PLI Bulletin

Cancel Culture, Use of Force, Megadonors and More

Posted on April 21, 2021

Police Use of Force Act: The deaths of George Floyd and several others have made it clear that, in many jurisdictions, police use of force is out of control. The Police Use of Force Act limits law enforcement officers, requiring them to use no more force than necessary and proportionate for legitimate police purposes.

Don’t say “cancel culture” or “culture wars”: American conservatism has become little more than a communications engine, using bigotry to fuel its base of support. One common tactic is to reframe language so that bigotry seems like something else. That’s the case with the right wing’s spin on “culture.” For more, read the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

A Progressive Philosophy Based on Values: This 25-minute podcast describes a values-based progressive political philosophy and how to use it for both policy and communications. Listen here.

Just 12 megadonars account for $1 of every $13 spent in federal elections: The top 12 megadonors spent $3.4 billion on federal elections from 2009 to 2020, according to a new report by Issue One.

How to persuade a climate change skeptic: The founder of Green That Life offers six strategies for talking to climate skeptics. This advice is consistent with PLI’s Three Rules of Persuasion, while offering some clever small-scale tactics.

How to earn media coverage: Progressive causes generally succeed only with considerable publicity. PLI’s advocacy guidebook, Preparing to Win, has a chapter on how to earn media coverage.