Defining your Antagonist is key to making your story a winner. In the clubby world of the U S Senate that’s easier said than done. What if your Antagonist won’t come out and fight fair? According to McClatchy, the Repubs are on track to block up or down votes on 153 bills by the end of the session – almost three times as many as the next closest year. Why bother? If they allowed the votes Bush would easily veto these bills before they became law anyway. Where is the harm?
In the headlines! Now they read “Democrats fall short of votes,” (the losers). A veto might read. “President Bush refuses health care to the little babies!” (the big meany). Getting their version into the headlines will require the Dems to use some strong story strategy.
As things stand now the Dems are like George Foreman fighting Ali in Zaire – throwing lots of punches, landing none. They may be trying to lay the groundwork for a revamped “do nothing congress” charge like that used by Harry Truman, but you need to be the President to make that charge stick. What they should be doing is finding their antagonists sweet spot - that one issue their opponents are irrationally compelled to defend loudly even when they know how lame they sound. Every time I hear Bush or the the Reepub Senate Leadership say “socialized medicine” I think that may be just what the doctor ordered. It is SO last century.
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