Diatribes by Joah

Rick Perry for President? The Republican Party Should Know Better

[The views expressed here are mine alone. Some people may not like me because of them, but that's OK. These things need to be said, and not just by talking heads on TV. No one else should get credit for this diatribe, otherwise they would've written it themselves.]

I was reading an article a friend posted on Facebook about Rick Perry’s name being brought up for presidential candidacy and I had to chime in. For starters, let me just say that this is ridiculous.

No, not just Perry’s candidacy, but the strategy being deployed by the Republican Party to identify a viable presidential candidate to go against our President. The simplest way to describe the strategy is: throwing shit up against the wall. I’m embarrassed by the shortsighted or visionless approach by the Party. I would never say I agree with all the things Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and the George Bushes did – because there’s so much wrong to point out – but I will say this much: the Republican Party has out-executed Democrats since the LBJ years in terms of overall strategy of presidential politicking. I think even Bill Clinton would agree with me there if he were being honest (so maybe I shouldn’t count on it).

Ever since ’08, however, it’s been a shotgun approach by Republicans with names being thrown around with little substance or legitimate chance of electability. And, quite frankly, since we all know that Obama has to epically fail in the next 16 months to lose re-election the real strategy isn’t to win the presidency in ’12. At least that’s my belief since he pretty much has my vote in the bag and I’m one of those key “swing voters” every candidate desperately wants rather than the Republicans and Democrats they know vote along party lines.

The real strategy for the Republicans is to pick a candidate who can attack Obama’s campaign on one or two core issues that will enable them to maintain control of the House in mid-term elections in ’14 and, possibly, secure the Senate. That’s how they’ll be able to gain control of the national dialogue and find that next two-term Republican president.

But, that’s not happening yet. Michael Steele is partially to blame. The Tea Party is mostly to blame. So this is what we’ve got so far.

First it was assumed that ’08 VP nominee Sarah Palin and contenders Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee would be the cream of the crop, but significant holes have been poked in their efforts over the last two years. Palin is a policy nightmare, Romney already lost the nomination once and is super weak on healthcare, and Huckabee doesn’t have a clear-cut strength on a national level. Huckabee just dropped out and Palin and Romney still look like weaker opponents for Obama than John McCain did last time around.

Then a bunch of familiar names have been mentioned. Rick Santorum, former Senator from Pennsylvania. He’s about as far right as they come when the country wants something in the middle. Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi. He’s about as rural as they come when the country lives in cities. Newt Gingrich. He’s about as much of a has-been as it gets and he’s got a campaign operation to prove it. Barbour is already officially out too.

Lately, new crops of Republicans have been discussed. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and his crazy budget plans. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his controversial ways. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is seen as a challenger to Palin as the Party’s queen as of late. Christie says he’s not running because he isn’t ready to lead the country. The others are, hopefully, smart enough to agree.

And then there are the not-even-a-chancers. This is a group of politicians who have been around long enough to have a national profile, yet no semblance of a chance at winning a national election.

Rudy Guiliani is remembered for 9/11, but there’s no way he beats Obama – the guy who can now take credit for killing Bin Laden. He’ll release all the photos and videos if it means winning re-election, count on it.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul can garner fringe votes, just not nearly enough of them.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has the political experience, but does Indiana have the momentum to produce a president? The last time a state this small produced a president was Arkansas with this young charismatic guy named Bill Clinton. And Daniels knows he’s not that guy.

The same can probably be said about Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and Chinese ambassador, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a guy who supposedly has what it takes, but no way to show that to the American people because he’s not a guy city residents can get excited about, except maybe St. Paul.

Rick Perry falls in this group of not-even-a-chancers, too. Sure, he’s been the longest-tenured Governor in the nation’s second most populated state and that means something. But, no, it doesn’t mean he’s great at his job. It means Texas is an amazing state and we’re less dependent on having a good governor than most other states. Companies like the one I work for should get credit for the state’s economy, not a governor who’s never faced a truly inspiring opponent inhis career.

Rick Perry is a pointed finger, when America wants a president with open arms.

Why? Because our statewide conservatism allows Perry to cut school funding, limit tax base increases, be an enemy of public transit and the arts and take credit for all the Fortune businesses that are based here in Texas without much of fear of losing re-election because the state’s Democratic Party has not proven itself capable of producing a candidate with statewide appeal since the Ann Richards years.

Rick Perry’s candidacy is ridiculous because if the way Texas has been governed over the last dozen years is an indicator of what he’d bring to the White House, no one in America should want that at all. And the Republican Party should be smart enough to a) realize that, b) get his name out of the conversation more quickly [the party is starting to look silly…OK, it already does], and c) figure out the difference between a good candidate and a bad one.

Like the difference between Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

And one final note on this ridiculousness. This is something that probably won’t be written about in a ton of articles or discussed on TV programs even if Perry’s run does become official, but I am convinced this is the underlying truth of Perry’s potential candidacy: While so much was made about Obama’s perceived lack of experience in ’08, just as much should be made of Perry having too much of the wrong kind of experience when it comes to campaigns: experience beating candidates who never stood a chance. Sure, he beat Kay Bailey Hutchison in the ’10 primary, but her campaign was destined for failure the second she decided that maintaining her seat in the Senate was more important than running for Governor. Against Obama, there will be no such advantage.

Help Me Settle the Score, Which is Better?

I have long regarded A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders LP as my favorite album of all time. Nearly two decades later, and I'm still bumpin' to Electric Relaxation and 8 Million Stories like it was my very first listen.

Still, "Lyrics to Go" has always been my absolute favorite track. The only problem over the years has been the fact that Tribe dropped a remix for the song that was just as good. Until now...you're going to help me find out which one is better. Simply write in the comments which one you like more. Either the Original or the Remix. First, the Original Now, the Remix So which one is better?

Words for your Wednesday

A lot of people ask me things like, "How do you do so much?" and "Where do you find the time?" and "Do you ever sleep?" My answer is usually never as concise as these words from my ultimate idol Ben Franklin:

 

A life of leisure

  and a life of laziness are two things.

There will be sleeping enough in the grave.

ACL Festival Lineup Impresses Even the Hard to Impress

There's not much to say that I haven't already. C3 Presents it the most efficient live-music talent buyer in the country and that efficiency pays off this year with both Lollapalooza and the 10th Anniversary of ACL Festival. The lineup, featuring Stevie Wonder, Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Coldplay as headliners doesn't scream of innovation (given they've each headlined other major festivals before), but what they lack in wow factor they make up for in depth and breadth.

For the first time in years, hip-hop and "urban" music are well represented at the fest from Kanye and Stevie Wonder on down to Nas & Damian Marley, Cee Lo and Big Boi to up-and-comers like Chiddy Bang, Twin Shadow, Theophilus London and James Blake (an Aussie no less). And between Empire of the Sun, Chromeo and Fool's Gold I have a feeling the dancing will be at an all-time high.

As I did with Lolla, here are the 7 acts I'm most excited to see.

1. Kanye West - After his SXSW performance inside at the Power Plant, I can only imagine what's in store for the outdoor stage. I'm hopeful that the collabo album with Jay-Z is out by then and he'll drop some new gems.

2. Empire of the Sun - Girl Talk was nuts in '09, DeadMau5 was bonkers in '10 and I expect more and bigger in '11.

3. Theophilus London - The guy Niraj and I helped introduce to Austin outside of the SXSW scene.

4. James Blake - I didn't get to see him at SXSW so I'm excited to see his music translated to the stage.

5. Twin Shadow - Super buzzy...but does the buzz push through festival season?

6. Cut Copy - They never disappoint.

7. I had this spot reserved for Black Joe Lewis because a new album and a national tour had me assuming he'd be in the lineup months and months ago, but that was before his break from C3 management. Am I reading too much into it to assume the fallout resulted in Austin fans not getting a performance by one it's favorite musical sons?

Besides that tad bit of (potential) controversy, I'm super pumped about this lineup. The best one yet if you ask me. C3 didn't wow us with their lineup in '10 (Eagles, Phish, Strokes, etc.) but they definitely listened to the masses with this one. There's something for everyone. Which is precisely why everyone will be there. At least the lucky ones with three-day passes.

How Many People Have Insecurities?

Well that's an easy question. How many human beings are there? That's the answer.

I, for one, have plenty of them. Some are easy enough to see that a blog reader of mine who's never met me may be able to ascertain while others require kinship or a close friendship. If I'm being candid, most of my insecurities likely have a root in my lack of a father figure. The lack of that authority figure, life-long fan and role model has impacted me throughout my life when it comes to various insecurities of mine showing up.

When I was younger, my main insecurity was a desire to get approval from my peers. I spent far too many years wondering if I was "black enough" in social settings while wondering if my being the only black guy in academic settings made me question whether or not I was smart enough or just a token.

When I was a bit older, my main insecurity was ending up like everyone else I'd grown up around. Victim mentality. Government supported. Un-educated. Un-inspired. Un-motivated. Unreached potential. This is an example of my insecurity being my fuel to succeed. This is what enabled me to be that over-achieving 4.0 student who was involved and leading every student organization and volunteering all over the community. This drove me to apply for three dozen scholarships. This is how I was able to become the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college (in four years, at that).

Frankly speaking, the last few years I've watched as I've graduated from peer approval seeking to non-peer approval seeking. It's the people I admire and respect and seek to learn something from that I want approval from now. It's still the same type of insecurity from my early childhood, but it's manifested itself in different settings and to different people.

I share all this because I've come to realize something in the midst of getting a better understanding of my own insecurities. We all have insecurities, but some people act like idiots because of theirs. I'm sure glad I'm not one of them. At least not since I last checked.

Here are a couple main types of ways I've seen people act like idiots because of their insecurities:

1. They miss out on opportunities to meet people that can really help them. This goes for friends, lovers, employers, basically anyone in a position to help you.

Example: "No, I don't want to go to that party...I don't know anyone else besides you."

2. They pass up chances to show their talents. This goes for people who are really good at something, but their insecurities are so deep and visible that their talents take a backseat.

Example: "I'm sorry...I don't think I have time to do that. Maybe next time." [As they surf the Internet for gossip.]

3. They don't have self awareness, which leads to further insecurity. People who know their insecurities are the people who can adapt to them. When you lack self awareness, you lack the ability to know what you're doing wrong which means you'll never be able to address it.

Example: This one is especially for people who can never find clothing or music tastes of their own. They copy everything. Yet are still unaware even if the person they're copying is right next to them.

4. They create self-fulfilling prophecies. There are those people who are so insecure that they allow their insecurities, even if known, to perpetuate themselves over and over again because they're too insecure to try addressing them.

Example: This is true for anyone you know who complains about their job today and you remember them complaining about their job two years ago and you're pretty confident they'll be doing the same in two years too.

Basically insecurity, if unknown or unaddressed, is like HIV. It's a social stigma, preventing you from making friends, getting into relationships, holding onto jobs or getting the kinds of jobs you'd like, and generally being the kind of person you'd like to be. It's a physical ailment because you're unable to do the things you're capable of, physically (this could mean running that 10k race or losing 10 pounds), because you've watched the insecurity deteriote your body. It's also a psychological nightmare because instead of just attacking your external self - the person you're actually projecting to the world, it's also attacking your internal self, creating self-doubt, lowered self-worth and reducing your self-love (as Cornel West calls it).

The moral of the story is that it's OK to have insecurities, we all do. Especially me. I have very insecure moments all the time, but what I lack in insecurities, I make up for in my awareness and desire to address them.

I don't want to be an idiot. Do you?

24 Year Olds Need Role Models More Than Anyone Else

It's sad, but it's true. The sad part isn't that there are people out there that need role models...we've always needed role models. That's part of the reason why I dedicated an entire book the to subject. Whether you're 13 or 43 years of age, having a role model can be instrumental in your development as a human being regardless of if you're talking about as a son or a dad, a student or a professional, a thinker or a doer.

I recently heard "Y-Size Your Business" author Jason Ryan Dorsey speak about the differences between Baby Boomers (mid '40s to early '60s) and Gen X (early-to-mid '60s to late '70s) and Gen Y (late '70s-to-early '80s to 1995 [the last year you could be born and comprehend Sept. 11th according to Dorsey]) and the thing that I kept thinking back to was the fact that 18 years old isn't the age by which Americans become adults anymore.

But you could strongly argue that there's never been a time in history where the most role-model-needy group in America are 24-year-olds.

- I'm a part of the first generation that didn't know how it felt to drink legally before age 21.

- I'm a part of a generation that sends 80% of its college graduates back home with their parents instead of into the job market.

- I'm a part of a generation that grew up with MTV and ESPN...the two networks most responsible for reducing the need for anyone to read books or newspapers as a source of infotainment because we've had Real World and Jersey Shore for our sexual education and laughs and SportsCenter prevents us from, say, having to watch an entire baseball game.

- I'm a part of a generation that has seen how important political participation can be (e.g. Barack Obama) while also seeing how sensationalized political engagement has become (e.g. Fox News).

- I'm a part of a generation that counts Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z and Tyler Perry as national black icons. All impressive and respected individuals in their own right, but certainly no Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s and Ella Baker's in that bunch. And Keith Olbermann is no Edward Murrow.

- I'm a part of a generation that saw our parents get divorced at an all-time high rate and is "paying it forward" to the next generation by waiting longer to get married and have kids, if at all.

- I'm a part of a generation that switches majors in college and switches jobs every couple of years and still expect success to come overnight. Why? Because we grew up hearing about how Bill Gates didn't even graduate from college. And LeBron didn't even go!

- I'm a part of a generation that has seen the greatest achievements in film (Spielberg? Hanks?), music (Michael Jackson), sports (Michael Jordan) and technology (the Internet) but doesn't even understand how to qualify what a great achievement is in civic leadership, literature and politics.

- I'm a part of a generation that has seen more gender equality than ever before in the academic and professional aspects of life while allowing something like "hook-up culture" to put women in an entirely different, but still inferior, position when it comes to social dynamics.

- I'm a part of a generation that found out about Sept. 11th, Hurricane Katrina and bin Laden's death within minutes thanks to the Internet, while having that news given equal traction in the airwaves as Charlie Sheen's tirade, Lindsay Lohan's breakdown and Donald Trump's presidential candidacy.

These things don't directly point to the need for role models. What they point to is a need for clarity about the world today. The problem is, role models are typically people older than us. People of a different generation. So they can't possibly understand our day-to-day challenges and dilemnas, pop culture and technology the way someone within our generation could. So rather than reach down to offer a helping hand or mentoring session, they reach into our pockets for marketing success and into our minds via political trickery.

We're six years older, but we're just as amendable and gullible as previous generation's 18-year olds. We're sold on college as a way into the professional world, sex as a way into marriage and Facebook as a way into friendship. Previous generations were sold on manufacturing as a means to financial stability, political activism as a way to effect change, and credit cards and mortgages as a way to legitimize one's self-worth.

What's needed isn't just role models from Gen X to educate those of us from Gen Y. Besides, there are 80 million of us and not that many of you. What's needed is role models within Gen Y who can share best practices with others within our generation. People of our generation want to do it on their own, but they also want to know how others did it on their own. We're not great at giving credit to others, but we're great at stealing from those worthy of getting credit.

That's why people like Donald Glover, Shelby Knox, Levi Maestro, Tea Obrecht, Natalie Portman and Derrick Rose are worth paying attention to. Their boundlessness, passion, energy, words, beauty and humility are all characteristics we should aspire to have but are never sure how to attain. Once we can start figuring this out and helping ourselves, we can better understand how to take advantage of the help other generations have to offer.

Up next...how the Black community isn't all that different from 24-year-olds...maybe.

Let me brag for a second...

Recently, I informed you all that I'd be taking a new direction in my career and I'm proud to announce that in just three weeks I've helped Bazaarvoice win Austin Business Journal's top honor as the "Best Place to Work" in Austin for a large company. I'm kidding. I have absolutely nothing to do with this award, as Bazaarvoice was the runner-up in the mid-sized category last year after winning the small-sized business category the two previous years. Needless to say, not only was it a good place to work as a startup a few years ago, but it continues to be a great place to work even as the company grows and hires hundreds more employees. Looks like I made a good decision...

Reaching Your Potential, Your Debt to the World

I was filling out some type of questionnaire the other day and one of the questions was about my biggest pet peeve. It took me awhile to answer it and that’s mostly because there’s no one thing I hate more than people who don’t reach their potential. And I wasn’t quite sure that’s what they were looking for.

It’s a big world out there and there are so many people, places, opportunities, lessons, experiences, challenges and goals for just about all of us to meet, see, make the most of, learn, live through, take on and set. Why waste time not doing any of it when you can do it all!

But what are the main reasons why some people can’t reach their potential? 

1. They’re afraid. Of regretting something. Of challenging themselves. Of risks. Of failure. Of success. Of what people think. Of what their parents will say. Of not fitting in. Of having to choose. Of making a bad decision. Of rejection. Of doing something about it. Whatever it may be.
2. It’s easier to be mediocre. Slide into the background. Push goals aside. Forget all those ambitions. Disregard all the education, preparation and training. Stop wanting more than what you already have. Welcome complacency. Surround yourself with lackluster people. It’s easier to do all these things.
3. People only have enough time for so much. There’s enough time to see what someone else is doing, but not enough to do it yourself. There’s enough time to read, but not enough time to write. There’s enough time to learn, but not enough time to teach. There aren’t enough jobs. There’s already someone doing that. There isn’t room for me here. There’s been enough struggle already. There doesn't seem to be something that fits.

Time is time for everyone. The same 24 hours. The same set of days. The same calendar year. But people who are afraid or people who get content with mediocrity seem to have less time than us all. So I can't stand how much they talk about how little time they have, yet have time to talk about why they're not fulfilling their potential or to talk about their perceptions of your attempts to fulfill your own. This isn't about mental health or socio-economic standing or lack of access to affordable [insert word here]. This is just about work ethic and having a sense of purpose.

Those that lack both of those important qualities feed back into the 80/20 rule. Instead of being a part of the 20 percent of the people doing all the work of the world, they're the 80 percent of the people the world really needs to make it a better place. All of the world's problems - AIDS, illiteracy, poverty, you name it - could be put on their deathbeds if the people living life like they're already dead woud just wake up and realize that Sister Mary Clarence was right!

 

People who don’t realize they’re living life in that 80 percent without a genuine desire and drive and tenacity and dedication and persistence and love for themselves to reach their potential are my biggest pet peeve. It’s selfish to take from this world without so much as giving back your best shot at reaching your life's potential when so many others’ lives are cut short, like Andrew Runciman's, an amazing Bazaarvoice employee I never got to call a colleague and friend because he died the day before my first day.

Wake up and pay attention! The world needs you.