ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Right, I don't think there is a good strategy. Every idea has such major drawbacks that it is easy to pick apart. Doing nothing is also not a good strategy.
But that is the old "we have to do *something*" attitude.
Doing nothing can be better than doing the wrong things. Of course, it would take someone with exceptional communication skills and a high approval rating to be able to articulate that in a positive manner. President Obama sure fits that bill.
You are right that everything can be picked apart. That is why I am so frustrated that this bill is over 1000 pages, how many different "items" are in there?
They need a top ten list. Define it, explain why these are the top ten, and explain why the actions have a reasonable chance of providing a positive outcome.
Further, explain how/when you are going to measure and monitor the results and evaluate it. Explain how you will adapt and change if some things don't seem to be working as planned (or turn out not to be needed), and how you will come up with replacements for those plans.
That ain't rocket science. I think that is exactly what the people and the market would respond to. It wouldn't have to be "right", it would just have to show an honest attempt at attacking the problem in a forthright manner.
Sure, there will some whiners asking for protection for the toy wooden arrow manufacturers in their district. Show some backbone and say (politely) - eff 'em, we got big fish to fry.
C'mon DOW 12,000!
-ERD50