Letter to the editor:

Focus on goals, not specific plans

Fri, Jan 10, 2020 (2 a.m.)

One of America’s greatest planners, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, said this about plans: “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” He meant that plans are always changing but the goal remained the same — to win the war. If Democrats want to win the 2020 election, they need to keep the conversation focused on the goals they want to achieve, not their plans for achieving them.

The goal of universal affordable health care is more important than the plan to achieve it; the goal of affordable housing is more important than the plan to achieve it; the goal of better and safer schools is more important than the plan to achieve it; the goal of a cleaner and safer environment is more important than the plans to achieve it; the goal of economic justice is more important than the plans to achieve it.

Donald Trump offered few plans and no details in 2016, and he won. The plans he did offer, like Mexico paying for a border wall, were dismissed as ludicrous by everyone, including those who voted for him.

Don’t give Republicans the chance to attack you on the details of your plans, because they certainly don’t want to talk about any of these goals.

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