I have an issue with the “The President Can’t Message” message.

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

I’m not the world’s most articulate or calm-hearted dude, so hopefully you guys will bear with me.

My issue boils down to “what is he supposed to do?”

This is a man who walks into a room full of Repugs who hate him, and on live TV smacks down every one of their lies. He holds a major health care debate consisting entirely of a room full of Repugs who hate him, and on live TV smacks down every one of their lies. He campaigns, he stumps, he gives excellent speeches all over the country and intelligent weekly addresses that simplify incredibly complex issues as far as they can possibly be simplified.

To me, it truly seems the only way he could message better is to become an Australian billionaire.

This is what I really want to tackle, because the phenomenon has been marginalized as the “right wing echo chamber”. It’s far FAR worse than that, and I hope this election brings that into sharp focus. This is a global, well-organized operation with unlimited money, which cynically and destructively coordinates and distributes confusion, misinformation, and bald-faced lies.

And it doesn’t stop with the Murdochs and Roves either; this has contaminated the so-called “left” too.

Let me give you an example of a day I had a couple months ago. After a healthy day of suffering through grotesque lies and hatred spewing from the right, I go to check out some supposedly progressive outlets. I start with Huffington Post. The headline is a picture of President Obama and a single word in 136-point brightly colored type:

FAILURE!

That was the whole thing, no context, no taglines, and I’m just not seeing a lot of Arianna’s “civility” there. I read the article and felt an honest headline would have read “Republicans Sabotage Yet Another Attempt To Help The Nation”.

Bashing the president gets hits, so that’s the way opportunists go every time. And NOT to try to start a fight, but I do want to express how pervasive this is - I occasionally wonder why “General Discussion: Presidency” hasn’t been renamed “General Obama Bashing For Any Reason Whatsoever”.

Every time he opens his mouth there are thousands of high-profile public voices that instantly start screaming over him. He can talk until he passes out, but he might as well try to do it from inside a death metal concert.

So again, it comes down to what exactly is he supposed to do? How can he message better facing down this kind of sickening opposition without any help from the “liberal media” (which by my count is three people, two of which were recently called out as “part of the problem”)? We’ll never have our own Fox to carry our water for us. It won’t happen, not in our lifetime, and I don’t want one. But we also apparently can’t count on ourselves to help either. So President Obama gets blamed for not messaging properly when the truth is that there’s simply no way to combat the decibel level of the lunatics on the right. And their poison has infected all of us.

Seriously, I’m asking, how can he message better? What's he supposed to do?

Or maybe I’m just a ridiculous apologist, I dunno. I’m willing to accept that too.

[snot]

1. He can't, because he doesn't control how his message is reported.

Dems have lost control of most messaging, and without that, they can't even control the agenda, even with majorities.

We NEED

1. Election reform (both electronic voting and campaign finance, including corporate money);

2. Media reform (restore restrictions on consolidated ownership and the Fairness Doctrine); and

3. Restoring public education.

Without progress on those 3 crucial issues, no other progress is secure or even possible.

[StandingInLeftField]

2. Obviously, his vocabulary needs to change.

Not nearly enough "Patriot, Constitution, Socialist, Fascist, Small Government, No Taxation, 9/11, Muslims, Terrorists" being thrown about hither and yon. Judging from the election results, that's what it takes to be deemed credible in this country.

Just in case...:sarcasm: And what a sad commentary that is.

[Bitwit1234]

3. I tell you a few things he could have done.

After he had tried unsuccessfully to get the republicans to cooperate and they WOULDN'T he should have worked with his base, the true Democrats and gotten a better health care bill passed. Ignored the republicans. After he tried and the republicans had voted no he should have worked with his true base the Democrats and gotten a better wall street bill passed. He should have urged the senate to change the filibuster rule. He should have then urged the senate after they had passed no filibusters "allowed" worked to get a climate change bill passed, he should had worked with the senate and house to get a better jobs bill passed.

He let Rahm take the lead and we all know what that led to...He had a base and they wanted to work with him he should have kicked republican ass and went on with what we had elected him to do. One of the two best picks he made was Hillary Clinton and she has been praised as the best Secretary of State in the last 50 odd years. The other was Joe Biden, who they are hinting at he was getting rid of . Biden and Hillary the two best. Right now...everybody else should go. Especially the AG Holder who is a wimp of the first class. If they had gotten rid of all of Bush's people still in this administration I am sure things would move along much better. We would have gotten a conviction on the attorney thing. And most of all Rove would have been brought up to testify.

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

5. That's fine, but it's not the point I'm making at all

The point I'm trying to make is about messaging. I say he's a good messenger and it's the receivers that are the problem. I admit to you, I feel that your going after his policies in response to my OP about messaging illustrates that point.

But to answer, I ask who can urge this senate to do anything? He couldn't get a better health care bill passed because the senate sabotaged it. He couldn't get a better wall street bill because the senate sabotaged it. Rahm and Holder were shitty picks, I'll give you that. But lets get real. Picking Mother Theresa would have resulted in exactly the same outcome. Fox would still be screaming about the end of the nation, and the left would still be twiddling their thumbs. That is, unless they thought some internet hits could be generated by joining in.

[seabeyond]

4. you are so fuckin right on. and all the people that will ignore reality of op to say, fail.... nt

[EC]

6. Dem surrogates have to be on the cable stations 24/7 like

the bushies did...so far in the last 2 years I still see more repubs on shows complaining...Dems are going to have to start asking to be on these shows (even if it is just MSNBC) and talk up what they are doing and complain about what is being held up, consistantly and all the time...every Sunday I look at the line-ups and it's all repubs....that has to change.


It's not Obama, it's the rest of them that are camera shy or whatever...they have to push to get on TV and talk using the same language over and over - until it's engrained in the memories of the public...exposure...

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

7. Couldn't agree more

The trick would be countering "Whoops, there's two sides to the question of Obama's citizenship, we'll have to leave it there!" If the guy hosting the show cuts you off and goes to commercial, there's not a lot you can do, no matter how compelling your argument is. The lies are being screamed and the truth is being whispered.

I agree that language is insanely important, and there are apparently too many big words being used for the general public to get a handle on. A coordinated effort to use simple, powerful words that are still truthful could go a long way.

This wouldn't be a problem if instead of trying to ride Fox's coattails, the rest of the media got pissed and made an effort to re-legitimize itself, but that's a complete lost cause, and so the lies get picked up by well-meaning people and the liars laugh.

[EC]

10. Right at this minute I'm listening to some repub

on MSNBC telling the panel that this is a mandate against Obama and that he pushed too far to the left...not one person on the panel disputed or said no - President's numbers are still high - this was not about the President - it was local races and lots of misinformed discontent...

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

12. And that's imagined to be the liberal equivalent of Fox

Totally nuts, and it makes me want to bang my head on the wall.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

8. The alternate view is that he did everything right

Does that feel correct?

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

9. I have no idea what you're asking, sorry

[AnArmyVeteran]

11. If the Daily Show writers can create a good message, why can't Obama???

Obama could have hired 12 freshmen communications majors and they would have created a better message than Obama and the democrats created.

And EVERYTIME republicans asked for amendments to water down a bill Reid, Pelosi and Obama should have told them to go fuck themselves. That's what LEADERS do. Obama could have then addressed the nation and said laughingly how republicans asked him to put amendments in bills that would be just like the ones that virtually destroyed our country. Obama is NO leader and he's lost all of my support. I do do support cowards!

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

13. Once again, that's not my point

I'm making a point about messaging. Not policy. Not Reid. Not Pelosi. Messaging.

Messaging.

Messaging.

Oh, and Jon Stewart gets a lot more mass media coverage when he says something, and there isn't an entire day of Fox hosts calling him a Muslim terrorist.

Anyway, I'm trying to have a civil discussion about messaging. Your response is to dodge my points with a false equivalence and immediately make a bland declaration of how horrible Obama is.

Actually, nevermind, that IS my point.


EDIT: Keep unreccing this, guys, it illustrates my point every time you do it.

[AnArmyVeteran]

15. My post was ALL about messaging.

I wrote the identical things about how horrible Obama is as messaging before this latest election.. And I've used the Daily Show writers as an analogy many times before this election. I have a masters degree in communications and I have absolutely no doubt I could have done a better job than Obama and those around him who talk with the media.

Obama couldn't even control the messaging surrounding health care reform. He let dimwitted, backwoods hillbillies in the tea party outsmart him for over six months before he finally said anything. NO ONE who has any clue about communications would let outrageous things be said (like 'death panels') without directly and swiftly condemning them. And Obama could have directly condemned all the members of congress who blatantly lied. But Obama and those around him said nothing until all the damage was done.

Even after the health care spectacle Obama didn't learn. He kept making the same blunders over and over again. He obviously a smart guy, but he has no clue how to control a message. Even the dunce-Bush could control a message. It's called KISS, but the Obama administration didn't and doesn't have the ability to condense anything down so the average (mostly ignorant and mentally challenged) populace can understand. And if people don't understand it leaves a huge gap for propaganda and lies to pour in. Communications students from coast to coast know these simple facts, but not anyone in the Obama administration seems to.

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

14. Have fun with your board, guys, I wish you all the best