From Jim Eskin, Public Affairs Stratagist ....................... ......................... June 2008

Stop the insanity! Though it's been a terrific year for democracy, with voting soaring during the presidential primaries, the presidential race has also spotlighted serious flaws. The campaign has been far too long, far too expensive and, on the Democratic side, inconclusive.

Here are some ideas for reconfiguring and improving the nomination process:

1. Embrace winner-take-all awarding of delegates. The winner-take-all clarity of the Electoral College furnishes the fundamental strength of producing clear winners and expediting closure.

2. Stabilize the primary calendar. The National Association of Secretaries of State has advanced a Rotating Regional Presidential Primaries Plan to replace the current free-for-all scheduling with a more reasoned approach, dividing the country into four regions by geography.

3. Replace caucuses with primaries. Caucuses stunt participation. This year the turnout rate in primary states has been about five times greater than that for caucus states.

4. Abolish super delegates. If their only role is to mirror decisions already made, why have them?

MARRIAGE GAP
The Gallup Poll finds that the Democratic candidates lead Republican John McCain among unmarried voters, while McCain bests both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among married voters. These results are similar to what Gallup has observed in recent presidential elections.

In the last three presidential elections, the Republican candidate has fared better among married voters of either gender, winning all of the marriage-by-gender groups except married women in 1996, which Bob Dole lost narrowly to Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate has won among unmarried voters of both genders in all three elections since 1996.

Usually, of the four marriage-by-gender groups, married men show the greatest support for the Republican candidate and unmarried women most strongly back the Democratic candidate.

CUT DRIVING NOT DIETS
As prices at gasoline pumps and grocery stores rise, consumers say they are driving less but they can't cut down on eating.

A Reuters/Zogby poll of likely voters in the presidential election later this year indicates they are driving less to compensate for record U.S. gasoline prices that are crossing the $4 per gallon barrier.

But only about 8% say they're eating less generally to cope with rising food prices.

HAPPY CONSERVATIVES
Does this surprise you? A Pew Research Center study says that conservatives are generally happier than liberals because of their greater ability to rationalize political and social inequalities.

To wit: 47% of conservative Republicans describe themselves as "very happy," compared with 28% of liberal Democrats.

The researchers claim that inequalities take a greater psychological toll on liberals than on conservatives because liberals lack ideological rationalizations that would help them frame inequality in a positive, or at least neutral, light.

THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES
The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll shows a very close race between John McCain and Barack Obama. A separate survey finds slightly different results when third-party candidates were mentioned by name.

In a four-way race, Obama earns 42% of the vote, McCain 38%, Bob Barr 6% and Ralph Nader 4%. Given those options, 11% were undecided. Barr and Nader were mentioned as candidates of the Libertarian Party and the Green Party, respectively.

Barr picked up 7% of the Republican vote, 5% of the Democratic vote, and 5% of the unaffiliated vote. Nader got 1% of the Republican vote, 3% of the Democratic vote, and 8% support from those not affiliated with either major party.

REPUTATION COUNTS
Studies have shown that up to 75% of a company's value is based on its reputation. Companies with strong reputations generally have a higher market value; a more productive work staff; and significant advantages in gaining clients, obtaining loans, and recruiting the best talent.

According to a recent survey of risk executives, reputation risk is the greatest risk that international companies face. Although executives agree on the severity of potential problems, only a few companies have implemented an adequate reputation management.

SUMMER READING
Prizewinning journalists John Harwood and Gerald Seib show how today's Washington power game really works, through stories of people who are making a difference on Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile stretch between the White House and the Capitol. Their new book, Pennsylvania Avenue, tells how these new power brokers, some of whom are rarely seen and are largely unknown, have figured out how to make their voices heard, and how to get things done amid the complexities of today's gridlocked Washington. With unprecedented access to Washington insiders, and with deep insight into the unspoken rules of the road in the capital, Harwood and Seib explain why progress is so difficult and illuminate what it takes to succeed in the high stakes game of politics.

JOB MARKET PERCEPTIONS
Seventy-three percent of Americans say now is a "bad time" to find a quality job-slightly better than the 75% who felt this way in April, which was the highest level since September 2003.

There is a profound difference in job-market perception by political affiliation. Gallup reports that Republicans are least pessimistic about current labor-market conditions, with 57% saying it is a bad time to find a quality job. A much higher 86% of Democrats feel this way, along with 72% of Independents.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND US
The phrase "generation gap" came into vogue in the 1960s as a way of describing the wide gulf in values, beliefs and lifestyles that emerged between Baby Boomers and their parents and grandparents. Unlike in previous elections, from 1968 to 1980 young voters gave much stronger support to Democratic presidential candidates than did their elders.

But by 1984 those Boomers were not so young and their ideas were not so different. And until very recently, a political generation gap between younger and older voters was not so great.

The national elections in 2004 and 2006 saw younger people casting more votes for Democratic candidates than did older voters. During the last two years, polls have shown voters ages 18 to 29 aligning themselves with the Democratic Party in great numbers. Indeed, they have found their chosen candidate in Barack Obama, who has carried the youth vote in the first 32 primary elections where exit polls were taken.

SUMMER VIEWING
Be sure to catch the HBO film "Recount" that puts you behind the scenes at the controversial 2000 Florida vote recount.

Mixing news footage and verbatim dialogue into fictionalized re-creations, the film examines the tortuous process that culminated in the Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore. The Republicans, led by charismatic Texan James Baker, seize the initiative as the case is tried in the judicial system and the court of public opinion.

The Democrats play catch-up until Ron Klain, Gore's former chief of staff, takes over and starts matching Baker's political hardball with tough moves of his own. Mutual respect forms between the two as the fate of the presidency plays out among a colorful cast ranging from the impressive (appellate lawyer David Boies) to the maligned (Florida's Secretary of State Katherine Harris).

A MAN FOR ALL FLAVORS
If you love ice cream like me, it's fitting that we take a moment to remember one of the pioneers of the modern ice cream age. In 1945 in Glendale, Calif., Irvine Robbins opened the first of what became 5,800 franchised Baskin-Robbins stores around the world, featuring such flavors as Pralines 'n' Cream, Pink Bubblegum and Daiquiri Ice.

Soon after, he joined forces with his brother-in-law, Burton Baskin, and the rest is ice cream history. They had 31 flavors-one for each day of the month.

Robbins never met a flavor he didn't like. When the Dodgers came to Los Angles in 1958, they were greeted with Baseball Nut. Lunar Cheesecake was introduced the day after man landed on the moon in 1969.

The Baskin-Robbins repertoire grew to include more than 1,000 flavors. His personal favorite was Jamoca Almond Fudge.
Thank you, Mr. Robbins, for making our lives better-one delicious scoop at a time.

SENATE SERVICE QUIZ
Since 1789 some 1,897 Americans have served in the U.S. Senate. Do you know which Senators (current and past) have served the longest? Match the following Senators with their length of service. Answers are presented below. See you next month.

Answers:1=e, 2=a, 3=c, 4=b, 5=d.

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