Can anyone hear the Democrats?

Robert Showah

Opinion Editor

That age old question about whether a falling tree would still make a sound if nobody were around to hear it provokes a similar question in the political world just two weeks prior to the midterm elections: if Democrats successfully accomplished and kept any of their promises, would anyone hear it at all?

The tree, unlike Democrats, does not have to worry about elections, public opinion, the media or other trees that do not like where it stands. Democrats do, and they have upheld their tradition of failing to communicate clearly, concisely and constantly to the American people.

A February 2010 CBS/New York Times poll reported that 6 percent of Americans believed that $787 billion stimulus law had created jobs. In this case, it does not matter what has or has not been done but whether people know about it. The stimulus has created jobs and has saved jobs. It is the reason why unemployment has not gotten any worse. It is also the reason all governors, even Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, are able to reap the benefits and have their citizens believe they were able to magically make budget cuts without increasing unemployment in their states.

Moreover, in a comprehensive New York Times poll released last month, 54 percent of Americans believe Democrats are more likely to create jobs, 32 percent for Republicans. 55 percent approve of how Barack Obama is handling the economy, 24 percent disapprove. 55 percent believe Democrats will do more to help the middle class, 28 percent for Republicans. These figures provide great leverage for Democrats of which they are not taking advantage.

There are also indications that, yes, a lot of people are dissatisfied with what is going on in Washington, 53 percent to be precise. Only 17 percent characterize their feelings as “angry” proving that the smallest yet shrillest voices dominate the headlines but not reality of how people feel.

Typical Democrats missing boat after boat and allowing Republicans to define their accomplishments as failures.

The basic fact is that the Republican Party has a public relations unit that Democrats could only dream of operating in their party. It is a superior talent that professes in churning out phrases and messages that stick, beating to a consistent rhythm loud and hard.

The stimulus package, actually known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has created between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs according to the Congressional Budget Office, but nobody would know that. Nor would they know that it has saved at least 2 million jobs.

These are the few but significant positive figures Democrats could use to inspire their party in hopes of perhaps keeping the House of Representatives which they are likely to lose by about ten seats.

Where Democrats have a nearly impossible uphill battle in changing the people’s minds is in convincing Americans of how the economy is working for them. They have to do this through by cutting through Republican rhetoric, the media’s duty to amplify bad economic news, but most of all by telling the truth.

The truth is what the Democrats cannot tell the American people and it is something Americans do not have a good history of taking well.

The truth is that the recovery of the American economy that was struck by the worst recession since the Great Depression does not coincide with congressional or presidential elections, regardless of how much financial pain people find themselves in. This is one of the worst parts of these economic downturns; they don’t get better when we think we have had enough.

Perhaps President Obama and Democrats alike should not have made promises they could not keep during their campaigns two years ago. In fact, as much hope and change as they promised, they also continually warned of a slow recovery. Maybe the American people should not have taken everything they were promised deeply to heart.

As this November’s elections come and go, Democrats will seriously have to reevaluate their communications efforts for the 2012 election campaign sure to begin as soon as next month’s end.