I believe the folks over at The Democratic Strategist write some of the most insightful analyses of contemporary American politics. Ed Kilgore’s recent post on Obama and Values-Based messaging continues that tradition. Many conservative pundits and Republican activists criticized President Obama during the campaign — and even his inaugural address — because he was “too vague.” His speeches never include enough specifics. Exactly “how” would all this change come about? Instead, his rhetoric usually provided a broad narrative of hope, opportunity and change without getting into the details. This frustrated his political opponents who dismissed him as either a policy lightweight or a charlatan. Turns out he’s neither. There’s a method to Obama’s vagueness. He speaks to Americans in language most agree with and understand. This gets people to listen. He then pursues more “progressive” (some would say liberal) policies to fill in the details. Kilgore agrees. He writes that the central idea behind values-based messaging is:
Kilgore believes Obama embraces this rhetorical/political strategy better than most.
Like it or not, I believe he’s right. Political elites and the pundit class view the world in left/right ideological terms. Most others do not. The so-called “middle” in American politics — to the extent one exists — is far less ideological. Obama recognizes this and it’s one of the keys to his rhetorical and political success. He speaks a broad language most not heavily immersed in policy details or legislative intricacies understand. Republicans and conservatives could learn a lot from this strategy. Read the full post of values-based messaging here.
