Power of the Presidency
http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

Kudos to former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton for joining forces with Commander in Chief Barack Obama for the long-term Haiti rebuilding effort. Undoubtedly, this organization will be the “go to” place for corporate donors interested in being involved for the long haul.

Talk about heavy lifting. Haiti will need decades of economic development and humanitarian support. We may not live to see it, but we can start seeds of progress. Hats off to these leaders of the free world who have come together to rebuild a country. Truth be told, it will also go a long way toward rebuilding their legacies on a global scale and regain the trust of Americans and citizens of the world.


Watch out for Vacations

Before the holidays, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley reportedly enjoyed a commanding 30 point lead in the polls in the special election for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat in the U.S. Senate.

Then, she mistakenly took time off.

Polls now show Republican Scott Brown could squeak out a win. President Obama will visit the state this weekend in an attempt to encourage strong Democratic turnout in Tuesday’s election. A Brown win could derail the healthcare bill which Democrats have fought so hard to pass. Now, they have a 60-vote Senate majority. Without a Coakley win, Republicans could stage a filibuster, blocking the bill.

The moral of this story as mentioned in Millynneum Insight a few weeks ago is to always watch your back and don’t clock extraordinary amounts of vacation time. Never get too comfortable, because competitors smell relaxation. Before you know it, they're gaining on you!

I know from my time as a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times in Pinellas County, Florida that Republicans are shrewd political operatives. On my beat as a general assignment reporter for the cities of Dunedin and Largo, many city council members I covered were conservatives. As one of a few African American reporters for that newspaper in the 1980s, I found the Republican politicos to be extremely open and fair.

In fact, a Dunedin city councilman even tried to recruit me to the GOP! I was somewhat enamored by his bold nature and serious conversation about what I wanted to do with my life in the long term. He questioned if I had considered a life in politics. While I didn't have political aspirations at the time, he explained there were numerous training centers in place throughout the US to train young political talent.

Further, Pinellas County Republicans knew how to mobilize on a grassroots level. As we know, Florida represents a gigantic retiree voting block. The leaders of senior communities were literally courted like royalty, because Republican operatives knew their power and influence in getting out the vote for local, state and government elections. Over the years, they have amassed tremendous power. To this day, you still have to swing through certain retirement communities, particularly if you want to raise money or run for President.

Thirty years ago, the Florida county I lived in had perhaps a 5% ethnic population, on a good day, and I'm being generous with my statistics. Yet a Republican elected official was bold enough to have visionary thinking and reach out to a then 22 year old woman fresh out of college and encourage her to one day perhaps run for office.
To this day, I appreciate Dave Ramsey seeing something in me as a young African American woman.

Use each experience as a chance to grow and get to know how other people think, operate and succeed. You'll find it often helps you believe in your inherent talents and what you can ultimately achieve.

And usually, you can achieve even more if you squeeze in a little work during those hard earned vacations!