One of the most effective ways to win a political debate about complicated issues is to come up with a short, catchy phrase that is easily memorable, effective and most of all devastatingly negative. Obama mastered that technique during the 2008 campaign with his simple yet positive, “yes we can” message. Unfortunately, we have lost MOST of the messaging wars since.
I partially blame Obama for that but I also blame the entire chattering left from the professional talkers down to me.
You see, the illegitimate Fox news and their media friends have solidified “our” negative labels such as “tax and spend liberals” and “cap and trade extremists” and as wimpy weaklings who “apologize for America” just to name a few. These memes are short, inaccurate but tremendously effective because they repeat them over and over again to our detriment.
I’m writing this morning because Paul Ryan’s destructive plan needs a catchy powerful name. I'm excited because I saw a new one that has serious possibilities. Check this out:
[Blinder Denounces Ryan's 'Reverse Robin Hood' Plan]
"Prominent liberal economist and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Blinder took to the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page Tuesday to condemn the deficit-reduction plan recently released by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., as a sop to the wealthy and an assault on the poor.
Blinder accuses Ryan and his supporters of caring more about dramatically reducing government than about the actual deficit, which could be brought to heel through raising revenue, cutting spending, or both. He also denounces the plan for shifting wealth toward the wealthy through tax cuts and a Medicare voucher system that caps spending growth below expected rates.
"This reverse-Robin Hood redistribution is bad enough in the abstract," he writes. "Coming on the heels of 30-plus years of rising inequality, it is breathtakingly mean-spirited."
http://nationaljournal.com/...
Wow!! Paul Ryan is a "Reverse Robin Hood?"
I like that “Reverse Robin Hood” label because National Journal used it as a hook to draw me in and it totally worked. And honestly, that article stood out more than anything else on their site because of this fresh new label. So I jetted over to Google to see if Ryan’s “Reverse Robin Hood” label had been used anywhere before and bam!!—there it was again with a new article from just last night:
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Apr 18, 2011 @ 12:03 AM
[Letter: Ryan is a reverse Robin Hood]
Under Ryan’s revenue proposals, millionaires would receive $125,000 in annual tax benefits. On the spending side, two-thirds of Ryan’s savings would come from cutting programs for people of limited means, including Medicaid, Pell Grants, food stamps and housing.
…The Ryan plan is not about deficit reduction at all. Rather, it is reverse Robin Hood income redistribution that would increase poverty and inequality on an unprecedented scale.
http://www.sj-r.com/...
Progressives, I’m not sure if this label will stick or even if it could go viral but I’m asking you to please consider trying it in your writings to see if it has legs.
You know the GOP has low-information voters who supported a failed governor, a former witch, a complete loon in Nevada and now a "serial bankrupter" Donald Trump--to coin another label. However, I suspect a few of them have read the story of Robin-hood-- although that "reverse" part might be a tad confusing for them.
I still don't believe they understand that when Ryan promises to "strengthen Medicare" he's really just stealing money from seniors to give Lil Wayne another tax break. So we need to help them understand.
Ryan's "Reverse Robin-hood plan" might be the negative label that helps us win this budget debate.
If you have something better, please share it so we can all use the most effective one.
Thanks in advance.
[EDIT:]
After reading your posts, most of you agree that "The Ryan Reverse Robin Hood Plan" might have legs so I changed my title.
Let's get busy!!!