Obama Town Hall Meeting Racine 06/30/10

Have you ever attended a live speech by a sitting president? No matter what your politics, you’ll never forget the experience. I’ve seen a few political candidates speak at various events, but yesterday’s town hall meeting in Racine, Wisconsin was so much more…well…presidential!

We parked about five blocks away, so we wouldn’t get stuck in a traffic jam. Thirteen hundred people had free tickets for the meeting, held at Memorial Hall in Racine. There were vendors selling political paraphernalia, volunteers escorting those who needed assistance, refreshment carts, lots of television news cameras, and police sharpshooters on the roof. It was, I must admit, rather exciting.

               Our tickets were to the right of the stage, in the “cut shot” section, meaning that when the cameras focused on the audience, we were likely to be filmed. The hall filled up, and a few minutes before President Obama entered, Governor Doyle and Milwaukee’s Mayor Barrett (who, by the way, is running for governor) took their seats.

At the last minute, a handful of photographers was allowed onto the floor directly in front of the podium. They all pointed their cameras at a curtain just right of the stage, directly in front of our seats! Finally, a presidential aide strode purposefully onto the stage and attached the presidential seal onto the podium–which actually gave me goosebumps–and then President Obama entered, shaking hands all around.

Here’s a link to the entire event: 

http://www.cspan.org/Watch/Media/2010/06/30/HP/A/34927/Pres+Obama+Town+Hall+Meeting+on+the+Economy.aspx

I can’t possibly cover everything that was in the speech, but here are some of the issues addressed: the ongoing legislation battle about new financial regulations, whether or not the stimulus package was successful, efforts to further our economic recovery, and assistance for college students. In his opening remarks, Obama made no bones about calling out his “friends on the other side of the aisle” for both contributing to the financial meltdown, and holding up efforts to tighten regulations so that it doesn’t happen again. Hmmm, must be coming up on election year…

In any case, whether you’re Republican, Democrat or independent, it’s true that you can move a lot closer to being involved with what’s happening in our world by simply listening to our leaders. It’s a good first step to knowing what the issues are; then it’s up to you to do further research and decide where you stand.

Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism 2010 (wigcot)

The Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism (wigcot) 2010 was held at Milwaukee’s Midwest Airlines Center yesterday and today. Here are some quotes from the speakers: 

Futurist David Zach www.davidzach.com, on technology: “Think about how many things in your life have been defined or transformed by people who were college dropouts.” (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, etc.) I love it. 

David Sheatsley, Dir. of Marketing Research for the U.S. Travel Association, www.ustravel.org, on today’s travel patterns: “In the U.S., people would rather drive than fly.” Dude, no doubt. I concur. Folks are taking shorter vacations, closer to home. 

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, www.wisgov.state.wi.us: “We’re launching a new tourism initiative called “Meetings Mean Business For Wisconsin.” Business leaders, take note: Wisconsin is the perfect place to hold meetings and major conventions. It has terrific attractions, it’s not super-pricey, it’s got a good mix of nostalgia and new, we have world-class chefs, and our arts community is particularly strong. And we’ll treat you right, too. 

Daniel Burrus, Burrus Research , technology forecaster and author of Technotrends, www.burrus.com: “You need technology mentors. Who’s a technology mentor? A kid. You need a kid. If you don’t have one, rent one.” Burrus made me realize I need to hire an intern to teach me everything he/she knows about social media. Now. 

Dave Mitchell, corporate leadership trainer and author of Live and Learn or Die Stupid http://www.authorhouse.com: “We think that if we don’t immediately connect with somebody, there’s something wrong with them.” He continues on to explain that each of us leans in the direction of a personality type (Jungian-style): Romantic, Warrior, Expert and Mastermind–we need to keep these types in mind when working with tourism customers.  

And my favorite quote, from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, www.ci.mil.wi.us/Mayor: “And please make sure that, before you leave, town, you spend all your money here.” I’m smiling, Mayor! 

Finally, I just can’t resist including this picture of the permanent security guard in the Midwest Airlines Center lobby…he’s so permanent, he NEVER moves a muscle. He’s a lifelike creation by Bay View artist Marc Sijan, www.marcsijan.com. I overheard a lady tell someone today that she asked him where the Hilton was!