PLI Bulletin

No Gag Rule, Media Lies, Debating Public Policy and More

Posted on September 27, 2017

No Gag Rule on Pharmacists Act: Incredibly, some health insurance companies and pharmacy benefits managers restrict pharmacists from telling customers how they can save money on certain prescriptions. Five states (CT, GA, LA, ME and ND) have passed laws against this practice and our model No Gag Rule on Pharmacists Act is based on the version enacted in Connecticut.

Lies the Media Told You: Throughout the ACA repeal ordeal, the mainstream media repeated the right wing’s “repeal and replace” message framing thousands of times. And that’s just one example. When the media says “bickering” it’s a lie. When they say “partisan” it’s a lie. “Washington,” “reform” and “nationalist” are lies. Progressives need to understand how the media’s language skews the debate against us and we need to cry foul whenever this happens. Read more in the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

Words and phrases to avoid when debating public policy: Wednesday, October 4 @ 3pm Eastern, 2pm Central, 1pm Mountain, Noon Pacific. Progressives often derail their own arguments by using language that triggers the wrong responses from persuadable Americans. This presentation will go over dozens of examples. For example, don’t say “welfare,” “capitalism,” “free markets,” “religious extremists,” “failing schools,” “the poor,” “tax reform,” “voter fraud,” “repeal and replace,” and much more. To sign up for this webinar, click here.

Poverty declined in most states in 2016: This short article and map from the Economic Policy Institute allows you to click on your state and see the differences in poverty rates. During President Obama’s last year in office, poverty decreased in 43 states. Red states generally have the highest rates of poverty.

Despite recent numbers, crime is rising in only a few places: The FBI’s latest crime report says that murder and other violent crime increased in 2016, but that is an average disproportionately affected by just a few sections of a few cities, notably Chicago and Baltimore, while crime has decreased in many other places, explains an analysis in The Atlantic.

New PLI Books now available on Amazon: If you would like a PDF copy of our new Voicing Our Values messaging guide, click here; you can also buy a hard copy on Amazon, here. Similarly, for a PDF copy of our new Preparing to Win advocacy guide, click here; you can also buy a hard copy on Amazon, here.