Selling is an intimate act. One that speaks to who you are, and touches the essence of your belief in yourself and what it is you are attempting to sell. The first person to convince about your product or idea is yourself. You can not expect to make a good impression on others, when you have not made one on yourself.
This is the lesson the Democrats missed in the last election. Actually, they missed the lesson in 2010, and later in 2012 as well. Their saving grace in 2012 was that Barack Obama's re-election was at stake, and he had no other choice but to own his own policies. The rest of the Democrats were more tepid and their losses should be a huge lesson - but it has not.
In January of 2009, when President Obama was sworn in, the nation was in a tailspin. GDP was tumbling ( nearly 9% in one quarter), economy was hemorrhaging jobs (almost a million per month), unemployment was climbing (with no end in sight) and the recession was an established fact. Indeed, the challenge to the middle class was not just the accelerating loss of confidence and loss of hope in a better future, as the entire globe was in the clutch of a chaotic financial and housing bubble, folks were loosing their homes at an unprecedented rate, kids graduating from college could not find jobs, and health care - yes health care was a debacle for a growing number of people who could not even contemplate accessing it - they were all loosing their jobs!
Ok. So the new government opted to stop the blood floor, restore confidence, and provide a lasting framework for peace of mind. Despite the vapid opposition from every Republican, the democratic congress passed a hugely compromising recovery bill (40% of it was after all tax break for businesses and individuals), and later a health care bill (to give all Americans some peace of mind in difficult times - not just time), and a bill to minimize the risks to the financial market.
None of these bills were perfect. But nothing in American history has been perfect at first blush. Not even the Constitution, that many who have never read it, hold up as the holy grail, is. But the opposition had a simple play book. Make the new government fail, at all cost. Even if the collateral damage of obstruction is the American economy - actually, that will be the crown jewel of their strategy. And Democrats had a problem, they were paying lip service to this whole "uplifting the middle class" meme. Not all Democrats of course, but too many in power were.
As the "opposition" to the affordable care Act was brewing across the nation, Democrats were on the defensive, rather than being on the offensive. They forgot the fight they had to endure just 12 years earlier, during the Hilary care debacle. They were unprepared for the opposition, and when it began, too many, far too many ran for the hills. And in 2010, they were massacred at the polls.
In 2014, many Democrats were looking to the future, and doing everything they could to avoid a "scandal tainted" president. But alas, too many Democratic politicians forgot the simple mantra - "perception is reality". They let the opposition, including a press that is no longer in enthralled with the magic of 2008 shape the perception of a weak, dithering, isolated, golf loving, incompetent, failed presidency. And when it comes to their achievements, their many laudable achievements in turning around the economy, they lost their voice.
In 1984, the nation was facing its worst ever deficit, and for the first time, trillion dollars deficit. A foreign policy disarray - the attack in Lebanon had forced Reagan to retreat, the Iran contra scandal was still fresh, and their were already claims of the President's incapacity due to his health. But none of these stopped Ronald Reagan from declaring morning in America, and for the Republican party to follow him to a resounding victory.
Democrats could have made the election about two themes. What great success they have achieved for the nation with the policies they passed when they had control of congress and the Presidency, and what they would do for the nation, if they had another shot. Rather, they were falling over themselves to find out who can best escape being "tarnished" by associating with the President. They ran away from all of their successes and made those success seem like ill advised policies. Like their President, they wanted to be thoughtful and deliberative , but only managed to sound defensive. Soon, Maureen Dowd began to sound more sane, even after her cannabis-filled candy tryst.
So they lost. Every Democrat that ran from the President, lost on election night. And they were many. Chuck Schumer, the Democrat charged with crafting their policy message is at it again - defining the path to future loss for his party. Mr. Schumer was recently quoted as saying it was a mistake to pass the Affordable Care Act! What tone deafness, from a so called messaging guru - or is it a deft political move. Yes, politics could be a very interesting game of cynicism. To some, power in itself is the objective, and the collateral damages (real people's lives and wellbeing) be damned.
And now,
The health care law, as imperfect as it is, was the right thing to do in 2009. It should be improved upon, like all Congress passed acts since the founding of the Republic. The most significant part of the law is that it give more dignity to American citizens. It means that the loss of a job can no longer imply the loss of access to a reliable (not emergency room) health care. It means any American citizen who wants it, can now have access at a price that is "almost" within reach. Yes, the health care law is imperfect - there are too many pieces that must be added to make it work better, including a better tot-law, expanded national health care pools (allowing purchases across State lines), and addressing the pharma- exceptions.
If Senator Schumer could stop for a moment, stop thinking about his ambition to become a Senate Majority leader, and instead recollect where we were in 2006. The consensus was that American companies, particularly the multi-nationals were becoming even less competitive because of the huge disparity between US health care costs and those of other countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, and of course China. In all those countries, their health care systems were far more social - many have either full single-payer or some form of single payer systems. Yes, the ACA was about giving the workers some dignity, it was also about protecting their jobs! The health care law was an economic imperative, regardless of what Republicans would have you believe. Senator Schumer even made this point during the lead up to the passing of the bill - but now expediency seems to be forcing him to change his mind.
The President, when asked about the Recovery Act in 2009 was quoted as saying, "his job is to focus on making good policies for the American people, and that the politics will take care of themselves". It was a statesman like thing to say, then. It is a good thing for all politicians to remember, because in time, history will be the final judge.
This is the lesson the Democrats missed in the last election. Actually, they missed the lesson in 2010, and later in 2012 as well. Their saving grace in 2012 was that Barack Obama's re-election was at stake, and he had no other choice but to own his own policies. The rest of the Democrats were more tepid and their losses should be a huge lesson - but it has not.
In January of 2009, when President Obama was sworn in, the nation was in a tailspin. GDP was tumbling ( nearly 9% in one quarter), economy was hemorrhaging jobs (almost a million per month), unemployment was climbing (with no end in sight) and the recession was an established fact. Indeed, the challenge to the middle class was not just the accelerating loss of confidence and loss of hope in a better future, as the entire globe was in the clutch of a chaotic financial and housing bubble, folks were loosing their homes at an unprecedented rate, kids graduating from college could not find jobs, and health care - yes health care was a debacle for a growing number of people who could not even contemplate accessing it - they were all loosing their jobs!
Ok. So the new government opted to stop the blood floor, restore confidence, and provide a lasting framework for peace of mind. Despite the vapid opposition from every Republican, the democratic congress passed a hugely compromising recovery bill (40% of it was after all tax break for businesses and individuals), and later a health care bill (to give all Americans some peace of mind in difficult times - not just time), and a bill to minimize the risks to the financial market.
None of these bills were perfect. But nothing in American history has been perfect at first blush. Not even the Constitution, that many who have never read it, hold up as the holy grail, is. But the opposition had a simple play book. Make the new government fail, at all cost. Even if the collateral damage of obstruction is the American economy - actually, that will be the crown jewel of their strategy. And Democrats had a problem, they were paying lip service to this whole "uplifting the middle class" meme. Not all Democrats of course, but too many in power were.
As the "opposition" to the affordable care Act was brewing across the nation, Democrats were on the defensive, rather than being on the offensive. They forgot the fight they had to endure just 12 years earlier, during the Hilary care debacle. They were unprepared for the opposition, and when it began, too many, far too many ran for the hills. And in 2010, they were massacred at the polls.
In 2014, many Democrats were looking to the future, and doing everything they could to avoid a "scandal tainted" president. But alas, too many Democratic politicians forgot the simple mantra - "perception is reality". They let the opposition, including a press that is no longer in enthralled with the magic of 2008 shape the perception of a weak, dithering, isolated, golf loving, incompetent, failed presidency. And when it comes to their achievements, their many laudable achievements in turning around the economy, they lost their voice.
In 1984, the nation was facing its worst ever deficit, and for the first time, trillion dollars deficit. A foreign policy disarray - the attack in Lebanon had forced Reagan to retreat, the Iran contra scandal was still fresh, and their were already claims of the President's incapacity due to his health. But none of these stopped Ronald Reagan from declaring morning in America, and for the Republican party to follow him to a resounding victory.
Democrats could have made the election about two themes. What great success they have achieved for the nation with the policies they passed when they had control of congress and the Presidency, and what they would do for the nation, if they had another shot. Rather, they were falling over themselves to find out who can best escape being "tarnished" by associating with the President. They ran away from all of their successes and made those success seem like ill advised policies. Like their President, they wanted to be thoughtful and deliberative , but only managed to sound defensive. Soon, Maureen Dowd began to sound more sane, even after her cannabis-filled candy tryst.
So they lost. Every Democrat that ran from the President, lost on election night. And they were many. Chuck Schumer, the Democrat charged with crafting their policy message is at it again - defining the path to future loss for his party. Mr. Schumer was recently quoted as saying it was a mistake to pass the Affordable Care Act! What tone deafness, from a so called messaging guru - or is it a deft political move. Yes, politics could be a very interesting game of cynicism. To some, power in itself is the objective, and the collateral damages (real people's lives and wellbeing) be damned.And now,
The health care law, as imperfect as it is, was the right thing to do in 2009. It should be improved upon, like all Congress passed acts since the founding of the Republic. The most significant part of the law is that it give more dignity to American citizens. It means that the loss of a job can no longer imply the loss of access to a reliable (not emergency room) health care. It means any American citizen who wants it, can now have access at a price that is "almost" within reach. Yes, the health care law is imperfect - there are too many pieces that must be added to make it work better, including a better tot-law, expanded national health care pools (allowing purchases across State lines), and addressing the pharma- exceptions.
If Senator Schumer could stop for a moment, stop thinking about his ambition to become a Senate Majority leader, and instead recollect where we were in 2006. The consensus was that American companies, particularly the multi-nationals were becoming even less competitive because of the huge disparity between US health care costs and those of other countries like Canada, Germany, Japan, and of course China. In all those countries, their health care systems were far more social - many have either full single-payer or some form of single payer systems. Yes, the ACA was about giving the workers some dignity, it was also about protecting their jobs! The health care law was an economic imperative, regardless of what Republicans would have you believe. Senator Schumer even made this point during the lead up to the passing of the bill - but now expediency seems to be forcing him to change his mind.
The President, when asked about the Recovery Act in 2009 was quoted as saying, "his job is to focus on making good policies for the American people, and that the politics will take care of themselves". It was a statesman like thing to say, then. It is a good thing for all politicians to remember, because in time, history will be the final judge.
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