Speaker73
01-17-2008, 10:32 AM
The economy is quickly rising to the top of the list of election concerns, and while I know a lot of people get excited about Iraq and civil liberties in relation to Paul, it is really in the economic arena that he blows every other Republican candidate off the map.
This trend is only going to continue as the economy gets hammered this year. By November, the economic pain is going to be so severe for so many people, that the electorate is going to be clamoring for someone with some economic sense.
When I have introduced others to Paul, the thing that has caught their fancy (if their fancy was caught) are his economic ideas. At the rallies I have attended, he gets the biggest cheers for statements about inflation, the Fed and our currency. My sense is that there is a deep hunger from the American people for someone to articulate what is happening to our economy, and further, I sense that most people know that what they are being told by the government concerning the economy is not quite correct, but they do not have the background in economics necessary to tease out the inherent contradictions. Finally, and critically, I think these same people will make an effort to educate themselves if given a little push.
To this end. I have three recommendations for the national campaign:
1. Rev up economic talk in newspaper and TV ads. Make it the number one message. The motto "Save the Dollar!" or something similar might draw laughs from pundits, but I think people will respond. Or do an ad with Dr. Paul dropping some inflation education - showing the amount of milk (or similar foodstuff) you could buy 10 years ago with a dollar and the amount you can buy now. And then having Dr. Paul ask the camera why aren't our leaders doing more to protect our pensions, etc. In any case, make inflation and the economy the number one topic. Force it into the public consciousness and the political roundtables. When these topics start to get discussion, the difference between Paul and the rest of the crowd will become apparent.
2. At the next debate, drop some high-end economic ideas on the discussion. During an opportunity to discuss the economy, Dr. Paul should drop some phrases that are generally never used in debates. Personally, I would love to hear him say the words "Minsky moment", but anything like that would be good. Then have him acknowledge that most people don't know the term, and them have him ask viewers to Google the term after debate. "Even if you have no intention whatsoever of voting for me, do yourself a favor and Google the term 'Minsky moment'". At a minimum, this will get thousands of people to start do their own research (and naturally gravitating to Dr. Paul). Even better, it will probably force pundits to discuss the phrase, which will broadcast the idea to thousands more viewers.
3. Focus some campaign resources on educating seniors on the dangers to them. As inflation builds, the value of Social Security (to a certain extent) and pensions (to a massive extent) goes down. Most seniors have first-hand experience with inflation, but probably most do not understand how current policies are creating it. A series of commercials aimed at seniors about RP's dedication to protecting the value of the dollars in their pensions would resonate. And no other candidate on either side is talking about this.
Dr. Paul is not going to win the Republican nomination discussing Iraq or civil liberities. He is not even going to win discussing debt and government spending, since these phrases have been tossed about for so long that they no longer have resonance with the public. But he can re-energize these phrases, if he can tie them to his larger economic ideas. If he can start to inject some hard-core economic debate into an election where the electorate is absolutely terrified about its economic future, he can win.
One final thought, for those dubious of this approach. Populist economics books like Freakonomics have been bestseller stalwarts for years. People are interested in economics, and they will respond to the challlenge of coming to grips with his ideas. They just need a little prodding. Give them that kick, and I think you will be surprised at how quickly and voraciously people respond.
This trend is only going to continue as the economy gets hammered this year. By November, the economic pain is going to be so severe for so many people, that the electorate is going to be clamoring for someone with some economic sense.
When I have introduced others to Paul, the thing that has caught their fancy (if their fancy was caught) are his economic ideas. At the rallies I have attended, he gets the biggest cheers for statements about inflation, the Fed and our currency. My sense is that there is a deep hunger from the American people for someone to articulate what is happening to our economy, and further, I sense that most people know that what they are being told by the government concerning the economy is not quite correct, but they do not have the background in economics necessary to tease out the inherent contradictions. Finally, and critically, I think these same people will make an effort to educate themselves if given a little push.
To this end. I have three recommendations for the national campaign:
1. Rev up economic talk in newspaper and TV ads. Make it the number one message. The motto "Save the Dollar!" or something similar might draw laughs from pundits, but I think people will respond. Or do an ad with Dr. Paul dropping some inflation education - showing the amount of milk (or similar foodstuff) you could buy 10 years ago with a dollar and the amount you can buy now. And then having Dr. Paul ask the camera why aren't our leaders doing more to protect our pensions, etc. In any case, make inflation and the economy the number one topic. Force it into the public consciousness and the political roundtables. When these topics start to get discussion, the difference between Paul and the rest of the crowd will become apparent.
2. At the next debate, drop some high-end economic ideas on the discussion. During an opportunity to discuss the economy, Dr. Paul should drop some phrases that are generally never used in debates. Personally, I would love to hear him say the words "Minsky moment", but anything like that would be good. Then have him acknowledge that most people don't know the term, and them have him ask viewers to Google the term after debate. "Even if you have no intention whatsoever of voting for me, do yourself a favor and Google the term 'Minsky moment'". At a minimum, this will get thousands of people to start do their own research (and naturally gravitating to Dr. Paul). Even better, it will probably force pundits to discuss the phrase, which will broadcast the idea to thousands more viewers.
3. Focus some campaign resources on educating seniors on the dangers to them. As inflation builds, the value of Social Security (to a certain extent) and pensions (to a massive extent) goes down. Most seniors have first-hand experience with inflation, but probably most do not understand how current policies are creating it. A series of commercials aimed at seniors about RP's dedication to protecting the value of the dollars in their pensions would resonate. And no other candidate on either side is talking about this.
Dr. Paul is not going to win the Republican nomination discussing Iraq or civil liberities. He is not even going to win discussing debt and government spending, since these phrases have been tossed about for so long that they no longer have resonance with the public. But he can re-energize these phrases, if he can tie them to his larger economic ideas. If he can start to inject some hard-core economic debate into an election where the electorate is absolutely terrified about its economic future, he can win.
One final thought, for those dubious of this approach. Populist economics books like Freakonomics have been bestseller stalwarts for years. People are interested in economics, and they will respond to the challlenge of coming to grips with his ideas. They just need a little prodding. Give them that kick, and I think you will be surprised at how quickly and voraciously people respond.