Once upon a time there was a grasshopper jumping around in the summer sun in a field, somewhere or other.Probably Kansas. They have fields in Kansas, right? Or maybe it was Iowa. One of those states in the Midwest, anyway. So this grasshopper, he’s just jumping and chirping and singing to his heart’s content when this ant comes along, sweating and huffing and puffing and carrying an ear of corn.
So the grasshopper says, “Hey, Mr. Ant – what are you doing with that ear of corn?” And the ant says: “I’m going to take it home and store it for the winter, and I suggest you do the same.” But the grasshopper doesn’t pay any attention, and when winter comes the grasshopper doesn’t have anything to eat, so he dies.
Now there are those who say – and my opponent is one of them – there are those who say this story shows the need to be fiscally conservative. And you can believe that if you want to. But I’m always struck by those insects who think they are so smart, who think they work harder than everybody else. Well, let me tell you something: There are a whole lot of hardworking bugs out there.
Why the President’s Message Doesn’t Unite Us
In his July 17 interview with Charlie Rose, President Obama stated, “The mistake of my first couple of years was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right.” He added, “But, you know, the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism.”
These revealing comments show three things. First, the president’s message is condescending. As Peggy Noonan says, “I am certain the president has no idea how patronizing he sounds. His job is to tell us a story?” People are smarter than that.
Second, the president’s statement assumes his policies were right, but that he hasn’t effectively articulated that point to the American people. But if his policies were right, the “story” would easily follow. The headlines would read: “Obama stimulates economy, bails out GM, and launches Obamacare–Unemployment drops to 5%–Keynesian economic works.” The president would then say, “I came in during a rough time and I took decisive action, and unemployment dropped and the economy recovered.” But that isn’t what happened. His policies didn’t work, and even though the president gave dozens and dozens of speeches defending his stimulus package and defending Obamacare, many Americans saw the poor results and rejected the president’s “story.” Most Americans concluded that his ideas didn’t work. What we hope is that the president will search for better ideas, not for a message that rationalizes failed ideas.
Third, the president assumes that his policies can be framed into a message that gives Americans “a sense of unity and purpose and optimism.” That is impossible.
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