The financial crisis has left voters desperate for political leaders
that will eschew traditional party divides and advocate policies that
actually solve their problems. Barack Obama has styled himself as just
such a leader. His rhetoric has inspired millions. But to build on his
current lead in the polls, Obama must show how his message of hope and
change will truly impact voters' lives.
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."