Our situation is complicated, no doubt about it. But, sad as it may be, bills in Congress don't gain public support and elections are not won by making the details clear. Nor by remaining politely silent on the sidelines. Not in America. What we need is a concerted effort to remind citizens what good the government does for us each and every day.
We need to never again shy away from our core values, one of which is that government in service of the public good is what the founder's intended and what caused every single one of our great advances as a people.
And never again should we citizens--not just legislators or the president--lose a "battle of narratives" in this enduring daily "war of ideas" by remaining silent in the face of Teapublican challenges and soundbites.
They want to "take our country back." We should align ourselves around the better notion of moving our country forward .
Kenneth Burke was right. Motives are shorthand terms for situations. Unless we are prepared to return to 1994 under John Boehner, or 1834 under Michelle Bachmann, or worse, prepare to greet President Palin in 2012, we need to find some shorthand terms that do more than produce laughter and spectacle without losing our sense of humor. We still are organized by hope, not fear.
So here's what we'll do: We need to get back to work, create jobs, save healthcare, revolt against and reform the corrupt system of capitalism with a better level of passion and intelligence that we see from the opposition, and inspire America again. Yes We Can! must, before 2012, become Yes We Did!
Now that's a shorthand term and a narrative plan for action that I hope we can all get behind.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
