How McCain Can Sell Economic Pain–Is There Pain?

07 Oct, 2008 by Melissa Clouthier

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During the Palin-Biden debate, I remember thinking about how Palin talked about the economy–telling people that everyone will have to take responsibility and change behavior and that it will be tough for a while but that things will get better because Americans are resilient.

Is there any more that someone can promise? Eliminating capital gains taxes would help. And reducing the size of the government and stopping handouts would help–both to corporations and individuals.

Palin also said that the government was too often the problem. She said it with conviction because she believes it. McCain believes that government is the solution which is why he sometimes sounds maddenly like Obama, himself. I don’t believe this approach will work. Right now, Americans are angry as heck and distrust the government’s solutions. If McCain is smart, he won’t be talking about his picky policies, he’ll be talking about getting out of the way. That will be the big idea.

And in this post, I’m kinda thinking out loud. It seems that what America needs is confidence, optimism, realism and assurance ala Ronald Reagan. Speaking of lipstick on a pig–the American economy and the government policies that got us here is looking porcine. Better to not try to dress it up other than to say it stinks now but will get better and due to the dedication of individual Americans, the situation will rebound.

Plus, is it really that bad? Or are people living in denial (every restaurant I passed Saturday night was packed here in Houston)? Or has there just been SO much consumption that cutting back a little seems dramatic when it is in fact a modest decline and people are still living relatively large?

Cross-posted at MelissaClouthier.com