It's high time that Hillary Clinton settles on a message and unifying vision, Democratic strategist Morris Reid said Thursday.
"'I'm experienced, I'm ready' is not very aspirational. It's not a narrative," he told CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"She needs to figure out a narrative that brings people closer together."
The story lines that have worked best in the past have been inspiring or have spoken to anxieties Americans felt at the time, Reid said. Those include Ronald Reagan's "Morning in America" campaign, Bill Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid" message, and Barack Obama's narrative of hope, he said.
According to Reid, both Clinton and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are talking too much about themselves.
Longtime Republican strategist Boris Epshteyn said Thursday that Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan should be counted among the great aspirational messages. It's untrue that Trump merely talks about how rich he is, Epshteyn added.
"He's talking about the troubles with America, talking about the changes that need to be made on immigration, foreign policy, national security — of course the economy and taxes. He's talking about … overhauling the system from every perspective," he told "Squawk Box."
Correction: An earlier version misspelled President Barack Obama's first name.