Nowhere is that "change" theme more compelling than in the arena of scientific and technological innovation. Obama should do everything he can to direct the campaign conversation in that direction.
Such a discussion plays to Obama's political strengths. Because he's successfully branded himself as a youthful agent of change, Obama can talk about innovation with credibility, reminding voters that America is a place where anything is possible.
He already supports a number of innovative measures regarding energy, including calls for increased investment in renewable energy and federal funds for nuclear power.
Obama should also consider instituting tax credits for manufacturers of alternative energy technologies, like wind turbines. Such targeted support can help make these companies viable competitors of the coal, oil, and natural gas industries.
Obama also supports expanding the tax credits for hybrid automobiles, and implementing a 10-year, $150 billion investment program into energy efficient technologies. He can further bolster his innovation resume by promising to expand and extend tax credits for energy-efficient home appliances as well.
Such incentives will increase consumer demand in these industries, allowing for the creation of the green-collar jobs that Obama talks so passionately about.
These tax credits will also encourage entrepreneurs and firms of all sizes to invest in the development of new and better environmentally friendly goods. And as a bonus, private investment dollars will likely follow public ones into the newly lucrative markets for alternative-energy products.
While Obama's record and positions on innovation in energy are promising, he could do more to encourage innovation in health care. Almost daily, health and medical science are delivering remarkable gains for patients. Obama must devote more attention to the critical need for sustained research into new drugs, devices, and treatments.
To be sure, Senator Obama is right to bring attention to the high healthcare costs American patients face. But it's just as important to emphasize innovation as a necessary component of comprehensive healthcare reform.
American researchers and drug makers have already discovered ground-breaking treatments for once untreatable diseases like cancer, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Outright cures could be just around the corner. Medical innovation could not only extend and improve the lives of patients -- it could also help lower medical costs by reducing the need for expensive surgeries. Completely curing chronic diseases could also be far less expensive than managing them for years and years.
Obama should advocate policies that protect the incentives for medical innovation. That means strengthening patent protections and providing tax incentives for investment into promising new fields of research.
The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently announced it was redirecting research dollars away from saturated treatment markets, like cholesterol drugs, toward diseases that have gone under-addressed, like cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. Increased federal support would encourage other firms to follow suit.
The American people are clearly ready for a conversation about innovation. A recent Fox News poll found that 73 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job. Seventy-nine percent think we're headed down the wrong track.
With the election just days away, this popular discontent offers Obama a unique opportunity to dictate the debate in his favor, away from doom and gloom and toward the positive promises of scientific and technological innovation.
Douglas E. Schoen was a campaign consultant for more than 30 years and is the author of "Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System."
With so much emphasis on "blank the Plumber" I would find some meaningful discussion on science and technology refreshing (No pun intended).
We need a large, common goal to galvanize the country after this divisive election. He should set it up to encourage citizen investment by allowing a check-off on income taxes for 1 to 100 shares at a buck apiece. This would allow all Americans to have an immediate stake.
Then he needs to clearly articulate HOW this is vital to our nation - like Eisenhowere did with the Interstate Highway system. This new emphasis would also encourage school-aged kids to study sience and math more diligently (as it di during the early years of our space program).
This is doable - and I want the new administration to hit the ground running.
We need Obama to stand up and wave the flag for setting the goal of a Full Fiber Nation where a fiber optic cable reaches every house in America.
By doing so he'll show that he gets what it takes to compete in the 21st century, he'll further his connection with young people, and he'll show how his vision for America isn't about restricting growth but instead embracing new growth from new industries.
Much more said on this can be found here: App-Rising.com