A suggestion to Dem candidates on getting the message across.

[johnaries]

John Kerry, like many Dem candidates past and present, is an eloquent speaker. He laid out very intelligent plans that took into consideration many nuanced views.

Why, then, was there a public perception that Kerry "had no plan"? Why did so many people say "I see your mouth moving, but all i hear is blah, blah, blah"?

The answer is simple and obvious.

In this ADD, Power Point society, people don't "get" eloquence". They want bullet points.

So, that's my suggestion. Give 'em bullet points.

Lay out the plans in KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) terms. THEN follow them up with the eloquent, nuanced explanations.

Just my thoughts, anyway.

[badgerpup]

1. Exactly!

That's whats going to either kill or save us in November.
Save the eloquence for the sit-down fundraisers. Nobody's going to remember the long stuff.
Problem is that a lot of the candidates are very intelligent, and they are assuming that the voters are on the same level as they are: literacy, intelligence, and education.
Nice of them...but fatal when it comes to getting their attention. Not speaking the same 'language'.

[BillZBubb]

2. Absolutely!!!!!

We need three or four KEY points and we should hammer them home over and over and over. Forget nuance, intelligent discussion, and covering all the bases. That just doesn't work in today's world.

Personally I wouldn't advocate following up anything in detail except in an online essay. Every spoken word by our candidates should be hammering home our three or four point ad nauseum. Repetition works.

[Minnesota Libra]

3. Unfortubately you're right - one liner politics is all the......

....repubs can take anyway.:puke:

[richabk]

4. If only we could have someone like Bartlett....

I remember this episode from the West Wing during Bartlett's run for a 2nd term...
Those bullet points are nice, but we still need the HOW....

---

Moderator: Gov. Ritchie, many economists have stated that the tax cut, which is the centerpiece of your economic agenda, could actually harm the economy. Is now really the time to cut taxes?

Ritchie: You bet it is. We need to cut taxes for one reason—the American people know how to spend their money better than the federal government does.

Moderator: Mr. President, your rebuttal?

Bartlett: There it is. That’s the 10-word answer my staff’s been looking for for two weeks. There it is. Ten-word answers can kill you in political campaigns. They’re the tip of the sword. Here’s my question: what are the next 10 words of your answer? Your taxes are too high? So are mine. Give me the next 10 words. How are we gonna to do it? Give me 10 after that, I’ll drop out of the race right now.

Every once in a while—every once in a while, there’s a day with an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always include body counts. Other than that, there aren’t very many un-nuanced moments in leading a country that’s way too big for 10 words. I’m the President of the United States, not the president of the people who agree with me. And by the way, if the left has a problem with that, they should vote for somebody else.