Will Tonight’s State of the Union Address 2012 Soar?
I’ve been critical of the President’s leadership in the past, and wrote this about a previous State of the Union address. But I’m rooting for him to be at his rhetorical and persuasive best tonight, not so much for his re- election prospects as for the good of the country.
Candidate Obama had a large vision during his campaign and it called us to our higher selves. In part his decisive 2008 victory was due to America’s exhaustion with George W. Bush. But a big factor was Obama’s vision and his promises to lead a progressive agenda once elected.
Instead, once elected, he focused on small vision projects and on doing deals rather than articulating the ideals that had propelled him into office. Tonight’s speech gives him a new opportunity– the last such chance he’ll have during this term–to give people that bigger vision and not just to say things that are safe. To come out swinging at the Republicans
Read MoreShould Romney Be Running Scared into FL Primary?
Newt won it in SC after a dismal performance in NH. What do you think will be the next exciting episode in the Republican primary soap opera? And is Romney toast or has he just taken a temporary step back?
ARENA ASKED: Newt Gingrich has won the South Carolina primary, the Associated Press
projected Saturday night. Should Mitt Romney be running scared after his second-place finish? Or
will the Jan. 31 Florida primary prove a firewall?
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
MY ANSWER: Groundhog Day came early in South Carolina. Newt Gingrich’s candidacy popped its head up from what seemed to be a deep hole into which he had dug himself with his philandering and arrogance.
Gingrich’s victory in the South Carolina primary shows that for all their anti-gay, anti-women’s rights, pro so-called
Read MoreAre You an Iron Lady?
The Golden Globe Awards this week featured the most gorgeous dresses I’ve ever seen (yes, I confess to being a fashion watcher) and Meryl Streep winning her 9th Golden Globe, for her extraordinary portrayal of the British rock-ribbed Conservative former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first and only woman ever to serve in that post.…
Read MoreIs Colbert a joke?
What do you think about Colbert’s presidential run? I will tweet the funniest retort.
Arena Asks: Comedian Stephen Colbert has taken credit for Republican candidate Jon Huntsman dropping out of the presidential race, declaring on “The Colbert Report” that his announcement last week to form an exploratory committee for president has “completely changed the complexion of this race.” Since the announcement, Colbert’s super PAC has already begun airing an anti-Mitt Romney ad, and on Monday night released another commercial urging Americans to “vote Herman Cain.”
Is Colbert’s work raising awareness about campaign finance and elections? Or is the entire thing a joke?
Read MoreWorkshop Invitation for You – No Excuses: 9 Ways to Boost Your Power in 2012
I’m excited to invite you to a No Excuses: 9 Ways to Boost Your Power in 2012 workshop I’ll be offering in collaboration with Digitistas in New York on 1/31. The deets- are below–please click here to register. (Oh, and as a Friend of Gloria, if you use the code NoExcuses when you sign up, you’ll get a $10 discount in addition to a copy of the book and many practical tools to boost your power in your career and relationships.)
No Excuses: 9 Ways to Boost Your Power in 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET)
Fenton Studios
630 9th Avenue
Suite 910
New York, NY
Workshop description:
Have you ever offered an idea in a meeting and no one acknowledged you, then ten minutes later a man said the same thing and people thought it was a great idea? Do you wonder why women are stuck at 18% of the top leadership positions across all sectors, earning $1million less than men over a career, despite being half the workplace and 54% of the voters?
Do you have big ambitions but aren’t sure how to achieve them? Learn practical tools from the woman People Magazine called “the voice of experience” for how you can embrace your power, enhance your leadership skills, and lead your dreams forward.
It’s a new year and a great time to get inspired while learning 9 Power Tools—practical bite-sized tips you’ll use to clarify your intentions and make an action plan that will enable you to reach your goals for work, civic life, or personal relationships. During the workshop, you will have a chance to give and get feedback on your application of the Power Tools to a goal or goals you will define, and you’ll leave energized for the year ahead.
Please note the ticket price for this class includes a copy of Gloria’s book No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power.
Read MoreThe Grand Folly of Focusing on “Common Ground”
I believe in making common cause with people of all persuasions, but here’s what I learned about the quest for common ground on issues where people have diametrically opposing worldviews. Originally published at On The Issues Magazine.
©Elaine Soto
The day before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expected to rule, rumors circulated that the agency would approve Plan B One Step emergency contraception as a non-prescription item and allow it to be sold without age restrictions. Freelance writer Robin Marty predicted via e-mail, “Conservative reaction will be a total shitstorm.”
She’s Doing It: Shoshana Weinberg Finds Spa Everywhere
Read MoreHow in the world did Shoshana Weinberg get from the “tiny country town” of Clarksville MD to Hong Kong? How in the world did this director of the Four Seasons Spa Hong Kong happen upon my 9 Ways Blog? And what in the world does she mean when she says, “Spa is everywhere?”
I asked those and other questions when Shoshana e-mailed me out of the blue saying she’d found my blog to be inspirational and wanted to be profiled as a “She’s Doing It” woman. I think you’ll find her answers fascinating as she tells her story (that’s No Excuses Power Tool #9 of course!) here…
Is Mitt Romney unstoppable?
Keep those gloves on, Mitt.
Arena Asks:Mitt Romney has won the New Hampshire primary, the Associated Press projected as polls closed Tuesday night.
How much closer does this bring Romney to being the Republican nominee? Can any of his rivals realistically stop him in South Carolina, Florida or beyond? And which of them is the most likely to drop out?
My Answer: Romney won by barely the numbers he had to get to look like a real winner in his almost-home state. But he did what he needed to do and barring a self-immolating mistake will stay just enough ahead of the pack to become the Republican nominee…
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Will ‘man on dog’ bite Santorum?
For once I like title Arena gave to today’s question about whether Rick Santorum’s way out of the mainstream views about sex will get noticed after the media swarm in the wake of his IA caucus near-win. Please tell me you’ll help keep this buzz alive. Because in truth I don’t trust the press to keep shining a light on it–and there are devastating implications for women’s rights as well as gay rights if the public doesn’t know Santorum just how zealously would work to take them entirely away.
Arena Asks: In a recent CNN interview, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum tried to put space between comments he made that appeared to equate homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality, Political Wire reports.
“In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing,” Santorum told the Associated Press during a 2003 interview. Santorum recently told CNN: “I didn’t connect them. I excluded them.”
Will these comments haunt Santorum on the campaign trail? Or will they be lost in the hubbub of the election cycle?
My Answer: Right now Rick Santorum is the Flavor of the Minute with the press. That’s the best thing that could possibly happen IF reporters keep on finding (which they will if they look) statements like his “man on dog” comparison to homosexuality. Santorum made that comparison, from which he is now trying to distance himself, in a slippery slope litany of what he speculates might happen if social definitions of marriage were to include the possibility of homosexual unions.
But he can’t distance himself from his repeated disdain for gays and lesbians let alone same sex marriage, IF the media keeps on doing its job…
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My New Year Revolution: Owning the Power of “Yes”
Happy New Year! Personally, I like these round numbered years. They make me feel optimistic for no apparent reason.
What about you? What’s your frame of mind as you start 2012?
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