The lessons liberals can learn from Gov. Jerry Brown

From the Left Wing Noise Machine over at Daily Kos comes a few lessons more of our liberal/progressive elected officials could learn from California Gov. Jerry Brown when it comes to framing the debate on issues, instead of allowing the debate to be dictated by conservatives and the tea party:

Recent polls show that by a huge majority, Californians now support raising taxes on the rich (and even themselves) rather than further Tea Party slash and burn budget cutting. Here’s Brown’s mojo.

First, he didn’t come out of the starting block with a compromise pleasing to the entrenched extremist Republican minority obstructing a tax increase (unlike a certain President we know). He made a definite proposal and he stuck to it. When the Tea Party gurus tried to change the subject and make unions the issue, not taxes, Brown refused to fall for the Shock Capitalist feign and stuck by the unions. He didn’t flinch or apologize for his support of higher taxes, even suggesting – mirabile dictu – that the GOP’s zombielike anti-tax dogma showed their bad faith and lack of concern for Californians. They squealed like stuck pigs with lipstick on (don’t apologize Obama) and looked foolish.

Second, Brown talked directly to the people of California, not just the obstreperous and incoherent Republican commandants. Again, unlike a certain President. Over and over again, he took his message to YouTube (you got to love that), as well as highschool gyms and union halls. For a septuagenarian he made a certain young president look like a geezer. Again the GOP squealed, and most people here saw the Republicans for what they are: ideological bullies who act like South Park’s Cartman when somebody stands up to them.

Finally, he created a narrative. He didn’t bother, Vulcan-like, to rebut the noisy Tea Party’s deceptive graphs and slogans. He just called them deceptive. He didn’t hold a seminar on interest rate fluctuations. Rather he painted a picture of what a dystopian California will look like if conservatives have their way and perform further budget amputations without anesthesia.