After three votes, Dems put Jerusalem, God back into party platform

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By Julian Pecquet and Pete Kasperowicz – Democrats on Wednesday (Sep 5) reinstated language in their party platform recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but only after an unclear vote in which as many delegates appeared to oppose the change as support it.

The party also added the word “God” back into the party’s decree, following criticism that it did not include the word at all.

The additions were approved by a voice vote that seemed to split the crowd evenly and confused Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was leading the proceedings. more> http://tinyurl.com/csb9jdt

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• Dems put Jerusalem back in platform, but not without loud dissent – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (blog) (blogs.jta.org)
• Amid boos, Democrats vote to restore God, Jerusalem to party platform; Video added (twitchy.com)
• Dems Ram ‘God’ and Jerusalem Back into Platform… (breitbart.com)
• Resurrection: DNC Overrules Delegates, Rams God and Jerusalem Back into Platform (amerikimpatriot.com)
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• DNC floor chaos: Dems alter platform (abc15.com)
• Bill Clinton basks in spotlight, gives rousing defense of Obama, John Whitesides and Steve Holland, Reuters
• ‘We’re all in this together’, Russell Berman and Amie Parnes, Hill
• Opinion: Obama aiming to defy history, A.B. Stoddard, Hill
• Democrats officially nominate Obama, Bernie Becker and Jonathan Easley, Hill
• Romney: DNC a ‘celebration of failure’, Justin Sink, Hill
• Bill Clinton offers forceful defense of Obama’s record, Dan Balz and Philip Rucker, Washington Post
• Obama intervened on God, Jerusalem platform language, Reid J. Epstein, POLITICO.com
• 4 Years Later, Scarred but Still Confident, Peter Baker, NYTimes.com
• Worried Democrats scramble to close fundraising gap with GOP, Peter Wallsten and Tom Hamburger, Washington Post

In Praise Of Stretch Goals

BOOK REVIEW

Betterness: Economics for Humans (Kindle Single), Author: Umair Haque.

By Steve Denning – In an article  entitled The Folly of Stretch Goals, Daniel Markovitz writes, “Let’s dispense, once and for all, with the managerial absurdity known as ‘stretch goals.’”

Well, no! Instead, let’s celebrate stretch goals.

Markovitz’s article shies away from stretch goals for several reasons:

• “Stretch goals can be terribly demotivating, overwhelming and unattainable”
• “Stretch goals foster unethical behavior”
• “Stretch goals can also — tragically — lead to excessive risk taking.”

Stretch goals need to be about human excellence, not about financial targets. Financial goals bring out the selfish gene that lurks in all of us. Instead, stretch goals need to appeal to what is best in us. more> http://is.gd/lMczMu

Related articles

• The Folly of Stretch Goals (blogs.hbr.org)

God Bless the United City States of America!

Image @Wikipedia

By Bruce Katz – With presidential politics in high gear, the United States appears to be heading for a frustrating year of partisan conflict and policy gridlock. In previous decades, individual states have acted as “laboratories of democracy”. This moment finds U.S. metropolitan areas providing the sort of innovation and leadership sadly missing in Washington, and, in doing so, forming what might be called the “United Metros of America.” Three particular trends are of note.

• First, metros are pursuing strategies that build on their distinctive strengths in the global economy
• Second, metros are looking abroad for new growth possibilities
• Finally, metro innovations are inspiring states to catalyse and reward bottom-up economic growth strategies

The most significant political event of 2012 may not be the presidential election but the emergence of the United Metros of America and the potential for national renewal from the ground up. more> http://is.gd/rIUF5m