Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Ron Paul needs charts

America Wants to Know has just returned from a trip to Las Vegas and was freshly reminded that most Americans are really bad at math.

But they're fascinated by brightly colored pictures.

As we write these words, GOP candidate Ron Paul is on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library getting short shrift from CNN's vacant anchor Anderson Cooper. The congressman has been cut off, interrupted, and generally prohibited from making important and complex arguments about the relationship between the federal budget, monetary policy, and the declining standard of living in the United States.

Here's some free advice for the Ron Paul campaign: Make some charts and graphics that illustrate the points Dr. Paul is trying to make. Use bar charts and pie charts and graphs to show people where their money is going and how a change in policy would make a difference.

Make one good point per chart.

Make it simple.

Make a video of Dr. Paul explaining his policy proposals. Intercut the footage of Dr. Paul with the charts that illustrate his points.

Put the video on your web site. Put it on YouTube. If you have the money, put it on television.

A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing the election with the girls at the hair salon. "I liked Ross Perot," one of the hairdressers said. "I liked his charts. They were interesting."

There are a lot of people who would find Ron Paul's ideas interesting. They just need a little help understanding them.


Copyright 2008

.