In today's NYT,
David Brooks gives us the Republican's 2006 Katrina campaign theme: it was government's fault.
So once again, the GOP will run by running against the government they run. As cynical as it is, it will work if we take it for granted that voters will punish leaders for failures of leadership. That's not an automatic.
Bush's collapse in the polls and the current opinion preference for Democrats is not happening because Democats have won an argument. It's happening because the failures themselves have been seen and felt in real time.
If we are to win the argument that the common wealth must be used for the common good and not private enrichment, we're going to have to make strong, emotional arguments about the character of those in charge. They failed us; government didn't fail us.
The weakness in Brooks's argument -- and the GOP campaign theme -- is its abstractness. But that's also it's strength. If the message dynamic in 2006 is "Government is Good" versus "Government is Bad," Government is Bad will win.
We have to make the issue the character of the leaders who failed. Ignoring that to focus exclusively on a "Government is Good" argument will kill us.
As we have talked about endlessly, we have to talk about values, in this case, that we believe we all have responsibilities to one another. The pursuit of selfish interests alone won't save a city or a nation. In fact, it will destroy us.
Government, of course, can be good. We have to make the argument, we just can't lead with it or depend upon it. Government can and should be effectively and efficiently used to promote the common good.
Government is not the answer. It facilitates the answer. It can help us work together for the common good.
The so-called new federalism weakened the effectiveness of government at all levels by replacing resources with sanctimony and pious promises. Accountability and responsibility were assigned to local governments while resources to meet them were plundered by the wealthy few.
We say, "This government is bad because it is led by bad people," and, "Government is not the answer. Leaders with character, strength and a commitment to the common good is the answer."
And of course, that's said with the most devastating, personalized character portraits we can muster about those who sacrificed New Orleans and the lives of thousands of Americans in Iraq for their own private gain.