In the first Democratic presidential debate, Andrew Yang proposed a slogan, “Not left, not right, forward!” The next day I corrected it on Twitter to be “Forward, not left, not right!” My explanation for this change was familiar to my readers: always put the positive first. But today I’m suggesting a far more important edit: […]
Springing the GOP Trap
This post was originally written during the Trump presidency but all of the advice in it still applies, no matter who is your opponent. These days every morning brings a new shock to the republic, as Mr. Trump and the GOP drive Americans into bigger and bigger traps. Trump’s most outrageous caper yet, the federal […]
Being Clear About What #TrueAmericanFreedom Means!
Ever since Rep.Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D- NY) and her colleagues launched the Green New Deal resolution, the GOP has been betting they can scare the American electorate with new fears of evil government control. Their method is to shout some version of “Freedom or Socialism? That is the question for 2020!” But this GOP “freedom” […]
Say: “Stop the GOP war on America: (fill in the blanks). “
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 […]
Reframe “climate change,” in 3 Steps!
When hurricanes Harvey and Irma blew into Houston, the entire state of Florida, and the Caribbean, they also blew a big hole in the EPA’s attack on clean energy. Pruitt’s claim that it was “insensitive” to talk about what actually caused so much damage fell flat too. Everyone who accepts climate science is more determined […]
Say “Build a common sense American future!”
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 […]