"New Economy States" are Blue States

This caught my eye:

Massachusetts is the state best positioned for growth when the current economic turmoil recedes, according to the 2008 State New Economy Index released Tuesday.

So sayeth the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank that works with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to produce the "State New Economy Index" each year.

They use 29 variables, grouped in five categories: knowledge jobs, globalization, transformation into a digital economy, "technological innovation capacity," and "economic dynamism." To be honest I don't really know the details of what goes into this, but I worked with people at the Kauffman Foundation when I was on the Hill and I know they're smart on issues of entrepreneurship.

I took a look at the rankings of states and noticed something interesting: the highest-ranking "new economy" states are overwhelmingly blue, while the lowest ranking states are overwhelmingly red.

The top 11 states in the index all voted for Barack Obama this year. So did 17 of the top 20. The bottom 8 states - and 15 of the bottom 20 - voted for John McCain.

The state where I was born, raised and educated ranks first. My current home? 45th.

The Interview: Dr. Wendy Baldwin

As I wrote earlier, my most recent contribution to Buisness Lexington features Dr. Wendy Baldwin of the Population Council, the premiere global NGO that conducts public health research on population issues.

Dr. Baldwin was exceptionally gracious with her time. I'm particularly impressed with the commitment she's made to poverty and gender issues, and to furthering the careers of women in research. Here's our Q&A.

Q: Would you please explain Population Council's mission and what you do there?

A: The Population Council is an international non-governmental organization with the motto "Research that makes a difference"...we have offices in 18 countries and work in more. there are programs in reproductive health; HIV and AIDS; and then the one I lead, in Poverty, Gender, and Youth. In the Poverty, Gender, and Youth program we develop an evidence base about how adolescents make the transition to healthy, productive adulthood.

Q: You had a position at the University of Kentucky that anyone would consider an excellent capstone to an outstanding career, but then you decided to take a position at the Population Council. What prompted the departure from UK to the big city?

A: I have a career because from very early on I was motivated by the challenges faced by young people -- especially young women -- to make it to adulthood with the basic skills that they need for their lives and able to have the number of children they want. So, while UK is a great place, this was a chance to go back to the topics that hold my heart... I just felt that was the capstone that I wanted for my career.

Q: It seems you spend a lot of time going back and forth from Lexington. What is it about this area that keeps you here?

A: It is true, I commute between Manhattan and Lexington... my husband lives here in Lexington (and I am rather fond of him!) and Lexington is just a terrific place to live.

Q: What does success look like in your line of work?

Success sometimes takes a long time to see, but when you see it in a better life for young people; when you see them able to take on leadership roles in their own communities; when you see them freed from some of the most damaging practices; well... that looks like success.

Q: What are some examples of that?

A: Success might come quickly, but more often it is a long process. The kinds of problems we deal with take a long time to address. There may be longstanding traditions of child marriage, but families and communities can learn ways to redefine those traditions that also protect young girls from marriage. the younger the girl, the greater the age GAP between her and her spouse, the less voice she is likely to have in the decision to marry, the end of schooling and the beginning of very early childbearing. So, when we see communities that begin to value their daughters more, provide alternatives for them, support their schooling, and open up new opportunities for them... well, that looks like success to me!

Q: Why should people in Lexington or Kentucky pay attention to the work you do? How does it relate to people here?

A: Work that we do goes to the heart of how girls are valued (or not)... I believe these are issues that everyone can relate to. Too often problems in developing countries seem so far away and it isn't clear what can be done to make the lives of girls better. Well, I have seen programs that have a transformative effect on girls; I've talked with fathers who were so appreciative of the help in finding a better life for their daughters...there is a fundamental satisfaction that comes from such work.

Now, I also think that this work is a wonderful way to spread a vision of the compassion of people for others. I would like more people to associate that view with the people of Kentucky.

Q: Recently you told me about a meeting at the World Bank that featured participation from large companies. How does the corporate sector play a role in your work?

A: There is growing involvement of the corporate sector in the work that we do. For many companies that work around the world, they see the need for young people to have positive life courses, and to develop their potential. Also, many of these programs help young people make the transition into income generating work. One of the most popular aspects of such programming is financial literacy. young people are eager to learn how to manage their money -- when they are able to earn it -- and how to function in a world that may be very different from what their parents' experienced growing up. We are working with banks to develop savings products that are especially geared to young people. Sometimes it seems that people think poor teenagers have no need for banks; but it is the poorest who are most in need of help in learning how to protect themselves against financial shocks and have safe places to save.

Q: Given your ties to Central Kentucky, do you feel there's a role for the local business community in supporting your work? What are some of the options available to local firms? What will they gain by supporting you?

A: I would love to see the business community come together and sponsor an internship so that a student in Kentucky could learn more about this work. I think there are many students in Kentucky who understand the challenges Of growing up in a changing world... and they could bring their skills to others who are facing challenges that are, frankly, unimaginable to most of us. Also, some have said that the greatest happiness comes from knowing that you have done something that makes the world a better place... sounds corny, but I believe it, I feel it, I live it and I'd like to see more students get the opportunity to experience it.

Q: Is there anything I haven't asked but should?

A: How are we different from a humanitarian organization? we do not just provide services to those in need. there is a role for humanitarian organizations, especially in times of crisis. but, there is also a need for organizations that seek to understand problems in ways that they can build an evidence base and support fundamental changes. We look for ways that the results of our work can influence governments to change policies -- perhaps to make it permissible for young girls to return to school if married, or programs that specifically support school fees.

It is exciting to see families or communities change practices in constructive ways.

More Wholesome Social Media Goodness from your Government-in-Waiting

ABC's Jake Tapper points out that Peter Orszag, the guy President-elect Obama is choosing to run the Office of Management and Budget has authored a blog since December 2007.

I do believe I mentioned his blog a while back.

Beyond Bizlex: Working Locally, Serving Globally

My latest contribution to Business Lexington features Dr. Wendy Baldwin, the former EVP for research at the University of Kentucky and the current director of the Poverty, Gender and Youth program at the Population Council.

The Population Council is the world's premiere organization conducting biomedical, public health and social science research on population issues. They have offices in 18 countries and programs in more than 65 countries. They don't get a ton of publicity but they do important work, and they deserve much more attention.

I actually met Dr. Baldwin on a plane - coming home from a trip to the DC office a while back. She was "commuting" home as well - her office is in New York while her home is Lexington. She struck up a conversation with me and as we got chatting I thought I had a nice column idea.

As always, the column format is a nice way to express a thought but it doesn't tell the whole story. I'll share the Q&A of my email interview with Dr. Baldwin in the near future.

We're About to Learn How Powerful Liberal Bloggers Are

Because they're really not happy with how Senate Democrats dealt with their true public enemy number one - Joe Lieberman.

Top names in the left-o-sphere such as Jane Hamsher, John Aravosis and Markos Moulitsas have spoken. Hamsher appears to be driving the discussion.

They contributed to a Democratic victory on election day. They weren't as influential on the decision to let Senator Leiberman keep his committee chairmanship.

We'll see if this is a tempest in a teapot or a major revolt.

The OTC Painkiller Who Must Not Be Named

I asked my wife if she heard about this Monday night and she told me it was "old news" by then.

I'm secure enough in my masculinity to say I've worn a baby in a sling. In public. Several times. And after a while my back gets sore too. But it's clear the ad was a mistake.

However, give McNeil credit for responding to the fairly robust criticism rather quickly and doing the right thing.

Of course all the social media folks are writing their "behold the power of Twitter" and "behold the power of mommybloggers" posts. The truth is in this situation Twitter probably saved McNeil here, not harmed it. It served as the canary in the coal mine, giving the company a strong warning that something was wrong. And McNeil was smart enough to be watching for it and courageous enough to apologize and change direction quickly. Now they need to take the next step - building strong relationships with many of the discussion drivers and opinion leading parents who talk with each other online.

Obama Won't Change Much

About a week ago, my pal Mark Story and I were kicking around the idea of discussing how an Obama Administration would change things. For political hack/PR flack/social media mac daddies like us, it's a fun topic that allows us to call in other folks and sound "smart" by writing another one of those "the world has changed, utterly and forever" posts. And Mark did me proud. So here's the cold, hard truth about what the Obama Administration will change.

Not much.

Sure, the military will leave Iraq sooner. And policies will dramatically shift on things like stem cell research, and how we approach rebuilding the economy, and how we address the fates of the detainees at Guantamo Bay. There will be a lot less political editing of scientific documents from EPA, NSF and NIH. If Congress kicks in, we'll see a realignment of the tax code to spark an explosion in clean and renewable energy technology investment, and a lot more people will have health coverage.

And while the Obama Administration will be the ones who implement these changes, the truth is the American people have decided to make them. The only real change that President-elect Obama has made himself - at least so far - is he's convinced enough people that he'll actually do the things that people have been demanding for quite some time now. Americans think he'll do more than lecture and that he'll do more than listen. Americans think he will respond.

I've heard it said the Bush Administration believed that by voting for them, the people gave them the mandate to decide everything for us. It's not that input wasn't welcome; it's that input was already given on election day in 2000 and 2004 and no further input was required. I'm not sure that's exactly how it was but I can see why some might say that.

However, we've reached critical mass over the past eight years. With instant communication people now demand instant accountability on issues that happen in real time. The cranky blogger living in the basement, writing screeds that only he will read has been replaced by millions of people in constant communication with each other, who feel varying degrees of ownership over the issues that affect their lives and who believe that working together they can make some progress, despite the disagreements that still exist.

President-elect Obama didn't create this change. He's said so himself. He simply understood its existence. He used the tools people use today to communicate with each other, and by doing so he convinced us he knows politics is not a lecture.

Now he has to prove he gets it, and I'm not just talking about social media. We're long past the point where you convince people you get it by publishing a blog or putting together a spiffy YouTube channel. They're just tools. He'll have to listen and respond.

Personally, I'd love to read the thoughts on how an Obama Administration will change things from:

Tim Hurst, a master of green policy
Julie Marsh who shows strong leadership in the mom-o-sphere every day
Susan Getgood who continues to show the rest of us how social media is done
Chris Hogan who is the best-dressed man I know and lives in the DC area to boot

Here's why I WON'T explain the economy's impact on social media

I'm too busy working.

The difference between "can" and "should"

I agree wholeheartedly with Amy Gahran - CNN's hologram technology was an unnecessary distraction from their otherwise solid election night coverage.

There may be a time when the addition of a hologram adds value to a two-dimensional television news broadcast. Sometimes it takes a while to discover the strategic application of new technology tools.

I don't know how much time or money CNN spent on this. But it reminds me a bit of companies who get the thinking backwards - they have this cool new tech gadget and they try to find a place to force it in to their existing strategy. It's like they decided to debut it on election night because they knew a lot people were watching, and not because they had a strategic need for a tool like that. I always thought you add things to your newscast to get more viewers, not the other way around. Maybe more people will tune in now that CNN has holograms, but I tend to doubt it.

It's like when a company spends a chunk of money to get into Second Life, without really having a need to do it. Virtual worlds may indeed have strategic applications, but when all you get for the money you spend is an article in a tech publication that says you're now in Second Life, well, you should have bought an ad. Better ROI.

Best campaign speeches of 2008

While it's now my job to focus on social media, particularly as it pertains to issues-based discussions, I'm still fascinated with the art of political oratory and speeches in general. We saw thousands of stump speeches from more than a dozen candidates over the past two years, but only a handful provided those signature moments that will stand the test of time. Here's my short list of the best political rhetoric - in the classic and not pejorative sense - of this campaign.

Senator Clinton, June 7, 2008: "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you it's got about 18 million cracks in it and the light is shining through like never before."

Near the end of her campaign, Senator really hit her stride on the stump. The Democratic primary itself became a narrative about breaking barriers, and while Senator Clinton was ultimately unsuccessful in reaching her goal, she embraced the rhetoric of progress and inspired a new generation of girls - and, hopefully, boys.



Governor Romney November 6, 2007: "Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."

Governor Romney to me represents the breaking of barriers on the other side of the aisle - and while his speech wasn't without controversy (he didn't literally see his father "march with Dr. King") it still represented a courageous stand against some of the more dogmatic voices in his own party.



Governor Palin, September 3, 2008: "Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people."

While some have said she ended up being a drag on the Republican ticket, there can be no doubt that Governor Sarah Palin immediately provided enthusiasm and electrified a conservative base that up to that point had been lethargic. Her acceptance speech at the RNC, a folksy but spirited attack on the Democratic ticket and vigorous endorsement of Senator McCain, to me represents the high point of the Republican campaign.



Senator Obama March 18, 2008: "I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed her by on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

While his convention speech, his New Hampshire primary concession speech, and his victory speech all had the rhetorical flourishes that are now embedded in pop culture, I think history will recall the speech he gave in Philadelphia on race issues as the most important. Politically it stemmed a growing tide of criticism over his association with Reverend Wright, but to me it represents the most courageous and confident attempt ever made by a political figure to address the issue. It was devoid of the focus-group-driven pablum and demonstrated to the country that this was one candidate who wanted to address serious issues like an adult.



John McCain, November 4, 2008: "I would not be an American worthy of the name, should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century. Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant."

Senator McCain's concession speech was distinctive for its graciousness. Most speeches of this kind often feature calls to unity and this address is what I think most McCain supporters might point to in the weeks ahead as a demonstration of the man's honor and grace.



Barack Obama, November 4, 2008: "Yes We Can."

Yes, it repeats much of the rhetoric from other stump speeches, but I think you have to include this one. The rhetorical device of following the life of a 106-year-old voter and asking what changes will come next was extraordinarily powerful.

Apparently, there was some sort of political contest yesterday

and a guy named Obama won. Seems like a nice enough fellow.

Looking at the down-ticket races, at first glance it seems the Democrats did well but not quite as well as they may have expected. And it appears turnout, while heavy in some areas, wasn't as heavy in others.

I'm still digging out but I have a few election-related items percolating, and hopefully they'll find their way here...

Last Chance: Follow @Campaign2008 on Twitter

A group of us are live-tweeting updates and the returns @Campaign2008 - there won't be much use for the account after this week (unless there's a runoff in Georgia, and even then...) but it's a nice way to keep in the loop if you're not into all the super-techie stuff. Just tweets and links.

I'm not going to lecture you about voting

but I will remind you that millions of people on the planet still don't have that right. So I hope you'll exercise yours.

Digging out

I'm back in town, trying to sort through work and get my bearings a bit. It seems all anyone wants to talk about is the election, and many of us are seeing how Senator Obama has combined traditional organizing with social media to build the next-generation campaign. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow night.

Frankly, I'm just ready for all the stories about polls to be over.

More wholesome social media goodness from me soon. Make sure you vote tomorrow.