There appears to be a substantial difference between the protests (and lack of respect) for President Bush vs. President Obama. Obama’s predecessor had a 90%+ approval rating and overwhelming bi-partisan support as the country rallied around Bush following the September 11 attacks. We later learned that the Bush-Cheney administration abused their powers by attacking a country that did not have WMDs and wasn’t responsible for 9/11, supporting torture, unconstitutional wiretapping, and other actions.

Obama is a completely different story: The “conservatives” NEVER gave him a chance. There have been efforts to undermine his credibility since the moment he won the election — unfortunately, some in this country simply don’t believe an African-American should be president.

Thus, I do not think you can equate what happened with Bush to the current backlash toward Obama. As Salter knows, first-hand, from the whispering campaign in South Carolina that doomed John McCain’s Presidential run in 2000, the extremist fringes in the Republican Party will resort to tactics that even the most radical Democrats wouldn’t touch. As a McCain ‘00 supporter, I would argue that with his competent leadership in the White House, the state of politics and our broader culture would not have coarsened to the degree it has. It’s unimaginable to think of how much better state McCain would have left the country in!

But as proof of the depths that our political system has gone, American Hero John McCain cynically (or desperately) attached an unqualified laughing stock of a candidate as his running mate to be a heart-beat away from the Presidency.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Ben Padnos is an Internet entrepreneur based in Manhattan Beach, California. He Twitters @benpadnos.

Republican Party Strategy on US Demographic Trends

Let’s see how the 29.2% of Arizona’s population who happen to be Hispanic/Latino feel about McCain’s decision when it’s re-election time next year.

Ben Padnos is an Internet entrepreneur based in Manhattan Beach, California. He Twitters @benpadnos.

Flash allows a quick and simple integration of text, narration, audio, video, and images that are organized and easy to understand for your client.  The content in a flash presentation comes to life and becomes an engaging, interactive user experience.  This allows you to have the user’s full attention in a world where getting someone to listen to you is harder every day.  Nowadays you have to keep your clients’ five senses awake at all times.  Make them listen, watch, click and control, otherwise you will probably lose their attention.

If you talk specifically about selling a product or service for your business, there are so many tools and so much competition nowadays that powerpoint  or paper proposals are just not enough anymore.  You need to sell an experience, not just a product, and the best way to do this is using Flash.

The end result if you create an attractive interactive presentation should at least be an interested client who feels more in touch with you thanks to the experience you have created for him.

The country is still reeling from the effects of a President who lacked the intellectual curiosity to deal with complicated issues. George W. Bush did irreparable harm to the Republican Party and you’re on the sidelines encouraging the country to set the bar even lower. Meanwhile, the Party has been reduced to a regional, minority voice with diminishing influence and approval ratings plunging.

The Republican voices whispering in your ear are insulating you from reality. Look at Party events and rallies outside of the Midwest and deep south and count the number of:
- brown, black and yellow people in attendance;
- younger voters, 35 years old and under compared to folks 60 and older;
- college educated participants;
- individuals who live in cities and other densely-populated areas;
- people who have less than $80,000 of annual household income; and
- gays and lesbians.

I urge you to use your influence to encourage Party leads to listen to guys like Mike Murphy – he nailed it today in his op-ed in the NY Daily News — and Joe Scarborough who understand the “modernization” of conservatism that must go on for the party to rebound from its regional minority status, and take a SERIOUS look at expanding the tent. Your first move is stop pandering to the fringe religious and pro-gun extremists – the guns, God and gays voters have become more than just “the base”, they have become the entire party! And enough is enough with this Sarah Palin defense – please find a competent horse to back. There are highly-capable, intelligent, accomplished and VIABLE conservatives who deserve attention!

Ben Padnos is an Internet entrepreneur based in Manhattan Beach, California. He Twitters @benpadnos.

If one focuses on the biggest brands in the business world, there is a very visible trend in the way they handle their logos, marketing and brand.  The reason for this is the brand can and should be the most valuable asset of the company.  If you start your business with amateur logos, business cards, etc, your brand will not turn into an added value.  Starting off small can unveil a harsh reality for several reasons like instability, looking too small, or an unfocused approach.

Stability is probably the best quality a business can have when it comes to brand and logos.  The less you change your logo, colors, fonts, etc, the more clients will trust and respect you.  Therefore, if you start off amateur and then change things around when you become larger, it creates a gap between you and your initial clients.

Additionally, when you start off with rough looking images, business cards, and designs, you will probably look like a very small business and will never compete with your larger, more established competitors.  Your company needs to have a big initial impact in order to be able to compete with the big boys.  Designs can never look rough or unpolished because it creates a feeling in the clients that you’re not completely focused on the company, therefore you’re not focused on them.

About half of the small businesses that are started in the US fail in the first few years, and the biggest reason is bad marketing.  Your strategy, including logos corporate imagery has to stand out from the beginning, or you will be swallowed whole by your competitors.  Considering this, the question shouldn’t be can you afford a good logo to start your business, it should be can you afford not to have one long-term.

So, I’ve been thinking about how to react to Sarah Palin’s stunning news that she’s not only not going to run for re-election as Alaska’s Governor, but she’s resigning at the end of the month. I think it’s time we get an apology from the Republican Party and conservative pundits who supported her as a credible candidate for Vice President. Her latest move shows the poor judgment and instability the vocal critics were concerned about.

The country is still reeling from the effects of a President who lacked the intellectual curiosity to deal with complicated issues. George W. Bush did irreparable harm to the Republican Party, yet we still have many conservatives perfectly content with setting the bar even lower. Meanwhile, the Party has been reduced to a regional, minority voice with diminishing influence and approval ratings spiraling.

I don’t know who is advising Republican leaders these days, but they’re either not delivering the truth or the folks in charge are delusional. Look at Party events and rallies outside of the Midwest and deep south and count the number of:
– brown, black and yellow people in attendance;
– younger voters, 35 years old and under compared to folks 60 and older;
– college educated participants;
– individuals who live in cities and other densely-populated areas;
– people who have less than $80,000 of annual household income; and
– gays and lesbians.

I urge Republicans who are committed to a strong 2-party system to encourage Party leads to listen to guys like Mike Murphy and Joe Scarborough who understand the “modernization” of conservatism that must go on for the party to rebound from its regional minority status, and take a SERIOUS look at expanding the tent. The first move is stop pandering to the fringe religious and pro-gun extremists – the “guns, God and gays” voters have become more than just “the base”, they have become the entire party! And enough is enough with this Sarah Palin defense – let’s find a competent horse to back!

Ben Padnos is an Internet entrepreneur based in Manhattan Beach, California. He Twitters @benpadnos.

TMZ is reporting that Michael Jackson has died after being hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center. He was taken to the hospital supposedly suffering from cardiac arrest and unconscious.

E! News spoke to Joe Jackson (father of Michael) and said, “He had a heart attack. He is not OK.” Nothing else is known about the situation other than that Jackson was not breathing when someone found him and called 911. Paramedics continued to administer CPR in the ambulance en route to UCLA.

michael jackson dead 2009

Sanford’s announcement today that he was having an affair with an Argentinian woman comes on the heels of Ensign’s announcement that he was having a relationship with a woman outside of his marriage.

My point is less about these politicians’ bedroom activities as it is about their hypocrisy. Ensign is a member of Promise Keeper’s, a super-conservative Christian men’s group, and Sanford has actively campaigned on “Family Values”. These are the same type of politicians who claim to have the moral authority on who should and should not be allowed to get married.

The Republican Party is having an internal fight about what direction it wants to go. But the longer the party focuses on “family values” social conservatism rather than true conservative positions on fiscal and foreign policy matters, the more ground they’ll give up to the Democrats.

Ben Padnos is an Internet entrepreneur based in Manhattan Beach, California. He Twitters @benpadnos.

This years event runs through June 15th through June 21st, and live coverage is available on ESPN and NBC with the tournament culminating on father’s day. In addition, US Open Live Coverage is available on the official website of the US Open here.

Check back for more information on this year’s 2009 US Open Championship at Bethpage!