Solomon McCown &

A relaxed Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick held court on November 14 at our 18th SM& Presents event, offering candid views on everything from how President Obama might persuade Congress to avoid the "fiscal cliff" to the role of big money and race in the nation's political discourse.

Patrick, a close friend of and campaign surrogate for Obama, made news in predicting that there will need to be at least one "unpleasant confrontation" between the President and Congress in resolving the nation's budget challenge. He also suggested Obama consider bringing "a little South Side to the table," referring to the Chicago neighborhood where Patrick was raised.

"Frankly, if there's a list that they don't finish - the work they need to do around a compromise around deficit reduction, he ought to haul them in there over Christmas and make them sit their behinds in the seats until they finish," Patrick said during the event moderated by SM& CEO Helene Solomon.

More than 150 business & civic leaders from education, real estate, healthcare, government, public policy and professional service firms from across the Commonwealth attended the program.  A brief video highlighting the  conversation will be  available  here soon.

During the wide-ranging discussion, the Governor also:

• Acknowledged that leaders like the President and those in both the public and private sectors must remember their role as "narrator in chief," adding: "Even if people are tired of hearing from you they actually need to hear from you;"
• Described as "obscene," the amount of money raised and spent at all levels of national politics, "especially when you consider the unmet needs in this country;"
• Warned that Massachusetts budget would take a $250 to $350 million hit in the current fiscal year if the failure to craft a compromise deficit reduction plan triggers automatic federal spending cuts; and,
• Became emotional briefly in acknowledging that "it's hard to engage on race in America," adding: "It's all around us, but we haven't figured out as a nation yet how to acknowledge both the extraordinary progress we have made ... and how much remains to be done."

We sincerely thank Governor Patrick and all of those who joined us at The Boston Harbor Hotel.

Coverage of the event can be found at Boston.com.

An overview of the discussion is also available through Storify.

To watch video highlights of the conversation, click here.

The spirit of New England's clean energy community was bright last night at the New England Clean Energy Council's 5th Annual Green Tie Gala, where the reelection of President Obama and nation's renewed discussion around climate change following Hurricane Sandy had the room abuzz with eagerness to see Congress act on comprehensive energy reform. The night's speaker, Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont, was among the hopeful and spoke passionately about the realities of climate change-dealing with the aftermath of four climate change induced extreme weather events in the Maple State during his 22-month tenure as governor. His passion and sense of urgency to act certainly roused the crowd of business leaders  in a sector that's had its fair share of bad news in the last year-from the Solyndra debacle to  Mitt Romney mocking climate change and our rising sea levels in his speech at the Republican National Convention

But public opinion is in the industry's court. The percentage of Americans who think global warming is real has increased four points in the last year and "half of Republicans, 73 percent of independents and 82 percent of Democrats saying they're worried about the growing cost and risks of extreme weather disasters fueled by climate change." While the President hasn't committed to a policy tactic yet, we could see a carbon tax proposal wrapped into the corporate tax reform, heavier regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency or simple moves like ending tax breaks for fossil fuel companies and extending tax breaks for clean energy development. Regardless of which policy direction lawmakers go, the most important factor in getting Congress to pass a national energy policy is selling it to the American people.

As always, strategic messaging is going to be very important. It can be expected that many will again rally around any energy bill that looks like a tax on business, a major contributing factor in the death of Cap and Trade in 2010, therefore messaging must be focused on why moving towards a carbon-free economy is good for all business as well as our national security, our health and the future of the planet.

Since opponents will view any type of energy reform as a tax on America's job creating companies, it's also essential that non-energy businesses proponents of carbon reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency come together to speak about why energy reform is GOOD for business. Here in Massachusetts the New England Clean Energy Council and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership launched http://www.mabizforcleanenergy.com/ to create a place for businesses to get connected, educated and engaged around energy issues in Massachusetts. Networks like these need to take it a step further and create a unified message from the business community in support of energy reform.

Lastly, it is essential to tap into the American public through the grassroots networks that came out in droves during election season. The past two presidential elections are evidence of the power that these networks possess; why not encourage these groups who care as much about environmental affairs as they do about the current economy to do their civic duty and rally support for the cause.

By Kate Plourd, Senior Account Executive at Solomon McCown & Company

I don't watch television for entertainment often - one reason being that I can't stand commercials (especially during election time when political ads constantly air). I also have to admit, I am not much of a sports fanatic; although, I do always take time to watch major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl  - mostly for the food, friends, and, ironically, the commercials.

As I observed this past weekend, the commercials during the Super Bowl are "different." And according to the Washington Post Sports Blog, many football fans, saddened that their teams did not make it to this year's bowl, were kind of like me, watching the game solely for its great commercials.

Although this year's spots were not as outstanding as those in past years, there is one commercial that has caused lots of chatter: the "It's Half Time America" advertisement, starring Clint Eastwood. The commercial is said by many media outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle to have "made Democrats' day," calling the commercial "propaganda for President Obama" because Obama bailed out the auto industry in 2008 with the hopes to keep the job force alive.

Eastwood, a Republican, recently told CNBC that he is upset that people have misunderstood the commercial, and Chrysler is used to show the American people that industries can stay afloat and be restored during hard economic times.

So is this commercial supporting Obama? Yes, maybe…but that is no cause for uproar because the commercial's message should be shared by all politicians. Former reporter and editor with the Chicago Tribune, and now writer for the Chicago News Cooperative and the New York Times James Warren, says it perfectly throughout the article " Why Clint Eastwood's Chrysler Ad Was Pitch Perfect" stating, "Political undertones aside, the commercial's message holds true: Teamwork, community, and investing in American workers are a smart strategy." 

So let's put the debate aside and take the positives from this commercial. Whether you feel the ad is pro Obama or not, the message still stands true and I think we can all agree that every political candidate should exemplify and carry out teamwork, community, and support for job growth.

On a lighter note, I am going to end this post with two of my favorite commercials from Sunday (which star my two favorite things that are typically not a cause for debate, food and dogs):

 " I'm Sexy and I Know it"

 "Here We Go, Rescue Dog"

By Lauren Michaels, Account Coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company