Michael Kelly, the columnist for The Washington Post who was tragically killed during the Iraqi war, had many good lines, one of which is relevant to improving political communication.  He started his career as a television journalist and was doing quite well.  But one day he quit.  He was later asked, “Why did you leave?  It seemed like such a promising career.”  He replied, “Well, yeah, but one of my co-hosts said to me one day, ‘Michael, you just don’t get it.  In television journalism a hair dryer is every bit as important as a pad and pencil.’”  While that comment prompted Michael to leave broadcast journalism, his story brings up an important point: the way we present ourselves is as important as the content of our messages.

CEI and National Media work very closely with many businesses, trying to persuade them not to apologize for being capitalists.  That work is important because industry is a significant channel of political communications.