Why Bush won OR communication is everything!

Historical result for the wrong reasons [Kelake]

The opinion of a thoughtful Canadian living in Asia...........ouch!

These people could bring anyone to power. Bush has been derided for his lack of intelligence and experience from the beginning. His language, geared towards those with less than high school education, was deliberate - not only superficial and easy to understand - it’s almost comforting in it’s simplicity. It among other things, outside of the issues, obviously struck a chord with the American populace.

Clark(Kelake)Even here in Ohio, almost 50% of the people did not vote for Bush.  The people I know that did or didn’t vote for Bush crossed all ranges of boundaries of education, religion, and socioeconomic class. It wasn’t his language, in the way you think, but the effectiveness of the message (and the message itself).

We need to develop better communication skills to address a broader swath of the population. Think of how people get their information!  In library and communication science, research shows people communicate with their friends, neighbors, and co-workers to answer their most important information needs. Bush and his strategists responded in straightforward language more like our friends, neighbors, and co-workers use. They (Bush) responded to our fears and our questions in unequivocal language.

“Trust us. We will keep you and your children safe and comfortable. Stand with us on the moral high ground, under God. We will stand firm. It's us against them.” This language expresses more clearly the message that answers our basest needs.

Unfortunately, explaining the complexities of a global community, economics, and the value of education does not reduce to easily-understood messages.

To counter these simple yet effective messages of Bush strategists we need to use visuals (as even more effective messages) and reclaim our free press. ‘Embedding’ the press in Iraq was a (genius) communication move to suppress objective information. De-regulating communication venues of our press has meant news is filtered through the Murdochs and Roves of our world.

 Maybe the tool we need is already in our hands. Maybe, the Iraq people (and others) need closer ties to people here (and other places) via blogs, Wiki, IM, etc. Perhaps we need to use these tools to create that ‘SMALL WORLD’ that we ALL should be safe and secure in.

Sharon. Your friend in Ohio.

10:39:11 PM