Tuesday, September 1, 2015
10:38 AM
"Liberty Equality Fraternity and Trees" reported in the story headlined: "Debbie Wasserman Schultz Blocked a DNC Resolution Supporting the Iran Deal" is yet another instance of the Democratic National Committee, indeed the Democrat Party, self-inflicting themselves with exactly what the Republican wart of fundamental-hate wants: for the Dems to stab themselves in the eyes.
Like Paul Newman's classic movie, Cool Hand Luke, in which he famously said, "what we have here is a failure to communicate."
No person, no party can sustain itself without copious clear communication to those the person or party are in relationship with. Recall more enlightened days with F.D. Roosevelt's Fireside chats regularly delivered to the American people. Why did he do this? Roosevelt did it to educate citizens on key issues needing their support. This crying need is one the Obama White House has failed to resonate with.
Obama has done much good in the White House. Hooray for that. Yet there persists over nearly the last 8 years a profound reticence for the White House to engage it's free bully-pulpit through media to inform and educate American citizens. The Democratic party is paying the price...indeed we all are.
Debbie Wasserman is a failure to communicate. She shouldn't be a Democrat let alone chair the DNC. It boogles the mind doesn't it?
Instead she engages the same kind of Republican maneuvering (pretending absurd scenarios Obama is anti-woman and anti-Semitic) to continue subverting the president's hard work with issues such as the Iranian Nuclear accord. Debbie Wasserman is really a Republican in high Dem clothing.
Many of you remember years ago when George Lakoff, the brilliant professor of semantics at University of California, Berkeley, offered his services to help Democrats frame issues. This was not well received by the DNC. In fact he was ignored. What continues in that void is well noted by Lakoff himself: "For decades, Republican conservatives have constructed and carried out extensive, well-planned, long-term communication campaigns to change public discourse and the way the public thinks."
Without communication, people make stuff up. What they make up too often assumes, then alledges as fact, the worst frame-up about someone. The Republican funded Fox News is terrific at this. Ironically, the best spokes people for the White House have been the television comics. This harkens back to Shakespeare who had the character he framed as the "Fool" (Clown) speak truth to power. Lucky for us we have such brilliant "Fools."
When opportunity comes to frame events with the principals America originally stood for, as comes constantly for any administration, the chance to frame the issue wisely for citizens is missed time and time again. This gross failure is at the hands of not only the White House, Obama and his administration, but also by the DNC and Democratic politicians who we'd naturally expect to be outspoken, and loudly supportive of progressive change. "Crises are opportunities. He [Obama] has consistently missed them," Lakoff notes.
It may be a third party is what America needs. One that openly, loudly, consistently supports progressive ideas, and freedom in its true sense. As it survives today, the Democrats, like King Lear, are blinded by their own crass stupidity and failure to communicate effectively.