Don't Get it Twisted - Prominent Republicans Endorse Obama

This morning Colin Powell joined a long list of Republicans that have endorsed Democratic nominee Barack Obama for president of the United States...

It was not to long ago that America pegged and begged Colin Powell to run for President... he respectfully declined the notion... So it goes without saying that Mr. Powell is well respected on both sides of the aisle...

You might be wondering, "Rod, what's your point?" My point is that in spite of all of the negative campaigning from the McCain camp, there are many voters, Democrat and Republican that know the true measure of the man...

The following Powell quote is from the Associated Press;

*

Powell said both Obama and Republican John McCain are qualified to be commander in chief. But he said Obama is better suited to handle the nation's economic problems as well as help improve its standing in the world.
"It isn't easy for me to disappoint Sen. McCain in the way that I have this morning, and I regret that," Powell, interviewed on NBC's "Meet the Press," said of his longtime friend, the Arizona senator.
"But I firmly believe that at this point in America's history, we need a president that will not just continue, even with a new face and with the changes and with some maverick aspects, who will not just continue basically the policies that we have been following in recent years," Powell said.

*

Ladies and Gents, Mr. Powell is not alone - the list of Republicans for Obama is long;

• Former Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee
• Fairbanks Alaska Republican mayor Jim Whitaker
• Former GOP Representative from Iowa - Jim Leach
• Virginia GOP Gov. Linwood Holton (1970 - 1974)
• Former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan
• Bill Ruckelshaus - served with both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan
• Susan Eisenhower, daughter of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Julie "Nixon" Eisenhower - daughter of former Republican President Richard M. Nixon
• Republican Representative from Maryland - Wayne Gilchrest

In addition to the above, the above, the following Republican Newspapers that backed Bush in 2004 are now backing Obama in 2008;

• The Houston Chronicle
• The Austin American Statesman
• The Denver Post
• The Chicago Sun Times
• The Kansas City Star
• The Southwest News-Herald (Ill)
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution
• The Salt Lake Tribune

As a registered Democrat and Barack Obama supporter along with the millions of other Obama supporters, I know that we cannot all be wrong... But just for safe measure we should all understand that with this much Republican support that when Barack says that he can "reach across the aisle for bi-partisan support, that he is doing more than campaigning... he is telling it like it is... When Colin Powell says that Obama is the best choice for getting us out of this financial quagmire he is telling it like it is... When I tell you that this historic race transcends the race, age and gender issues I too am telling it like it is...

So let's not get it twisted, we are at a precipice... not to elect the first African American President, or the the first female Vice President... these are forgone conclusions... We are on the precipice to get our country's economy, and foreign affairs in order...

If the recovery of our economy and the restoration and maintenance of our proper place in the world is important to you, then your vote must be cast for Barack Obama...

My name is Rod White and I support Barack Obama

Age, Race, Sex and Religion

Age; John McCain
Race; Barack Obama
Sex; Sarah Palin

Religion; Catholic, Christian, Pentecostal

It appears that we may be getting close....

"Let's not judge people by the color of their skin... if you must judge, judge by the content of a person's character"

Book Review - Laws of Lifetime Growth

I read a very good book this weekend... It was a quick read but had a powerful message. the name of the book is The laws of Lifetime Growth, Always Make Your Future Bigger Than Your Past...

The book was written by Dan Sullivan and Catherine Nomura...

My favorite chapters were;

• Always make your performance greater than your applause

Sullivan and Nomura use a great analogy that can serve well any any business... They are speaking of actors in a play... their premise is simple; "The true sign of a talented performer is that he or she can perform their same material over and over and make it seem different every time. Therefore, each performance offers a unique learning experience to the performer and a chance to test his or her skills in this new situation. But it has to be viewed this way for the learning to occur."

• Always make your gratitude greater than your success

"What we appreciate, appreciates. We see the value in the people and things through proactive gratitude. Once we see this value, we naturally treat these people and things with great respect."

• Always make your confidence greater than your fear

"Transforming fear into action... The biggest challenge to leaving our comfort zone is always fear: fear that we will fail, fear that someone will discover that we are not as good as they thought we were, fear that we'll lose something important, fear that people won't understand what we are doing-the list goes on. Confidence is the ability to transform these fears into focused thinking and action."

• Always make your questions greater than your answers

(By far my favorite) The duo suggest that we embrace what we don't know... "To keep asking good questions, you have to give up any fears you might have about not already having the answers or appearing ignorant. However there's another way to look at this. If you value great questions more than you do great answers, then whether or not you know the answer is immaterial."

As I said this is a great read with a lot of practical applications no matter your occupation... If you are truly interested in personal growth then this book is just the ticket!

Happy Reading!

Rod

Gatekeeper Friend or Foe

Selling without the ability to get past the Gatekeeper is a veritable "Mission Impossible" and if you want to be the best, you must learn real fast the art of meeting and greeting the most important people in any business... The gatekeepers!

First lets examine what we know about Gatekeepers...

• We know it is their job to screen calls for their busy bosses
• They spend a large part of their days fielding calls from several sales people and telemarketers who have the tendency to be pushy and rude
• They are typically overlooked and ignored as people of little importance
• Most gatekeepers are better at their job than you are at yours

Next lets examine the approach we should take...

• First, always try to get the assistant on your side. You don't get anywhere by making an enemy out of the person who probably has as much info on the company as the owner.
• Second, be straight with the assistant. If you are evasive or dismissive the assistant will know it. Make the Gatekeeper your advocate, your eyes and ears to the decision maker.
• Third always ask if the decision maker has voice mail and email... this is the trifecta because you not only get the answers to these two questions, but you also are setting the foundation for your initial conversation with the DM.
• Last but not least ask the Gatekeeper what is the link to their web-site.

Now a few things to remember;

1. Your approach should be confident but not cocky
2. Show interest in the gatekeeper, respect them and their time
3. Be professional but not pushy
4. Be up front about the purpose of your call
5. Don't be afraid to engage the Gatekeeper in conversation
6. Treat them the way they want to be treated, as the most important person that you will talk to today
7. Last but not least "listen to them" a few well placed probing questions will help not only build the foundation needed when you speak to the DM. But you will also end up with someone "on the inside" helping you to pitch the sale

So, I have "said all of that to say"... If you are truly interested in improving your sales numbers follow the steps above...

There is an old saying "if you can't beat em', join em" we are going to extend this saying regarding Gatekeepers to say, "if you can't beat em' get them to join you!"

Good Luck and good selling!

Rod

Important People

Some people fear you...

Until they get to know you...

When they get know you...

They learn to respect you...

When they learn to respect you...

They recognize your importance...

After recognizing your importance...

Everything becomes clear...

Judge not by the color of someone's skin, nor because they are young or old...

Judge them please, by the character within their souls...

Rod White

Am I better off today?

People often ask me why I support Barack Obama... I will answer the question with another question... It is the only question that anyone ever has to ask... "am I better off today than I was 8 years ago?" The honest answer to this question will undoubtedly be a resounding "no"! When Bill Clinton (a democrat) left office we were not at war, and we had not been attacked on American soil since Pearl Harbor, we had a balanced budget, and gasoline was $1.64 per gallon for which in June of 2000 the GOP blamed Clinton for soaring gas prices!

May I ask, when was the last time that you filled up your tank? Premium gasoline is nearly $5 per gallon! When was the last time that you visited the airport? Terrorists attacked us... and it is us... Americans... that must be searched at the airport because it would be politically incorrect to only search those that are not citizens...

Folks, our national debt has increased by over 4 trillion dollars in the 8 years that Mr. Bush has been in office and it increases by 1.74 billion EVERY DAY!

Did you know that in December of 2000 (Clinton's last year in office) that the unemployment rate was 3.9% and here we are 8 years later and the unemployment rate is a staggering 5.5%! And I know you remember 2005 when over 1000 New Orleans residents lost their lives in the floods caused by hurricane Katrina and another 400 thousand were forced to leave their homes... we can give billions for the Iraq war but we could not re-build our own American City?!!!

2006 brought us E Coli in our spinach, and here in 2008 we have the tomato scare... We had snipers shooting and killing people on our highways in 2006...

We were bamboozled into an Iraqi war and have been at war with Iraq for over 5 years... over 4,000 Americans have been killed and another 23,000 plus have been wounded... and all the Republicans can hang their hats on is that McCain voted for the surge and it is working?!!!

Pulllease!!!

We should never have been at war with Iraq in the first place... we should have been tracking down and capturing Osama Bin laden... remember him? It is because of him and our Republican president that our lives have been negatively changed forever... America is the greatest country in the world and we owe it to our children to ensure that it stays that way... It is time for a change we can count on... and thats why I support Barack Obama 2008!

Rod White

Are You Getting The Picture?

"I certainly do remember that trip to Bosnia and ... there was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the first lady. That's where we went. I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

Hillary Clinton

Hogwash. The truth is:
• There was no sniper fire.
• Nobody ducked for cover.

"I did not have sex with that woman!"

Bill Clinton

Hogwash... You already know the truth.

Are you getting the picture? When things go against them the Clinton's seem to make up there own reality don't they?

R-Dub

Obama Got beat in Ohio and Texas

OMG! My candidate got beat last night... Congrats to Hillary... But on a serious note I attended a caucus for the first time... What a great experience... Sure I had to stand in a line for 1:30 minutes but I appreciated the experience...

I did not know that the caucus part of the Texas Two Step involved the opportunity to become a delegate... I really wanted to do it but it would be a precinct delegate and I am planning to move...

At any rate great to be involved in the process...

Rod

Just Words

Did you see the last debate? Hillary was not happy that Democratic Primary front runner Obama, only "denounced" Louise Farrakhan's pledged support... She felt he should "reject" his support... Of course Barack responded that he would reject and denounce if that would make Hillary happy...

Well, being the "election hoopla" junkie that I am, I 'looked up' the definition of these words...

Denounce: criticize something/someone publicly: to criticize or condemn something/someone publicly and harshly

Reject: turn somebody down

It seems to me that publicly condemning someone for their support and their belief is far more harsh than simply turning them down... but hey... It's just words...

My name is Rod White and I support Barack Obama

"Yes we can" "Si se puedo"

Hillary VS. Barack, History in the making!

First lets discuss Hillary... She was a supporter of NAFTA when it was convenient... In her book (page 231) she deemed her husband had been successful with NAFTA... Now she is feigning outrage because Barack is pointing out her position in Ohio and Texas through campaign fliers... Thousands have lost their jobs to other countries because of NAFTA and now Hillary is wooing those same jobless citizens for their vote by suggesting she is and has been against it... I think voters are smarter than that...

Have we all forgotten that President Bill Clinton appointed Hillary to an official position of Chairperson of the "Task Force on National Health Care Reform?" Hillary did have a nice office in the White House but she accomplished very little for reforming health care and she blames everyone but her self... Here is a quote from her book... "we were trying to move to quickly on a bill that would fundamentally alter the American social and economic policy for years to come. And we were already losing the race." Are we now supppose to give her a "do over" and trust her with the most important job in the country?!!!

Are we really seriously considering electing someone to balance our National Budget who cannot even keep their own campaign budget balanced? She had to loan her campaign $5,000,000 because they blew the $100,000,000 that her supporters had already trusted her with... Her entourage was spending lavishly when they thought that the primary was going to be over by Super Tuesday! Click the link below and check out the way her campaign has used the money donated by her trusting supporters... http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/02/23/2008-02-23_hillary_clinton_campaign_funds_wasted.html

Now I don't want to be insensitive, but when things have become tough for Hillary in the campaign, she has complained that everyone was piling up on her, she has cried in public and most recently she had a "melt down" regarding her feigned outrage over campaign ads... (Ads that used pictures like the Parody she and hubby Bill created...really read her book!) She ended her tirade with "shame on you Barack Obama." If elected perhaps a simple "shame on you Bin Laden" will help end the war on terrorism... yeah right! No thank you Hillary.

My fellow Dems Barack Obama is the real thing and he is ready to lead our country. What reasons do I have for supporting Barack?

• Well I could support him because for the first time in history someone that looks like me could be the President of the U.S. but that is not why...


• I could be silly and vote for him because like both of my children he is left handed, but that is not why...
  
• On a more serious note I could consider that he was able to get health care legislation passed in his home state of IL... but that is not why...


• I could support Barack because he has "always" been against the war in Iraq, staunchly supports our troops and vows to end the war and bring them home. But that's not why...
  
• Because he takes a common sense approach as a leader and he also is "book smart" as evidenced by his graduating from Harvard "Magna Cum Laude"... But that's not why...


• Because like millions of other Americans I am truly inspired by his message when he speaks...


• Because we have witnessed him running a smart campaign, a balanced budget type of campaign and his supporters can be proud of the way their donations are being used... http://inspiredvoter.com/tag/campaign-spending/


• Because of his tireless service to the public for the past 20 years...

The truth of the matter is that I could use any one of the above reasons and many others to justify my support for Barack... But the bottom line is that I support him because of all of the reasons listed above. I support the total measure of the man. He is a proven leader, he is of high moral character and he is ready to be the 44th President of our United States!

My name is Rod White and I support Barack Obama

"Yes we can!" Si, Se Puede!

My Lucky Number

I was on my way to the Best Buy Store yesterday and was reflecting on my pending start date for my new career. I start work on 2/11... The irony is that I have only had three jobs in my life... My last job had a start date of 6/11... My long time career in the mortgage industry began with a start date of 10/11... You should see the trend by now that the 11th seems to be my lucky nummber.

As I drove and contemplated this phenomenon I couldn't help but smile and decide that from now on 11 must be my number.

I arrived at the Best Buy with my lucky number on my mind... my wife and I had decided that we wanted to purchse the ever elusive Nintendo Wii game system... of course we could not find one anywhere... My wife called me at home and advised that a co-worker had informed her that Best Buy had a shipment coming in this week and perhaps I should go in and see if I could put my name on a waiting list. Well I went right to customer service and I preceded to explain to the young woman behind the counter that I wanted to put my name on the waiting list and she had a smile on her face as she called to one of her co-workers to bring up the Wii that had just been returned (5 minutes before I walked in). A customer had purchased it as a Christmas present for someone that already had one!

Everybody in the store soon became aware of the "lucky" customer who just happened to walk in the door at that precise moment. I actually received congratulations from two of them on the way out of the door. They had not seen a Wii in months! They all chalked it up to me being lucky, however I know that luck my was precipitated by my lucky number 11!

Gotta go now and check flights for Vegas!

Do you know who you remind me of?

Ok... I was in Best Buy yesterday and as I was checking out, the young lady at the register said, "Oooh! Do you know who you remind me of?" I thought to myself, "Ok here we go"... I had a few ideas but did not give in... She said, "You remind me of that guy on the Love Boat, the bartender... The good news is that I have heard that one before; so I was use to it... the funny part is that the Love Boat has not been on TV for over 20 years and this young lady hardly seemed 20 years old. How did she know?!!!

At any rate I need your help... Over the years I have been told that I remind people of 3 different TV/Movie personalities... Isaac from the Love Boat, Ving Rhames from Mission Impossible and Billy D Williams. I would like to put the debate to rest once and for all... Below is a side by side comparison... Please vote for the one that I most remind you of... (If any of them) please be honest! I will tally the votes and let you know... Oh, and I also would like to know who people say that "YOU" remind them of....

Isaac from Love Boat Fame / Rod White

/

Ving Rhames Mission Impossible / Rod White

/

Billy D Williams / Rod White

/

Happy New Year

I trust that everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Dreamer and I really enjoyed having our kids in town and we had a great holiday. One of the many things that we did was to see the movie “The Great Debaters”… It was such a great film that I decided to try my hand at writing a movie review; please enjoy and let me know if my review inspires you to see the film. And if you have already seen the film I would like to know what you thought!

THE GREAT DEBATERS

The Great Debaters is not a movie about the battle of the races; it is not about the battle of good versus evil; what it is – is a veritable explosion of language… The explosion generated shrapnel of wit, compassion, and every other sense of emotion that one can imagine.

The movie stars... Academy Award winners, Denzel Washington and Forrest Whitaker… By the very nature of their big screen accomplishments it would be understandable if their egos were on display. However the exact opposite is true. Oh yes, Denzel and Forrest were "larger than life" in their roles… However they allowed the true stars in the film to shine. The young actors, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollet and Denzel Whitaker (No relation to either Denzel or Forrest) also turned in unforgettable performances!

The Great Debaters is a drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at (small town) Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. The relationship between Washington and his students, the relationships that the students have with each other and their parents and the issues of the times all combine for an awesome movie experience. The Great Debaters is Oscar worthy!

The movie has several stories within the story and combines intrigue with combat. And as Denzel explains to his students, their weapons of choice are their words. Every now and then an uplifting film comes along that makes you want to go back and see it again and again... this is one of those films! If you enjoy fine acting and love to hear people “turn a good phrase” this movie is a must see!

Rod


Denzel Washington
...
Melvin B. Tolson

Nate Parker
...
Henry Lowe

Jurnee Smollett
...
Samantha Booke

Denzel Whitaker
...
James Farmer, Jr.

Jermaine Williams
...
Hamilton Burgess

Forest Whitaker
...
Dr. James Farmer, Sr.