MEME MEMO: Public Protection Attorneys

[ClassWarrior]

John Edwards and his colleagues are PUBLIC PROTECTION ATTORNEYS - not trial lawyers. They protect the public from the predatory practices of corrupt corporations like Enron.

Say it loud – say it often – and please help keep this kicked.

This MEME MEMO comes courtesy of liguist extraordinaire, George Lakoff. Everyone at DU should watch or listen to his appearance on last week’s NOW with Bill Moyers. It’s online here, thanks to Wonk:

Video: http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/wonk/NOW/NOW.07.23.04.GeorgeLakoff.vp3

Audio: http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/wonk/NOW/NOW.07.23.04.GeorgeLakoff.mp3

[elehhhhna]

1. Citizens Rights Attorneys...

Irks me when they say trial lawyers--that means ALL litigators, and it's sooooooooooooo stoopid.

GREAT IDEA!

[info being]

17. There you go, trying to change it and muddle the message

right away:)

Our independent thinking may very well be our biggest weakness, as Progressives.

[ClassWarrior]

18. True dat.

But we know how to FIGHT!

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. Kick

*

[ClassWarrior]

10. And another!

:kick:

[ClassWarrior]

11. For the language...

:kick:

[ClassWarrior]

12. Kickin' like Bart Starr...

:kick:

[July]

3. Public interest vs. corporate interest, little guy vs. big corp.

I like the way you think.

I've spent the entire Bush term looking for him to make a decision or argument for the public interest/little guy in those situations in which the choice comes down to corporate interest vs. anyone else (workers, patients, pensioners, electricity consumers, communities that want their environment to stay clean, poor people, voters, students, etc.) who is not wealthy and who represents "the average citizen" (in some capacity). Some choices don't involve a conflict, but whenever it does, the citizen or public interest loses.

As you say, these differences should be highlighted in every speech that any Democrat gives.

[ClassWarrior]

7. Thank George Lakoff for this one.

I'm just the messenger. Watch the video if you haven't already.

[proud patriot]

4. Indeed Frame the Debate

I want to read his book :D

[ClassWarrior]

8. I looked him up at Amazon.

Apparently he has three. I wanna read them too.

[dumpster_baby]

5. It is indeed a Meme War, and it must be fought in the mass media

that is why it is a bit of a waste of time to fight for liberal candidates. The media just makes sure that a conservative person is elected.
You have to spread memes that will move the populace to the left before you can get a leftist candidate.

There are only two ways I see to do it: talk radio, and making movies/videos/documentaries/sitcoms, etc that can be distributed via P2P apps over broadband.

[CaTeacher]

6. dumpster baby--you

are 100% correct!

[ClassWarrior]

9. Lots of grassroots ways too.

Conversations with friends... letters to the editor... letters to our elected representatives... etc...

[msmcghee]

13. Here's the letter I sent to Bill Moyers on that program.

Dear Bill and David,

Last evening's program was really great. But just a week ago I was yelling at the TV. Frank Luntz was brazenly revealing the key to how the conservatives have been able to take over all three branches our government. Luntz described how critical it was to package a political message in a way that directly connects that message to the feelings of the audience. Yet, it seemed like David just let Luntzs' words sort of wash over him without really grasping their signifigance.

But last night, you made up for all that in spades with your guest George Lakoff and your excellent discussion with him about about how the conservatives use powerful emotion-laden words to frame the debate.

Every day we can see vivid examples of this. Like the list of negative words that Newt Gingrich published a few years ago whereby Republicans were supposed to associate those words with Democrats whenever possible. Another is the use of the ugly phrase "Democrat Party", something that President Bush used very effectively this week in his speech to the Urban League.

But there is a larger point - one that I didn't hear last night but one that I hope the Democratic leadership can get. It's that these are all elements of a very sophisticated marketing campaign. Frank Luntz is not a pollster or a political consultant as much as he's a marketing guy. The Republicans simply figured out long ago that with a product that truly sucked they needed to do some serious marketing.

We Democrats tend to feel that selling our wonderful values is demeaning. As Lakoff explained, we believe that our values are so right and so logical that all we have to do is show them to people and they should be smart enough to vote for us. I would add that we believe that if we actually have to sell them, we're admitting that perhaps they're not so great after all. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. If humans instinctively sought out better values then civilization would have become a utopia long ago.

Like smart artists, the Republicans are practical enough to admit that there are probably many better paintings out there than their own. So they've wisely hired the best agents that money can buy - and have allowed that marketing effort to guide them. They've even purchased most of the media through which their finely-tuned messages are hammered home.

An unfortunate fact of life is that a company with a great product that doesn't know how to sell it is probably doomed to failure - while a company with a lousy product, if they sell it skillfully, can make millions. I'll take this corporate analogy a step further. A company that's only interested in the profit and is willing to package and re-create their product into whatever form can most easily be attached to their customers' strongest emotions - can make billions and control the world. Especially if the rest of us don't understand what's happening and therefore can't stop them.

Our nation is now fully engaged in the most important debate in its history and the stakes are enormous. Please do more on this critical topic. Our only hope is to fully understand how and why this debate is being so skillfuly framed against us - and then fight back using those same powerful tools.

Thanks again,

[ClassWarrior]

14. Excellent letter MsMc...

That about sums it up.

[ClassWarrior]

16. kick for Lakoff

[Bake]

15. I have no problem with "trial lawyer"

And especially with the ATLA (Assoc. of Trial Lawyers of America) theme: FOR THE PEOPLE!

Bake