A GOP rancher re-frames the term "environmentalist".

[Lorien]

(DUer Ruggerson asked me to post this comment as it's own thread. It was originally posted here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x887433)

A while back I watched a 60 minutes piece where a Montana rancher was forced to lease out part of his property to a methane drilling operation by the government. The rancher's cattle were now being sickened by the poisoned streams, and the beauty of his ranch was badly tarnished by the massive equipment that had been planted on it. The CBS reporter asked the staunch republican if he could sympathize with environmentalists now that his own ranch was suffering from a situation where energy drilling trumped the environment. "Oh no, I'm no tree hugger" said the rancher, looking sadly at his pastures which were torn to bits by massive tire tracks left by his "tenants".

The reporter rephrased the question "would you call yourself a "conservationist" then"?

The rancher mulled that word over, his lips even mouthed out "conservation-conserverative..."

"Naw-that's a word trap I ain't gonna git into" he said "I call what I have for the land RESPECT! RESPECT for what God made-and that's what these energy folks don't have! RESPECT!"

He had re-framed the issue himself to make it palatable, but he was still describing environmentalism. The Rightwing has been so effective at framing the issues that he had kneejerk responses to each of the terms suggested by the reporter, explaining that being an "environmentalist" makes one a "tree-hugger" (doped up hippie liberal in his mind, no doubt). So are we, as a party, really making an organized effort right now to re-frame these issues for the 2006 elections? Voters like this rancher CAN be appealed to to vote for their best interests, and there are millions more like him who are being directly impacted by bad decisions that were made by the GOP. Your thoughts?

[Iris]

1. My thoughts. . .

it's really sad that people are so easily tricked by the Republicans.

[Lorien]

5. Personally I think it's really sad that we can't dazzle them with

the TRUTH.

[Iris]

13. I know, I know. . .

And what are we supposed to do with THAT.

Janeane Garofolo describes it best - "Willful ignorance. " And what you described in your post is a great example of willful ignorance in action. In fact, in my mind conservative = willful ignorance. Too bull-headed to change and more than happy to keep everyone else in the dark ages, too.

[XemaSab]

2. We DEFINITELY need to reframe this...

Hunters, fisherman, ranchers, loggers, and many others don't feel welcome here, and that needs to change.

[Triana]

3. The answer is yes...have you read 'don't think of an elephant'?

It's ALL ABOUT framing the issues and the Democrats are apparently unable to do that. If they could, they'd wipe the floor with the Repugs and could easily appeal to men like that Montana rancher. Just use the RIGHT WORDS.

[Lorien]

4. I'm on a waiting list for the audio version now

Lakoff has always made sense to me-and it says on the book reviews that he worked for the Kerry campaign...but I never really got the feeling that there was a focused effort within his campaign to re-frame the issues. What's holding the Democratic party back now, when BushCo's numbers are in the toilet? Is it the concern that I've heard voiced hear that "framing" the issues is the same as "lying and manipulation"; which is nonsense, imho. The rancher in that news piece had re-framed that issue without distorting it, and the same can be done with every traditionally "liberal" issue we have. What's really keeping us from organizing on this within the party?

[seabeyond]

6. republicans = crooks.... is my reframing the word. nixon, reagan

and bushco's, all of em. the whole repug party = crooks

[SpiralHawk]

12. the Republicon culture-of-corruption meme has legs because

it is so damn TRUE.

Alas for America.

[alfredo]

7. I'm all for going back to the term "conservationist." I think it

is more descriptive, less "new age" sounding that "environmentalist."

[Lisa]

8. we've seen this in British Columbia too, with logging/fishing ...

If one doesn't mention the "e-word", the resource communities often support the same things the environmentalists do (opposition to foreign multinationals stripping the woods and sending logs overseas for milling; and maintaining clean water so the spawning beds won't be damaged). The corporations did a great (hah!) job of splitting the protest movement by playing up the "treehuggers" as outsiders who didn't care about loggers. Meanwhile, they mistreated their workers by loosening safety regs, and fouled local drinking water by allowing pollution and soil erosion.

As soon as the issue became keeping jobs in the communities for the long term, and the "urban", "elitist", and "impractical hippies" image began to fade, a lot of local people began to support efforts like sustainable forestry, ecotourism, and community empowerment.

[sandnsea]

11. Exactly

Oregon could kick rural butt with that approach. But you know who won't do it? The far left environmentalists who balk at anything except a complete hands off approach to all land and wildlife. So you end up fighting the right and the left, no fun at all.

[Lisa]

16. we've been very lucky ...

In the decade or so since "the war in the woods", a mainstream consensus began to emerge. It's still kind of shaky, but the moderates on both sides began to realize what side their bread is buttered on (not with "cut and run" multinationals). The New Democratic Party, which had been trying to pull together support of an expanded parks system, habitat protection, and community development, had been almost wiped out in 2001, but roared back last year and regained official opposition status. They won a bunch of seats in rural areas, including Vancouver Island (which has seen social devastation up north with mill closures and layoffs).

Sorry to hear about Oregon. Hope things get better soon. It's always been a kind of beacon to me (a lot of foresight on urban planning and resource issues, decades ago ... and plus my mom went to college in Portland).

[Earth_First]

9. We need to get some Aldo Leopold and Lester Brown into the hands...

of these individuals. What Leopold stated about conservation would really click with alot of these displaced GOP hunters/fishers/ranchers...

[Lorien]

15. It's odd that the Sierra club is now joining with Ducks unlimited

and even the NRA when it comes to defending our national parks, but they've recognized that they do share one of the same goals; saving our public lands. Politics do indeed make for strange bedfellows, but the REAL challenge here is "reprogramming" the country's repugs using language that appeals to them.

[sandnsea]

dupe n/t

[sandnsea]

10. Very true

Any time you get these folks AWAY from politics or a campaign season, their values are very close to everybody elses. They aren't for locking up land altogether, but they don't want it poisoned due to pure greed and carelessness either. They do respect the land and it's insulting when "treehuggers" come from out of state and talk down to them as if they didn't care at all. They do and are willing to learn and change. And it's all about respecting them and recognizing they have respect for land and people too.

Respect and responsibility, that's what they're all about. We can win them over on reasonable gun regulations exactly the same way. And even abortion. The 50 state strategy won't work unless we listen and respond with respect.

[BeFree]

14. If only it were so easy

We can't hold the hands of every two-bit rancher who's been violated by the greedy bastards, can we? If the dumbass coudn't see ahead of time what would happen with the pukes running things - even after all the warning signs we erected, then he's just worthless to us. Oh, we may get a vote from him, so what?

He needs to repent and come crawling to us begging for forgiveness before we pay him any attention. We need to quit pandering to the dumbass rich folk and get to work making sure that we unite and that out votes count.