How is it that the media still gets away with saying that Obama "lacks substance" when he has taken sophisticated stances on every major political issue?  The answer is simple: the media is perpetuating a bogus claim and reporting in a manner that makes it seem plausible.

Today we embark upon another tour around the Sun on this precious spinning rock we call home. It is an honor to be among you – the great messengers of change in our time of need. Our journey this time around can be purposeful and productive if we keep in mind the quintessential human capacity that makes progress possible – hope. With it, we can rise up to face the great challenges that define our times. Simply kindle the hope that resides deep within our hearts.

I would like to take a moment to share an insight that gives me hope. Perhaps it will shed light upon your path as well.

This diary is cross-posted at Celsias.

Conservatives have been very successful at shifting political discourse in their favor. This diary explains how they have done it. Progressives can reclaim the debate by knowing their values and articulating their political ideology honestly and openly.

Yesterday I posted a diary about the Overton Window.  Today I would like to talk about the strategies that lead to success.

More below the fold...

This diary is cross-posted at Rockridge Nation

As progressives, we want to shift political discourse in our favor.  Hopefully this diary will help clarify why we may not want to use the Overton Window to do it.  Knowing our values and presenting ourselves with authenticity is the key!

Yesterday I posted a diary about the limitations of thinking about politics in terms of left and right.  Today I would like to talk about the problems with a strategy called the Overton Window.

More below the fold...

This diary is cross-posted at Rockridge Nation.

This is the first of a three part series, to be published over the next few days.  Part 2 dissects the metaphors behind traditional political strategies based on the political spectrum of left-right politics - including a detailed discussion of the Overton Window.  Part 3 presents the real strategy used by conservatives to shift debate in their favor and offers guidance for progressives to turn the tide.

Conservative strategists have successfully shifted political discourse in their favor. Progressives can shift the debate back by understanding how the political mind works. In order to do so, however, it is necessary to move beyond the faulty idea that there is a horizontal political spectrum from left to center to right.

More below the fold...

This article is cross-posted on Rockridge Nation.

The climate debate has gotten underway and biofuels have been promoted as a strong candidate for solving the problem of oil dependence. In this article, I explore how framing has caused public discourse to overlook the major disaster that lurks behind biofuels.

The problems with biofuels stand out starkly when the framing is right, reinforcing the understanding that truth only becomes fact in the right context.  

This article is cross-posted on Rockridge Nation

President Bush announced his international development agenda yesterday, making headlines for declaring that the world’s wealthiest countries should talk about climate change.  As an atmospheric scientist who analyzes the language of political discourse, I would like to share my perspective on what was said (and not said) in his proposal.

There are two major themes in his speech.  First, he promoted the development of clean energy technologies to replace conventional fuels and production practices.  And second, he recommended the elimination of "tariffs and other barriers to clean energy technologies" to promote the spread of these wonders of modern science.  All of this was embedded within a story of American compassion to bring prosperity to the world’s poor.

Let’s have a look at these ideas more closely.

This article is cross-posted at Rockridge Nation.

As a Fellow at the Rockridge Institute, I’ve been exploring the framing of security and it’s relationship to climate change. While climate change is a relatively new idea, our ideas about security have been around since the birth of the nation (and before). They have shifted dramatically since the cold war.  In the contemporary context of international terrorism and climate change, ideas of security have become much more global and, at the same time, more individualized.  

This diary is based on my paper Shifting the Climate of Security, which has recently been published on the Rockridge Institute website.

I just posted a shorter version of the paper for discussion on our blog site for the progressive community, Rockridge Nation.