We should remember this acronym, KISS. It stands for Keep it Simple Stupid. Donald Trump certainly does. There is a reason why he speaks in a bumper sticker fashion. He does not know or care to know details. He just needs a prop, a message or a hook. Then, he repeats it over and over, sometimes a half-a-dozen times in one a short speech.
Whether people think Mike Bloomberg or Tom Steyer are the best candidates for the Democrat nomination, note how simple they are keeping their messages in TV commercials. They focus on how weary we all are of the current president. But, the ideas are straightforward:
– we must act on climate change (both)
– we must improve health care access (Bloomberg)
– we must help more people prosper under the economy (both)
– we must have better gun governance (Bloomberg)
– we must have term limits (Steyer)
Steyer has added another key element which I like, people are treating each other better than the folks in Washington treat each other. That has resonated with me and someone I know who voted for Trump because he disliked Hillary Clinton.
I am not saying these are the best candidates. But, I am saying they are worthy of people’s consideration. I encourage all Democrat candidates to boil their messages into simpler themes. And, stop the circular firing squad. A good idea should not matter from whence it came.
Note to Readers: The one thing that Trump and his followers tout with consistency is the economy. I am glad it has continued to do well, as it is the longest running growth economy in our history at 127 consecutive months (over ten years). Yet, Trump has only been president for three years, which means 91 of those months are under Obama. Plus, the stock market more than doubled under Obama. So, if that is Trump’s greatest claim, he is also saying Obama was a good president.
I like Steyer. I have a few (not entirely petty) issues with Bloomberg. Steyer has some good points to make and he’s a smart guy. He and Yang are the two candidates who can add up numbers and come out with a reasonably accurate result. I wonder why nobody wants to pay attention to them? is it because they don’t “get” numbers? Or because these are not the most charismatic candidates?
Marilyn, Andrew Yang needs to be heard more. Whether someone agrees with everything he advocates, does not mean he does not approach problems in an analytical and solution-oriented way. I would love to try some of his ideas. I also think people need to listen to Amy Klobuchar more. She has a lot to offer as well.
I was perturbed to hear Rudy Giuliani describe Joe Biden as one of the most corrupt people in politics. People can disagree with Biden, but no one with any veracity would define Biden in that manner. Warren takes a lot of grief, but she is very knowledgeable and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was a huge success before Trump and Mulvaney tried to hobble it.
As my previous post said, none of these folks are perfect, but they are much less imperfect and far more moral and ethical than the current incumbent. I would be proud to vote for any of current Dem candidates over the incumbent.
Keith
It is sad that so many people who vote can’t get past the “bumper sticker” slogans. Once someone tries to go into more detail, their eyes glaze over. Regardless, I think having straightforward ideas like you listed is a good thing. I also agree that so much of our current economy is really president Obama’s economy. What worries me is that the downturn – when it comes, and we all know it will – will be blamed whoever is in office at the time. I very much want trump to be defeated, but that aspect concerns me.
Janis, once out, Trump will be on Fox running down his successor. He takes credit for things he had some, little or no role in and blames others for his missteps. Even good news stories are made better.. The economic growth has been softening for fifteen months and new jobs in 2019 were 2.1 million vs. 2.6 million in 2018. The tax law lift borrowed from our future to make a pretty good economy a little better for a short time. Keith