My Blog

How Stupid Can You Be?

Gordon Brown has demonstrated why he shouldn’t win re-election. He doesn’t seem to know a very basic principal about microphones.

As in, when you’re wearing a microphone operate as if it is on. ALWAYS ON!!!!!! And that everything you say can and will be used in the Court of Public Opinion Against You.

Gordon Brown was out on the campaign trail, he met with a woman who questioned him about national debt, border concerns and education. Brown fumbled his way through the encounter. Brown then stomped off to his car, slammed the door and then slammed the aide that put him in front of a woman he called a Bigot. It was a verbal disaster. It was on every TV and Radio Broadcast from London to Bangkok.

Brown then went on National Radio and videotaped the encounter, another mistake. In the video you see him just about throw up when they played the clip back to him.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart points out that at that moment you can see Gordon Brown’s political career leave his body.

Let this be a lesson to all of us. Be very careful around microphones, cell phones and Send buttons on your email. Mis-directed communication really really hurts. In most cases you can’t undo the damage.

How Brown went on to handle what is now being term BigotGate is another matter, a topic for another Blog.

Straight Down the Middle

Tiger Woods is finally starting to straighten out his message.  First he finally admits he was a bad boy and two he is doing the right things to repair his home life.

Why were these the right things to do?

Well, when he wasn’t talking everyone else was talking for him and what they were saying kept cutting away at his reputation.

Hourly it just seemed to be getting worse. Oddly, so many that some of the people coming forward proclaiming a relationship with the Tiger, appear to be beyond the realm of possibility.

And while it may seem strange to say so, that was a fortunate turn of events. Because of the number of people proclaiming love affairs with the golfer it becomes ridiculous to address the details of each one.

So Tiger gets to do the best thing he can, admit wrong doing and a plan that puts him on the path of redemption.

And redemption is a very powerful story. The only one that will allow Tiger to regain his place in the golfing world.

His retreat to Sweden and his commitment to his family will allow him time to repair his relationship and his reputation.

In six months the golfing world will be begging him to return because when he does golf ratings will soar. When he didn’t play due to injury, golf ratings dropped by 50%, just imagine what will happen when he returns to the game this time.