CEOs and Field Generals beat HR managers and Quartermasters

ILLUSTRATED: Democrats cannot continue to project the image of bureaucratized policy makers. We must look like dynamic leaders moving America towards its ideals.

I just bought The Political Brain after spending an hour in the bookstore spot reading it. I can already tell it is one of the best political books I've read. It begins with a Garance Franke-Ruta quote comparing the Democratic brand to an H.R. department: "Do you have a health plan, your flu shot? Did you apply for tuition assistance? Were you discriminated against? This is the process and the applicable law"...All important stuff, I'm not mocking it. It's just that, that is not a brand that sells.
That quote resonated with me since, for some time, I've compared Democratic politicians' national security rhetoric to a supply sergeant or quartermaster. They answer serious defense policy questions with..."More equipment for our troops! Better health care for veterans! Death benefits for troops, cops, and firefighters!" Again, all vital. But the best thing for morale is having a good field general (Patton) rather than a good quartermaster (Q in James Bond movies). I'd vote for George C. Scott over Q.

With domestic issues: we need to communicate our policies on health care, education, and the environment with dynamism. "Covering all our people is a moral responsibility and is good for business. Everyone needs access to success in a changing economy, that means a 21st Century education system for folks of all ages. Earth is for living, not for profit; we need to be good stewards of the Earth."

On national security: there are plenty of entries on this blog on how to articulate a real defense policy and national security policy. Including here and here. Speak knowing that on 1/20/09, our party will take over these wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, and terrorists). Speak with authority.