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 […]
Search Results for: ideal American story
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
What We Do
Our Vision, Mission, Approach, Method, Services, and Results Our vision is a world that works for all. To achieve that, we in the United States must regain control of our democracy and create a new national consensus about how our country behaves at home and abroad. These are big goals, and achieving them will […]
Red, Blue and Purple
The ideal American cultural story contains a variety of elements. Some are more favored by conservatives and others by liberals and progressives. In general, almost everyone agrees in principle with most of the ideal American vision items about what kind of nation we are supposed to be: free, equal, honest, fair, democratic, and so on. […]
What People Say about Our Book
Comments on Move Our Message Move Our Message is the framing/messaging handbook for organizers. This book will help you write and speak Americanese to those audiences you want to reach. Try it, you’ll love it. I use its ideas when I speak to audiences who have just watched my film. –Donald Goldmacher, MD, Producer, www.Heist-themovie. Congratulations on the book. […]
About Us
Today it’s vital for our future that we learn to frame our messages in ways more Americans can get. To succeed, we must present our ideas about peace, justice, and a healthy, sustainable environment as part of the best American dream– a fair, just, and prosperous nation that does the right thing at home and […]
Let’s Get Beyond Left “Groupspeak” Now!
As I write, the 2012 home stretch is still a few months away. There’s still time to get beyond our own disastrous Democratic/liberal/progressive “groupthink/groupspeak.” What is “groupspeak?” It’s the verbal equivalent of what Professor Haidt has described as “motivated reasoning,” preconceived ideas that get draped in rationalizations and then expressed in tired old words or […]