I've now read the economic speech Barack delivered today in Raleigh three times. I haven't seen video, nor have I seen much other reaction to it other than a glowing diary at Kos. So these are my unformed thoughts, and I reserve the right to modify them.
On balance, I was underwhelmed. His framework was that in this speech he would talk about short-term solutions, and that next week he'd talk about long-term solutions. But he didn't spend much of the speech talking about those short-term solutions.
Unless I'm missing something, there are two elements to his short-term focus: a stimulus package and a housing crisis relief initiative. While there's probably loads of good stuff there, he didn't really detail it beyond a couple of sentences, and he didn't translate it into the real impact it would have in people's lives. He spent more time talking about health care and tax code reform, both of which are important, but neither of which are really about the short-term.
This last point really gets at my largest concern with the speech. Other than the criticisms of Bush and McCain, which I thought were excellent, at least on paper, the speech seemed clinical and even a bit detached. To see what I mean, read the speech and look at every usage of the word "we." Invariably, when he says "we" he's talking about the government or the nation and what it can do for "working families" or the people who need help. Now logically there is nothing wrong with that, but rhetorically it separates him the people who he really is trying to reach with this message.
There is one passage of the speech that I really liked that I want to highlight. It's a bit prosaic, but it's the only point in the speech where Barack actually talks about creating jobs. The thing that makes it compelling is that it is also believable.
One place where that investment would make an enormous difference is in a renewable energy policy that ends our addiction on foreign oil, provides real long-term relief from high fuel costs, and builds a green economy that could create up to five million well-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. We can also create millions of new jobs by rebuilding our schools, roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure that needs repair.
So here's what my advice would be: get more specific about the short-term plans. Adopt a new rhetorical pose that uses "we" to identify Barack with American workers. And most importantly, double down on talking about revitalizing our manufacturing sector with so-called "green collar" jobs. It's that last issue that should be the centerpiece of Barack's economic stump speech; it has the virtue of both being right and compelling. And the best part is that it allows Barack to address several different needs at once: environment, national security, and jobs.
Anyway, perhaps I'm being too critical. And I'm looking forward to seeing the video. What about you? What were your thoughts?
© Jed Lewison