Posted on 02/28/2013 4:56:39 AM PST by Kaslin
"First you win the argument -- then you win the vote," is the now well-known quote from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. President Ronald Reagan was the last Republican president who understood and used that strategy.
President Barack Obama and his team also understand the phrase and are using it to their advantage. They are making a full-court press in the public arena to lay out their argument against sequestration and for more taxes.
"In a few days," Obama said this week in Virginia, "Congress might allow a series of immediate, painful, arbitrary budget cuts to take place -- known in Washington as the sequester. ... What the sequester does is it uses a meat-cleaver approach to gut critical investments in things like education and national security and lifesaving medical research."
He laid out his argument: "These cuts are wrong. They're not smart. They're not fair. They're a self-inflicted wound that doesn't have to happen."
Regardless of whether you agree with Obama's points, his appeal is emotional and attempts to line up Congress against the American people. While his argument might not be technically true, it is a compelling construct and provides clear delineation between those whom he says he supports (the American people) and those whom he says he opposes (members of Congress who refuse to yield to his tax plans).
In contrast, the Republicans communicate with facts, figures and constructs that are not as emotionally compelling.
"The House has done its work," said Speaker Boehner this week. "It's time for the president and Senate Democrats to do their work. They've known for 16 months that this date was coming -- that's why the House acted twice last year -- and yet Senate Democrats and the president never passed anything. It's time for them to do their work."
"The president got his tax hikes in January," he continued. "The federal government will have more revenue this year than any year in our history. It's time (to) tackle spending. Period."
His argument pits the president and the Democratic Senate against the Republican House, instead of against the American people, whom they are ultimately hurting. While his numbers and facts are correct, they are not communicated in a way that is emotionally connecting and memorable.
Phil Gramm, a former Texas Republican congressman and senator, authored an article for the American Enterprise Institute. "Even after the sequester, the federal government will spend $15 billion more than it did last year, and 30 percent more than it spent in 2007. Government spending on nondefense discretionary programs will be 19.2 percent higher, and spending on defense will be 13.8 percent higher than it was in 2007."
"The actual cuts that will occur in 2013 will be $44 billion. That is a mere 1.2 percent of total federal spending this year."
All factually correct, and might lead one to conclude that the sequester makes sense -- but, again -- the communication carries no emotional appeal and does not connect to the average American, nor does it clearly distinguish good from bad.
If the Republicans want to win the argument and the vote, they will have to communicate with more than facts and figures. Communication must win over the hearts and minds of the voters, and set the president as the adversary of the American people.
As a straw man.
As families around the country sit down at their kitchen tables to figure out how to do more with less, the Obama administration can't decide how to do more with more. Instead, they say they need even more, while you have less. That's not fair. Our government is funded by your money, your taxes -- resources that the administration is furiously and frivolously spending.
Since his re-election, Obama already has pocketed a $618 billion tax hike. But that, apparently, is not enough -- he wants to take more to spend more.
The Republicans understand that every tax dollar comes from the American public. We understand that before we ask the American public for more, the government has to make sure it's spending and investing your money wisely. Right now, that can't be said.
We won't ask for more of your money until we know that it's not being wasted. Unfortunately, the Obama administration has decided it's better to inflict pain on average Americans for political gain rather than to make the kind of decisions that real American families must make every day: How do we best and most wisely spend the money we have?
“Better Republican Communication Needed”.
Looks like you headline had an extra word slipped in.
Perhaps it should read, “Better Republicans Needed”
Better Republican Communication With Gonads Needed
/You are welcome.
Until the leftist media informs the idiots of the truth, it won’t matter.
Now come on, their message that every billionaire and zillionaire like Romney was a 'job creator' and the world would end if any of them paid a dollar more in taxes worked great last year. It got Obama re-elected.
I posted the other day:
Republicans should personally accuse Obama of deciding to cause every inconvenience resulting from the Sequester-geden and doing it to extort tax increases.
Deficit talk might work if few voters are affected by it and see it as wasteful spending.
Well it costs a lot money to build NSA domestic surveillance spy stations, drones, and develop technology for implants to spy on terrorists (patriots, Tea Party members, and anyone else that doesn’t worship and kis his highnesses a$$. I can’t wait for his house of cards to come tumblin down and you can already see the signs everywhere. It’s going to be brutal and give new meaning to the bigger (mouthed) they are the harder they fall.
Good observation....no exposure by the media, no info conveyed.
“If a tree falls in the woods and no one was there to hear it fall, does it make noise” is one way to look at it.
Better communications won’t help as long as the message is controlled by the GOPe leftists.
“First you win the argument — then you win the vote”
Nonsense.
What arguments has Obama won? He got 95% of the black vote and large majorities of other minority votes because of his debating skills? What arguments did he win in the debates which was the showcase for presenting logical arguments?
This is one of the least articulate politicians EVER!
That's the problem. The Republicans don't want to win the argument. They're happy with the money and power that comes with big government and CONgress has a 98% reelection rate so what do they care.
1-Get their attention
2-Tell them why it matters to them
3- Provide examples
4- Summarize
That is your opinion Nubie, and you are entitled to it.
The internet was supposed to end the Liberal reign of terror by letting every household with a computer receive real news and information. How's that working out for you?
It's not the content -- it's about changing peoples' habits of getting news and information. They still cling to TV network news and Hollywood movies. One "Wall Street" negates ten years of actual news about how business keeps America healthy. Lib voters especially, because they are too lazy to look at any other medium or because they are too stupid to use other media. A 52-inch flat screen TV bought with your EBT card sure beats any other choice.
This issue has been talked to death. Obama won because nine million conservatives stayed home, not because Obama was the better candidate. Real news not only informs, it motivates. Obama voters are more passionate because living large on other peoples' taxes is far more motivating than anything the Rubs have voiced.
No, the real problem is that Libs have succeeded in obtaining trillions of dollars of your tax money to use in convincing stupid voters -- yes, stupid, not "low information" -- that Libs are the saviors of their free stuff lifestyle. It is puzzling that while the 18- to 35-year-old voter block is being crushed, they still march toward the "D" lever in the voting machine like extras on "Walking Dead." Maybe someone else can help explain.
“Nubie” notwithstanding, the Count makes a good point. Based on their ongoing behavior, the GOP leadership sure seems to be acting this way ...
GOP leadership is an oxymoron.
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