Each day it's becoming more apparent that Democrats are headed for a whipping in November unless they get their act together. While it's Barack Obama's job to rally voters, a lot of Democrats aren't sure he can do it. We feel that somewhere over the course of the last 20 months, Obama lost his mojo and, as a result, doesn't remember what he stands for or what the Democratic Party stands for. If Democrats are going to pull victory out of the fire, we're going to have to see passion from Obama; he's going to have to take off his gloves and fight.
Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr. identified Obama's central problem: "The president's efforts to lay down a consistent rationale, argument, and philosophy have been sporadic. He has created a vacuum..." The candidate who many of us believed was a master communicator has failed, as president, to articulate his vision for the US.
As Drew Westen and George Lakoff observe, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party have lost control of the national narrative. Instead of being told that government can be a vital force for good, voters are inundated with conservative messages that government is the problem. Instead of being reminded that too much economic inequality is a bad thing, that it undermines our economy and democracy and violates our moral principles, voters are told taxation is unfair and beguiled by the failed promise of trickle-down economics. Instead of being informed that the success of the United States has been based upon a strong public enterprise and a humane form of capitalism, voters are seduced by the image of an open market and privatization of public services.
It's not too late for President Obama to seize control of the national narrative, but many of us are beginning to wonder whether he has the stomach for it.
Academic and political consultant Drew Westen argued that Obama's job is apparent: "What Democrats have needed to offer the American people is a clear narrative about what and who led our country to the mess in which we find ourselves today and a clear vision of what and who will lead us out."
Academic and political consultant George Lakoff agreed with Westen, adding it's vital to recognize the role of values: "Candidate Obama made the case that American is, and has always been, fundamentally about Americans caring about each other and acting responsibly on that care... Winning this election will require the right policies and actions, but it will also require moral leadership with honest, morally-based messaging."
There are several competing theories about why Barack Obama has lost control of the national narrative. One blames his staff and suggests that Obama got good advice during the campaign but bad advice from the presidential staff. For the past twenty months, the economy has been the central issue and the president lost control of that narrative because he listened to the wrong guys.
Another theory argues that once he became president, Obama received poor communication advice. The White House lost control of the national narrative because they wandered into wonk land and forgot the importance of framing their agenda in terms of vision and values.
The most common theory is that the problem lies within Barack Obama. One explanation is that Obama is by nature a conciliatory person and has had a hard time accepting that he's in a situation where his adversaries have no interest in finding common ground. Another is that Barack believes that Americans elected him to set a new moral tone in Washington and try to bring the two Parties together. Still another explanation is that Obama is an intellectual and doesn't have the taste for street fighting that's characteristic of successful American politicians; he's soft.
There's a simpler explanation: Barack is an idealist. He believes in what Robert Reich identified as a core American myth: the benevolent community. The story of "neighbors and friends who roll up their sleeves and pitch in for the common good."
But sometimes idealism isn't enough. Reich identified a flip side of the tale of the benevolent community: the story of the mob at the gates; the forces of darkness that threaten American democracy. One of the differences between an idealist and a realist is recognition that sometimes we have to fight to keep the mob from storming the gates. That's what happened after Pearl Harbor.
That's what needs to happen in the Fall of 2010. Barack has to become a realist.
Because of blind political ambition and staggering stupidity, Republicans have unleashed the forces of darkness and now the Tea Party mob is hammering at the gates of America.
It's good that Barack Obama is an idealist. It's good that he wants to be a conciliator who believes that there should be a new moral tone in Washington. But now is the time for realism. Now is the time for the President to stand at America's gates and defend us from an angry, hate-filled, nihilistic mob. Now is the time for Obama the fighter.
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I think we need an Independen
http://www
-$13,452, 623,258,14
Now, which party was it again, that was all big on fiscal responsibi
Once upon a time, they made bumper stickers that said: Don't vote, it only encourages them...
Example:
the dems have control of the house and senate, the GOP says no to everything and nothign changes.
If the senate and house are in the hands of the GOP a lot of dems will vote with them and wars for nothing happen and wolves get slaughtere
This is not the way true democracie
This dem party is not a party: it is an amorphous incoherent afraid morass of people thrown together to get to power. Or the democrats call themselves PROUDLY liberals and progressiv
Obama is far from perfect but the alternativ
a) a multi-mill
b) not getting unbiased informatio
Sorry, we don't have time for on the job training - things are much too serious and the mistakes of inexperien
"While my regard for President Obama is growing, it seems that his star may be diminishin
Would an idealist appoint Geithner, Summers, Bernanke, Emanuel, and keep all of W's top staff at DOD?
Would an idealist fight for nothing or propose nothing that would be ideal for the vast majority of citizens, but push through legislatio
You really need to do some rudimentar
His actions, or, more precisely, lack of adequate actions, belie any view that those principles put forward in his book are truly things in which he believes. His actions demonstrat
His lack of adequate action has proved that he does not have the fundamenta
He can blame his utter failures on the Republican
The Repugnanto
But, Obama's cowardly, weak, inability to take any stand other than making sure big company executives are making outrageous money on the back of the average American has grown very tiresome.
We need a progressiv
but we need one and soon, or we are going down for real and for ever as a viable society and nation, the status quo is national suicide.
The GOP was right about Obamacare not reducing costs and but reducing choice. It is the real reason businesses are afraid to hire.. they are waiting for the full cost of this mess to kick in
This was supposed to be the best thing for America.. its is turning out to be one of the worst...
so yeah.. Let's hear, Obama the fighter get there and tout Obamacare.
http://apn
It isn't enough and it is not fair for us to sit back and expect President Obama to battle this angry hate filled mob by himself . It is lazy and unrealisti
I for one am volunteeri
If we indeed lose big in this election like all the pundits are predicting I will be at peace knowing I tried and did everything within my power to move this country forward instead of allowing a bunch of hate and fear mongers to hoodwink us again !
PROVE THE EXPERTS WRONG !
I think you're mistaking the disease for the cure. This is the Democrats with their act together, aggressive
As long as we keep backing teams and personalit