You have to give it to Obama, when he wants to turn it on he sure can. In this recent speech at a rally in Racine, he shows he can still captivate an audience. With elections coming in November he has to get out and frame the narrative now so that folks are voting Democrat in a few months.
It's kind of funny though that a full year-and-a-half in to his presidency, he is still defining himself as being held captive to the Bush administration and the decisions they made, as well as the current Republican elements of congress.
While there's some truth in all that (a great deal actually), there is no question that Obama has shifted his core messaging from "Yes We Can" to "I want to fight along side You". While the strategy may seem clever - positioning the public's interest as being the same as Obama's and that the two share the same challenges - there is a cost to abandoning your core messaging.
Look at the passion and momentum of his "Yes We Can" speech and the main theme of the 'fierce urgency of now'....
Obama has made the shift in messaging because, as it turns out, "No We Can't, at least not yet."...
- We can't actually close Guantanamo (yet)
- We can't actually charge anyone in the 2008 financial crash (even though hundreds were charged in the S&L crisis in the 80s and 90s)
- We can't actually get the unemployment under 9.7 percent yet (and oops, the claim that it wouldn't go above eight percent turned out to be wrong)
- We can't have true universal health care
- We can't end the wars or capture Bin Laden (yet)
- We can't overcome partisanship in Washington (yet)
- We can't stop off shore drilling (oh wait - maybe we can now - it only took the worst natural disaster in US history)
- We can't cut ties to dependence on foreign oil or even start that process yet
"Yes we can, but just not yet" obviously won't motivate the masses. So it's understandable that his messaging has moved to "Holy Smokes, they left me a giant mess. It's going to take time to fix this, just be patient folks." - the problem is that it's the exact opposite of the 'urgency of now' message.
In my opinion, he should have stuck with his "Yes We Can" mantra.
But in order for that mantra to work he has to show that he can still get to where he was trying to go. That he can still end the wars, that those who broke the law with regards to the financial crisis will be charged, and that unemployment will go back to normal levels at some point - and he has to put a time-line on these things as a measure of accountability.
I think Obama is making the mistake of turning away from a problem solving and positive motivation theme and turning more towards traditional mud-slinging politics. A big mistake in the long run that undermines his brand. While he is giving voice to the anger people feel, it won't ultimately make them want to following him or the Democrats in the long run.
In short, it's about relevance. Obama, I think, is missing the fact that to most, it's become irrelevant who is to blame. Jobs, equity appreciation, economic stability - these are things that are relevant to most Americans.
It's fascinating if you go back and watch some of Regan's speeches. Whether you agreed with his perspective on things or not, he definitely embodied the "Yes We Can" mantra.
I think Obama would be well served reviewing some of Regan's speeches and finding his "Yes We Can" spirit again. Belief and confidence that something is possible is always a huge factor in whether or not it is. I'd argue that 50 percent of what is causing the recession to languish is the fact that there is a 'We probably can't" attitude out there right now and as a result corporations are banking money instead of growing and innovating.
The recession will end when people once again believe that "Yes We Can" and in many ways it's Obama's duty to continue to champion that message.
Here are a couple Regan speeches that make you realize that Obama wasn't the only great public speaker in presidential history...
It's kind of funny though that a full year-and-a-half in to his presidency, he is still defining himself as being held captive to the Bush administration and the decisions they made, as well as the current Republican elements of congress.
While there's some truth in all that (a great deal actually), there is no question that Obama has shifted his core messaging from "Yes We Can" to "I want to fight along side You". While the strategy may seem clever - positioning the public's interest as being the same as Obama's and that the two share the same challenges - there is a cost to abandoning your core messaging.
Look at the passion and momentum of his "Yes We Can" speech and the main theme of the 'fierce urgency of now'....
Obama has made the shift in messaging because, as it turns out, "No We Can't, at least not yet."...
- We can't actually close Guantanamo (yet)
- We can't actually charge anyone in the 2008 financial crash (even though hundreds were charged in the S&L crisis in the 80s and 90s)
- We can't actually get the unemployment under 9.7 percent yet (and oops, the claim that it wouldn't go above eight percent turned out to be wrong)
- We can't have true universal health care
- We can't end the wars or capture Bin Laden (yet)
- We can't overcome partisanship in Washington (yet)
- We can't stop off shore drilling (oh wait - maybe we can now - it only took the worst natural disaster in US history)
- We can't cut ties to dependence on foreign oil or even start that process yet
"Yes we can, but just not yet" obviously won't motivate the masses. So it's understandable that his messaging has moved to "Holy Smokes, they left me a giant mess. It's going to take time to fix this, just be patient folks." - the problem is that it's the exact opposite of the 'urgency of now' message.
In my opinion, he should have stuck with his "Yes We Can" mantra.
But in order for that mantra to work he has to show that he can still get to where he was trying to go. That he can still end the wars, that those who broke the law with regards to the financial crisis will be charged, and that unemployment will go back to normal levels at some point - and he has to put a time-line on these things as a measure of accountability.
I think Obama is making the mistake of turning away from a problem solving and positive motivation theme and turning more towards traditional mud-slinging politics. A big mistake in the long run that undermines his brand. While he is giving voice to the anger people feel, it won't ultimately make them want to following him or the Democrats in the long run.
In short, it's about relevance. Obama, I think, is missing the fact that to most, it's become irrelevant who is to blame. Jobs, equity appreciation, economic stability - these are things that are relevant to most Americans.
It's fascinating if you go back and watch some of Regan's speeches. Whether you agreed with his perspective on things or not, he definitely embodied the "Yes We Can" mantra.
I think Obama would be well served reviewing some of Regan's speeches and finding his "Yes We Can" spirit again. Belief and confidence that something is possible is always a huge factor in whether or not it is. I'd argue that 50 percent of what is causing the recession to languish is the fact that there is a 'We probably can't" attitude out there right now and as a result corporations are banking money instead of growing and innovating.
The recession will end when people once again believe that "Yes We Can" and in many ways it's Obama's duty to continue to champion that message.
Here are a couple Regan speeches that make you realize that Obama wasn't the only great public speaker in presidential history...
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