A Month Late

Post from Sara Robinson about reclaiming the American Dream, paraphrasing and quoting communicators Drew Westen and Celinda Lake.

Mr. Westen:

Make stories visceral and personal. For example, rather than getting wonky talking about revenues versus entitlements, talk about "raising taxes versus kicking granny out of the nursing home." (And stop using the word "entitlements," which implies that people are getting something they don't deserve.) Likewise: when we talk about Medicaid, we should point out that it's insurance -- something you've paid into for years. When the time comes to file a claim, nobody had better deny it. Social Security, likewise, is insurance that we pay for through our taxes.

Ms. Lake:

She also offered some language that should be avoided. Talk about "the less fortunate" should be brought back and grounded in specifics (like "throwing Granny out of the nursing home"). Talk about "the right to clean air and water" instead of abstractions like "the environment." Avoid policy minutia; keep it personal and specific, and tell stories about real people. Don't talk about the past, or project too far in the future -- people are terrified about what's happening to them right now, and are worried about how they're going to even get to the future.

and, you know, that stuff might work.