Potomac Flacks

Sherrod Brown's CD Moving On

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that, "Joanne Kuebeler, communications director for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), will leave her job next month to join the Washington office of Global Campaign for Education, an international organization that champions the rights of every child in the world to have an educations. Kuebler has spent the past six years working for Brown. No word on who will replace her." (Columbus Dispatch). 

On another note - I'm blogging from 34,000 feet in the air - thank you Virgin America!

Can't Miss Click

Potomac Flacks has been chosen by Washingtonian magazine as one of the top blogs in Washington - especially if you want to keep track of all the boldface names in the Washington PR industry. The article isn't online yet, but we are mentioned on page 48 - along with Fishbowl DC, Famous DC and some others. 

Phil Singer Starts a Blog

Hillary Clinton's former flack has started a blog. Phil Singer launched The Marathon Blog recently. So far he has written about politics and even gave some interview advice to Charlie Gibson regarding his interview with Sarah Pallin. (The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder)

Help a Reporter

Have you ever read a story and thought to yourself, "my client should have been part of that story. Why didn't I know about it?" Well, now there's a free resource for you: HelpAReporter.com. I've been subscribing to the listserv for a few months.

It's like Profnet, only free. Three times a day, the site administrator - Peter Shankman - sends out an e-mail with requests from journalists who need sources for stories. Peter also sends out updates about his PR escapades and his life adventures too (he seems to like a lot of adventure sports and appearing on O'Reilly).

Warning: this isn't for everyone - I think this is most helpful for PR firm flacks, not necessarily people on the Hill or associations. But, why not sign up and try it - after all, it's free.

You know You're a Political Staffer When . . .

For those of you addicted to Facebook (like me), you might have already seen the group, You Know You're a Political Staffer When . . ., however I thought this applied to a lot of Potomac Flakcers as well, so I pulled out some of my favorites. Feel free to add your own in the comments section. Happy reading!

• Indy is not a form of music
• No one looks at you funny when you sleep at the office
• A perfect boyfriend/girlfriend is someone who can actually put up with your work hours
• You know that perfect person doesn’t exist
• You work insane hours for little money. . . And you love it
• Your friends visit your office to make sure you’re still alive
• Therapy is something you wish you could get for free after the election
• Your track record, has nothing to do with sports
• Your best friend’s name is Blackberry
• You have played some kind of sport in your office at least once (i.e. baseball, kickball, football, basketball, etc.)
• You have come to work when you look like you’re about to keel over and die
• And you did it by choice
• Your car doubles as a closet during campaign season because frankly, you’re not quite sure when you’ll get home
• You have gone 48 hours plus without sleep
• Your desk kind of reminds you of the movie Twister, well after the tornado hit
• You watch either 24 or the West Wing compulsively
• When your power goes out or your telephone is disconnected you immediately blame it on the Democrats, or Republicans
• You have encountered at least 3 volunteers whom you are sure escaped from a Mental Institution
• All your friends say how “professional and cute” you look while you’re running around on your blackberry trying to prevent Armageddon

We Want You!

Unfortunately, over the past few months, some of our bloggers have moved or changed jobs and Potomac Flacks needs some extra help. So, we are looking for a few good volunteers to troll the blogs, read the trades and bug their friends for scoops and stories about the PR community in Washington. It doesn't take much time and it's easy to do.

Please remember that Potomac Flacks is non-partisan, so we want scoop and opinion from both sides of the aisle and everything in between. And, we would like for people to write more than just about job changes in Washington - this blog is all about the PR business. So, you can be creative. And, you don't have to send your posts through a vet process like you do a work - what freedom!

If you are interested, please e-mail me at lgross@scottcircle.com. Thank you.

Blogger-Strategists Stoller & Bowers to leave MyDD

Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers, chief writers for progressive mega-blog MyDD.com and campaign strategists, announced plans to leave the site and start a new blog venture at the annual Take Back America conference today.

"We're working on the name," Bowers said. Stoller and Bowers declined to comment further on their plans. They participated in a panel discussion entitled, "The Blogosphere: From Ideas to Action."

Stoller has served as strategist and Internet consultant on a number of high-profile campaigns, including the "Draft Wesley Clark" movement in 2004 and Jon Corzine for Governor (NJ) in 2005.

 

More Blogger-Flack Relations, Giuliani Edition

After reading our post on Team Biden's blogger relations, a tipster points us toward this writeup of Rudy Giuliani's recent quasi-campaign trip to New Hampshire.  As a blogger tried to cover Rudy's event from the press area (after receiving a press pass from the event organizers), he claims that one of Rudy's flacks tried to kick him out:

All of a sudden, a blond blur of Blackberry, Gucci, Neiman Marcus and Prada bustled over to me and chirped, "What are YOU doing here?" And then, without letting me even answer the question, Gucci continued, "YOU can't be down here!"

"I'm press," I responded. Nicely. Holding up my press pass. Gucci's jeweled snout snorted, "Oh? With who?" "I have a Blog. I'm covering the New Hampshire Primary.."

Gucci didn't let me finish, "Bloggers aren't allowed down here. This area is for press." I held up my press pass again. Nicely. Gucci actually started to check her Blackberry as she continued the conversation, "You can't be up here," she repeated herself.

According to the blogger's account, Giuliani's flack ultimately relented after learning that the state party had approved the blogger's pass.  Another source in the room tells us that the blogger's account isn't accurate.  Whatever the true story, bloggers' coverage of campaign events is definitely creating some challenges for campaign flacks.

Lesson For Hill Flacks: How Not to Deal with Bloggers

Lots of Hill flacks have told us stories of feeling burned by bloggers after engaging in well-meaning outreach on their bosses' behalf.  Danny Glover of Beltway Blogroll shares a cautionary tale involving Sen. Joe Biden (right) spokesguy Eric Carbone and Daily Kos.  Glover tells Hill flacks:

You're much better off griping to me about bloggers on background than you are going on the record and taking your complaints directly to the source. Odds are good that the blogger you criticize is going to react just as Kos did -- by mocking you and attacking your boss with even more ferocity.

Not a bad idea...someone should take him up on that offer. 

Three-Quarters of MoCs with Blogs Draft Own Postings? Riiight

I'm a bit late on this, but Beltway Blogroll recently noted a new George Washington University survey of blog readership on Capitol Hill.  Among the most interesting findings:

...only 11.5 percent of actual lawmakers are blog readers, while 93.6 percent of their senior flacks keep one eye on the blogosphere. The rest of the numbers: 34.6 percent of junior communications staffers, 51.3 percent of senior legislative assistants, and 47.4 percent of junior legislative assistants.

But here's the finding that really jumped out at us:

Of the respondents from congressional offices with blogs, a somewhat surprising 75 percent note that the member of Congress him or herself writes or prepares the blog postings for their own blogs, while 50 percent of offices reported that Senior Communications staffers author posts.

As a former Hill comms staffer, my only reaction is disbelief.  That 75 percent would probably also claim that the boss drafts all of his own constituent mail...