http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/03/president-obama-s-press-conference-lets-find-those-areas-where-we-can-agreeNone of the challenges we face lend themselves to simple solutions or bumper-sticker slogans. Nor are the answers found in any one particular philosophy or ideology. As I’ve said before, no person, no party, has a monopoly on wisdom. And that’s why I’m eager to hear good ideas wherever they come from, whoever proposes them. And that’s why I believe it’s important to have an honest and civil debate about the choices that we face. That’s why I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans in serious conversations about where we’re going as a nation.
Emphasis added.
On the surface, President Obama's statement is a nicely reasoned and eloquently worded expression of openness and willingness to compromise.
But coming less than 24 hours after too many Democrats failed the challenge of getting re-elected -- a challenge we faced as a party -- the President's dismissal of "simple solutions" and "bumper-sticker slogans" seems oddly politically obtuse from a politician who won election with a campaign narrative framed by "Hope" and "Change we can believe in" and "Yes We Can."
We lost that narrative, over the last two years.
That was painfully obvious during Obama's appearance on The Daily Show, when "Yes we can" morphed into "Yes we can, but..." in a sound bite that went viral instantly.
And yes, I'm aware there's a difference between campaigning and governing. But in a political environment in which the campaigning never really ends, the political narrative has to be framed over and over again, in terms that both clarify our party's values and communicate them even to voters with limited time.
In short -- which that last sentence wasn't -- keep it simple, stupid.
Not because the electorate is stupid. We don't do ourselves any favors criticizing them if we didn't get our message across.
And not because we're stupid.
Even very bright people can choose to communicate with simple messages:
Hope
Change we can believe in
Yes We Can
And if the messages we're communicating really mean anything to us, they should frame policy as well as political campaigns.
I'm not advocating a return to the slogans of 2008. Those were President Obama's.
But as Democrats we have basic values and ideals that should frame our campaigns and our policies. Some of them (in no particular order):
Equal rights for all
Healthcare for all
Education for all
Opportunity for all
Prosperity for all
Main Street over Wall Street
Equal pay for equal work
Freedom of speech
Freedom of conscience
Freedom of religion
Fairness
Minority rights
Women's rights
Workers' rights
Peace
Freedom from political oppression
Freedom from economic oppression
I'm old enough to remember when Democrats didn't hesitate to talk about a Great Society.
And I'm not willing to cede that political high ground to people whose mantras are "lower taxes" and "less regulation of business." Whose "free market" is plutocracy and whose "libertarianism" is self-righteous selfishness.
Liberals and progressives have always believed in appealing to people's ideals, and not just their selfish individual interests. We recognize that we are a society, not just a meaningless collection of individuals.
We have always believed in protecting individual rights and freedoms -- Democrats have championed those rights and freedoms much more often than Republicans have -- but we also value community, and our social goals come from that.
Community, not communism.
Society, not socialism.
Freedom. Fairness. Community. Society.
We need to remind the American people of the values that define Democrats, the values that framed all the major social advances of the last century, instead of letting our opponents mislabel us.
And if those words seem simple and can fit on a bumper sticker, that's okay.
If we can make those core Democratic values and goals clear to voters, the next election won't be nearly as much of a challenge.
And then we can focus on achieving those goals, instead of trying to figure out how to compromise with people who don't share them.
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