My sis is a typical middle-class American. She works as a middle manager for one of the huge telecom companies. She's been squeezed, moved around because of downsizing, had her retirement postponed four or five times, is in foreclosure, barely hanging on.
But she is politically disconnected and uninformed and she's never ever before had a personal reaction to a political speech. But tonight she called me.
Obama finally spoke to her.
The line in Obama's speech about the boss being taxed less than his secretary cut right through the political rhetoric and spoke to her. She'd looked at her company's annual report and realized that the CEO's increased company-paid life insurance premium would have paid for the salaries of the two co-workers in her office who were laid off, whose jobs she is now being expected to do for the same salary they've paid her for the last four years.
So here's a note to President Obama and his policy wonks and speechwriters. If my sister is who you need to get on board with you, try that line again more prominently. And maybe even really mean it. Because you finally got my sister on board and she's even calling you to tell you so.