Vision Sells - The Reagan Legacy
"Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18)
People make choices between ideas, products, political candidates, etc., based on which choice provides the most compelling vision. And the most compelling visions are the ones that match the target audience. This match of vision predisposes the receiver to accept not only the message but also the messenger.
Communicating a vision that resonated with the American people is where President Ronald Reagan excelled. As discussed by David Brooks in a recent NY Times op-ed piece, one of Reagan's most enduring triumphs is his transformation of the conservative movement from "...a past- and loss-oriented movement to a future- and possibility-oriented one, based on a certain idea about America."
A major component of Reagan's reputation as the Great Communicator was that his message was in step with what most Americans wanted to hear. They shared the core cultural belief that the future should be better than the past both for the country as a whole and for each and every American.
Both George Bush and John Kerry will attempt to ride on Reagan's legacy. However, the vision that lifted and appealed in the '80s does not necessarily lift and appeal today. Our choices for president are finding it difficult to articulate a vision that resonates with and appeals to most Americans. President Bush necessarily has to focus on combating terrorism and the war in Iraq. This focus on external activities although couched in patriotic terms has not ignited the American people. Kerry's main theme is that he is not Bush.
What happens when there is no vision in candidates, products or ideas? People vote or choose by price. "It's the economy stupid" entered the political lexicon when the lack of vision choices in 1992 became a referendum on how people felt in their pocketbook and the same thing may happen again in 2004.
As Reagan showed in his 1980 campaign to unseat Jimmy Carter, Americans cannot be without a compelling vision of a markedly better future for long. Our culture won't allow it. We have always been a proactive society, not a reactive one. Bush and Kerry are trying to provide a vision that fits with the emergent larger vision that Americans share. Their success in November will depend on how well their visions are tailored to fit within the emerging vision of the society they want to serve.
People make choices between ideas, products, political candidates, etc., based on which choice provides the most compelling vision. And the most compelling visions are the ones that match the target audience. This match of vision predisposes the receiver to accept not only the message but also the messenger.
Communicating a vision that resonated with the American people is where President Ronald Reagan excelled. As discussed by David Brooks in a recent NY Times op-ed piece, one of Reagan's most enduring triumphs is his transformation of the conservative movement from "...a past- and loss-oriented movement to a future- and possibility-oriented one, based on a certain idea about America."
A major component of Reagan's reputation as the Great Communicator was that his message was in step with what most Americans wanted to hear. They shared the core cultural belief that the future should be better than the past both for the country as a whole and for each and every American.
Both George Bush and John Kerry will attempt to ride on Reagan's legacy. However, the vision that lifted and appealed in the '80s does not necessarily lift and appeal today. Our choices for president are finding it difficult to articulate a vision that resonates with and appeals to most Americans. President Bush necessarily has to focus on combating terrorism and the war in Iraq. This focus on external activities although couched in patriotic terms has not ignited the American people. Kerry's main theme is that he is not Bush.
What happens when there is no vision in candidates, products or ideas? People vote or choose by price. "It's the economy stupid" entered the political lexicon when the lack of vision choices in 1992 became a referendum on how people felt in their pocketbook and the same thing may happen again in 2004.
As Reagan showed in his 1980 campaign to unseat Jimmy Carter, Americans cannot be without a compelling vision of a markedly better future for long. Our culture won't allow it. We have always been a proactive society, not a reactive one. Bush and Kerry are trying to provide a vision that fits with the emergent larger vision that Americans share. Their success in November will depend on how well their visions are tailored to fit within the emerging vision of the society they want to serve.
posted by Bret Rigby at 11:51 AM
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