The Financial Crisis—a Failure of Communication as Well as Economy
Bush cannot use the bully pulpit, McCain is not interested in it, and Obama doesn't have it
Eighteen years ago, when that earlier President Bush made the fateful decision to raise taxes—putting country first by making a politically unpalatable decision in favor of what he saw as the right policy, he and his staff refused to spin it. Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater was told to post a written announcement on a bulletin board. Bush believed that substance would trump style in his White House—his actions would speak louder than his words, and so he would not need to concern himself with being a communicator, great or otherwise.
Look how that turned out.
Which brings us to the two men who would lead the country. John McCain is displaying an almost (George H. W.) Bush-like attitude. He is too busy solving the nation's problem (or so he would like to project) to bother with the public education exercise of the presidential debate. He is too busy pretending to be president to bother with the mundane exercise of explaining to the electorate why they should give him the actual job.
McCain and Barack Obama have both made speeches and other comments in recent days trying to explain the situation. Of all the politicians gathered for the cameras around the cabinet room table on Thursday afternoon, Obama is best positioned, political communications-wise, to explain to the country in an FDR-like way what is at stake and how to deal with it.
But without the amplified voice of the presidency, neither he nor McCain can cut through the news chatter.
Reader Comments
Our economic crisis and meltdown
WHERE IS BARACK OBAMA?????????Please, please come out and tell us
your "acolytes" what would you recommend this very moment...I had $600,000.invested in the stock market and now I have none....I am 79 years old with a conservative portfolio.....That money represents what I as a retiree had for the rest of my life...and my finncial advisor thought like the Paulsons of the world it would see me through my life....Please answer to this situation which is going on in many middle class living rooms in America..
Sincerely yours, Barbara Claman, a democrat for Obama
Monday Morning Blues, AKA Here We Go Again!!!
With the ink still wet on the bailout bill yet to be approved by Congress, the morning headline is that Wall Street wants a rate cut by the Fed this week to accomplish what??? When will Wall Street be happy??? The bailout if approved will already increase inflation pressures yet to be realized yet the leeches on Wall Street will pressure the Fed to lower interest rates even farther which will devalue the dollar and skyrocket prices n MainStreet. When will these Wall Street Barons ever be happy???
people in the dark
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Opps! No intent to hide or such.
The opinion with the same title came from me:
AJdlReyes CA
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