I caught a segment on Social Security on the TODAY show this morning. I immediately stopped eating breakfast and turned up the volume, because I know that when Katie speaks, people listen. More people watch the TODAY Show, I’m sure, than read every newspaper in America put together.
So needless to say I was curious as to how the debate would be presented. And I must say, I was impressed.
She framed it as “Social Security for Dummies,” and took a group of Boston College students outside in the snow. She then used snowballs as a metaphor for Social Security Funds. One row of students represented “workers,” another represented “retirees,” and a pile of snowballs in the corner represented the trust fund.
I hope someone puts it out on the internet, because it was really well done. Totally fair and balanced. They didn’t even bring out private accounts until the end, and even then they were clear that private accounts would require “an avalance of snowballs,” in borrowing, and won’t solve the problem.
All in all, nicely done.
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I’ve had some discussions recently with some polisci types about how, if you look at the parties in terms of “the market,” with “suppliers” being the media & other bodies that feed ideas to the parties, you see that the Dems’ve got nothing. We *just* got liberal radio, for crying out loud!!
The problem I see with “branding” at this point is that Big D doesn’t even know what being a D really means– they’ve been chasing the GOP for too long. There are a lot of groups pulling together (BetterDonkey being one of them) to try to articulate the values of the party, but it’s going to be a long process. The US may have converted to permanent dynastic rule by then.
Part of the problem also is that Kerry co-opted the Michael Moore stuff at some point in the campaign (blame the Saudis, armor for troops, etc.). Then a bunch of prominent Dems went to the Fahrenheit 9/11 opening. But the biggest one came when Michael Moore sat with Jimmy Carter at the Democratic convention! I definitely didn’t see Ann Coulter sitting in the Presidential box with George Bush I . . .
Isn’t it kind of obvious why people make that connection?
that’s true — the Dems did it to themselves with the Michael Moore associations. That’s why I quoted that 2nd para from the Goldberg piece.
Give them some time, they’re still not sure what to do with their own wingnuts.
I mean, Al Franken is still considering a run for the Minnesota Senate seat!