The Overlooked, Undervalued, Indispensable Why

Again and again, more times than I can count, I hear it. It’s not always phrased exactly the same way, but it’s some variation on this theme: Democrats have done some good things but can’t seem to get the message out about what they have done.

There’s a reason your average Democrat is so inept at messaging and Republicans are so skillful by comparison, and it can be summed up in one word.

Why.

Democrats take great pains to describe what their policies are and go to even greater lengths to explain how they work, but rarely if ever bother to say why they’re doing it all in the first place. They meticulously spell out their positions on issues but gloss over the principles that form the basis of those positions.

Democrats love process. That’s the how. Results often seem to take a back seat to process with Democrats, but at least outcomes matter to them. That’s the what. When it comes to stating the purpose of going through a process to achieve a desired outcome—that’s the why—Democrats commo…