Monthly Archives: May 2009

The Troubling Case of Chrysler’s Creditors

May 8, 2009 – 3:41 pm

Maybe Veridian Dynamics was right after all. Last week President Obama verbally spanked Chrysler creditors who didn’t want to take the government’s offer of 29 cents for each dollar of debt they held. “Speculators,” the president called them, insisting that they were holding out for “an unjustified taxpayer-funded bailout.” Despite the presidential tongue-lashing, the creditors initially […]

By Ed Walsh (WHWG) | Posted in Corporate, Presidency | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Job Opportunity

May 8, 2009 – 12:02 pm

The White House Writers Group is hiring. Here’s the write-up: A small D.C. communications/PR firm, founded by Republicans, is looking for an entry level associate who is creative, a self starter and good at multi-tasking. A well qualified applicant will be able to handle reporting to multiple people within the firm and juggling several projects […]

By Podium Pundits Editor | Posted in General | Tagged , | Comments (0)

History Rhymes

May 8, 2009 – 8:35 am

Mark Davis’ piece in U.S. News today suggests that the proper historical precedent for today’s crisis may not be the Great Depression of our parents’ and grandparents’ time, but the Long Depression that began with the Panic of 1873 and continued through the remainder of the 19th century. It’s not a heartening comparison, as that […]

By Josh Gilder (WHWG) | Posted in General | Comments (1)

Royalty A-Twitter

May 7, 2009 – 3:14 pm

It’s usually not a good thing when a member of a royal family has everyone a-twitter, but in this case, we’re not talking about providing tabloid fodder.  Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, who last year broke new cross-cultural ground with her “Send Me Your Stereotypes” endeavor on YouTube (and won YouTube’s first Visionary […]

By Jeff Nussbaum (WWW) | Posted in General | Comments (1)

College Presidents Sweat Out Essays

May 6, 2009 – 3:24 pm

The Wall Street Journal turned the tables on ten college presidents for an article appearing today, asking them to complete one of the essays from their respective schools’ applications: The “applicants” were told not to exceed 500 words (though most did), and to accept no help from public-relations people or speechwriters.* Friends and family could advise […]

By Ed Walsh (WHWG) | Posted in General | Tagged | Comments (1)

PR Angels (and Demons)

May 5, 2009 – 9:12 am

Leave it to Forrest Gump to remind us that modern public relations rests on candor.  The reality check function of PR has been a truism of management theory from the beginning of the 20th Century.  Now actor Tom Hanks is publicly praising his PR agent . . . for simply telling him the truth about […]

By Mark W. Davis (WHWG) | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Veridian Dynamics v. Obama

May 3, 2009 – 12:15 pm

When President Obama requested prime network time yet again last week, it meant some TV shows got bumped. Among them, Better Off Ted, a new ABC comedy struggling for ratings. Better Off Ted is a funny look inside the fictional Veridian Dynamics, a mega-industrial company in the GE mold, but with highly questionable ethics. Each […]

By Ed Walsh (WHWG) | Posted in General, Presidency | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Bullying Business

May 1, 2009 – 1:17 pm

Yesterday’s auto announcement from the White House highlights why it’s imperative that private-sector companies doing business with government-backed enterprises employ a well-calibrated public message strategy.  In announcing that Chrysler would enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, President Obama praised various stakeholders – unions, management, creditors, etc. – for making “sacrifices” to keep the company out of court. […]

By Ed Walsh (WHWG) | Posted in Corporate, Presidency | Tagged , | Comments (2)

America’s Obama-Related Attention Span Slips

May 1, 2009 – 8:41 am

According to Nielsen, the ratings company, nearly 29 million people watched President Obama’s prime time press conference to mark his first 100 days in office. Pretty impressive.  But compared with his own earlier star power, Obama’s wattage appears to be slipping. His second prime time presser, in March, drew 40.4 million people. His inaugural foray […]

By Ed Walsh (WHWG) | Posted in Presidency | Tagged , | Comments (0)