Now that Speaker Boehner is stepping out of the picture, we can expect even more slash and burn tactics from the House, promoted with truly alarming language. But more dangerous, in my view, is the way already familiar language will be hijacked to fit the Right’s agenda. For example, not too long ago I noticed […]
Category: American Politics
Countering the GOP “Sabotage America” Campaign
As everybody knows, our GOP-dominated Congress is deep into a full scale “sabotage America” campaign. Everything is under massive attack, from our negotiations with Iran to the perfectly legal way Social Security Disability Insurance has always been funded. (More info here in 1. below.) Their full scale demolition derby could dismantle almost everything about America […]
A Watershed Metaphor for These Times
Of course right now everyone on the left and among the Democrats is feeling shocked and down because of the horrid 2014 election. There’s been a torrent of analysis and blaming on our side. Although many factors were in play, one stands out. That’s the role of corrupt corporate money in fueling Right wing victories […]
Framing a “Why vote?” Message
At this point the Right has got their election rap down pat, and the Democrats have already written their ads, phone scripts, door to door canvassing messages and other media. So what’s left for us regular citizens to do about framing the issues and getting out the vote? Folks in the know are deeply aware […]
Stopping the Mega-Corp Coup
What could make Americans say “enough!” to mega-corporations’ meddling? Examples of it are everywhere now: the attempt to privatize water in Detroit, massive cuts to public education in Mississippi, Burger King’s tax evading move to Canada, to name just a few. (1) Their goal? Extracting the last dollar of corporate profit from increasingly desperate people […]
Say: “’True’ Public Safety Means Prevention!”
New reports suggest that some desperate Republicans are trying out “public safety” and “crime” as their 2013-4 state-level election frame.(1) Colorado and California are already seeing conservative moves to retake their state legislatures and governorships by accusing Democrats of being “soft on crime,” and putting “public safety” at risk. However, nationally crime rates have actually […]
Tell the Media Again: Say “Safety,” not “Control!”
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has recently reported that 100% of Americans want universal background checks for gun buyers. They say that even gun owners and hunters, grass roots NRA members, agree on this. Of course the national NRA leadership is against it. So right now it’s NRA head Wayne LaPierre vs We the People of […]
Counter-frame the Economy! Three Ways to Avoid Their Words
Although everyone’s focused on the election now, by the end of next week America will plunge into yet another harrowing contest over the future of our nation. Already some are frantically working behind the scenes to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff.” (1) Economic metaphors will again be a very big part of the action. Given the […]
How to “Speak American” When You GOTV
Recent rash remarks and extreme ideas from the Romney/Ryan team have altered the political landscape. Before all that, polls had shown there were few undecided voters left. Now that’s not such a sure thing. There’s a new spotlight on character, on our shared ideals of American public morality, and on what kind of future we […]
Counter-frame It! How to Stop Using Their Words
Democrats, liberals, progressives, and radicals unite in frustration with the Right’s ability to capture the public mind with a few carefully selected words or phrases. As we all know, those words echo and re-echo through their top-to-bottom messaging machine. Their sound bites go from wordsmiths like Frank Luntz, to think tanks, to media outlets, to […]