A Democratic and Republican Physical and Cyber State

“The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. “ (Section1, Article II, Philippine Constitution).

As a democratic State, all powers come from the people. Out of practicability, necessity, beneficiality, efficiency and effectiveness, the sovereign people may decide to delegate the powers to a group of people who may exercise them according to certain terms and conditions.

The terms and conditions are specified in an instrument called Constitution that the sovereign people ratified. This is akin to what we ordinarily call General and/or Special Powers of Attorney, signed, notarized, and delivered.

The functions, duties, and powers of the representatives or Attorneys-in-fact as enumerated in the Constitution are subject to certain rights and powers that the people reserved for themselves. These include the Bill of Rights, the People’s Initiative and in extreme cases, People Power Revolution.

The democratic process that the people follow to choose their representatives is what we call Elections. And the institution under which the representatives exercise their duties and functions is called Government.

The Philippine Government is not just democratic but republican as well. It is a Government Of the People, For the People, and By the People.

Certain elective officials are chosen by the people regularly – every 6 years for some, every 3 years for others and for special times for certain officials. Appointive officials under the Civil Service System and Constitutional officers serve for fixed terms. Political appointees are usually co-terminus with their political Bosses.

Apart from what the sovereign people specified in the Constitution, how do the Governors or public servants find out the “will of the people” or their Bosses’ wishes in between elections?

There were specific prohibitions for their public servants who were enacting laws: “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.” (Section 4, Article III).

With the prohibition, the people would be able to enjoy all the freedoms without fear or fervor to express their views for or against the acts of their own public servants. These views can be found in the newspapers, radio, television, cinema or other forms of media, the latest being texting, electronic communications, the Internet, the social media and the like.

Hearing, reading, feeling and knowing what is in the hearts and in the minds of the people to determine their will and wishes is a must for effective, efficient, and good governance. Curtailing or emasculating this freedom to express the people’s views would be depriving the Bosses from assisting the Head of State to guide the destinies of all Filipinos and the whole nation.

Surveys are proven ways to scientifically determine the pulse of the public despite their more limited samples. But obtaining information from the regular and social media, be they supporters or naysayers of the Government should be welcome so that it could be guided with humility, honesty, and honor in governance rather than proceeding with impunity, arrogance, and with ‘Wang Wang” mentality.

There is no place for any law that abridges freedom of expression. Any law that threatens any citizen with imprisonment for freely expressing his views under any circumstance is one such law. LIBEL should not be in the Revised Penal Code and should be excluded as a Cybercrime.

An educated, well-informed, and enlightened citizenry make a stronger, more creative, and progressive democracy.

To this end, the Constitution states, “The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records, and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transaction, decisions, as well as to government research data used as bases for policy development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.” (Section 7, Article III).

This provision, being included in the Bill of Rights, is self-executing. Until a law is passed providing such limitations, a sovereign citizen has a right to unlimited access to information on matters of public concern as specified.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as proposed, consolidated, and sponsored by Congressman Erin Tañada should be passed ASAP not only to give more meaning to the above Constitutional provision but also to define the limitations and process for exercising the right.

It is too bad that Tañada was not included in the Senatorial slate of Daang Matuwid. He would have been the ideal candidate to explain, defend, and to discuss the benefits of this Constitutional and Statutory mandate in the campaign trail.

There is still time to pass it. “For it was all written. So shall it be done.”

I understand that there is a plan for Congressman Tañada to be in the Executive Department. That is good news. It is always better to have a Tañada on your side. Ninoy Aquino had nationalist Lorenzo Tañada, Sr. on his side during the Marcos years. Cory Aquino had Wigberto Tañada after People Power. PNoy should sit down with Erin immediately, and announce the appointment thereafter!

Drawing the Battle Lines; Defining and Delivering the Message

Hearing and reading the public announcements of the Senatorial candidates in the Philippines, my barber concluded and echoed the public perception, “Same old, same old, the return of mga Anak ng PoTra (Trapo)”

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states in Article II Section 26, "The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law." 

There is a pending bill that would enable the said constitutional provision defining the prohibition of political dynasties.  But the former never had the chance of passing primarily because of the strong presence of the dynasties in Congress. It looks like it would continue to be so based on the candidates offered by the coalition of parties of both sides of the aisle.

The Cory Constitution provides another way of passing a law if the people cannot expect Congress to do it due to conflict of interest. The provision on People’s Initiative would do the trick. We will discuss this in a separate article.

Right now, Real Politick understandably rules and governs the strategies of all interested parties.
My barber asks, “How do you draw the lines and differentiate the apparently indistinguishable coalition candidates?”

MESSAGE

PNoy actually defined his group’s message clearly – both in words and in action. His is the group that would follow and continue the“DAANG MATUWID” principles and programs. “Walang Corrupt, Walang Mahirap” remains a compelling message. PNoy and his group will continue to fight corruption and in the process alleviate poverty.  Eliminating the “Wang Wang” mentality that perpetuates impunity and arrogance by the powers that be is as forceful.

The opposing group would have to either show that they could do better or define a completely different message.

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas also explained his group’s approach to the election campaign and governance: “Decency, Honor, Integrity.”

The message combined do not differ with what the Aquino-Roxas tandem represented as I described during the Presidential elections of 2010: 4 Hs – Honesty, Humility, Honor, and Hope.

PERSONALITIES and CAUSES SYMBOLIZED

Battle of the Shepherds: The Daang Matuwid Team is shepherded by PNoy, the Anti-Corruption King. The other groups are shepherded by deposed President and convicted but pardoned plunderer Erap Estrada; by VP Binay who was beset with corruption charges when he was Makati Mayor; and Senator Enrile, former Martial Law Administrator of the corrupt Marcos regime.

Battle of the seniors and what they symbolize: Former Senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. (74 yrs. old) vs. former Senator Ernie Maceda (77 yrs. old). Both represent experience and wisdom. Magsaysay symbolizes positivism and hope. He embodies the Daang Matuwid message and personifies the 4 Hs.  An Engineer by profession, he pioneered the cable TV industry and authored laws protecting the E-Generation. Maceda, on the other hand, symbolizes negativism, always looking at the dark side espoused by the naysayers. A former Executive Secretary of Marcos, he is known for being “Mr. Expose”. The late Mayor Arsenio Lacson of Manila delivered the famous, long-lasting remark about then Councilor Maceda,  “So young yet so corrupt.”

Battle of Military Rebels:  Senator Antonio Trillanes vs. Senator Greg Honasan. The former is with the PNoy group while the latter is with the opposing group. Trillanes rebelled protesting the corruption and election cheating of the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime while Honasan launched several attempted coups against President Cory Aquino – temporarily disrupting the country’s economic and political advancement. 

Battle of the Magsaysay Legacy:  Former Senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay vs. Rep. Mitos Magsaysay.  The former is the original having been a Magsaysay by blood and birth. A decent, honest and honorable man, he is a known supporter of  PNoy and the foremost believer of his own father’s advocacy, “Those who have less in life must have more in law,” and that of the Pope’s “Preferential option for the poor.” The latter is a Magsaysay by marriage – no Magsaysay blood in her veins.  A naysaying negativist and a staunched critic of PNoy, she is more known as an aggressive defender of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Battle of Mindanao – Between the Victim (Senator Koko Pimentel) vs. the Beneficiary (former Rep. Zubiri) of Electoral Fraud.  The former was robbed of his election as a Senator due to electoral fraud. He had to suffer for four years of being deprived of his rightful place. The latter enjoyed the benefits and perks of being a Senator as the former suffered. A Bar Topnotcher, Koko knows his law and how to make laws. He also knows how to interpret the law as shown in the impeachment proceedings of ousted CJ Corona. He is Mindanao’s best hope for the country’s leadership.

Battle of Senatorial Brothers: Senator Alan Cayetano is the brother of Senator Pia Cayetano vs. Rep. JV Ejercito, brother of Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Already a proven and experienced Senator and a good lawyer, Cayetano should be preferred over Ejercito. Cayetano belongs to the Daang Matuwid Team. The voters might decide to elect or reject both, not a question of electing either.

Battle of Senatorial Sons: Rep. Sonny Angara (Son of Sen. Ed Angara) vs. Rep. Jack Enrile (Son of Sen. Johnny Enrile). The former is with PNoy’s group. A smart and sharp lawyer, he was a very effective spokesman for the House Prosecution Team in the Impeachment of CJ Corona. He is deemed to be his father’s replacement. The latter, as admitted by his own father, still has some issues haunting him when he was young. This will probably be ventilated in the campaign trail. He is deemed to join his father and to take advantage of his father’s newly earned popularity brought about by the impeachment proceedings.

Battle of the Return of former Senators and Ex-Presidentiables:  Former Senator Jamby Madrigal vs. former Senator Richard Gordon. The former is with PNoy while the latter is with the other group. Madrigal is a descendant of former Senator Pacita Madrigal Warns who was identified politically with the late President Ramon Magsaysay, Sr.  She is known for her advocacies relating to women’s issues. Gordon was a supporter of Marcos and GMA. He was an effective Subic Bay (SBMA) Administrator during the Cory and Ramos administrations.

Battle of Political Wives:  Rep. Cynthia Villar (wife of Sen. Manny Villar) vs. Former Gov. Tingting Cojuangco (wife of former Rep. Peping Conjuangco).  The former represents her husband’s NP in the coalition with PNoy’s group. She is also there to replace her husband who cannot run for Senator in this election. The latter represents the Binay group in the Noy-Bi campaign that elected both PNoy and Binay.  She belongs to the “Kamag-anak, Inc.” that tarnished the Cory Aquino regime.

Battle of the Party List Leaders on the Left: Former Rep. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan vs. Rep. Teddy Casino of Bayan Muna.The former is with the PNoy Team who almost made it to the top 12 in the last elections. The presence of actor-celebrities among her opponents deprived the Filipino people of her services. Her work merited a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in the past. The women are expected to rally behind her this time around. They need her in the Senate. Casino is really an independent who does not belong to any of the coalitions. His positions on issues should help enlighten the citizenry.

Battle between the Future and the Past: Bam Aquino, 35 years old, is the youngest of all the candidates. He is part of the PNoy Team and represents the E-Generation.  A former Chairman of the National Youth Commission and an active leader of the National Youth Parliament, he would be representing the interests of the Filipino youth. A digital native, he would be concerned with education, electronic media and communication, economic programs, environment, electoral reforms and other issues affecting the E-Generation such as entrepreneurship, equity expansion, equality of opportunities, employment, electronic entertainment, empowerment, and all elements of innovation.  He symbolizes the FUTURE. The other group is fielding the oldest candidate at the age of 77, Maceda. He represents thePAST and would most likely focus on experiences, records, and memories.

COMMON CANDIDATES

MTRCB Chief Grace Poe Llamanzares, Senators Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero decided to join the Daang Matuwid Team and to campaign with the group. But the other camp also adopts them as their guest candidates.

Indeed, there is poetic justice in Fernando Poe, Jr. being the victim of electoral fraud. A President FPJ would have put his VP Loren Legarda and his spokesman Chiz Escudero in the highest corridors of power.  Making them the most popular Senatorial candidates and adopted by both camps is also a tribute to the late Movie King and cheated Presidential candidate.

Of course, making his daughter, Grace, a Senator would even be a greater tribute and, as some would say, “God’s way of giving just compensation.”

This is my attempt to draw the Battle Lines to satisfy my barber’s curiosity and to the interested and appreciative readers. Because of the Message, the electronic voting Method, the Organization and the Resources of the respective coalitions, it could encourage STRAIGHT VOTING.  In the 1987 elections CORY’s CHOICE was very effective. I wonder if it will also happen with PNoy’s CHOICE.

Otherwise, it would be one against the rest. The practice of “single shooting” would continue and the rich candidate would give to all the local candidates just to be included in the magic 12 probably at the expense of the Common Candidates.

ANALYSIS: Romney’s Target Electorate

As I mentioned in a previous column, the Presidential Race is also a Marketing Management issue. I am sure Republican nominee Romney, a former Governor and a successful businessman, is treating and analyzing it as such.

TARGET MARKET

RRR (Republicans Romney-Ryan) target the Independent Voters composing 5-10%

ASSUMPTIONS:

1.     RRR assumes that 43-48% right-leaning, loyal Republicans would vote their way no matter what;

2.     Romney also assumes that 47% of the electorate would vote for President Obama no matter what.

Romney described the 47% as people  “who pay no taxes” and “who are dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe the government has the responsibility to take care of them, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it.” He also says in a video, “My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

As soon as this promotional message to potential campaign contributors or in business parlance “investors” was leaked or discovered, it generated various reactions. His own running mate Ryan called him “inarticulate”.  Famous Republican writer Peggy Noonan called his campaign, “incompetent”. Romney himself described his remarks, “inelegant” but did not back down – fully convinced that as a matter of strategy, it is better not to waste his and his contributors’ money, time and effort to the 47% electorate as he described.

As a political animal previously involved in both U.S. and Philippine elections, Romney’s message and assumptions made me curious. As I have done previously, I usually satisfy this curiosity by looking at the numbers known to the public and the Romney campaign.

PAY NO FEDERAL INCOME TAXES = 47%

Indeed, 47% pay no Federal Income taxes but as discovered by the media the former is divided into: 28.3% who pay the payroll taxes that sustain the Social Security benefits; 10.3% are the elderly whose main source of income is the non-taxable hard-earned Social Security pension; 6.9% are those earning less than $20,000; and .9 others.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE = STATES AS TARGETS

The Electoral College System changes the dynamics in the U.S. Presidential Race as compared to other democratic countries like the Philippines wherein every vote counts. In a winner takes all system, the former gets all the allotted electoral votes. In short, it is possible that you get more votes nationally but still lose because you obtained less electoral votes.

This is why both Presidential campaigns develop their strategies around the States. This is why they campaign based on what pollsters call the Blue States (Democratic-leaning), the Red States (Republican-leaning) and the Toss-Up States.

With Romney’s message and assumptions as stated above, it should be logical to many that the former is linked with the States strategy.

POOREST STATES

I decided to look at the poorest States in the United States ,which I thought Romney, based on his strategy, assumptions and message, determined they would go for President Obama no matter what.

Why? In these States, the average household income is $39,375 or less than $20,000 as average individual income. Those who live below the poverty line are averaging 19.5%.

These States are Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia, and Mississippi.  Yet, according to the latest Rasmussen Electoral College Scoreboard, these poorest States are all going for Romney.

 
RICHEST STATES

The richest States in the U.S. are Maryland, Alaska, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.  The average household income is $66,270.60 and those below the poverty line average 10.78.  Most of the voters pay taxes. They are Romney’s kind of people, right?

Wrong.  Except Palin’s State of Alaska, all of them, per Rasmussen, are going for President Obama by wide margins. Yet, he guaranteed Palin’s absence in the Tampa convention.

GOVERNMENT AS A REVENUE SOURCE

Romney is very critical of persons, (natural or juridical) who derive their income from the government.  This is part of the message that he delivered to a group of funders.

The U.S. Federal Budget is bloated but it is not primarily funding the bureaucracy.  A substantial portion actually goes to the private sector. Lockheed Martin, whose 2011 revenue was $46.30 billion, for example, derived $39.98 billion as income from the U.S. government; Boeing in 2011 got 21.45 billion; General Dynamics, $19.47 billion; Raytheon, $14.76 billion; and United Technologies, $7.90 billion just to name a few.

Let us look at the numbers that deal with small businesses, disadvantaged entrepreneurs, women-owned enterprises, and targeted industries; trade associations; NGOs; innovators; exporters; and others who are beneficiaries of market development programs, financing and investments, grants, subsidies, research and feasibility studies assistance programs and other various government support that actually end up in the private sector. Even foreign aid because of the “Buy American” Rule actually benefits  American contractors and consultants. They are billions and cumulatively trillions in dollars.

There are unemployment and Social Security benefits because there were insurance premiums and contributions respectively paid over a period. Beneficiaries, most especially the elderly, have earned a vested right.

Romney and his campaign staff might want to review their message, assumptions and strategy. Time is of the essence!

Figuring Out The U.S. Presidential Race

Figures, numbers, facts, and values! When checked and verified, they relay strong messages. It is next to impossible to argue against them. Contra factum argumentum non valet ilatio  (Arguing against facts is an invalid inference).

To those who speak English as a second language, phrases like, “let us figure this out,” “sorting out the numbers”, and “numbers tell better stories” become even more significantly meaningful.

Looking at the current U.S. Presidential race, the Republicans have a built-in competitive edge. The unemployment rate is still high at 8.1%. Polls show that 62% of the electorate think we are in the wrong track/direction; there is widespread dissatisfaction with the pace of the recovery; the suffering of those who have been out of job for more than a year continues; there is the continuing budget deficit; the tremendous increase of the country’s debt.  And the overwhelming opposition to the Obama Health Care Law by the Republican base should translate into winning numbers for their presidential timber, right?

Wrong.  In the latest poll conducted by the NBC News and the Wall Street Journal from September 12-16, 2012 and published on September 18^th, Obama  leads Romney by 50% to 45% among likely voters.

In another poll conducted by UPI from September 8-14, 2012, 49% of likely voters said they will vote for Obama, 45% said Romney.  A Rasmussen report presents a closer race, (Obama – 47%, Romney – 45%) but the latter’s reading of the Electoral College tells a better story.

According to Rasmussen, today Obama has 247 electoral votes; Romney has 196; and Toss Up States – 95. Among the Toss-Up States, Obama leads in all except in Missouri.  Furthermore, Obama’s lead in the swing States are widening. In Wisconsin, the home State of Romney’s VP Ryan, the CBS-New York Times poll which was conducted from September 11-17, 2012, Obama is ahead with 51% to Romney’s 45%. In Virginia, a Washington Post survey shows 52% for Obama and 44% for Romney. Even the latest poll conducted by Fox News give Obama the lead in Florida 49-44; and in Ohio, 49-42.

In a close race, it is always wise to rely on your home State. Gore lost to W. Bush because he failed to deliver Tennessee, his home State where he was even an elected Senator before becoming Vice President. Romney has virtually two home States: Michigan where he was born and raised; and Massachusetts where he was even an elected Governor.

In Michigan, a survey conducted by MRG from September 10-15, 2012 shows Obama leading Romney 48% to 42%. In Massachusetts, the latest survey of Public Polling shows Obama with 57% and Romney with 39%.

I have two close friends who are very serious, sincere, committed and persuasive Filipino Republican leaders. In fact, if they go back to the Philippines, I am sure that both could get elected either as Governor or Congressman in their respective provinces.

In the United States, one lives in California and the other resides in Pennsylvania where they command a following. My objective analysis is that in California with 55 electoral votes, even if my friend registers and convinces most, if not all,  of the Filipinos to vote for Romney, the votes would be rendered useless because of the Electoral College System. According to the latest survey conducted, Obama leads 57% to 35%. In fact, Asian Americans are going for Obama overwhelmingly. They give him a favorable rating of 73% compared to Romney’s 27%.

In Pennsylvania where my other Republican friend lives, the numbers tell a similar story.  In the survey conducted by Muhlenberg/Morning Call from September 10-16, 2012, Obama leads Romney 50% to 41%. Again, even if most if not all of the Filipinos in the State vote for Romney, the Electoral College System renders them useless.

Why do the numbers favor Obama’s re-election despite the continuing economic woes as reflected in the unemployment rate, budget deficit, debt burden,  and rising healthcare costs?

The figures also provide the answer. In the NBC/WSJ survey, Obama is deemed better prepared to lead the country by 47% to Romney’s 36%.  With 42% more people now thinking that things would be better in the next 12 months while just 18% think it will get worse, there is more optimism today than in earlier surveys.

On “looking out for the middle class,” Obama is favored 53% to Romney’s 34%. As a Commander-in-Chief, Obama is preferred by 45% over Romney’s 38%.  On dealing with issues concerning women, Obama is preferred two to one.

Resources, Organization, and Image (ROI) are factors that affect presidential runs. I discussed this to some extent in last week’s column.

Romney has the Resources not only with his own personal wealth, the support of rich friends, and the Super PACS.  He can battle with Obama on this factor.

Romney has the Organization but may not be as committed, as effective, as efficient and as competent as the machinery of George W. Bush who beat Gore and Kerry. Other Republicans have, in fact, criticized his campaign as incompetent.

His Image has also become an issue. While earlier he was seen as a better Economic Manager than Obama by a wide margin, he is now running even with the latter.  With his gaffes in the foreign policy arena; and his image of “not caring about 47% of Americans because they do not pay taxes and would vote for Obama no matter what”, there is a growing demand among some Republican political consultants to re-organize and clean up his Image. Right now, he is no Reagan, no Bush 1, and no Bush 2, not even Ryan per some pundits.

Can Romney still win?

Numbers should help give the answer: The amount of time allotted to prepare for the debates; the number of points delivered by Romney in all the debates; the number of days spent for the remaining campaign season until election time; the amount of time and effort spent by a big number of campaign volunteers; the unemployment rate in the months preceding the election; the Dow Jones volume; and the substantial amount of money spent for ads and infomercials destroying Obama, and projecting a better Image for Romney.

A show of a little more caring toward the “victims” of an unjust society coupled with prayers might help. After all, miracles do happen!

R O I on R O I

Return On Investment on Resources, Organization and Image!

A Presidential Campaign is a management issue. To be effective and successful, it would take efficient planning, organization, leadership, and control. It is more specifically a marketing, production, human resource, legal, and investment management problem.

To analyze it we normally look at the 4 Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, and Position/Place) of Marketing, the 4 Ms  (Manpower, Machinery/Method, Materials, and Measurement), the 4 Hs (Head, Heart, Hand, and Health) of Human Resources, the 4 Cs (Criminal, Civil, Commercial/Consumer, and Cyber) of Legal, and most importantly, the 4 Rs (Return, Revenue, Reduction (Cost), and Resale/Replacement) of Investment Management.

As I had written in a grad school paper, oral presentation, and lectures in various seminars and conferences, I call it the 4s of BM (Business Management/Benjamin Maynigo).

I usually ended my presentation by saying, “May the 4s be with you.”

For lack of space, I will not discuss in detail the current U.S. Presidential Campaign according to the 4s mentioned above but will focus on three areas that still touch on the 4s. These areas are Resources, Organization, and Image (ROI). They are interdependent. Each one feeds the other to be successful.

RESOURCES

A winning Presidential Campaign needs sufficient resources. You need it to build an efficient and effective Organization and to create a very favorable and electable presidential Image. It is necessary to recruit, train and maintain the “best and the brightest” manpower; to purchase the right machinery, equipment and tools required for the campaign; to produce and/or buy the campaign materials; to fund infomercials, buy TV timeslots, and to fund research and response teams.

This is why campaign fund-raising is a battle in itself.  This is true in the current U.S. Presidential Campaign.

Bill Allison, Editorial Director at the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing transparency in government reported the following; “In aggregate, Obama's reelection vehicles have raised $134 million more than those of Romney to date. We previously noted that in order to catch Obama, Romney had a high mountain to climb. Before August's numbers were announced, we calculated that the GOP nominee would need to raise, in each of the remaining months before the election, $44 million more than his rival. Since Obama raised about $2 million more than Romney in August, the challenge got that much more daunting - in September and October, he'll need to outpace Obama by an average of $67 million.”

In the same report, Allison also noted, “Through April, Obama and Democratic groups supporting his re-election bid have raised nearly $450 million during the election cycle and have more than $150 million in the bank. Romney and Republicans backing him have collected more than $400 million during the same stretch and have about $80 million at their disposal. Romney raised $15 million this week during three days of fundraising in New York.

Gone is the 10-to-1 cash advantage that Obama held at the end of March.”

With the judicial interpretation that Free Speech includes expressing your preference through money, the birth and proliferation of well-funded Super PACs have given the phrase, “money talks” greater meaning and significance.

ORGANIZATION

“Organization determines everything,” Lenin once said. A successful Presidential Campaign must have a smart, strong, efficient, effective and competent organization. It is needed to help develop resources; to sell a winning presidential Image; to reach the targeted voters and deliver them to the voting booth; and to manage political gatherings such as conventions, campaign stops, caucuses, and the like. It takes efficient planning, leadership and control to run this type of organization functionally and structurally.

In the 2008 presidential elections, Obama’s success was achieved with the support of smart campaign managers, labor unions, black, Hispanic, women, liberal groups, and a substantial number of young volunteers conducting voter registration, making phone calls, and even raising funds.

In this year’s campaign, Obama expects to obtain a similar organizational support from the same groups.

The 3 Rs (Republicans, Romney and Ryan) would be relying on the extreme conservatives, the tea party members, the evangelicals, pro-lifers and the Republican faithful for its organizational support that would perform the campaign tasks.

Organization, indeed, is likewise a battleground in this campaign.

IMAGE

In 2008, an inexperienced Obama was running under conditions of a collapsing economy and in the midst of two wars. His drumbeaters projected an image of a future President who brought Hope and Change. That Image successfully penetrated the hearts and minds of the American electorate, thus making him President of the United States.

He is now an incumbent asking to be re-elected to continue and finish what he started. As promised, he ended the war in IRAQ. He claims that American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan as the War ends by 2014. He gave the orders to kill Al Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden. He was also awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. The Arab Spring has started bringing democracy in certain countries where dictators were supreme.

He stopped the downward spiraling of a collapsing economy. He saved the auto industry, keeping General Motors alive and well. The unemployment rate has been going down from its peak at 10.7 percent in October 2009 to 8.1 percent in August 2012. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose from 6,500 when he first started to 13,300 today. That’s more than double, thus – saving the 401 Ks of many employees and retirees. The inflation rate remains low – 2.4 percent, and the Prime Interest rate is only 3.5 percent. We now have universal healthcare.

On its face, this should present an image of a strong Commander-in-Chief and an effective President in Foreign Affairs as well as an efficient and effective Economic Manager.

But we continue to have budget deficits and our sovereign debts have substantially increased. The unemployment rate is still too high!

This brings Romney and Ryan to the rescue! Romney is projecting the Image of a successful businessman as reflected in his stint in Bain Capital; a good government official based on his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts; and a sound manager as proven when he ran the successful Winter Olympics in Utah.

For this, he assures the electorate that he could turn the economy around and lower unemployment rate further and closer to full employment. His choice of Ryan as his running mate also reinforces their determination to lower the budget deficit and the country’s debt knowing how Ryan’s budget and tax plans address the issue.

The question remains, if you invest your time, effort, and money in developing or contributing to Obama or Romney’s Resources, Organization, and Image (ROI), what would be the Return On Investment (ROI)?

What is the ROI on ROI?

It is a legitimate and compelling question to ask.

Cause That Both Parties Could Support

My barber asked his friend who was attending the Republican National Convention,
“How is the platform?”

His friend’s answer was, “Well-carpeted and fully vacuumed.”

Of course, the real intention was to find out the details of the Republican Party’s platform – the fundamental set of ideas, policies and proposed programs that the party envisions to accomplish when given the opportunity to govern.

However, experience shows that party platforms are seldom read and actually disregarded.

This seems to be true in many democratic countries that follow the republican presidential system.

In the last Presidential elections in the Philippines, I endorsed Benigno Aquino III to be president. I read his party’s platform but I knew that it would be ignored so I disregarded it. This is what I wrote as his platform instead:

“On the reforms needed to satisfy the E-Generation, he has a built-in Platform of Government. It is a product of the People Power revolution, written by wise men personally chosen by CORY, and approved, ratified and therefore, co-owned by the Filipino people. It is clear, brief and concise. It is executable, enforceable, mandatory and supreme. It is backed by implementing statutes, adhering legislation, accompanying executive orders, regulations and jurisprudence. It is protected and defended by the Armed Forces and police agencies as well as adhered to by every executive, legislative and judicial officer. It is the CORY CONSTITUTION. Others are encouraged to adopt it too but at this point of our history, the best person trusted to execute, enforce, obey, protect and defend it, is Cory’s son, NOYNOY.”

Surely, it is understood that the aforementioned Platform of Government is something that cannot be ignored. The truth is every Chief Executive, once he takes his oath of office, is mandated to execute, enforce, obey, protect, and defend the Constitution together with all the laws, regulations, executive orders and jurisprudence.

This is true for the elected President of the United States as well. Of course he hopes that, working with the new Congress, laws that he wants passed and implemented would be included in this mandated platform.

Party Conventions happen. They are traditional events that expose rising political stars. They are really what we call “INFOMERCIALS.” Each party is given several hours daily for several days of free TV, radio, print, and now social media to promote its presidential candidate, select Senatorial and Congressional candidates and others.

I am withholding my assessment on how effective the INFOMERCIALS were until both conventions-are finished. I will also wait for the debates to assess the chances of the candidates in becoming President of the United States.

However, there is one cause that attracted my attention as I read about the two conventions. The most significant issue, which both parties agree on, is jobs and/or job generation.

Gary Spiro is the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA) that owns and manages the annual International CES held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I have been attending CES every year and correspondingly, listening to Gary Spiro as he opens the very successful event.

Attending the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, he and the Innovation Movement are promoting a “Common Cause for Both Parties.” I support the cause and also decided to join the Innovation Movement.

Spiro says, “We have to think economically, not politically, about building a future for our country.” He is pushing for what he calls “strategic immigration”. He supports the changes proposed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) , “which would allow U.S. companies to attract and retain immigrants with degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields and create a new green card for foreign-born entrepreneurs who begin startups and create jobs.”

Spiro also likes the proposal of Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif) to reform the Immigration and Nationality Act “to eliminate the Diversity Immigrant Program and reallocate those visas (about 55,000 a year) to immigrants with advanced degrees.”

The legislation (S 3217) introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) would give foreign investors and certain highly educated students a streamlined path to citizenship.

In his article, Gary Spiro wrote that a study found that 84 percent of patents had a foreign-born inventor. He also cited that in the equally critical healthcare sector, 79 percent of patents for pharmaceutical drugs or drug compounds were invented or co-invented by someone foreign-born.

Outside of I’s like Inflation and Interest rates for economic concerns, and Israel protection as a foreign issue, Innovation is being proposed as a center-piece for job creation.