Reply #34: emotioneering is the "tip of the spear" of smashmouth politics

[nashville_brook]

i'm depressed as hell about last nite...and most of the time i'm a misanthrope in good standing. but, i think that the only thing this country has is its illusory grasp of morality. and to tap into that power takes CONFRONTATION. anything worth believing in is worth looking like an asshole for.

with no moral center there's no clear leadership narrative. you look like you're playing Whack-A-Mole, b/c that's exactly what you're doing.

I love this last paragraph of a article in HuffPo on our lack of narrative:

What Democrats have needed to offer the American people is a clear narrative about what and who led our country to the mess in which we find ourselves today and a clear vision of what and who will lead us out. That narrative would have laid a roadmap for our elected officials and voters alike, rather than making each legislative issue a seemingly discrete turn onto a dirt road. That narrative might have included -- and should include today -- some key elements: that if the economy is tumbling, it's the role of leadership and government to stop the free-fall; that if Wall Street is gambling with our financial security, our homes, and our jobs, true leaders do not sit back helplessly and wax eloquent about the free market, they take away the dice; that if the private sector can't create jobs for people who want to work, then we'll put Americans back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, and schools; that if Big Oil is preventing us from competing with China's wind and solar energy programs, then we'll eliminate the tax breaks that lead to dysfunctional investments in 19th century fuels and have a public-private partnership with companies that will create the clean, safe fuels of the 21st century and the millions of good American jobs that will follow.

That's what Democrats stand for. It's time they said it.

ETA: link for the above --> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/what-created-the-populist_b_699960.html