Cedar Hills Mayor & City Council Get Lit Up

I had to shake my head and laugh a bit when I read this article in the Daily Herald.

It's a piece from Caleb Warnock recounting his experience at a recent city council meeting regarding the city's public golf course. I really don't know much about the politics of the golf course, but apparently the Mayor and Council take issue with the way Caleb has portrayed them in a recent series of articles.

The point is, the Mayor and City Councilors of Cedar Hills forgot this ancient Chinese proverb (and I think you can also find it in the D&C): Never get in a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel. Actually, I think its attributed to Mark Twain...but still probably in the D&C somewhere.

I've been there before in both a congressional office and congressional campaign. And believe me the temptation to do what the City Council did is so hard to resist. "If only the reporters would be fair, you know see it from our side?" or "Come on now, that's piling on - going too far."

I've seen many elected officials try to combat the press. Some do informal boycotts - I believe Rob Bishop avoided the SLTrib for a while (probably still does if he knows what's good for him) and Rocky Anderson was more formal in his blackout of the Desnews towards the end of his term as Mayor in SLC.

Do these protests ever work? Not really. In the absence of your side of the story the press will fill the vacum. And usually, they'll seek a source to get your side, but it's not your words and therefore not ever going to tell the story as you see it.

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from working campaigns is that when a 'bad' story is being written sometimes its best to make your case and then let the wave crash. Give it a few days to settle, focus on your own message, and get back to work.

The good Mayor and City Councilors of Cedar Hills would have done well to make the issue the issue (It's the Golf Course Stupid!) instead they are getting sidetracked by one version of the story told by the media. My advice to them: get in there, solve the real problem - the truth will find its way out eventually (good or bad).

Hat Tip: @SausageGrinder

Revolutionary Technology

I hope many of you are keeping tabs on what's happening in Iran. The protests there over the elections really are quite remarkable. Very reminiscent of Tiananmen Square 20 years ago with huge numbers of protesters marching in the streets.

One of the most enduring images I have burned into my brain and heart is that of "Tank Man." The lone Chinese citizen who some believe was a man simply on his way home from work. Who had grown tired of the tanks in the streets and all they represented disrupting his life. This one man standing in front of a column of tanks. The tank drivers popped their heads out, yelling at him to move, they tried to go around him and he moved in front of them - finally the tanks turned off their engines and sat there.

One man had literally stopped an entire army.

Now fast forward to today. Iranian students, street vendors, parents, and everyday people are rising up to protest what they believe are rigged elections. And let's face it - they are. But different from Tianamen is that of new technology. A real uprising in the age of the Internet and specifically Twitter.

I just read this article - A Cyberwar Guide for Iran Elections (from a link posted on a Tweet) telling people how to support the protests using Twitter effectively and protecting the identity of Iranians who are posting messages. I wonder if things would have turned out differently for the student protesters in Tiananmen if they had had access to this sort of technology?

Truly revolutionary.