A major problem for elected Democratic officials is that they simply cannot speak to John Q. Public in a concise rhetoric that he/she can easily follow and clearly understand. The Republicans on the other hand have made an art form of crafting their messages in an easy to understand simple style and format. The media incorrectly catalogs them as "sound bites". This communication failure is true for Democrats in the House, in the Senate and in the White House. Unfortunately, I deeply fear that the President's big speech next week will most likely contain the same old dull Washington worn jargon that usually shows up in his speeches after he greets his audience with his customary "How are y'all doing?". My criticisms and hopes follow below.
That being said, I agree with this post 100%. The President needs to speak to the American people directly in simple precise language. Unfortunately, as a result of his reluctance to do this he has allowed the Republicans to DEFINE THE TOPIC for the national dialog exchanged between the Parties. As an excellent example consider the President's mumbling fumbling attempt to get the Congress to raise the debt ceiling. Obama's series of high level White House meetings with the leaders of Congress over the matter gave the Republicans opportunity and occasion to publicly morph the President's straight forward request to raise the debt limit (needed to pay the bills already rung up by the Bush era Congress)) into the appearance of an internal governmental debate on austerity and deficit spending. Furthermore, the White House never corrected this lie and it continued to be well circulated throughout the MSM by Republican politicians and pundits. Hence the confused American public thought that the big fight in Washington was over FUTURE debt, and not over paying government bills incurred during the Bush Administration.
The President must stop speaking to the American people as if he is addressing a lecture gallery of undergraduate students at some college or university. He MUST use simple precise specific rhetoric in his speech to the American people. Also he MUST start to set the agenda for the national conversation on the JOBS ISSUE, and not wait until the Republican propaganda machine has immersed the nation in broadcasts of their own ideologically driven version of what is the "National Priority “for America.
Here is another example of the impreciseness of the President's rhetoric. In all of his speeches including the most recent ones concerning JOBS in America, he places the blame for the rejection of government spending to help reduce the current unemployment levels on "Members of Congress playing politics". Well, I am certain that the Democratic members of Congress are not "playing Politics" with any attempt of the government to create jobs in America. The Black Caucus claims that it has introduced over 40 job creation bills in the House and NOT ONE HAS MADE IT TO THE FLOOR! IT IS THE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THAT ARE BLOCKING ANY GOVERNMENT JOB STIMULATION LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS! But the President doesn't say this, so John Q. Public thinks it is politicians of both parties WHO ARE BLOCKING THE BILLS THAT COULD PUT HIM BACK TO WORK! The President need to stop with the generalities and say it out loud, ITS THE REPUBLICANS, and IT IS ONLY THE REPUBLICANS PERIOD. The Republicans are betting that the "Compromiser-In-Chief" won't have the old fashion gumption to speak Truth to the American People.
Lastly, next week in his nationally televised JOBS speech, the President needs to present his plan as two phases; a short term HIGH PRIORITY START-UP phase followed by a LONG TERM EMPLOYMENT STABILITY phase.
For the HIGH PRIORITY START-UP phase, the President should describe several examples of small businesses start-ups that have been successful in improving the employment picture in their respective towns and hold them up as models to be emulated. He should reveal that White House staff in coordination with the Commerce Department will be producing a catalog composed of outstanding successful start-up companies around the nation. The business plans and detail specifications concerning each start-up will also be included in the online catalog which will be made available to various high unemployment locations around the country for access leading towards possible model replication by local entrepreneurs. This small business "seeding" program could be started very quickly without the usual long delays associated with government projects. The President should use local banks and credit unions as the financial partners for any entrepreneur or group within a community that wishes to start a business based on one of the catalog models. Monitoring, tracking and evaluating these new businesses will be easy to digitally implement as the benchmarks for success are already included within the specifications of each respective catalog model. Much more could be included here but you get the idea.
The LONG TERM EMPLOYMENT STABILITY phase would consist of the traditional "shovel ready" infrastructure programs, which in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene would be applied immediately to restoration work within those communities devastated by the storm. Other larger traditional infrastructure projects such as rebuilding or replacing highways, roads and bridges would also be included as part of this phase.
I have briefly outlined some of the topical structures that the President should include in his speech next week. Even if he chooses a different jobs plan I hope that he will use plain and simple talk when he speaks to the American people. Mr. President, telling a "99er" about your extensive plans for upgrading the Patent Office is meaningless, and communicates NOTHING to people who have been out of work for more than 99 weeks! The only thing that a person who has been out of work this long wants to hear is where they can go to apply for a job? Hard working Americans deserves nothing less.