entirely new terrain that become both a means to define message and a defining moment. The Nation requires a new, an entirely new, approach and to accomplish this Mr. Romney will need to manifest a deliberate willingness to depart from what has become the norm. Here, again, are the nominal waypoints (topically) he must navigate thru:
Message Content:
- Converge Upon a Common Ideal: The unifying foundation of compelling cause.
A perfect entre into the polarizing topic of legal vs. illegal immigration; to distinguish between immigration as a political agenda and immigration policy that must preserve and enhance the Common Ideals of a Nation; integration and not disintegration. - Restoration of National Construct: Distinguishing the role of the Federal Government from that of the States is the perfect mechanism for addressing the polarity of fantasy agenda’s such as Entitlements, Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life etc.
- Economic Agenda: The only sacred cows are the Unalienable Rights of the Sovereign Individual and the American Household; all else is subordinate to these. He must be willing to express deliberate specifics that have not been heard before. He must state the facts about our Monetary and Financial Market structure, failing Trade Policies, Undue Political Influences, Tax Code and U.S. Military Exposure and specific (creative) strategies for addressing each.
- Social Agenda: The Federal Government is not the lever or fulcrum of Social Mandates; this is a function of Personal Choice and Individual Responsibility. To invite the Federal Government into the equation has shown the loss of immense personal Freedom and Liberties.
- Contrasts In Ideology: This is not an election of Individuals, one over another, this is a Defining Moment of National Significance; a complete departure from nearly 100 years of progressivism that has brought this Nation to where it is. He must shut the door on the past and open a new port to an entirely new phase in Representative Democracy and Free-Market Economic Prosperity.
- Persona: Mr. Romney is not a thallic and fluid Politician; he’s contained, deliberate and methodical. Fabulous traits for a CEO; no so for a carnival barker politician. He should not shy away from his success; he must be willing to champion his personal successes by conveying that these very attributes are a source of compelling cause in Leadership; even more, he should use these as proof of the durability of Common Ideal in action. He must tie his success as a necessary outcome of those truths we hold to be true; that his ideals are not uncommon at all but the common ambition of a People who are Free and at Liberty to Express their Independence.
True, I have not been the most adoring fan of Mr. Romney and I believe for good reason(s) however, considering the alternative, we must “run with the horse in the race” and the Nation as a whole will not be better off by standing on the sidelines; by do nothing and clearly there is no force multiplier of critical mass in betting on horses that don’t run. Yes, in the end and like it or not, we will need to place our bets on Candidate Romney to ensure that weakest horse does, in fact, lose.
“Without union our independence and liberty would never have been achieved; without union they never can be maintained.”
– Andrew Jackson –
Curtis C. Greco, Founder
