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Elizabeth Warren could teach Obama a thing or two....

I don't lean to the left when it comes to the economy, but Elizabeth Warren, who served as assistant to the president, definitely knows how to make a compelling case.  Warren headed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and is now running for senate after Obama passed her over to actually run the Bureau as director.

In this campaign speech she hits her points perfectly and comes across as very authentic in her beliefs. This is exactly what Obama should be doing, but for some reason he can't find his rhythm.



This reinfoces a PR point I've said many times, which is you can't teach authenticity. While Obama is a great orator, he lacks authenticity, hence his reputation for being a teleprompter president.

Even the way Warren frames a question and then answers it herself with a definitive 'NO' is great PR. That's exactly how you do it. You always answer the question with a definitive answer and then articulate your various nuances. So many spokespersons do it the other way around. They start with the nuances "blah blah blah' and then end with 'So what I'm trying to say is No.'

Anyway,  Warren is a great example of how you can play the 'class warfare' card without even using the term class warfare. Notice how she only brings it up once and only for the purpose of removing it from the conversation?

Actually, what she does that's very intelligent is how she reframes the debate away from 'class warfare' and shifts it to accountability - actually, shared accountability. This is always a great theme to base your messaging off of, because it resonates with people.

In addition, it also creates a tone in which future compromise can be had without people losing face, because if your opposition caves in they aren't seen as 'losing' but rather they are seen as 'being responsible'. If you don't want a war you have to give your enemy a way of surrendering without losing face.

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