Bernie Horn

There’s no doubt that George W. Bush’s administration has been a catastrophe, and that historians will one day rank him as one of our nation’s very worst presidents. It’s not because Bush has been incompetent, it’s because his team has pursued goals that violate our nation’s basic principles.

Isn’t it fun reading all the polls? Except when your candidate’s numbers are tanking! I’d like to take one recent development in the nationwide tracking polls and use it to illustrate a few things about the business of evaluating the public mood.

A high-profile election campaign is more like a chess match than a football game. What’s important isn’t so much the current score (i.e. the polls), it’s the way the game has been played so far. Examine the moves that John McCain has made—his framing of the campaign for persuadable voters. McCain has boxed himself into a difficult endgame.

Here is the “lesson” of 9/11: Never forget that the top priority of any government is to keep its citizens safe from harm.

There’s no doubt that George W. Bush’s administration has been a catastrophe, and that historians will one day rank him as one of our nation’s very worst presidents. It’s not because Bush has been incompetent, it’s because his team has pursued goals that violate our nation’s basic principles.

Isn’t it fun reading all the polls? Except when your candidate’s numbers are tanking! I’d like to take one recent development in the nationwide tracking polls and use it to illustrate a few things about the business of evaluating the public mood.

A high-profile election campaign is more like a chess match than a football game. What’s important isn’t so much the current score (i.e. the polls), it’s the way the game has been played so far. Examine the moves that John McCain has made—his framing of the campaign for persuadable voters. McCain has boxed himself into a difficult endgame.

Here is the “lesson” of 9/11: Never forget that the top priority of any government is to keep its citizens safe from harm.

Because Bush and his allies have failed, our fellow citizens are ready to consider the progressive message. But what is it? In simple terms that all Americans understand, what do we stand for? Try using this 12-word answer. Then join our continuing debate on how to take advantage of "the progressive moment."

As we fight over individual issues in this election season, let’s not lose sight of the big picture. Unlike partisans, persuadable voters are not much interested in candidates’ specific issue positions. Issues don’t matter to them unless they are illustrative of a larger theme. Barack Obama has already telegraphed the only theme that John McCain can employ. What's the winning theme we can use?

Liberals, lefties, Democrats, environmentalists, unionists, consumer advocates—all progressive types—suffer from the stereotype that we are unpatriotic. Let’s make it clear to all Americans that we progressives are the ones trying to lead our country closer to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.