I don't view the article from the "gloom and doom/despiration politics" perspective most on here apparently do. I just think the Dems realize they'd have a very difficult time raising any sort of "Mission Accomplished" narrative right now despite their many accomplishments during President Obama's early tenure.
The author is correct when he says that the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats have "passed health care, a stimulus bill that helped avoid a Depression, a groundbreaking financial reform bill that is too complicated to be popularly described, a bailout that enabled General Motors and Chrysler to survive. He nominated two estimable women to the Supreme Court. He restored America's image in the world," but none of that matters as long as the People don't see improvements in the economy or find not just "a job" but "the job" they want (or had) to pay the bills. So, what should the President and Democrats do? I think the answer is very simple: give America a brief history lesson.
If I were the DNC Chairman or the President, instead of just talking up the accomplishments made under the President's agenda, I'd frame those accomplishments within the context of how this country rebounded after each deep recession or even the Great Depression. I'd remind them that with each drop in our nation's economic stability, Congress and the White House took a hard look at what went wrong and took swift, decisive and necessary action - whether popular or not - to correct the problems the nation faced and turn the economy around. I'd frame the narrative in the context of "cause and effect", what was happening before this piece or that piece of legistlation was passed and why it was so important not only to re-write the laws that government this particular industry or problem, but how specific aspects of the new legistlation will help correct said problem.
Example:
"Healthcare reform - Medicare, Medicaid and SS are all costing the government hundreds of millions of dollars every year, many of the entitlements under Medicare and Medicaid have gone largely unfunded, and each year more and more Americans among the elderly, the disabled and the poor are coming under these programs faster than revenues can be generated. Furthermore, more and more expenditures under Medicare are being paid that in many cases should not be paid due to mischaractorization of claims. Americans are being denied health care due to pre-existing conditions...etc., etc., etc."
And with each issue being addressed I would described some circumstances the People can related to in their personal lives. I wouldn't talk about the cost of each piece of legistlation; I think the People already know we're paying a heavy price for all of it. But I would stress the cost of doing nothing, i.e., how much more Medicare would be added to the deficit if healthcare reform hadn't been passed, how much higher health care premiums would likely increase, how many more Americans would likely file for bankruptcy as a result of one family member having a catystrophic illness or injury, how many more Americans would be defrauded by credit card companies w/their deceptive practises if credit card legistlation hadn't been passed, how America would have been down to one American automaker if GM/Chrysler hadn't been bailed out and how the nation may have suffered had we allowed the mechanics of capitalism to run its course (i.e., allowing one auto giant to fail hoping either another would fill the marketplace or a new one would come along and fill the void), how financial reform was necessary to keep Wall Street from taking taxpayers to the cleaners while they ran away from their responsibilities while taking big multi-million dollar bonuses with them.
It's all about the narrative! Admittedly, Republicans are much better at it than Democrats. They've had more practise at it from trying to win back seats in Congress since the Nixon administration. :mrgreen: