On symbolic messaging...

I just got an email from my Congressman, who is in a very tight race against a Republican state senator.

The email went out a few minutes before an in-district rally with President Obama (another pretty clear sign it's an extremely close race!) and included this line:

"Do we want to continue moving forward with progress on creating jobs, improving education, and building a clean energy economy? Or do you want to hand the keys back to people that drove our economy off a cliff?" (emphasis mine)

I remembered someone had used this line, almost verbatim, in our class discussion of messaging for the upcoming election cycle...sounds like we definitely had our finger on the pulse of the D-CCC!

Liz S

Negotiating the Deficit

This year’s campaign trail presents a unique opportunity for both Republicans and Democrats to highlight debt and deficit spending as a critical issue in this election.

Intervening Variable?

The Tea Party Movement coupled with the economic climate changed the pace of the debate. The Tea Party movement continues to raise awareness of government spending, prompting Americans to question how the government plans to pay for programs like ObamaCare and others in the future. Republicans view the movement as an intervening variable. As a result, Republicans heightened the importance of balancing the budget as a priority issue in state GOP platforms.

On the trail, rhetoric is the preferred weapon of choice . . .

Republicans capably use rhetoric in the debt/deficit debate; however, Democrats’ latest issue framing effectively combines elements of symbolism and rational frameworks to persuade voters.

Ironically, Democrats are indirectly responding to the issue. The Democrats’ tactics are resonating with voters who believe in the importance of fiscal responsibility, but not at the cost of critical entitlement programs.

A report from the Capital Journal mentions DNC funded TV ads accusing Republicans of undermining social security. Democrats in South Carolina ran an ad accusing the Republican candidate of trying to make Social Security “illegal.” The ad comes complete with pictures of an elderly woman posing for her mug shot at the police station.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704847104575531940955863592.html?mod=WSJ_NY_MIDDLEThirdStories

Mental Health Break
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfrDq7B6fh0&feature=related

Thanks

I dedicate this pithy post to our more conservative peers, whose views might differ from ours but whose values we must consider as we enter the wonderful bipartisan field of public policy.

It appears to me that many of the MPP students are liberal-minded or progressive. Within the context of public policy, we would want policies that espouse greater governmental control. However, many of the stakeholders and colleagues we will work with may advocate for policies that champion individual freedom, free enterprise, and a limited government. It is critical to be open-minded and flexible when influencing public policy. For this reason, I am extremely grateful for the colorful perspectives offered across this blog and in the classroom.

Happy Fall Break, everyone!

-Susan Chen

When Reelection Isn't a Concern

Harry Reid makes a smart pick with regard to TARP oversight:

Senator Kaufman Selected as New TARP Cop

This caught my eye for a number of reasons. First, Senator Kaufman is a Duke grad and Duke professor currently filling Vice President Biden's old Senate seat. Second, Senator Kaufman seems like a great pick for "TARP Cop" because he's not running for reelection and never actually ran for election in the first place. Matt Taibbi explains this better than I can:

"...Kaufman has been sort of a test case proving that legislators can actually do their jobs the way they are supposed to when you remove the need to constantly raise money from their job description. Kaufman didn't need to raise money for a run, because he was appointed, and didn't need to raise money for re-election, because he's stepping down. I don't think it's a coincidence that he's been the realest guy on the Hill on the Wall Street stuff (along with a few others like Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown). So it's definitely good to see him get the COP job."

So is Kaufman an example of a politician who is able to--because of a very unique set of circumstances--operate completely outside of Arnold's model? Would we all be better off if more members of Congress were similarly unconcerned with reelection? Would term limits do the trick? I don't know, but I sure hope he's around next year so I can take one of his classes and ask him.


Evan