A few new memes/frames I've been thinking of:

[Tamyrlin79]

After my recent DFA meetup, where we watched Lakoff discuss framing, I've been thinking along the lines of memes for framing exactly what the Christian Right actually is and doing so in a religious-based way that even adherents of the Christian Right can understand. Also, I kept an eye towards using their own prejudices (against arabs, against non-christians, etc.) against them... Hopefully, doing it this way can help "wake up" some of those who just blindly follow everything they are told without questioning. If we can just get them questioning, thinking, then they are more likely to give more limited support, withdraw it entirely, or even defect entirely from the Right. Much of the right already demonstrates how they are influenced by their prejudices (think racism), and this is clearly a weakness in their world-view to be used against them. Our current government is already exploiting it to maintain their power. It is time they had some competition at this level. The answer is to play our own version of psychological warfare that forces these people to take a good look at themselves in the mirror... mentally, speaking. So:

Anti-Christian Right (to brand our opponents, piggy-backing on their own meme to distribute our own and reprogram the converted. Calling them anti-christian, as in the "opposite of christ" sense, invokes the anti-christ and can impel them to question their own actions, to hold themselves accountable, so to speak, in "practicing what you preach")

Redeem America (to frame our plans for the country with a slightly religious overtone... refers to reclaiming our american values (no toruture, church/state separation), reinstituting them, protecting the right to vote, reforming/democratizing the system, etc.

Fascist Theocracy (Republican cabal's preferred form of government, the merging of corporate power and religious authority, theoretically a very repressive, combination)

Christian Taliban (for those who support creating an "Christian Iran")

Christian Iran (drawing a parallel between the Muslim governments of Iran and the move towards the christian version of the same here)

Christian Pharisees (for Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, & Co... Christ also had some pretty nasty things to say about the pharisees, which lends itself to Democrats getting to occasionally use bible quotes from Christ himself to challenge right-wingers. Red letters in the bible always trump black ones in the Christian hierarchy of biblical authority! Simply the fact that what christ himself is said to have said is in red letters, to stand out, is demonstration of this point).

Money Changers (The corporate powers that be. "Throw the Money Changers from the Temple of Democracy" I have always thought would be a good bumpersticker... religious-based meme applied to current politics to make a point.)

"The New Rome" - shorthand for the American empire, presented in a biblically-based way connected with the authority of Christian prophecy (which has also demonstrated a heavy influence on these kinds of people)

Papal Presidency (shorthand for church/state merger as well as being the perfect name for the leader of the "New Rome", being as the actual pope is in rome and basically ruled Rome in the past. Plays on any prejudice against catholics.)

Ayatollah Presidency (another shorthand for church/state merger, as well as drawing an immediate parallel between the US and Iran in creating a religious theocracy. Plays on prejudices against muslims and uses the current government's villification of Iran against it)

Christian Terrorists (frame for abortion clinic bombers, also could be applied to government officials who support torture...)

American Madrasas (shorthand for the end-results of voucher programs and the like which spur the creation of religious and private schools, where ideology can be taught and indoctrinated without limitation, as with the muslim versions of the same... also points out the danger private, religious institutions can represent here at home and therefore WHY public schools are good for society and important to maintain. Also places Democrats on the firm political ground of defending the common good from religious extremists)

Other ideas?

[StephanieMarie]

1. The challenge will be

to get the MSM to repeat your frames hundreds of times every day until the country is reverse brainwashed....

[NAO]

2. Radical Clerics Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson

My favorite frame/meme of late is referring to fundamentalist preachers and leaders of the Religious Reich such as Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson as "Radical Clerics".

Same shit, different fundamentalist dogma.

[Maclilly]

3. This is great stuff

We should also turn Pro-Life into Democratic values. Prolife on Education, healthcare, fair wages, dignity to the elderly. We should be humiliating the Republicans on not caring about disenfranchising voters. We should be shaming them on paid propoganda and infer that shills like Hannity are paid with our tax dollars.

Neil Bush making money on NCLB software? Republicans want to releive us of the tax burden by helping themselves to our tax dollars.

[InvisibleBallots]

4. but you are already accepting their frame

They are pitting this as a war between the religious Christians and the Secular Athiests. You are going along with this frame, just finding ways to demonize the other side.

There is only one frame that works - the regular American vs the powerful elites. It's the time tested one that works, and the Republicans have become experts at it.

The "Fundie Menace" is part of the frame meant to distract you from what they are doing to Social Security and the war. Don't fall for it.

[Tamyrlin79]

5. Duh, that's what I said...

I AM partially accepting their framing because this is the way their mind works. If you are going to convert your enemy to your side, you must attack from without (democratic, people vs. the powerful framing) and from within (counter-frames that are taken from their own worldview). These are meant to undermine their existing outlook and get them to start looking for a new perspective.

And it hardly distracts from the war. "New Rome" references the war and American imperialism and castigates it from within their own worldview. I rather see it as translating principles from our worldview into their language and challenging their existing perspective. I'd hardly call that giving in to a distraction. And as for not talking about social security, I'm certain other frames can be developed that address this and other issues. I hardly meant the above to be an all-inclusive list.