No, I am not humming the sound track of “West Side Story,” I am savoring the faux pas committed by Mike Huckabee when he, in his first post (now corrected) opposing the nomination of Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, called her “Maria.”

The story got air tonight on the “Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.  Setting aside the snark, it was Gene Robinson of the Washington Post who helped guide the viewers — and Rachel — through the nuts-and-bolts of her career and credentials.  In fact, when asked about comments made at a conference in Berkeley which have led Rush Limbaugh and others to call Ms. Sotomayor a “racist,” it was Robinson who said the judge’s comments had not been put in “adequate context.”

It is a small point, but powerful in its implication.  Labels stick more readily in the absence of context.

Here is a link to the Robinson/Maddow exchange.

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It is hard to keep track of the political skirmishes in Washington, D.C. when the battlefield lies in the shadow of a sour economy, but when the two converge, people stop and take notice. It seems such is the case with President Obama’s current tax proposal.

As expected, U.S.-based businesses with overseas operations are rallying to oppose the plan.  Success will likely hinge on who does a better job of linking their point-of-view to a credible — in the eye of the public — context.

“(President Obama) doesn’t have to explain anything,” Bruce Josten, chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a major opponent to Obama’s tax proposa, told Politico.com.  “We have to explain.”

They will have to do more than explain.  They will have to prove the case to Members of Congress that opposing the tax proposal is better for Americans than supporting it.  The difficulty is that many of the off-shore operations look just like off-shore operations; designed to avoid taxes at a time when every dime counts on the home front.

At a time when we aren’t willing to trust too many people about too much, why will we believe it is good for companies to pay lower taxes than we do?

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As reported in the May 2009 issue of the digital marketing magazine, OMMA, another brand has discovered that it is not about them, but about us. The story is about Scotts Miracle-Gro, a company of many brands and, until recently, many web destinations.

In seeking to quiet the confusion and drive greater customer loyalty, the decision was made to put the customer out front, not the companied. This created a more cohesive and useful presentation. Instead of each brand making its own promise, the company presented its brands in the context of the customer.

The insight is not new, but the discipline required deserves applause. It is more proof that the debate between “the customer is always right” and “the customer can have any color car as long as it is black” is settled.

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