Amid the scampering up and down the fiscal cliff that now dominates political life in Washington, some more important and basic questions are in danger of vanishing from view, questions about the general character and progressive potential of Barack Obama's second term.

For Democrats, it's the Renaissance; for Republicans, it's the Dark Ages. Whose interpretation will prevail?

It's always been taboo in America to talk about class. The Democrats are just beginning to talk about the divide between the rich and the rest of us. It's another big step to talk about the differences between those above and below the median income.

As we head toward a domestic apocalypse, there's not much the government can do about it. The politicians will try their best to manage this "new normal." But they are so hopelessly tangled in their internal contradictions, we can't count on them for anything.

The president should make clear that our exceptionalism is not how wealthy the few become, but how much prosperity is created and shared by the many, and the fairness and justice and decency we stand for.

The President has to tell the American electorate that the future lies, not in a second round of trickle-down economics, but in the creation of a second New Deal, one inclusive of those left out the first time 'round.

It is time for Barack Obama to say to the American public that if they want effective (and sensible) government, the Tea Party pot needs to be totally emptied down the electoral drain.

Everyone loves a good storyline, but after an election day in which the GOP made decisive gains, your media storytellers found themselves down a narrative cul-de-sac at the very moment they needed to shift their focus toward the excitement and melodrama of the 2012 presidential campaign. What to do? Where to go? Well, those questions have all been answered now that the tax cut compromise package deal has been sealed. President Barack Obama's political comeback is underway! And he only had to break a campaign promise to be relevant again.

Everyone has a story to tell about why the midterm elections went the way they did, and it's not surprising that in most cases the narrative presented affirms the storyteller's particular world view.

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.

For once in a blue moon Democrats have a line they can sell that is both positive and simple. That almost never happens. It's almost always the GOP who can put its message on a bumper sticker.

By Election Day, there will be very few districts where a vote for health care reform is unpopular. But I would also argue, that this fall we will see clear evidence that courage itself is very popular.

Our highly trained staff, at the National Narrative Institute, of highly skilled narrative-crafters can put aside complexity, and zero in on what really matters: a simple tale, with easy-to-recognize good guys and bad guys, and a moral that can fit into a fortune cookie. In today's 24/7 world, after all, who has time for more?