WASHINGTON - Former Chicagoan and Breitbart.com editor Joel Pollak expresses the concern many conservatives have about how congressional Republicans are handling the fiscal cliff battle. Without a plan, it's impossible to win a war. Pollak lists three reasons why Obama is winning the debate, and it's not because he was just re-elected. Pollak writes in the Washington Times:
Rather, they are losing for three reasons that have little to do with the election: first, they have no good alternative to negotiating; second, they have accepted Democrats’ frame for the debate; and third, they have failed to mount a broader media and cultural strategy.
No alternative. Success in negotiation depends on having a good alternative to talks--what negotiating experts call a Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). Having a good BATNA means you have credibility when you threaten to walk away from a deal; your opponent will have to offer you better terms to keep you at the table. Each side should therefore work to improve its own BATNA--and worsen that of its opponent.
Maybe someone could also pass along this strategic information to Republicans in Springfield?
