Getting The Word Out

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that everybody is allowed to give as much money as they desire, to anybody they choose and absolutely nobody needs to know about it, we are finding ourselves up to our butts in crap passed down to us as truth.

First, I'd like you to read my blog post on the lies we endure during campaigns by clicking this URL:
www.swoopsfromsnowyowl.blogspot.com/2010/06/isnt-there-law-against-that.html

Now you will understand that all restraints are off when it comes to politics and political advertising.  If that is the case, why doesn't more truth come out?  Why is it that only the false stuff makes the headlines?  Isn't the truth believable?  Or, isn't there any truth out there to be believed?

I'm not sure I can answer any of these questions to the comfort of everyone, but here is my analysis on what has happened, is happening and will happen in the future.

You have to understand that a good part of politics is getting the word out.  Letting people know what you are going to do and why, then actually doing it and again explaining why it is good for the country, then reinforcing what you did with again explaining it so that there will be few if any questions.  Anticipating objections and overcoming those objections up front will help eliminate problems that might arise later.

The White House is not very good at this!  Obama's advisers don't understand good salesmanship and that is what politics is all about.  Winning an election is one thing, keeping the post to which you are elected, is another.  In order to keep your position, you must explain your actions and why those actions were good for the country.  If the White House doesn't do this then everyone that hears the lies, which will inevitably come from the other side, will only believe them to be true because no one has refuted them.

Here are some of those lies that have been recently passed around and need to be put to rest.

1. "Government spending takes money out of the economy."  The REALITY is that Government is you and I, the "People" and the money it spends is on you and me.  The citizens of the U. S. are a gathering of people who pool their money to do the good we need to have done for us because we can't afford to do them as individuals.  Some consider this a Socialist leaning country and what would they do without those Socialist Roads, Socialist highways, Socialist airports, Socialist harbors, Socialist courts, Socialist schools, Socialist police, Socialist Firemen and Socialist Armed Forces.  Government doesn't just spend on the unemployed, welfare recipients and foreign aid.

2. ""Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme that is going broke."  The REALITY is that Social Security has run a surplus since it began and has Trillions in a trust fund.  It is completely sound for at least 25 more years.  It cannot borrow so it will never contribute to the deficit, unlike the military and most other agencies.  Life expectancy is longer because infant mortality has improved over the years.  Back in the 30s the average life expectancy was shorter because more children died of TB, Polio, Whooping Cough, Mumps, Measles, Chicken Pox, Scarlet Fever and various other diseases that don't kill people any more.  If you reach the age of 60 your future life expectancy is about the same as it was back in the 30s.

3. "Health Care Reform costs $1 Trillion."  The REALITY is that Health Care Reform will reduce government deficits by $138 Billion over the next 10 years.

4. "Small businesses will hire if they get Tax Cuts."  The REALITY is that Small businesses hire according to DEMAND.  Demand creates jobs.  Having extra money on hand does not cause Small Businesses to hire.  On the other hand, if there is demand for their product or service, a business will find the money to hire workers to create products to satisfy that demand.

5. "The Stimulus was a bust and didn't work at all."  The REALITY is that the stimulus worked but was not enough by itself.  The Congressional Budget Office says the stimulus raised employment by between 1.5 and 3.5 million jobs.  The fact is that we were in a deeper depression than we had known about.  We needed a larger stimulus to get us all the way out.

6. "Obama Bailed out the banks."  The REALITY is that while most people confuse the "Stimulus" with the bank bailouts, the Bank Bailouts were requested by President George W. Bush and his Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.  The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

7. "President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy."  The REALITY is that President Obama actually cut taxes.  40% of the ""Stimulus" was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt.  That is why the stimulus was so much less effective than it could have been.

8. "President Obama tripled the deficit."  The REALITY is that President George W. Bush's last budget had a $1.416 Trillion deficit.  Obama's first budget reduced that to $1.29 Trillion.

Until the White House learns how to communicate President Obama's programs and how to best do a quality PR job, they will continue to lose the information battle and it may cost Obama re-election in 2012.

Doing a good job is only half the battle, communicating it is the other half and some say the important half.  Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod has to do a better job.  Recently he stated, "Two years ago I could have told you this was going to be a tough year."  He knew then and had plenty of time to work on PR and quality communication about Obama's plans.  But, unlike the master Karl Rove, Axelrod has really done very little or nothing.  Axelrod also stated, "Our mission is to get people energized and understanding there are real stakes in the election."  But what he failed to understand is, that is an ongoing job, not something you only do a few months every two years.  His job should be to stay out in front of those objections and anticipate those questions before they are asked.