Category Archives: Public Relations & Politics

The “Five Year” Question: a message for “Suburban Women.”

Published October 24, 2020 / by Lee Kessler / 2 Comments on The “Five Year” Question: a message for “Suburban Women.”
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For many years I have worked with some of the finest business minds in the world, studied success principles from masters of success who have stood the test of time. I have been mentored and coached. And I have mentored and coached others.

One of the first things my early business coach taught me about relationships–whether it was a personal relationship, a business relationship, a team relationship, or any other kind–was this: Before you go down the path of disagreement, emotionality, or undecidedness, ask yourself this question. Will this matter in five years? Will I even remember it then, or is it a temporary thing?

The answer to that question can help us sort out priorities as well, and help us make decisions. Some situations are urgent, and some are important. There is a distinction, though we don’t always see it in the throes of emotion. It is the long-term important situations that demand our best attention. The urgent are just that–urgent. Deal with them quickly, and move on. Or do not deal with them at all. Recognize they may be just noise.

As we approach the election in 10 days, I understand that some are undecided as to whether to vote for Trump or Biden. Some of you may really like the policies of the Trump Administration and myriad accomplishments and improvements over the last 4 years, but you are put off by the personality and style of the President.

Some of you may like the gentler, softer style of Biden, but you are concerned about policy indications such as the elimination of the entire fossil fuel industry, the apparent agreement with defund the police movements, the desire to increase taxes and regulations, and the termination of successful actions regarding Mid East peace etc.

So, here’s what I recommend. Stop. Take a deep breath. Clear out all the noise and ask yourself, “do I decide on personality or policy?” And then ask yourself the 5 year question.

Will the personality of Donald J. Trump–which you are apparently still hung up on–matter in 5 years? The answer is likely no. He will be gone in 4 years, and you won’t have to deal with his “personality” in 5 years.

But, you will be dealing with his policies. His policy has demonstrated the ability to increase the median income of Americans dramatically. His policy has put a spotlight on, and brought illegal immigration to the table. His policy has brought about a type of peace in the Mid-East that has eluded every other President for 50 years. His policy has brought about the lowest unemployment in my lifetime, and most definitely the lowest unemployment in history, for Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians–and the lowest in 60 years for women.

His policy is one of law and order. He condemns rioting, arson, vandalism and assault, and mob rule. At the same time his policy has brought about prison sentencing reform, criminal justice reform, opportunity zones for inner cities, a Platinum program intended to bring capital into minority businesses to help them, school choice for those in inner cities, and the list goes on.

Will those policies still be here–or the ramifications of them–in 5 years? Yes.

If you like those policies, and the outcomes–even if not perfect or complete–and you want the new list of projects for the American people to continue, then make your decision on policy, not personality.

The reverse is true of Biden. Will his personality matter in 5 years? No, he will be gone from office. Will his policies matter in 5 years? I suggest you take a good look at his policies, and the effect they will have on your life in 5 years. His policies will matter in 5 years.

I have spoken as rationally as I can to you “undecideds.” Personally I am exhausted listening to people complain about the President’s personality while they are benefiting from his policies. To me, policies trump personality any time. No pun intended!

You decide. Five years from now, we will be living with the policies of the winner on Nov. 3. They and their “personality” will be gone. But, you will be living with the residue of their philosophy and implementation of that philosophy.

Choose wisely.

“The Last Guy I Would Ever Vote For!”

Published October 18, 2020 / by Lee Kessler / 4 Comments on “The Last Guy I Would Ever Vote For!”
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There is so much to say, and so little time before the election. There is much I would like to tell you, and perspectives I would like to share. But fortunately, there are many voices you are likely listening to as we approach Nov. 3.

A few moments ago, I proudly completed my absentee ballot for this election. It is being returned by Priority Mail so that I can be assured it arrived, and there is a specific election official who is expecting it.

I have always been a populist–always regarded myself as a person of the “people,” not the “elites.” Perhaps that is why, though I may hear a news story or commentator, I do not trust any of them to get the facts straight.

My career revolves around communication, around speaking or writing and being understood. So, I do not necessarily fault the intentions of well-meaning journalists and TV pundits, but I have found their duplication of a speech they are listening to is often faulty. They make mistakes, or worse. They misunderstand. And they often misunderstand the speaker’s content altogether.

Therefore I have a habit of using their comments simply as a tip-off to something I might want to watch myself–to see what I see, to hear what I hear. With technology today, it is fairly simple to locate the original policy speech or rally in this highly emotionally charged climate.

Last night, I heard something that I believe sums it all up. It explains why polls and pundits are getting it wrong. There is something they can not comprehend. They do not feel it.

President Trump did a rally in Michigan, and then immediately flew to a rally in Wisconsin, in a section of the state that is typically Democrat. It was believed that many in the huge audience were Democrats.

Prior to the start of the event, as they were waiting for Air Force One to arrive, journalists were out in the crowd asking attendees questions about why they were there, and how they felt. The usual stuff.

But, one man’s response says it all. He was perhaps 60, standing straight and tall. He was not wearing a red hat. He looked the journalist right in the eye–this is pretty close to an exact quote–and said, “In 2016, Trump was the last guy on earth I would have voted for. But, Kenosha… Kenosha was burned to the ground. Now, I would crawl across 20 miles of broken glass to vote for him!”

Can you feel it? Do you understand? Washington politicians, and elites in Media, Entertainment, Government, and Big Business have never cared to understand.

I pray you do.

The Ultimate “October Surprise”

Published October 4, 2020 / by Lee Kessler / 2 Comments on The Ultimate “October Surprise”
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While I write this, there is another story playing out that almost NO media is covering. That story is one I have been chasing and writing about periodically–for you–for two years. And the documents were just declassified and released–after months and years of demands by the Congress.

No agency has the right to stonewall and withhold information from the American people. NO AGENCY or AGENCIES. I am a writer of political fiction, fiction so plausible it became the truth. My antennae have been up on this, and my “swinish suspicion” as the writer of investigative fiction is working overtime. Who knows, it may become another book.

But, I have said to Director John Brennan and others to “stay tuned.” Well, this weekend, the information that members of Congress have begged for was released. Look it up. You won’t find it on CNN or MSNBC. You will need to search for it. DNI Radcliffe just released it, with the full motherload still classified. The data is factual. It will, in my opinion, become evidence in a court of law. It is not fictional “conspiracy theory.” The names are there. The incidents are there. The dots are connected.

Having said that, the diversion that is distracting all Americans today–and logically so–is the President of the United States and his battle with the China virus. He will win that battle. All of us will win that battle.

But, I can not take off my “hat” of writer of political fiction that turns out to be true. You will be directed to–like Pavlov’s dogs–salivate over the idea that if the President had not been out in public and treated mask wearing more seriously, he would not have gotten sick. You will be discouraged from realizing that the Gov. of Virginia–who wears masks religiously–also contracted the disease. Instead of being encouraged to learn something about virology, you will be directed to rote political rhetoric and condemnation.

If you have taken the bait, you are already finger-pointing, and you may not see something I see. The reason I mentioned the release of those documents has to do with the fact they PROVE a political dirty trick, conspiracy, and coordinated attack, the likes of which the United States has never experienced. If you were to accept them as true, you will be in a state of shock, and true righteous indignation–determined to never allow people like this to get power again. This story is like a major Hollywood political thriller. Regrettably, it is true.

The distraction, to keep you away from even looking? The “October Surprise” of the President’s illness, and the illness of others. The coverage of it gives you something to be self-righteous about. Be careful, my friends. You are being played.

Interesting to me, and hopefully to you, is the fact that not only did the President come down with this, but also his closest advisor Hope Hicks. Also, the First Lady. But–PAY ATTENTION HERE NOW–also the head of the Republican National Committee. Her job is monumental. She is responsible for the election of every Republican House Member and Senator, as well as the President.

To have her sidelined too is to potentially wipe out an entire Party’s ability to campaign in the final weeks of an election vital to the interest of all Americans.

Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee who will determine the next Supreme Court Justice also fell ill.

The President’s debate coach also fell ill.

And the Chinese Press officially endorsed the other candidate, while the President of the United States could have been mortally wounded.

Stupidity you say? That’s the pat, propaganda line. Coincidence you say? I doubt it.

Granted, I am just a lowly fiction writer. Who am I to challenge conventional wisdom? I connect dots differently. And, as I connect the dots here, they do connect–the top story in this Blog, and the President’s story.

And if you will take the time to ferret out what that top story is, I think you can see why this “October Surprise” is such a brilliant and bold diversion to keep American citizens from seeing what their government has done to them in the last 5 years.

There is always a “who.” I would like someone to help me identify the man standing directly to the right of Hope Hicks at the most recent rally. I will recognize him, but I do not know his name.

There is something I want to check. And, perhaps I can connect an important “dot.”

21st Century Pavlov’s Dogs

Published September 24, 2020 / by Lee Kessler / 2 Comments on 21st Century Pavlov’s Dogs
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If you have read my novel, “White King Rising,” you may remember that the propaganda chief for Al Qaeda–a man named Samir– was tasked with bringing America down from within, using our core values and our Constitution to undermine the institutions of education, family, religion, justice, military, and the long-revered Free Press.

The character “Samir” created a diabolical and brilliant strategy to get us to destroy ourselves. That strategy involved attempting to perform remote mind control upon the American people. To the readers, it was a daring and shocking supposition.

However, today we are living through the hell of what is now nothing short of prophetic insight into how you can get normally sane, rational, thinking people to turn into a mob, at your command. It was accomplished in my fiction, and it is being accomplished now in your world, your state, your city, your living room.

To discover how, one has to be willing to look creatively at the the work of Ivan Pavlov, the Russian scientist. Most of you know something about Pavlov and his experiments with conditioned responses in dogs. He was studying the relationship between a stimulus and its conditioned response physiologically. Whether he liked Lenin, or Stalin, is a moot point. The work he did laid a foundation for some really insidious mind control technologies.

Make no mistake. Pavlov was not experimenting with dogs because he was running a dog training academy. He was not running an obedience program for wayward pups. Not having the permission to work on human subjects yet, he began where most scientists do–working in a laboratory on animals. In this case it was dogs. And the results were conclusive.

Conclusive enough that authoritarian regimes have been using the technology against theirs and others’ citizens for all of the 20th century, and now massively and surreptitiously in the 21st Century.

The only way a bad guy could in fact control billions of people on planet earth would be to find a way to get the men and women to control and restrain themselves. Thus the stimulus-response technologies of propaganda and public relations today.

In Black Propaganda, the technology is simple. Just link an emotional response–one that is violent and visceral–to a person, a word, a symbol. If the message which produces the negative emotion is repeated often enough, all it takes eventually is for the targeted person to show up, or a word to be spoken, or a symbol to be presented, and the response of people is knee-jerk and unthinking.

Over time, the constant repetition of the message, coinciding with a situation which produces a response–usually of fear, anger, hatred–creates a short circuit that now renders emotional stability, critical thinking, or logic, unable to enter. One simply reacts to the “button” when it has been punched.

And men and women are reduced to salivating dogs just as Pavlov’s were when they heard the buzzer in the presence of food. Later, the food was taken away but the buzzer remained. If the buzzer was pressed, even though there was no food, the dogs would salivate. Today, if the “crisis” buzzer is pressed, even though there is no real crisis at the moment, the emotional response occurs anyway.

I would like to suggest to you that this explains a great deal of the mystery you are experiencing when you see people going off halfcocked, like lynch mobs being directed by some shadowy hidden figure. When you see normally rational people turn into seething, close-minded hatred of another person or group–without any apparent current provocation–just know that someone has planted a propaganda button about a person, group, or idea. Then, in the future, when you expect to rationally discuss or debate some issue or person, you are greeted by the rabid barking of a human being whose logic has been short-circuited. And who no longer retains a control over his emotions, and his subsequent actions. An example of such a button is: “America is systemically racist.”

Quite a conundrum, isn’t it? To solve problems in present time, you have to talk about them, discuss them, create solutions for them, persuade others to embrace your ideas and solutions. But, if the person you are talking to is “conditioned” to hate you because of the color of your hat, or the color of your skin, or whether or not you wear a mask at all times, you are in the world of stimulus-response, and someone is punching the “buttons” of you and those you are trying to talk to.

If you are not in control of your own mind, and you allow yourself to be controlled by words and symbols other people have planted in your mind to produce an immediate emotional response, then just recognize this: My character “Samir” is real. He and others like him have an agenda. And your well-being is not part of it. “Samir” wants you to do his bidding without you even knowing he gave the command. He sees you like a “salivating dog.” It would be a tragedy if you fulfilled his demented vision and became one.

Pop Quiz: How To Tell If You Are A Racist.

Published September 16, 2020 / by Lee Kessler / 3 Comments on Pop Quiz: How To Tell If You Are A Racist.
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I learned long ago that talk’s cheap. Anyone can say anything. But, it is what they do that reveals their true thoughts and character. Learn to look, don’t listen.

“Their actions speak louder than words.” That’s something we have all heard. Here’s another cliche which is true. “Your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” “Do as I say, not as I do.” That’s the poster child for poor parenting! So, pick your truth.

And let’s see what you would do and support, or have done and have supported. Let’s all take this quiz:

Do you support bringing the unemployment of blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and women to historically record lows? OR Do you support keeping those groups with perpetually higher unemployment than whites for example?

Do you support rising wages for blacks, and other minorities? OR Do you support holding them in the low income class, rather than the middle class?

Do you support stopping the killing of blacks and Hispanics in the inner cities like Chicago? OR Do you just turn a blind eye, dismissing them as criminals and “untouchables” that deserve what they get?

Do you support bringing business investment into depressed neighborhoods and inner cities to provide employment for the impoverished youth? OR Do you want to have them remain without work, dependent upon you and what you dole out of your wallet?

Do you support giving the parents of inner city youth the choice to take their child to a school where they have some hope of an education and chance for the future? OR Do you want to force them to remain in the inner city schools, even if it means they could never have a hope of competing and succeeding?

Do you support ending draconian life sentences for crimes that did not warrant that penalty? OR Do you want to continue that Clinton Era law, and keep a lot of criminal blacks, Hispanics, etc. off the streets permanently?

Do you support programs that help convicts come out into society and get a second chance, and employment? OR Do you ridicule the men and women who work to create those programs and believe that black people can’t change?

Do you support permanent funding of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities? OR Do you want them to have to beg every year for the money to keep their doors open, and their legacy continued?

Do you support encouraging a traditional and nuclear family where the parents take responsibility for their children? OR Do you want the state to become the “parent” of minority children, and take full responsibility for how they think, and what they can earn, and how high they can climb?

Do you insist that all black and minority lives matter, and refuse to only talk about black lives related to law enforcement? OR Do you turn a blind eye to all issues related to the loss of black lives, except for those related to law enforcement?

Do you believe that one is not “guilty by accusation,” and deserves Due Process–no matter their race, no matter the alleged crime? OR Do you rush to judgment at every bad act and actor and form your own “lynch mob”–demanding that no Due Process occurs?

Let’s check ourselves out on this. If you predominantly answered affirmatively to the first question in each series, you are not a racist–in my opinion. If you answered predominantly affirmatively to the second question in each series, you–in my opinion–are the racist.

For the record, Trump answered affirmatively to all of the first questions, and did not do so just with “words.” He did so with actual programs that have worked and resulted in dramatic improvement where the programs have been allowed to be implemented. So, if Donald J. Trump is a racist, he is really bad at it. He would surely get an F in a “How to Be A Successful Racist” class.

His opponents have chosen to predominantly support none of the first questions–not even with words–and appear to be the racists. Their actions or inactions speak louder than words. I think they would ace a class entitled: “How to Keep Minorities Down.”

There is a lot of noise out there, my friends. Look, don’t listen.