Thursday, January 22, 2004
The BIG EVENT at the State House yesterday went well although had this been something I had staged at a private sector job, I might possibly have been fired...
What went well: All the keynote speakers arrived promptly and spoke eloquently. Having said this, all of the speakers were also politicians who knew there would be friendly media present. Didn't have to do much there.
What didn't go well: the response rate to the mailings we sent out to the local elected officials of each of the municipalities. About six hundred letters were mailed on State House stationary -- replete with personally forged signatures of two Senators and one Representative. Out of that mailing and numerous follow-up communications, we got a showing of fifty officials, thirty of whom we basically dragged in by their hair.... Granted a lot of these local officials have day jobs and cannot easily take off to Boston for the morning but nonetheless, you'd think they would be interested in attending a working meeting to discuss how to mobilize around common issues.
Or not... maybe like myself, they all just think it's just a lot of B.S. Far for me to hold an exclusive on cynicism... I think next year (if I'm still around at this job), I'll have to take a much more aggressive, in-your-face approach with the invitations "Yes Representative, I have sent out letters to your local elected officials but it's up to you to rally them to this event. You see we have a lot of important speakers coming as well as members of the press and we want to have a strong showing in order to demonstrate the reach of our caucus (translation: IF WE DON'T GET WARM BODIES TO THIS EVENT WE ARE ALL GOING TO LOOK LIKE IDIOTS!).
My crush on a certain well-spoken Senator has grown since watching him speak yesterday. I should qualify my crush... I have a crush on his speaking abilities. He does everything ad hoc. He knows his stuff. Never muddles a sentence. Ever. He has an absolutely astonishing command of the English language. I LOVE listening to him speak. Believe me, the crush ends there.
What went well: All the keynote speakers arrived promptly and spoke eloquently. Having said this, all of the speakers were also politicians who knew there would be friendly media present. Didn't have to do much there.
What didn't go well: the response rate to the mailings we sent out to the local elected officials of each of the municipalities. About six hundred letters were mailed on State House stationary -- replete with personally forged signatures of two Senators and one Representative. Out of that mailing and numerous follow-up communications, we got a showing of fifty officials, thirty of whom we basically dragged in by their hair.... Granted a lot of these local officials have day jobs and cannot easily take off to Boston for the morning but nonetheless, you'd think they would be interested in attending a working meeting to discuss how to mobilize around common issues.
Or not... maybe like myself, they all just think it's just a lot of B.S. Far for me to hold an exclusive on cynicism... I think next year (if I'm still around at this job), I'll have to take a much more aggressive, in-your-face approach with the invitations "Yes Representative, I have sent out letters to your local elected officials but it's up to you to rally them to this event. You see we have a lot of important speakers coming as well as members of the press and we want to have a strong showing in order to demonstrate the reach of our caucus (translation: IF WE DON'T GET WARM BODIES TO THIS EVENT WE ARE ALL GOING TO LOOK LIKE IDIOTS!).
My crush on a certain well-spoken Senator has grown since watching him speak yesterday. I should qualify my crush... I have a crush on his speaking abilities. He does everything ad hoc. He knows his stuff. Never muddles a sentence. Ever. He has an absolutely astonishing command of the English language. I LOVE listening to him speak. Believe me, the crush ends there.
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