Thursday, October 9, 2008

Fireside Chats

After watching the Daily Show that aired Tuesday night, I have done was Sarah Vowell (the guest that night) suggested and looked up FDR's old "Fireside Chats" that he would read to Americans on the radio. I have read a couple, and I wish he could be our president.

In these chats, he explains, in just enough detail (not too much to confuse the average person, but enough to show that he knows we're not all idiots) what is going on. He makes no claims like "Everyone is doing better now!" but instead says things like, "On average things are better, but for some areas it's not better at all and others it is quite a bit better." That's honesty for you.

I think about how McCain said during the debate the other night that we could work on everything all at once (when Brokaw had asked him to prioritize Energy, Entitlement reform, and health care), essentially implying that all of our problems could be fixed during the first year he was in office. He didn't answer the question at all.

And while Obama is great at avoiding answering questions, he made it very clear that these things have different priority, but he said it in a way where (I think) it was clear that they could still be worked on simultaneously. Obama has a way of speaking that honestly reminds me of these Fireside Chats: Clear, honest (mostly), and hopeful.

by Topher at 9:13 AM |