I’ve argued several times here that we are making a weaker argument, with regard to rhetorical effectiveness, than we might be. It’s not about moral fairness, or at least not only about that. It’s about sustainable economic growth. To paraphrase a conservative politician from Ireland, who was also a fair poet, without the center, our economy and our republic cannot hold. Things will fall apart. And I don’t mean the political center but the middle class.
Congratulations, Mr. Tomasky. Somehow, my message has gotten through:
I have praised Barack Obama on previous occasions for finally (after nearly three years) figuring out he needs to position himself as the defender of the middle class and the Republicans as the defenders of the wealthy. It’s been a big improvement. But he’s still mostly missing something, and it’s a very important something-something Democrats miss a lot. Obama, in the standard Democratic fashion, is largely making an argument about society. Republicans, in contrast, offer a theory about economic growth. Now, the Republicans’ theory is a ridiculous lie. But even so, it is much more arresting and persuasive as an argument because it is tied to crucial end results. Obama and the Democrats will have far less trouble selling their message if they figure out how to construct their case more the way Republicans do.
Read the rest here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/a…
The facts are on our side. Of course we want a fairer and more egalitarian society. But no one likes the kid on the playground who is always crying about fairness in the middle of the game. But the kid who can organize the game successfully by getting all the kids involved is on track to win class president and team captain.
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