Past and Present

When it comes to attempting to persuade the public to take certain actions, communicators often have an intriguing and even ethical challenge with which to contend. There are times when they must decide how much of the past to include in messages that are often designed to focus on the public's present situation. This dilemma arises when the past does not jive with what the public wants now. A timely example of what I mean can be found in the upcoming 2010 November elections. Republicans are being very critical of the Democrat's economic policies. Fair enough. Republicans recognize a vast uneasiness among Americans at our nation's high unemployment rate and growing national debt. They argue their priorities of decreasing regulations and continuing to provide tax breaks for the wealthy are the best solutions to putting our nation back on sound economic ground. Unfortunately for them, it is these very policies that put our nation on such shaky economic footing in the first place.

Yet, if one believes the current polls, Americans seem to be responding favorably to the Republican message. Why is this? One reason is probably a genuine lack of confidence in what the Democrat's economic policies have been over the past twenty months. As a result, the general public is restless and impatient over what the Democrats say are their sound policies, which, they claim, need time to adequately reverse the economic damage caused by the Republicans. But Americans want to feel better about their economic situation now. They are hurting and struggling to remain economically solvent. Thus, Americans are in no mood to wait for what the Democrats claim will be a healthier tomorrow.

A second reason is the Republicans, with their disciplined messaging, are successfully taping into the uncertainty of the American public. While both parties are promising better days ahead for Americans, Republicans are promising relief now without mentioning their failed policies of the past. On the other hand, the Democrats, more realistically, claim their solutions need more time to work because of the deep economic hole our nation is in. I am biased toward the policies of the Democrats because I believe them to be more sound and fair and because I view the messages from the Republicans as being disingenuous and misleading. Americans are in a vulnerable state.

People need to be communicated with honestly and ethically even if it means not telling them what they want to hear. While I generally try not to focus too much on politics in this blog, the current battle of the messages going on right now between our two major political parties lends itself nicely to the focus of this entry. By not providing the public with more rounded messages that include pertinent information from the past along with promises of the future, the seriousness of this debate and judgment of the American public are being seriously undermined. Communicators should not ignore the past in messages they design for the present no matter how no matter how inconvenient it might be.