Category Archives: Rob Meyne

If It Didn’t Work This Time, Maybe Next

Rob Meyne

  • Sept. 25, 2019
  • 3 min read

One of the many truisms about the political debates in America is how incredibly predictable they are. If you look at any of the positions of Democratic candidates for president, and their counterparts in Congressional leadership, and ask what position they are likely to take on any issue, the answer can usually be found by answering this question: what will give them the most power?

The key motivator for those on the left is not to improve lives, make the nation stronger, or curb the heartbreak of psoriasis; it is to increase their power. Examples to the contrary are as hard to find as the tooth fairy, Sasquatch, or moderate Democrats.
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If Everyone Is Racist, No One Is

Rob Meyne

  • Sept. 15, 2019
  • 3 min read

Updated: Sept. 24, 2019

One of the most interesting parts of our political system is that there are no rules or requirements regarding how a person can decide how to vote. One is free to vote for the candidate who is taller, more handsome, from their home state, plays tennis, went to A. S. U., or happens to sound the most like their cousin Ed.

A system where people were somehow required to base their decisions on facts and issues would sometimes yield a different result than does ours. But among our freedoms is the freedom to be stupid. We can be uninformed, unintelligent, and unconcerned, and still vote. That is a freedom that millions of people embrace on a quadrennial basis.
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If It Doesn’t Work, Keep Doing It!

Rob Meyne

  • Sept. 9, 2019
  • 3 min read

When I was young (and we were still trying to shake off the reins of British rule), people used to make jokes about government doing things efficiently. There was common acceptance that, however poorly a business or charitable organization might operate something, you could always count on the government to do worse.

There are precisely zero major tasks that government in general does better than, well, anyone else. Government remains the province of $10,000 toilet seats, zombie-like bureaucrats, and billions of unaccounted for tax dollars. Yet, about half the nation seems to have somnambulated into America circa 2019 with a new paradigm that government is where you go to save money. It’s as sensible as if people suddenly decided to go to Kansas for surfing lessons, to Robert Byrd for lessons on black empowerment, or Rosie O’Donnell for weight loss tips.
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Should Facts Interfere With Our Understanding of the Truth?

Rob Meyne

  • Sept. 5, 2019
  • 3 min read

There is an old joke about the three biggest lies: two can live as cheaply as one, check’s in the mail, and… well, the third, the punchline, isn’t appropriate for polite company. But the point resonates: there are many dominant beliefs today, as throughout history, that simply aren’t true.
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Is Your Trope More Tired Than Mine?

Rob Meyne

  • Sept. 3, 2019
  • 4 min read

As I write this, I am less than five miles from the site of the largest mass murder in U. S. history. No one needs to tell Las Vegans mass shootings are a problem. Regardless of where you live, if you don’t understand the devastating impact of these incidents, you frankly don’t deserve to be taken seriously.
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Where Are the Happy Warriors?

Rob Meyne

  • Aug. 26, 2019
  • 4 min read

In previous political seasons, successful politicians were known for their optimism. Hubert Humphrey was referred to as the “Happy warrior,” as was Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill was optimistic in the face of some of the greatest challenges any nation has ever faced.

Humphrey was upbeat, pleasant, and confident. I saw him speak many years ago, and he seemed like someone with whom I would enjoy having lunch. He knew that people are attracted to those who are joyous, fun, and happy.

Ronald Reagan reflected on the good that is intrinsic in people, especially Americans. He was cognizant of the need to make changes, but it did not define him. There was nothing depressing about Reagan. He was unashamedly proud of our country.
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California Dreamin’ or Nightmare?

Rob Meyne

  • Aug. 21, 2019
  • 4 min read

Updated: Aug 22, 2019

We’re coming to you today from the Californian valley that encompasses Indian Wells, Palm Desert (not Palm Dessert), Palm Springs, Coachella, Indio, and more. It’s a beautiful place in its own way. Not green and lush like my native Indiana, but the mountains and palms and thirsty vistas of expansive fairways and greens are impressive.
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Needed: More Showgirls Running for Congress

Rob Meyne

  • Aug. 14, 2019
  • 4 min read

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that politicians will do almost anything to get elected. If that astonishes you, I would refer you to other recent news: water is wet, fish swim, and birds fly.

If hypocrisy were money, the political class could retire, en masse, move to desert islands, leave the rest of us alone, and let Buck, your yard guy, run the country. If he cares as much about us as he does about the palm trees, he’s my guy.
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Sure, nuclear war sucks, but the Mets pitching is worse

Rob Meyne

  • Aug. 12, 2019
  • 3 min read

Several lifetimes ago, I was privileged to work at the Republican National Committee during President Reagan’s re-election campaign. We may talk about that more in the months ahead, but it comes to mind today because of a piece by John Stossel.

In communications training, we would help candidates discuss political issues in terms that show how they impact specific values, those things Americans care deeply about. If you tell people you want to cut taxes, you must make the connection that it will leave you with more money to save, spend, or invest, thus enabling you to go on vacation, save for college, and more.
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Do Spoons Make You Fat?

Rob Meyne

  • Aug. 9, 2019
  • 3 min read

It probably shouldn’t be necessary to expound on the horror of mass shootings. Anyone who doesn’t understand, or share, the sentiment, isn’t deserving of a seat at the table of rational discourse. That said, it’s possible there isn’t an issue where political hypocrisy is more pervasive.

For years, the cry from conservatives was “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.”

As clearly truthful as that statement is, it irritates anti-gun folks. More recent permutations of the thought include notions such as “If guns cause murder, spoons make me fat.” Do pens misspell words or computers force you to look at online porn? Many readers no doubt would love to think those are valid excuses. We’ll keep you posted.
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