The Body Politic

Sensible discourse on issues of the day since 2003

Kimberly Krautter

Kimberly Krautter
Location
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Birthday
October 26
Bio
Southern fried iconoclast and Atlanta native Kimberly Krautter is The Anti-Coulter. She blogs about the intersection of public communications and public policy with a side order of musings on pop culture. For 22 years, Ms. Krautter has been a strategic communications consultant to Fortune 500 and emerging industry companies as well as a freelance journalist published in business magazines in the U.S., U.K. and France. Her social commentary has been featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution with light-hearted series featured in Atlanta magazine and others. A popular early blogger, "The Body Politic" was originally hosted on Typepad and has now migrated to Open Salon. Known to have the swiftest soapbox in the South and for being staunchly anti-wing nut, Ms. Krautter believes, "Liberal is not a four-letter word, for that matter neither is Conservative, and solutions are found in the Sensible Center where people are eager to speak with each other instead of just being heard." She is currently authoring a major journalistic work titled "Foreclosure on the Fourth Estate: How spin-fluence and info-tainment killed the American newspaper." Follow her on Twitter @kimbrlykrautter [note: there is no "e" in the "kimbrly" portion of the Twitter handle.]

Kimberly Krautter's Links

Salon.com

By Kimberly Krautter

The first time I met The Lion of the Senate, I was not nearly as in awe of him as I was of then House Speaker Tip O'Neill. I was about eleven years old and four-foot nothing, and the Speaker was enormous to me. In truth, he dwarfed… Read full post »

By Kimberly Krautter 

This is not your grandfather's Grand Old Party. Now revealed as a cabal of quitters, liars and philanderers who propagandize a new brand of Hatriotism, there's nothing grand about it.  

In their desperation to replay an election they lost last year, they have leftRead full post »

AUGUST 12, 2009 5:41PM

The Dangers of "Nazi" Name Calling

Carol Smaldino just posted a new blog that directly addresses the licentious and dangerous use of "Naziism" by health care reform opponents and how that really compares to what is happening in America right now. 

Bullies Delight in Town Hall and Center

By Carol Smaldino, CSW 

A probing andRead full post »

By Kimberly Krautter

How ironic. I caught the flu right in the middle of blogging about healthcare reform. After two days of misery, I awoke this morning to see Tina Brown on CNN talking about how, as a Brit, she has been able to go to the doctor whenever necessary without… Read full post »

By Kimberly Krautter

The need for healthcare reform has been a brewing storm for decades. It became an emergency in December, 2007 when the U.S. economy entered into the worst recession in seventy years because of the disastrous economic policies of the George W. Bush administration. Their policies n… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JULY 28, 2009 7:14PM

Un-Spinning Healthcare Reform - Part 1

By Kimberly Krautter 

As Congress prepares to leave D.C. to sip cocktails by the pool, the healthcare debate is mired in spin, slick advertising and parliamentary brinksmanship, leaving the rest of us dazed, confused and not a little scared. This is not change, and we don’t believe in it.&Read full post »

By Kimberly Krautter

Forty years ago today, I was a four and a half year old tot sitting on the floor of my grandparents' den staring at a black and white television with rabbit ear antennas as astronauts walked on the Moon. I was so small, but I remember it all… Read full post »

Editor’s Pick
JULY 16, 2009 6:37PM

I'm still not Swimsuit-Ready. I blame "Jaws."

By Kimberly Krautter 

I never go to the beach. What's the point? I'm not going to get in the water. No way. I know what's in there. Personally, I prefer to eat the buffet, not to be the buffet.

Yes, I admit it. I have the world's most ridiculous shark-phobia. In… Read full post »

... As Sotomayor and Healthcare Reform Hang in the Balance.

By Kimberly Krautter 

Live by the press release, die by the press release. This is one of the many rubrics of public relations that I share with my clients. If you put it out there, it will likely come back to bite… Read full post »

This time last year I was working on a client's book while visiting her in Tuscany. It didn't suck.

Ponte Madelena  

Legend of Devil's Bridge
The villagers on each side of the Serchio River needed a bridge. They raised money and hired a builder who promised to have the bridge built in… Read full post »
JULY 13, 2009 12:38PM

In the Shadows of "Our" Torture

My client Carol Smaldino has penned another thought provoking blog about our collective ambivalence regarding torture with regards to the "war on terror." You can read the article at this link. http://bit.ly/jtmt6

By Kimberly Krautter 

I wonder if Congressman Pete King bothered to watch the Michael Jackson memorial service today? Or did his cynicism win out? Don't get me wrong. With the Iranian people still courageously protesting their oppressors and the Chinese ethnic conflict and our brave U.S. troops… Read full post »

My dad unearthed this on YouTube this morning. It's a lovely birthday card to America from a bit Red Skelton performed on his show in 1969. There are several things in here that conjure very fond memories for me. First was the Red Skelton show. I always liked that clown. It was… Read full post »

JULY 3, 2009 5:32PM

Ads on Open

Simply stated, I'm all for it! We need to get beyond the belief that all good things on the Internet are free. And we all need to stand tall in the value of our own good work and what our contributions bring to the forum/entity.

 Now, I do believe that if… Read full post »

JULY 3, 2009 4:16PM

Sarah Palin - What a Schmuck

Sarah Palin has announced her abdication of the Governorship of Alaska.  If I were a citizen of Alaska, and especially if I had voted for her, I'd be pissed off.

Who cares is she feels she has checked off her personal laundry list of things to do, there remains a… Read full post »

Frankly, my dear, I just really don't give a damn. While this scandal has all the earmarks of a classic Southern Gothic romance, it is just so played out. The same goes for Michael Jackson. Seriously. Enough already! Uncle!

Are we really that bored as a society that we need a Harlequin… Read full post »

If you think the Michael Jackson child custody thing is getting weird, you ought to step into a typical suburban family court.  It's no less bizarre. And, if you've ever heard the term "crazy-making behavior," you will likely agree that it applies here. NYC therapist Carol Smaldino is a client o… Read full post »

By Kimberly Krautter 

Everyone and his mother's uncle's second cousin is talking about Michael Jackson today. (Sorry Farrah.) Many are blogging and Tweeting about him. Lord knows I spent several hours doing just that and simultaneously texting, calling and emailing while live monitoring CNN andRead full post »

By Kimberly Krautter

This is Part 2 of my series on the "Just Say NO-Bama" campaign. This week, I challenge conservatives AND liberals who cite history without knowing the history they cite in an attempt to condemn the President's posture on the Iran protests as "timid."

In the branding biz, thereRead full post »

By Kimberly Krautter 

 

 

This is an introductory installment of a series to be titled "The Just Say NO-Bama Campaign" that will examine the crafty use of language in the political propaganda on the most important issues of our day and the news media’s coverage of the public debaRead full post »

By Kimberly Krautter 

On Wednesday, Open Salon blogger Maddox opined that cross-over voting had a major impact on Terry McAuliffe's loss in the Virginia Democratic Primary.  Cross-over voting is a very effective strategy here in Georgia. We have been able to defeat the scariest of candidateRead full post »

By Kimberly Krautter 

They say when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So sums up the not-so-surprising defeat of Terry McAuliffe in his race to become the Democratic Party nominee for Virginia Governor.

It's also not surprising to find all of the national pundits and Beltway insideRead full post »

JUNE 10, 2009 9:38PM

The Body Politic Redux

Hey Y'all! 

Happy to stumble upon this forum and looking forward to migrating my blog to this location. Stay tuned for the occasional vituperation on the daily news and (hopefully) thought provoking observations on current events or perhaps an indulgent musing or two.

I will also share abstract… Read full post »