Political Relationship Marketers and Managers-VP Candidates

Jack Edwards asked his dad, JRE after Tuesday's debate?"Which one is Cheney?"

Tuesday night's debate was fascinating theater between Senator John R. Edwards and Vice-President Richard B. Cheney. Both men are running mates, but with similar backgrounds from being in working class families. I believe Mr. Cheney's dad worked in Wyoming, a right-to-work state, in high school, and met his soul mate, the to-be Mrs. Lynne Cheney. In attending public universities (after attending a private university for a short time) for their education, both of the VP candidates' spouses are well-educated (e.g. Mrs. Cheney has a history Ph.D from Wisconsin, wheras Mrs. Edwards' background will be mentioned later).

Beyond those similarities, the two possess very different levels of aspirations, experiences, and philosophies. VP Cheney has spent most of his time in government service, with many executive positions within 3-4 administrations, and as a Congressman and a Senator. RBC has worked for Donald Rumsfeld (Nixon) in the late 60s and early 70's, and as chief of staff for Gerald Ford, Secretary of Defense for Bush 41, but now VP for Bush 43. RBC has also worked in big business--Halliburton, growing that big business from 40,000 employees to over 107,000 in 1998, most of them overseas, so he knows what it means to outsource, but at the same time, one could argue spreading democracy. Cheney has worked in small business before finishing college, but my understanding is that he was not directly responsible for running it or for budgets, or marketing. This is not to demean his leadership at Halliburton, but as we all know, the CEO is just the overall accountible head, who doesn't run the day to day operations. He's always been the behind the scenes guy, and he claimed in the debate the other night that he supported the president, even if the President's policy hurt his gay daughter's opportunity to have partnership rights with her significant other, which is what the context was.

Sen. John Edwards was kind about mentioning RBCheney's family's support concerning their support for daughter Mary Cheney and her partnership's right to be with her partner; thus, it was clear that both debaters were more for States' rights on marriage.

Llike VP Cheney, Sen. John Edwards was the son of a working class family. His dad was a mill worker, labor union card carrier; so is JRE's brother. Sen. Edwards, the first to attend college in his family, attended a private university (Clemson, Cheney's was Yale), but transferred and finished NCSU in 3 years; also graduated from UNC-Chapell Hill's law school, where he met his soul mate, Elizabeth. Sen Edwards spent most of his time with his family, raising children, being a soccer coach, and growing a successful law practice that went after big companies and insurance companies who represented employees who had repeatedly made mistakes and harmed or killed people. On the other hand, VP Cheney, who claimed to represent the small business man, criticized the senator for having an "S" corporation to gain advantage of paying less Medicare taxes. S corporations mean small business. John Edwards payed his taxes by the law available.

What kind of relationship marketing is Cheney doing by criticizing small business if is he supposed to be for small business? Who is the effective marketer of the two VPs? Is that their role? Pundits say they expect them to be the "attack dogs." Does the "attack dogs" mean do the dirty work to harm the momentum of their running mates? The concept could mean their job on the campaign is to clarify positions, or better yet, they are supposed to be advocates with some sharp criticisms that the top candidates dislike having creative attract negative attention to themselves since most people say they do not vote for a vice-president.

To define relationship marketing, let's look at a definition by Len Berry, professor at Texas A & M University, and a geniune gentleman scholar, whom I've been acquainted with for a few years, who has studied the service sectors for over a couple of decades:

Relationship marketing is attracting, mantaining, and in multi-service
organizations, enhancing customer relationships.

(Blogger's note: Due to the software, I cannot place quotation marks properly.)

Until Cheney got to the White House administration, he was not in multi-service organizations to promote it. Secretary Rumsfeld, who aspired to the WH at one time, and realized he could not, helped Cheney to the position of Chief of Staff for Ford. Amazing. Rumsfeld promoted his own guy, who then rose above him eventually. But Cheney carefully tended to those relationships, which means he was a better relationship manager. We hear that Cheney has "gravitas." But the term means this:

• formality in bearing and appearance; "he behaved with great dignity."

If that is the case, where does President GW Bush fit into this picture? Did he show "gravitas" last Thursday?

I confess I have to be careful here because I am a Texan by birth and rearing. Despite his birth and schooling, GW is more Texan than one realizes, which is why NE'ners are turned off by his style. There are days I understand where he is coming from, and I am reminded that my job, it is a process, but yet I am e/intrepreneurial (like Edwards) to do the best with the resources you have and forge ahead.

You may wonder what's the difference between relationship marketing and management?

Relationship management is different in managing expectations, once you have marketed. Our president marketed better education, medicare reform, etc, then our citizens were some what disappointed what they discovered to be true. This is where our president couldn't deliver what he promised.

Senator Kerry will attempt to be gravitas about what he can deliver, and I think he is aware that his running mate, Senator Edwards, should be guarded in not to promise too much.

It's a difficult challenge. From me, be looking for more posts where Cheney and his corporate life, through public documents, display relationship management.

Little Jack, I have a few ideas.