David Plouffe: Democrats Have the Momentum

From Politico:

“The president and Democrats in Congress move into the August recess with clear momentum on the question of who to trust on taxes and, more broadly, whose economic agenda will benefit the middle class,” Plouffe wrote in the memo obtained by POLITICO. “Over the coming weeks, there is an opportunity to build on this momentum . . . .

One rhetorical technique is to portray your weaknesses as the opposite of what they are. So, for example, we have "Cap'n Crunch stays crunchy in milk." No, it doesn't. In fact, it gets a little soggy.

I knew Al Gore was an airhead long before he ran for president, but when he ran, there were a lot of stories being pushed that went along this line: He's just so smart, sometimes he likes to go off and think about things. Sure he does.

That kind of rhetorical stance is meant to head off criticism.

Lately, we've heard the Obama campaign ask: "Does Romney even understand how the economy works?" That happens to be the question people are starting to ask about Obama.

So, in keeping with that technique, Plouffe just writes a memo (obtained somehow by Politico, somehow) stating that Democrats have the momentum on taxes and the economy. Rasmussen differs: Trust on issues, Romney 49%, Obama 43%. I couldn't find a chart, but I would guess the gap has been growing.

That's some kind of momentum.

Momentum like that might be a problem.

Thanks to Andy for the joke.

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posted by rdbrewer at 04:29 PM

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