Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The President's Missing Narrative

Any agenda must have a story, a narrative if you will. The people must understand where the administration is going and why they are going there. Most modern day presidents have things they want to accomplish, their agenda. To get the American people on board presidents must explain what they are trying accomplish and how they plan to get there. That's what I mean by a narrative.

This president has plenty that he wants to accomplish: health care for all, energy independence, better education, fixing the economy, and cutting the budget deficit. What is missing is a narrative to tie it all together. No one is really sure how he is going to do any of it and much of it seems to conflict with each other. No one can really explain how it all ties together.

Now, let's compare that to narrative of his opponents. The president's opponents see a president that sees a crisis as an opportunity. This is an opportunity to create an orgy of liberal causes that the ideology has been craving for decades. This crisis is nothing more than an excuse for an unprecedented expansion of government and power grab. Furthermore, this expansion is meant to make our country look more like a socialist Democracy in the model of Europe. Finally, this expansion will create debts and deficits that are unsustainable and ultimately will either bankrupt us or create hyperinflation.

Now, I am not here to argue the validity of either side. Anyone who has been reading this space knows where I stand. There can be no doubt though that at the moment it is the president's opponents with the clearer and more effective narrative. Until and unless he changes that his popularity will continue to erode.

1 comment:

  1. It is clear, which direction the President's narrative will be heading in the near future. Why do you think he's not concerned about the deficits farther down the line? It should be obvious to anyone.

    He intends to increase taxes and cut DoD spending before then.

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