ALERT - The Bush White House continues to repeat this word in their deceptive PR hype designed to scare Americans about Social Security:
problem
Do Not repeat this word.
Social Security is a friend to all Americans. With Social Security by our side and watching out for us we feel confident about the future. Nonetheless, the Bush White House is determined to hurt Social Security, leaving Americans alone to fend for themselves in retirement.
QUICK CHANGE - To reinforce a positive vision of Social Security describe it using these phrases:
- a friend to all Americans
- by our side
- watching out for us
- confident about the future
Repeat these phrases as often as possible.
Frameshop is open...
The Problem with "Problem"
In the
White House press briefing, today, Scott McLellan made it perfectly clear that the word "problem" is going to be repeated by the Bush spin machine, over and over until a law is sent to Congress. Here is the response by McLellan to a question from the floor on Social Security:
MR. McCLELLAN: There was a bipartisan commission that looked at the
problems facing Social Security. That commission outlined some options to consider, as we work to solve this
problem. It was led by the late Senator Moynihan. And they recognized the importance of establishing personal retirement accounts where people -- younger workers could voluntarily set aside some of their own savings, if they so chose, in personal retirement accounts. And the President is strongly committed to that, as part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen Social Security.
The Social Security Commission talked about the Federal Employee Thrift Savings Plan as an example of the type of investments they're talking about. And those are investments that have yielded significant returns for federal employees. And so we're talking about establishing something similar to what federal employees now have as part of our plan to strengthen Social Security.
But we're continuing to talk with members of Congress and all those who want to work together to solve this problem. The President wants to move forward in a bipartisan way, and he's encouraged that there are a number of people on both sides of the aisle that recognize there is a serious problem and that we need to address it. Now we need to talk about how we can do that by working together.
McLellan got the word "p-----m" in four times in three paragraphs. [I wonder if he gets frequent flier miles for staying on message? --JF] The whole statement about Social Security is based on that word. It's the key to the whole "fix it or else" story they tell. Any discussion of what the "p-----m" is? None. That would be too helpful to Americans. The Bush White House doesn't want anyone to understand the issue. They just want everyone to be afraid.
Bush is launching the "war" on Social Security just like he launched the war on Iraq. He's created an shadowy, menacing concept as the pretext, and then he's going to get everyone in his million-dollar spin machine to repeat that shadowy, menacing concept until every American is cowering under the bed.
Here's how it works: The Bush White House pays Frank Luntz millions of dollars to find the words that will scare Americans to death, those words are supplied in secret memos to every Republican in the world, and then Bush uses those words in a big campaign launch (for Social Security that was two days ago). Once the message has been set and every media outlet is repeating the words non-stop, the Bush spin machine pries open Dick Cheney's coffin, pours a few pints of blood into him, covers him in sunblock and sends the Vice President out to scare the pants off of everyone.
I can already smell the foul breath of those Dick Cheney speeches spreading over the landscape: "Something horrible will happen if we don't fix the Social Security 'pr----m'!" he will tell us. At first, he'll just say that we'll lose money. Ah, but that won't be enough for Cheney. Soon, he'll start saying that if we don't change Social Security then there will be unmentionable horrors that will befall us all. Mass poverty, sickness, death. "Help! Help! Dick Cheney says Social Security is going to eat my baby! Kill me in my sleep! Social Security eats brains!"
Think I'm joking? Just think back to those speeches Cheney gave over and over again about the "inevitability" of suitcase nuclear bombs being detonated in our cities if John Kerry was elected.
The word "problem" is the "WMD" of the Social Security debate. We absolutely must not allow the Bush million-dollar spin machine to take control of this debate by repeating that word. If we stop that word, we win the debate.
Social Security is a Person
To take back the debate we must talk about Social Security as if it were a person--a helpful, friendly person that is there for all Americans in time of need. We must never, never, never, ever lead our debate issues on Social Security by talking about it as a financial product (e.g., accounts, insurance).
If you want to follow up by talking about Social Security in those terms, great. Once a new frame has been set, there are many things we can do to explain our policies.
But until we establish that Social Security is a Person then we are in trouble. We are in trouble because the Bush spin machine has already spent millions convincing Americans that Social Security is big box filled with cash.
Here are the phrases I suggest everyone repeat over and over again:
- a friend to all Americans
- by our side
- watching out for us
- confident about the future
Here is a simple way to explain what's happening:
Social Security is a friend to all Americans. With Social Security by our side and watching out for us we feel confident about the future. Nonetheless, the Bush White House is determined to hurt Social Security, leaving Americans alone to fend for themselves in retirement.
Give a Friend a Helping Hand
Here's the key: Bush's million-dollar spin machine is already attempting to use the word "personal" to talk about Social Security. But they are using that word to describe a bank account. We are using the metaphor of Social Security as a person and that is a much strong approach.
What about strategic initiatives?
I would recommend a series of TV spots to be aired IMMEDIATELY under the theme: "Give a Friend a Helping Hand." The friend is Social Security and the helping hand we lend is our own.
More on this ad proposal in the next session of Frameshop.
Now, let's get to work...
---
Get Frameshop by email!