I have often said here on the blog and on MTNP radio that one of the biggest reasons President Bush ended up in the position he did (majority dissatisfaction with the war, etc) is his lack of communication with the American people. By letting his vocal detractors seize the media message machine and letting misrepresentations of major policy issues go unanswered (no, I don’t mean getting into petty tit-for-tat spats like the Magic Obama has done with Rush Limbaugh), how could he not ultimately fail to lead the American people? I will always believe that he got it right (not tactics, as any history student knows it is a touchy thing. See Abe Lincoln…) with what needed to be done against the rising tide of militant Islamofascism. Had he only fully explained it to the American people at large, they would have better understood, and we wouldn’t be stuck with a junior Senator with little practical leadership experience a mere seven years after the events of September 11th, 2001.
That being said, I will say that, unfortunately — given his pacifist, socialistic-leaning ways– the Magic Obama will not repeat THAT mistake. I’ve got to hand it to him and his team– they continue to be the masters of communicating messages to their supporters and constituency groups. Having built a massive and national grass roots network connected electronically via tools like email, Facebook, and others, they continue to keep the people within it fully informed of their agenda, message and talking points– of course as THEY construct it. Keeping aside the dangerous, anti-American tradition that they seek (intentional or not) for the moment, I stand truly impressed and envious of what the Obama Administration is doing– making full use of the latest tools and methods available to communicate with large numbers of people… DIRECTLY. Imagine if Bush had done so, doing an end run around the hostile media? How different things might be.
A friend received the following email a short while ago from the DNC, via David Plouffe, the Campaign Manager of Obama for America:
Friend —
President Obama recorded a video to speak directly to you about his economic recovery plan.
America is facing an urgent and unprecedented challenge. The economic crisis requires bold and immediate action.
Watch President Obama’s video and share it with your friends and family:
http://my.barackobama.com/recoveryvideo
Thank you,
David
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
I hope Republican leaders out there (if there are any) are taking note of how things can be done. During the campaign, left-wing activist groups had people at most candidate events– Democrat AND Republican– gathering names, emails, and telephone numbers. This went unanswered, in most instances by "our side", and now, they are being put to use. With the push of a button, whether it be the Obama Administration, The Sierra Club, or Jeanne Shaheen, the message is delivered to many, many people. A message that goes, with a few exceptions, unanswered.