In polling done by Gallup in August, 31 percent of the electorate approved of President Obama's handling of the federal budget deficit and 64 percent disapproved, which was Obama's second-lowest rating out of 13 issues polled. Congress hasn't fared much better, even though 70 percent of those polled by the Pew Research Center in July thought that it was "very important" for Congress to pass legislation to reduce the deficit. To most voters, it's not a question of if—but of when, where, and how much.
The recent draft proposals from the chairmen of the National Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also known as the president's deficit-reduction commission, brought a noticeable silence from both Republicans and the White House. If they were smart, chairmen Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson would view this as an opportunity to launch a public education campaign and start speaking out about the depth of the problem facing us and the importance of taking carefully considered, bipartisan action to put America back on the road to fiscal responsibility. Here's what they should do:
[See a slide show of 8 Ways to Sell Deficit Reduction.]
Learn from the recent past. Everyone in Washington should take a lesson from the healthcare and financial regulation battles: Proposals should be short, posted online, and understandable to the public. No more 2,000-page bills, written in secret. Never again should a lawmaker say, "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it," as Speaker Nancy Pelosi did before the healthcare reform vote.
Name a deficit czar. We've got czars for everything from ethics to Asian carp; why not one for the most important issue facing the next generation? This one should have a West Wing office and do nothing but work on getting legislation passed with a bipartisan vote. My nominee: outgoing Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. He's a Blue Dog Democrat from a swing state, with credibility on the Hill. Plus he's smart, telegenic, and a fiscal conservative who can speak to both sides. [Read more about the deficit and national debt.]
Get everybody inside the tent. The deficit commission should sponsor a series of corporate-style retreats that bring together the major players in town: small-business groups, unions, state governors, the AARP, big and small banks, and grassroots organizations ranging from MoveOn.org to the Comeback America Initiative. The Healthy Florida Foundation did something similar before the state passed its healthcare reform law, and most of the major stakeholders were on board before the bill came to a vote. Some of the big Washington think tanks might even sponsor it.
Fireside podcasts. Republicans and the president should conduct a series of easily shareable digital "fireside chats" to lay out the consequences of doing nothing, while also explaining and defending their course of action. Make the ideas come alive, call for shared sacrifice in a time of crisis, and appeal to the best in Americans. If they really want to do it right, they should hire the research team that helped journalist Tom Brokaw with The Greatest Generation.
A 42/43 roadshow. Former Presidents Bill Clinton (42) and George W. Bush (43) were well-received on Haiti relief. Now they should go on the road to talk about reining in entitlements and building a leaner, more efficient government. They have a unique perspective on how we got into this mess in the first place and what needs to be done to fix it. And while neither has grandchildren, they probably are hoping to soon. They could speak to baby boomers' concerns for the future of their children and grandchildren. [See a photo gallery of George W. Bush's legacy.]
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