Republicans Have one thing that Democrats lack and it's the reason the progressive movement has a hard time getting through.
I call it the name game. Republicans are so tight in their messaging that even down to the words they use are a strategy. Democrats and liberals use facts and data to try to get a point across. There's never a narrative.
Akin to subliminal messaging, you will hear the same messages from the GOP that define the way followers and middle road Americans respond to even the most contradictory points, for example their tax cuts fixing the budget meme. We as progressives need to do the same. We need to start telling our story.
Think of this, a Democrat/Liberal on one side saying "Global warming is caused by a build up of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the air and is causing the climates to change and sea levels to rise creating extreme weather and other devastating events to occur." Now the republican/conservative Arguments, "They want to tax you" "It's Snowing in DC so how can the earth be warming? It is called Global Warming, right?" or "How can humans destroy god's creation?" or "This cap and spend is going to kill jobs and hinder innovation" The difference? The Progressive stated a bunch of facts, great points, but to the common listener it doesn't really move them to a point of certainty. It's like sitting in science class listening to a lecture. On the other hand, on the conservative side, There's fear, doubt and while they make no real point against climate change, they have a message that's easier to swallow. In nature, it's natural to move away from pain/discomfort, it's built in. When we touch something hot we don't keep our hand there, likewise when people hear "Death panels" "Taxes" and even the word "liberal", because of the messaging from the neo-cons over the last 30 years, they automatically put up a wall. Newt Gingrich actually made a list of words for Republicans to use in the early nineties that when accompanied with a normal word to effect that unconscious part of your mind that responds to underlying meanings and turn it negative. Here they are:
Optimistic Positive Governing Words:
active(ly), activist, building, candid(ly), care(ing), challenge, change, children, choice/choose, citizen, commitment, common sense, compete, confident, conflict, control, courage, crusade, debate, dream, duty, eliminate good-time in prison, empower(ment), fair, family,freedom, hard work , help, humane, incentive, initiative, lead learn, legacy, liberty, light, listen, mobilize, moral, movement, opportunity, passionate, peace, pioneer, precious, premise, preserve, principle(d), pristine, pro- (issue): flag, children, environment, reform, prosperity, protect, proud/pride, provide, reform, rights, share, strength, success, tough, truth, unique,vision, we/us/our
Contrasting Words:
abuse of power, anti- (issue): flag, family, child, jobs, betray, bizarre, bosses, bureaucracy, cheat, coercion, "compassion" is not enough, collapse(ing), consequences, corrupt, corruption, criminal rights, crisis, cynicism, decay, deeper, destroy, destructive, devour, disgrace, endanger, excuses, failure (fail), greed, hypocrisy, ideological, impose, incompetent, insecure, insensitive, intolerant, liberal, lie, limit(s), machine, mandate(s), obsolete, pathetic, patronage, permissive attitude, pessimistic, punish (poor ...), radical, red tape, self-serving, selfish, sensationalists, shallow, shame, sick, spend(ing), stagnation, status quo, steal, taxes, they/them, threaten, traitors, unionized, urgent (cy), waste, welfare
It's all about communication. They lead into fear and doubt, but they miss the next step, a move toward positive feelings. But they've mastered it in a way, unfortunately we've just lagged. Instead of "climate change" which sounds less threatening, why not "Climate chaos?" It sounds more imperative, and it's truthful. how much more would the progressive stance on climate change be if it were phrased like this. I'll use a move from fear to security and build a stronger tie to the subject.
"Climate chaos will be devastating to our national security, our economy and the general well-being of Americans if we don't act quickly. With rising tides and drastic weather, our land will recede, our military bases will be hit with storms and the rising water levels and homes will be submerged, causing billions in damages and leaving families homeless. Along the path of solving this problem, we can build a new green economy that benefits every individual American. The best path is to provide low-interest loans from community ba nks to installing solar panels on rooftops and turning every home into a marketplace, any energy you don't use can be sold back to energy companies for resale to houses not energy independent. Even if you don't believe in Climate Chaos, it's hard to imagine you'd be against this plan. Any clean energy plan should benefit every person in America. You'll see energy costs go down and feel safe knowing we don't have to rely on foreign oil to power our country."
I debate people a lot and am learning that it's not a barrage of facts that gets better results but a change in the debate.
Here's a few more frames I use to change the scenario:
Gay Marriage= Universal Marriage Rights
Derivatives=Betting others Hard earned pensions for personal gain
Wall Street= Economic Casino
Pro-Life= Forced Pregnancy