One of the best parts of my job is putting together the speaker lineup for our conference every year. This year—in case you haven’t already heard—we’ll be returning to Texas in May. San Antonio, to be exact.
I’m excited, because Texas has always been good to us and I think we’ve got one of the most content-heavy programs we’ve ever put together.
As part of that, yes, we’ve got left-wing poster child (and excitable candidate) Howard Dean as one of our celebrity keynotes this year. I’ve received a few phone calls, emails and even a text message denouncing this “outrage.”
Before addressing the specifics Dean’s appearance, let’s take a look back: This will be our eighth show. Warren Benoit, a broker, friend and mentor, headlined our first show in Orlando. We went with mostly harmless and largely irrelevant sports celebrities for the next few years after that. It was cool, but it left us—and our audiences—wanting a little more.
For out fifth time out—in Austin, Texas, no less—we brought in Pat Buchanan. And, of course, we earned more than our share of ire. And while he was much nicer in person than on TV, he still didn’t address what brokers wanted to hear.
So we brought in Karl Rove the following year and he absolutely killed. Not only was the guy friendlier than he had any right to be, he went on stage without any notes and nailed it. I think even the few in the room who despised the man walked away entertained—or at the very least, entralled.
But the complaints kept coming. Our conferences apparently portrayed us as a right-wing venue, and that alienated some of our audience. So last year, I decided to make it even and moderated a “debate” between former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson and former White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers. And while it was fun and relevant, spending most of our time on PPACA, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as Rove’s session the year before.
So this year I thought I’d give a nod to the left for a change and bring in Howard Dean. My publisher and I saw him a few years back at an AHIP conference and thought he was an educated, engaging speaker. It looked like a natural fit.
And while I love that our readers—and attendees—are engaged enough to call and write with their opinions, I’d really appreciate it if we could leave the profanity out of it. Especially since you’re shooting the messenger when you call up and cuss out our customer service peeps.
I’ve taken a number of political stances in my life, casting ballots for Democrats, Republicans and no one at all over the course of my 20-plus-year voting career. But I’ve never been so self-absorbed or intellectually arrogant as to disregard different opinions out of hand.
In fact, I’d argue we learn more when we debate than when we sit back with our red Solo cups of Kool-Aid and listen to the choir. Besides, isn’t that what talk radio’s for?
When we let our disagreements define us, we lose. When our own opinion blinds us to someone else’s, we’re both lost in the dark. And when we shut everyone else out, we’re alone.
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