It's the framing, stupid.

[renegade000]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_effect_(psychology)

One of the many reasons I suspect the Democratic party has been cowed ever rightward is that our politicians don't realize they are constantly accepting the way Republicans frame issues without question.

I mean, when someone is presented with the choice of:

A) Big government
B) Small government

what sounds better?

You'd be shooting yourself in the foot if you tried to argue in favor of "big government", so we buckle and try to appear "moderate".

Instead of buying into the Republican framing, we to fight back by proffering our own way of framing issues!

- Instead of big vs. small government, we should be arguing for WORKING vs. "DO NOTHING" government.

- Instead of decrying "tax cuts for the upper 1%", we should be screaming about "government giveaways for the upper 1%".

- Instead of free markets vs. government-regulation, we should be speaking in terms of "lawless markets" vs. "fair markets"

- Instead of saying people are "pro-life", we should say they are for "government takeover of a woman's body." (hmmm, anyone know how to shorten that one?)

In an ideal world, everyone will be well-informed enough and think hard enough about the issues and their own psychology to mitigate the effects of framing...
But until then, we need to fight fire with fire!

[texastoast]

1. Beyond framing

We need a message. The Dem think tanks need to go back to a class in elementary messaging, of which framing is only a small part.

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Oh, we have the message.

Think about the 2004 campaign - poor old Kerry going on and on and on and on and on with his message, so that by the time he reached the end of it eveybody forgot what he said at the beginning. What he said eminently made sense, but you couldn't re-phrase it in 20 words or less. No sound bites.

That's all that the republicans HAVE, is sound bites. Framing. Simple answers to complex problems.

We HAVE the message. It's just that nobody has the time to sit and LISTEN to it.

[renegade000]

12. I agree

In my ideal world, people would recognize the vacuousness of the sound-bite driven media we have, but to paraphrase our former Sec. of Defense, you have to fight in the reality you have not in the reality you wish to have :P.

Let me expand upon your thoughts with the following analogy:

If politics were a food competition, it's like we've been preparing all these elaborate dishes like Bouillabaisse and Peking Duck, while the Republicans have just been handing out pre-wrapped hamburgers and french fries. While we may think our foods are absolutely wholesome and delicious, I suspect the hamburgers would win a popularity contest.
Sure we can complain that the tastes of the masses aren't refined enough, that people don't appreciate all the nuanced flavors of our gourmet food, but in the end...as long as we don't adapt to the tastes of the electorate, we'll keep losing.

[texastoast]

16. Then we are not doing it right

It's not hard to write sound bites. That's what we need to do for those whose attention spans are shorter than 10 seconds or who have the ability to understand nothing more than "Do away with income taxes." We don't see teabaggers explaining WHY doing away with income taxes is a good thing for their sheep.

"Education means more money for you and your family." "Universal health care costs YOU less." And The End. Erudition later.

[Cronus Protagonist]

2. True

Our side doesn't seem to be aware of framing.

[Skink]

3. Framed , Fucked..... who's to say?

[jillan]

4. "Don't Think of an Elephant" by Lakoff should be required reading for ALL Democrats.

[virgdem]

13. I have been saying this for years...

I read Lakoff about 5 years ago and wondered why the Dems did not all run to get copies of his books. This book gives the blueprint for framing issues, something the Dems stink at.

[pocoloco]

5. George Lakoff's point........

but the Dems didn't listen.....?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

6. K & R

[lob1]

7. I sometimes think the dem leadership is the one spreading the "dems need to

grow a spine" image of themselves. It's better to be thought of as ineffectual rather than totally corrupt.

[mzmolly]

8. Ooooooooooooooh I like!

:kick:

[akel21]

10. yeaah

communication baby

[mzmolly]

11. Welcome.

:hi:

[JoeyT]

14. It goes even beyond that.

It's pretty regular that some of the party call the rest of the party "fringe" or "crazy" left, without realizing that with every single utterance of those phrases they swing the debate that much further to the right.

Actually, it's about time we took back some words as well. Freedom and patriot are two that right wingers spew constantly without having the slightest fucking clue what either word means.

Edited to add:

[renegade000]

15. Great picture!

You're right. You never hear Republicans bashing their extremists, and they're certainly more crazy and fringe than what the media deems the "extreme" left. Hell, crazy has pretty much become the new Republican mainstream.

[BrklynLiberal]

17. K&R!!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

18. There are several of us who share this conclusion...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7554582&mesg_id=7554582

[GeorgeGist]

19. Big business ...

small business.

[Ildem09]

20. Holy Crap yess!!!!

We do suck at framing. we for some reason refuse to reduce our 15 point plans to simple declarative sentences

[omega minimo]

21. Try WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT.

[renegade000]

22. ah that's a good one!

Like the Bad Religion song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoQnuD_ONdw

[omega minimo]

26. !

:headbang:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaZU1jQwpV0

[cherokeeprogressive]

23. "our own way of framing issues" sounds like doublespeak to me.

I once answered the phone for a company I worked for. Can I claim on my resume that I was a receptionist? Does having the petty cash box in my desk make me a comptroller?

See the thread about the Marines "ending their mission" in Iraq. The implication is that it has ALREADY HAPPENED, because they turned over "operational control" to the Army. Yet, there are tens of thousands of Marines in Iraq and there will be Marines in Iraq for quite some time.

I fucking hate doublespeak.

[certainot]

24. but they've got the 1000 radio stations for coordinated UNCONTESTED repetition

and the left ignores this fact.

until then the left can't frame itself out f a paper bag.

[certainot]

25. stop. dems can't frame an outhouse. dems waste time talking about framing.

when was the last time dms framed anything?

you only get to frame if you have 1000 radio stations spewing coordinated UNCONTESTED repetition to 50MIL people.

whenever dems think they framed something, limbaugh and sons frame right over it .

that's only because the left ignores talk radio.