On Moral Politics, we talk about the importance of language and framing. Tonight, George Bush is going to invoke a powerful Presidential tool, network television, to disseminate his language.
Watch tonight with a thoughtful eye. The polls increasingly tell the president that the American public knows what needs to be done. How will Bush answer the critical public?
Americans are informed about social security. Americans know that raising the cap or raising the retirement age could each, almost single-handedly fix social security's solvency issue.
Americans know that conservation and investment in non-petroleum fuels will provide national security. Instead of pumping oil into the "strategic" petroleum reserve (spr), America should be investing in biodiesel and other fuel sources. Instead of 10 billion dollars a year to deploy a missle defense system that has failed every test, we should deploy hydrogen fueling stations.
Tune in and listen. Will the President offer a new direction? Or will he continue pitching policies that benefit defense companies, energy companies and Wall Street?
The link below is an interesting prognostication about tonight's script. Look at how important language is. See how Bush invokes these mesages.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2005/nf20050428_9012_db045.htm