Emerging from a long stretch of social media push back, I’ve been thinking about something more permanent. How might we create an “umbrella” frame that would bring it all together in a form all of us can use? As Naomi Klein has shown, a key part of the “shock doctrine” is overwhelming the victim with […]
Category: American Politics
How to Write Slogans That Move! (Better than “a better deal!)
When they aren’t reacting to Trump’s latest outrage, people are talking about the Democrats’ horrible new slogan, “a better deal.” Winning the ’18 election for a better House is one of the most important ways we can fight back. For that the Democrats need a much better slogan. Even “Get a better deal—go Blue in […]
Say “Build a common sense American future!”
Framing Our March Messages to Persuade
This year April is march month: the Tax march on 4.15, the Science March on 4.22 and the People’s Climate March on 4.29. As a tactic, marching does create a highly visible sign of resistance. Large numbers of people have made it a priority to drop whatever they do on Saturdays and show up in the […]
Getting Heard Beyond the Choir
Getting Heard Beyond the Choir by Susan C. Strong Foreword: Although events are moving faster every minute in our country right now, it is still true that we need to get heard well beyond the choir, even as the “choir” swells with each new outrage. For example, impeachment will require very broad public pressure to […]
Say: “Clean Energy Jobs Now!”
Right now we’re in the aftermath of Election 2016, with President-Elect Trump heading for the Oval Office. Added to what’s happened to Congress, climate protection is likely to be under heavy attack. Who, then, is our audience for doing what? And how should we talk to them about the issue? First, a little more context. […]
The Hope: Grass Roots Bipartisans at Work Right Now
Labor Day weekend is over, and the Election 2016 countdown is going into overdrive. We’re all going to work hard for our chosen candidates of course, but is there any realistic hope that after November 8 our national political life will move beyond the bitter, paralyzed disagreement we have now? Today the scene looks nothing […]
Redeem Our Nation’s Honor!
This season of extreme political discontent in the U.S. A. has thrown a harsh new light on what I used to call “the ideal American identity story.” That story goes like this: we’re the country whose people share ideals like freedom, equality, justice, and rule of law for all. I believe it is still true […]
U.S.A. 2019: Rebirth?
This update of a piece originally titled “U.S.A. 2016, Death Spiral or Rebirth?” seems like a good one to review as we move into 2019 with a newly Democratic House, as Democrats all over the country take their seats, from legislatures to governors’ mansions. These days in the U.S. are, as my old friend Tom […]
Two American Dreams: Poison or Power?
As the 2016 presidential campaign heats up now, we’ll hear a lot more about “the American dream.” But there are two “American Dreams,” very different from each other, and each with a shadow side. To survive today’s toxic politics and make progress, we Americans must understand both the poison in these two dreams and the […]