I just read the "Revitalizing the Economy" section on President-elect Obama's Change.gov transition web site and have what I hope is a strong suggestion for a change in wording that would better help sell the plan to more people.
Please peek over the fold to see if what I suggest makes sense.
President-elect Obama currently listed as priorities:
1. Revitalizing the Economy
2. Ending the War in Iraq
3. Providing Health Care for All
4. Protecting America
5. Renewing American Global Leadership
I started right off reading "Revitalizing the Economy" and immediately encountered a loaded phrase that could easily be changed to improve the message and hopefully defuse the screaming that will come from the right.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give American families an immediate $1,000 emergency energy rebate to help families pay rising bills.
Anytime someone brings up windfall profits tax with my conservative friends they practically froth at the mouth and spew spittle screaming, "liberal," while asking, where does windfall begin, etc.
Rather than blatantly calling it a tax, why not frame it so:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will put a $1,000 emergency energy rebate in the hands of hard working families by rolling back the Bush/Cheney subsidies to the oil industry.
First this removes the poisoned words 'taxing profits' from a stimulus plan and puts the onus back on the source of the problem - Bush/Cheney oil-friendly policies.
Any chance this will take hold?