David Winston

[Promoted - Kristen Soltis makes good points about something very important to the resurgence of the Right: criticisms and policies aren't enough - we need a to tell a compelling story about the future we envision - Jon Henke]

As Republicans, we are faced with the unfortunate reality that our ideas frequently lack the easy, fuzzy and warm narrative that Democrats can offer.  In his recent Doublethink Online piece, Conor Friedersdorf brings up the example of rent control - while liberal policies may actually make things worse for poor families, the pro-rent control narrative is easier to tell.

A talented reporter, given enough time and space, could craft a narrative that illustrates how rent control ultimately makes poor families worse off. His job is relatively difficult, however, for he can hardly write a pithy anecdotal lead about the hundred families that won’t occupy a non-existent apartment building because a foolish policy eliminated an unknown developer’s incentive to build it.

Unfortunately for us, in addition to the head start the left has in crafting an attractive story, the word "Republican" now has it's own set of drawbacks.  In his column today, David Brooks discusses research conducted by my firm, The Winston Group, about the impact of the Republican label on our policies.